Bush And Democracy: Talk But Little Action

Weekly Standard: President's Words About Promoting Democracy Haven't Been Backed By Deeds

(Weekly Standard)  This column was written by Tod Lindberg.

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In January 2005, George W. Bush delivered what will surely go down as one of the most ambitious inaugural addresses in presidential history. He pledged the United States to "the ultimate goal of ending tyranny" in the world through the promotion of "democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture." In other words, he proposed the eradication of the most consistently recurring character in politics since its misty origins in prehistory, the dictator or ruler or strongman.

No small number of people thought this was perfectly crazy at the time. But what is perhaps more startling is how many people thought what Bush had to say was an aspiration worthy of a nation founded to vindicate the rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Moreover, some, including me, went farther, viewing Bush's project favorably not just as the latest articulation of the longstanding American declaratory obsession with saving the world by example and deed, but as a plausible one in terms of policy, especially given the less-remarked sentence two paragraphs later, in which Bush described the task he set out as "the concentrated work of generations."

But there are, of course, serious questions here: What is a policy dedicated to "ending tyranny" supposed to look like? For that matter, is the best way to end tyranny really to promote "democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture," and, if so, how and on what timetable? And what about those pesky tyrants who have something of use to the United States, such as oil or information, or something the United States might fear, such as nuclear weapons? Do they get a pass, and, if so, for how long? And if years turn into decades and then generations, isn't such a policy more properly described as one of accommodation of tyrants when necessary?

And of course, now we have the problem of Iraq, a war that began for security reasons, turned into an attempt to create a democracy, and now seems primarily intended to avert civil war, genocide, or the triumph of a religiously inspired terrorist ideology. Kanan Makiya, a proponent of the war and once of the proposition that Iraq was ripe for democracy, described the pass we have reached at a gathering last week in Prague of current and former dissident promoters of liberalism and democracy from all over the world: Iraq, he said, is the "sword of Damocles" hanging over democracy promotion.

In the context of domestic politics, the Democratic rank and file, once sympathetic to such concerns as human rights and opposition to authoritarian governments, has now largely flipped, rededicating itself to the proposition of leaving well enough alone. When I told a fellow soccer dad, a smart, witty, and politically attuned Washington lawyer and unabashed partisan Democrat, that I was going to miss the team party because I was off to Prague for a conference on democracy promotion to which, ahem, Bush was going, he noted ruefully, "Sure, there are plenty more places we can screw up in the name of democracy."

Republicans probably ought to take a moment to ask themselves what they would think about Iraq if Bill Clinton had decided to go to war there in 1998, which he nearly did, and run into the same problems we now have. Republicans, after all, arrived late to the nation-building party, for which the George W. Bush and Condoleezza Rice of campaign 2000 openly expressed something close to contempt. And if, as things were going from bad to worse in Iraq, Clinton had given a speech sounding the theme of the Bush second inaugural, it's hard to imagine the GOP response wouldn't have been to declare him a dangerous Wilsonian lunatic.

As matters stand, even for those who sympathize with the Bush vision, there's one more problem, and it is not small: What exactly has Bush done since January 2005 to "promote democratic movements and institutions," let alone "in every nation and culture"? Where is tyranny now on the run as a result of new U.S. pressure? China hasn't budged except to redouble its engagement with dictatorial regimes abroad in defense of the claim that a country's form of government is nobody's business but those who run it. Russia's Vladimir Putin has become increasingly authoritarian, bombastically so.

Venezuela's Hugo Chávez is even more egregious rhetorically, and his recent policy decrees amount to the farthest-reaching repudiation of market principles since the end of the Cold War. Chávez seems to have found a willing stooge in Bolivia's Evo Morales. In Ukraine, the sheen of the Orange Revolution is gone. Vietnam is locking up Catholic priests. The Cedar Revolution in Lebanon is tottering atop a weak state structure barely able to withstand the brutal forces of the neighborhood. Egypt's Hosni Mubarak pocketed the adulatory congratulations of a success-hungry Bush administration for deigning to allow an actual opposition candidate in his 2005 presidential "election," while making sure the opposition was too weak to mount a serious challenge.

There's more, of course. To the list of places where things are getting worse, one must append a list of places where things aren't getting any better. The buzz in the social-science literature these days is about "sustainable autocracy" and the capacity of tyrants to learn from the mistakes that brought down their predecessors.

[katg21]

As I recall, only 1 provision of the Contract on America was considered and it had nothing to do with the economy.
Posted by sjc_1 at 01:07 PM : Jun 16, 2007

The Fiscal responsibility Act and it had everything to do with the economy. Read it.

[sjc_1]

'..for any successes he had with the economy"

As I recall, only 1 provision of the Contract on America was considered and it had nothing to do with the economy.

Clinton raised tax rates for the higher income bracket which convinced the bond market that they government was serious about doing something.

The stable bond market allowed the government and business to borrow at reduced rates which helped slow the growth of the debt and allow business expansion.

[katg21]

Clinton did more to combat terrorism than any president in history, and no matter how you Posted by bobgee_1999 at 07:31 PM : Jun 15, 2007

And you wonder what I'm smokin'?! Clinton can thank the "Contract With America", created by the REPUBLICAN controlled congress, for any successes he had with the economy. As far as combating terrorism, don't make me laugh; he turned a blind eye and you know it. How about you tell me how Carter was better than Reagan? This should be good.

Carter's implementing of price controls created long gas lines, high gas prices ,high interest rates(20+%) , etc.., pure socialism. Hmm, sounds just like what Hill has in store for us. Worked great then, why not try it again, huh. What do you know about that though, you were probably just twinkle in your dad's eye during Carter's administration. Do a little reading on him before you start throwing out awards for history's worst president.

[katg21]

I was making a joke.
W recently said it that way.
Posted by sparks224 at 09:21 PM : Jun 15, 2007

Missed that one.

[katg21]

I live on the Planet Michigan. Worst economy in the country the last 6.5 years, with the unemployment just dropping to 7%. Not part of your world I guess.

I voted for hometown boy Gerald Ford over Carter.

Just keep on telling us how much you think you know.
Posted by beanerman4 at 11:54 PM : Jun 15, 2007

Let me guess, I bet you voted for Granholm too? Worst Governor in the nation, worst record, and you idiots vote her in for a second term...BRAVO. You deserve what you get.

[jerr11]

Bush And Democracy: Talk But Little Action


So what else is new!

This guy spews more hot air than a Texan stuffed with refried beans.

Remember the Middle East Roadmap? Or the Katrina relief...

The only thing this guy has done while in office is to enrich his buddies, give billions to the pharmaceutical companies in the drug plan, and killed thousands of young Americans in a delusional war of greed and profiteering.

[sparks224]

"The bloke was voted twice into the WH!"
Posted by klifton2

Keep in mind; he didn't actually win the election either time. But he did get close enough for the neo-cons to steal it. This of course makes the idea of Bush promoting democracy so ironic.

[beanerman4]

again I ask what planet you're living on? In the real world the economy is doing just fine.
Posted by katg21 at 02:39 PM : Jun 15, 2007

I live on the Planet Michigan. Worst economy in the country the last 6.5 years, with the unemployment just dropping to 7%. Not part of your world I guess.

I voted for hometown boy Gerald Ford over Carter.

Just keep on telling us how much you think you know.

[condumism]

Bush, as ALL Repuglicons: HYPOCRITS to the CORE. All of us have now seen first hand how low the conservative trash of the USA can go. And to think that some fools voted for this PIG BUSH twice? Only a Southern FAscist could be so gullible as to vote hatred and greed over America.

[sjc_1]

You could write a book with all the screw ups that W has said. The guy is an embarrassment to this nation. People make mistakes, but this guy makes a career out of making mistakes.

Kerry leaves one word out of a statement and the press and right wingers are all over him. This clown screws up daily and no one says a thing.

[sparks224]

katg21,
I believe the phrase is %u201Chalf glass empty%u201D.

Posted by sparks224 at 03:37 PM : Jun 15, 2007

nope, "glass half empty".
Posted by katg21

I was making a joke.
W recently said it that way.

[johnshaft4]

It was you Jew boy, neocon, Zionists along with the end time Christian nut jobs that got this spineless, retarded, twerp elected (and re elected) so stew in your own juices, jerks.
We don't want to hear your crying any more.

[emhawks]

I'm so tired of reading/hearing about what Bush/Cheney have done & the way it's always phrased in politically correct language!

Bush & Cheney are criminals----murderers.
They both should go before a firing squad for what they have done to America, Iraq & our American soldiers & for what they are trying to do( deliberately prolonging the Iraq war; trying to create a reason to attack Iran; trying to form the North American Union (NAU)which would be the end of America).

[bobgee_1999]

katg21: Belief doesn't alter reality, though apparently whatever you're smoking does. The economy is in the toilet. You can only cover the truth with deficit spending for so long; eventually the bill comes due. Of course, it won't come due during Bush's term, will it? Of course not. The rest of us learned this under Reagan, the worst president we ever had, until Bush II took his title. It is always left to the Democrats to fix the economy after the Republicans screw it up. Then prosperity sets in, and the *** AmPop thinks it's ok to vote for the GOP again. People like you disparage taxes the Dems enact, but the only alternative is deferring payment like the Reps do.

Clinton did more to combat terrorism than any president in history, and no matter how you slice it, Bush did little but work on his ranch for his first nine months in office and took no action against Al-Queda at all. How you can blame Clinton for "our current problems" must be the result of the smokables, because I'm pretty sure he didn't attack Iraq for absolutely no reason at all, and divert our attention and resources away from the actual problem.

[katg21]

Unfortunately, that's the half of the glass I inhabit ;)

Posted by ubrew12 at 05:20 PM : Jun 15, 2007

It's hard not to be there these days;)

[ubrew12]

"ubrew12, You're a "glass is half empty" kind of person, huh? Geez!" Posted by katg21 at 02:59 PM : Jun 15, 2007

Unfortunately, that's the half of the glass I inhabit ;)

[johnshaft4]

What did you expect from the usual "faith based", Christian, "family values" lies and hypocrisy?

[mwitten2]

Bush pushing democracy all over the world while destroying ours with illegal wiretaps, secret prisons, torture, etc.! The "Weenie" is the decider!!!

[katg21]

katg21,
I believe the phrase is %u201Chalf glass empty%u201D.

Posted by sparks224 at 03:37 PM : Jun 15, 2007

nope, "glass half empty".

[sparks224]

katg21,
I believe the phrase is %u201Chalf glass empty%u201D.