Back To The Good Ol' Days Before Dubya?

National Review Online: How A President Obama Will Restore America’s Standing In The World

(National Review Online)  This column was written by Victor Davis Hanson.

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We know the critique of present American foreign policy under George W. Bush - unilateralist and preemptive - and to some extent we know Sen. Barack Obama’s promised corrective - multilateral and reflective. So let’s take a serious look at what exactly is wrong with the former, and how things would substantially improve under the latter.

Let’s start with India. Indians poll pro-American by wide margins - due no doubt to America’s unnecessary coddling of the world’s largest democracy. If Sen. Obama acts on his complaints about the outsourcing of U.S. jobs to India and institutes his anti-NAFTA preferences in U.S. trade relations, India may finally receive the tough love it has been needing. After all, didn’t President Bush give away the nuclear game with India? Perhaps a President Obama will back out of existing agreements in order to ensure that India does not receive advanced nuclear technology. (In recompense, they’ll have little reason to complain, relatively speaking: Sen. Obama has suggested the U.S. should preemptively invade our ally Pakistan in order to hunt down Osama bin Laden.)

And China - what are we doing wrong there? Its increasing appetite for world resources means it cares not a whit what happens in the Sudan, as long as it gets its oil. Some Chinese products, as Sen. Obama rightly reminds us, are shoddy and sometimes dangerous - no doubt a result of our indiscriminate free-trade policy. The way China treats Tibetans and Uyghur Muslims violates canons of human decency. Will a President Obama protect American jobs, champion human rights, and ensure fair and safe trade by redefining our relationship with China - which holds a trillion dollars in U.S. government bonds?

Anti-Americanism runs rampant in Europe. Under an Obama administration, should we expect friendlier governments than Sarkozy’s France or Merkel’s Germany? Perhaps Obama might cancel that provocative missile-defense system in Eastern Europe designed to stop an Iranian nuclear guided missile - a welcome end to the saber-rattling of George W. Bush’s cowboy diplomacy.

Or will Sen. Obama try to save American jobs by nullifying contracts with the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. to provide refueling tankers to the U.S. Air Force? We can be sure that he will embrace the emissions-reduction targets set in the Kyoto accords - in that way, he will encourage Europeans to do the same, since their repeated failures in meeting their promised reductions must surely be laid at Mr. Bush’s feet: the EU has been waiting for America to show the way. Perhaps Sen. Obama could regain EU goodwill by pressuring Europeans to drop agricultural subsidies - and eliminate our own - and so give former third-world farmers a break. That would be liberal change I could believe in.

Then there is Russia. Surely Obama will do something about Putin, who seemed too cozy with Bush while he hijacked Russian democracy and used his oil to bully Europe. Perhaps Obama can craft an ingenious speech that will persuade the Kremlin’s ex-KGB kleptocrats to act more civilly in the world, especially concerning their trafficking with the likes of Iran and Syria?

Speaking of the Middle East, how will Obama restore American prestige there and ameliorate the damage done in the Bush years? Perhaps he could send Nancy Pelosi back to Syria to engage Mr. Assad? Or ask the Democratic Congress to condemn Turkey for the Armenian genocide?

Will Obama’s fast-track pullout of Iraq - and his willingness to sit down, without preconditions, with the mullahs of Iran - assure stability in the region, and win the confidence of our Arab allies? Sens. Obama and Hillary Clinton have both written epitaphs for the surge: Why, then, continue a failed policy? Once Americans are out of Iraq by mid-2009, Iraqis themselves - as Afghans, Cambodians, Somalis, Rwandans, and Yugoslavs have done before them - can work out their differences on their own. And since we were always the gratuitous targets that created terrorists ex nihilo, no doubt Dr. Zawahiri and President Ahmadinejad will move on to other Great Satans, once they see that those provocative American GIs have turned tail and fled their neighborhoods.

Since it is self-evident that the absence of another 9/11-like attack here at home was a fluke - and had nothing to do either with Guantanmo, the Patriot Act, wiretaps, the destruction of al Qaeda bases in Afghanistan, or the annihilation of Wahhabi terrorists in Iraq - President Obama will be free to shut down all such legally dubious homeland-security measures. All that will reassure Americans and Europeans that those efforts were both unnecessary and antithetical to our values. There never was, and won’t be, any danger of another 9/11.

Since NAFTA was a sell-out of American workers, President Obama can, as he seems to promise, withdraw from the association and restore tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods, while ending our xenophobic paranoia about “secure borders” - especially silly ideas like fences and walls. There would be no need to extend NAFTA-like accords to Colombia, and we should also reexamine sweetheart deals with Middle-Eastern countries like Jordan.

The world between 1992-2000 is the model we are to emulate, it seems. The world was much safer then - before George W. Bush’s indiscriminate wars - and it can be so again. In those golden days, the U.S. rightly contextualized “random” terrorist acts - making the proper distinctions between war and “police matters.” Yes, it’s true that thousands of American soldiers died in those peaceful days - about 7,500 between 1993-2000 - but they did so in noncombatant-related operations. Back then, our experts appreciated the hard lines and firewalls that separated Hezbollah from Iran, Sunni terrorists from Shiite killers, and were always careful not to overreact and turn mere responses into needless wars. In extremis, we can employ tried-and-true tools like no-fly zones, oil-for-food embargoes, U.N. sanctions, and the occasional cruise missile - avoiding the mess of President Karzai’s Afghanistan or President Maliki’s Iraq, and the peripheral blowback involving a jittery Libya, Syria, and Pakistan’s Dr. A. Q. Khan.

Presently the United States does the world’s heavy lifting under a Texan who says “nucular.” But soon it may well be charmed and mesmerized by a smooth-talking icon who raises trade barriers, leaves the Middle East to the Middle East, gets tough on China and India, relaxes relations with Iran, Syria, Cuba, and Venezuela, while redefining existing ones with Pakistan - and says to Europe, “We’re right behind you!” Let’s hope it will be as pleasant to see the results as it has been to listen to the utopian rhetoric.

[irliberal]

Wow... a pre-emptive sarcasm strike on Obama. Is Victor Davis Hanson walking around now with some toilet paper stuck to his shoe that says "Mission Accomplished!"?

Lol... the republicans are worried, oh yes, they are. And they have good reason to be.

[johnny343sc]

Great Quote:

"Here''s the way I see it:

Barrack Obama, you are a fine public speaker. You are also an extremely liberal Senator from the State of Illinois , which has a long and rich history of political corruption of the first magnitude. You are indeed a child of that system. You have finally insulted my intelligence far beyond my capacity to tolerate your insults. It has nothing at all to do with your skin color. As a matter of fact, it would be so COOL to finally have an African-American for President. What a great statement that would be to the entire world that we are indeed the greatest country on earth! But, unfortunately, General Colin Powell is not running, and YOU are NOT the man for this job !

Barrack baby, you want me to believe that you have never heard the sermons of your own pastor, the Right Reverend ''God *** America'' Jeremiah Wright. It is a matter of record that this has been your church for over 20 years. It is a matter of record that you were married there by this very pastor, and that your children were baptized there. The good Reverend saw fit to visit Khadafy in Libya with you and to give a lifetime achievement award to Louis Farrakhan, of all people. We have all now seen excerpts of his sermons all over the airwaves by now. And you have publicly stated that this man IS your ''spiritual mentor''."

;)

[johnny343sc]

Here''s the way I see it:

Mr. Obama-

"BUT, your pastor is NOT the reason I am NOT voting for you. His words were disturbing enough, but it is your own HUGE church congregation, seen jumping, hooting and howling to his words in the background that disturb me the most. And please don''t tell me you attended church there and never once heard a ''discouraging word'' in the 20 years you attended there. Don''t tell me, that in addition to the good reverend, that you are now not having anything to do with all those other people seen hooting and howling out in the audience in the background of his fiery tirades. Even Oprah Winfrey got disgusted and walked out. I am no Oprah fan, but still she did the right thing. Now YOU look me in the eye and ask me to believe that you never heard such language in all the years you attended there ! This is like me telling you that I attended dozens of Klan rallies and never once heard the ''N'' word. Yep. And Bill Clinton ''did not inhale''."

;)

[xlib]

IRliberal-Why, I thought it was a fine article. What about it couldn''t/wouldn''t be true based on what the great oracle/empty suit has said?
Funny, how Republican bashing artlices run on this site and other msm sites and that''s fine, huh. Seems to me you libs are doing a fine job of tearing yourselves apart. As for us being worried, me for one, I''m not, can''t speak for anyone else.
Still think it was a great article, and, since we all know libs have absolutely no sense of humor, figures you wouldn''t get it.

[quatermass2]

Hanson''s problem is that one the neocon death cult is out of power, he''ll have to go back to being a raisin farmer. No one wants his blather. Please, point out what''s wrong with any of: "leaving the Middle East to the Middle East, get tough on China and India, relaxe relations with Iran, Syria, Cuba, and Venezuela, while redefining existing ones with Pakistan - and say to Europe, %u201CWe%u2019re right behind you!%u201D

Much better than the current saber-rattling and trillion-dollar wars.

[bmadeline-2009]

You Sicko''s. How dare you critize anyone with that war mongering idiot of yours in the White House. I''ll never understand why he hasn''t been impeached or tried as a war criminal.

[jt_lancer]

Anyone who thinks that Obama will be significantly different from Bush or other previous administrations is sorely incorrect.

He has already said that he would advocate a pre-emptive, unilateral attack on Pakistan (if necessary, whatever that means).

His pie-in-the-sky pledges of complete withdrawal from Iraq will never happen (though I wish it would). I would be willing to bet that US troops will remain in Iraq for at least until the end of Obama''s first term (if elected).

Politicians make alot of campaign promise they never intend to keep - just to get elected. This should surprise noone.

Even Obama himself said that, if faced with the war authorization vote in 2002 and given the info available, that he does not know how he would have voted.

If elected, his admin will continue the interventionist foreign policies of his predecessors (Bush I and II, Clinton).

[jrsutt2]

I would gladly try 4-8 years of liberal leadership full of hope and compassion. The last 8 years of pure EVIL have not done the trick

[alanrobisch]

would gladly try 4-8 years of liberal leadership full of hope and compassion. The last 8 years of pure EVIL have not done the trick


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Posted by jrsutt2 at 02:18 PM : Apr 08, 2008
+ report abuse
I see you are showing all the nuance that liberals are noted for. and BTW I thought liberals didn''t believe in evil.

[alanrobisch]

You Sicko''''s. How dare you critize anyone with that war mongering idiot of yours in the White House. I''''ll never understand why he hasn''''t been impeached or tried as a war criminal.


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Posted by bmadeline at 01:01 PM : Apr 08, 2008
+ report abuse

How dare they express themselves. It must be unconstitional for him to have a point of view isn''t it oh i forgot we have freeedom of speech Oh it must only apply to people who agree with you meaning only liberals anybody else better keep their mouths shut or the pc police will get you? I thought it was the republicans who supressed free speech and prevented a free discussion by wiretapping everyone.

[crater7]

BACK TO THE GOOD OL DAYS BEFORE DUBYA.

HMMMMM, IN CASE YOU FOLKS DON''T REMEMBER, THOSE GOOD OL DAYS BEFORE DUBYA, WAS THE CLINTON DAYS. BEFORE YOU PUT BARRY IN THE WHITEHOUSE, LET''S FINISH OUT THIS DEMOCRATIC CAMPAIGN. THEN AFTER HE LOOSES TO HILLARY, YOU CAN LET YOUR SMOOTH TALKING SNAKE OIL SALESMAN GIVE AS MANY SPEACHES AS HE WANTS.....MAYBE IN THE TRINITY CHURCH?

GOD "BLESS" AMERICA. NOT "G D" AMERICA.

[wogerwabbit]

johnny343sc just say it, you''re a bigot. You don''t have to dance around your reasoning, we understand.

[usbrit-2009]

Listen to the whining little neocons trying desperately to hang on to fragments of time they have left in power. This country was founded on liberal thought (remember the loyalists? - the conservatives in 1776 who wanted to stay British); was made greater by liberal thought (Lincoln and the North triumphing over the conservative slave loving South); won WWII with a liberal President (in three years the country hepled defeat 2 Empires - now they can''t wipe out a bunch of Arabs in six); and had the last positive balance of trade under a liberal (Clinton). Now after 8 years or so of Neocons, the USA is one of the most reviled countries in the world; rated by the rest of the world as the biggest danger to peace; the economy is in the gutter for millions of the working class, while big oil Corporations suck in obscene profits; and the presidential arm of government is so hypocritical and corrupt that the White House still thinks nothing much is wrong. Overall the only thing I see is in 8 years of neocons have totally f*ucked up almost 250 years of forward thinking liberal ideas and tenets all outlined in those great documents, the Declaration Of Independance and the Constitution of the United States.

[janiet3]

Some are subtle in their racism, some not so much. If that shoe fits--------. Think about it.

Now, it has been so bad since Dubya that most of us cannot remember that there were ever any good old days. We''re war weary, near bankrupt (both personally and countrywise), tired of hearing lies, lies, and more lies. Oooh, the list is just so long I haven''t the strength anymore to reiterate them all.

Poor old Grandpa John can''t even find his way to the men''s room without help, and you are trying to tell me that we want him and his hothead up there in all his senility trying to lead us. Oh my goodness!! Now that I do fear, right down to my toenails.

[janiet3]

And Grandpa John will lead us? Come on now. You surely must be kidding. Tell me just how he can competently and effectively do that when he reminds me of my grandfather. You can''t - I''ll betcha. Guaranteed, he cannot, period.

[janiet3]

One more thing, Vast R W Con, tell us in all your infinite wisdom how Barack Obama (his correct name BTW) is lacking in IQ. And prove to us how Grandpa John has a higher one. Oh, my bad. Sorry you can''t.

[janiet3]

Did I actually say some are subtle in their racism? Well, maybe a few, but not on this board.

[usbrit-2009]

One more thing, Vast R W Con, tell us in all your infinite wisdom how Barack Obama (his correct name BTW) is lacking in IQ. And prove to us how Grandpa John has a higher one. Oh, my bad. Sorry you can''''t.

Posted by janiet3

Barack graduated Columbia and Harvard Law School; Hilary graduated Georgetown Law; Mc.Cain graduated the Naval Academy (also a great school) 859th in his class of 862 (or so). W was proud of his C grades from Yale (that''s a 2.0 GPA). Usually you need a minimum of a 3.5 to get into Harvard Business - guess how that was arranged. Repug''s just seem to get a kick out of the "Look, if someone as dumb as that can do it - so can I," type of President. I hope democrats are a bit more enlightened. As far as education is concerned both Barack and Hilary fit the requirements.

[Razzl]

Please stop, everyone knows that conservatives have no sense of humor because their primary beliefs are what generate irony, not their beliefs about everyone else''s beliefs. The total lameness of the conservative world view necessarily leads to the total lameness of conservative humor; so stop,it''s not funny to anybody, and your own rank and file are too dim to get it...

[gkc99]

This Neoconscum Shill, Viktor Davis Hanson, a lead architect of the ruinous policy of the Bushit years that have left us trapped in Iraq and on the edge of a major recession (according to the Fed), is in no position to criticize.

Really, if Hanson had a conscience, he''d hang himself.

Do it now, Viktor!

[libsrweak]

its kinda like pretending..lets pretend terrorism does not exist, that the we were not attacked, that to be ''liked'' we need to pretty much orally copulate everybody..ahh the good ol liberal clinton days..

WELL GOOD LUCK!

[irliberal]

its kinda like pretending..lets pretend terrorism does not exist, that the we were not attacked, that to be ''''liked'''' we need to pretty much orally copulate everybody..ahh the good ol liberal clinton days..

WELL GOOD LUCK!

Posted by libsrweak at 06:30 PM

It''s not pretending at all. It''s called peace, and we will have it again, even if we have to vote every republican out of office to get it.

[ozus]

I am a person who used to have liberal views but became disillusioned by the hypocrisy of the left. They find it easy to use words like racist and Nazi, but enjoy making ageist remarks about McCain, criticizing Ms Rice''s orthodontical appearance and attacking as a person of inferior intelligence anybody who disagrees with them. The left also seem to think satire is their private property. Many years ago the right took the attacks Al Capp made on them and just had to live with it. When Capp turned his attacks on the left, they crucified him.

[fake-id-2009]

I think anyone, even (egads!!) Hillary, would be better in the White House than the "village idiot" who currently inhabits it.

Saw a woman holding a sign today; it said "Bombing for peace is like f*u*c*king for v*i*rginity." (St*ar inserts are deliberate to evade the C*B*S c*e*nsors.)

How ironic!! the "village idiot" invaded Iraq to "preserve" our source of oil and now, five years later, the cost of a barrel of oil has tripled, and we are "locked" in a never-ending religious war.

Politics has killed thousands of people, but religion has killed thousands of millions of people.

[fake-id-2009]

...but enjoy making ageist remarks about McCain...
Posted by ozus at 09:16 PM : Apr 08, 2008
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Ha Ha Ha!!! You ARE funny!!! What a short memory you have.

It wasn''t that long ago (2000) that the Republican slander machine, led by Carl Rove, tried (successfully) to slander McCain in S. Carolina and made a BIG DEAL of McCain''s adopted black child.

Guess what?? It worked!! And we ended up with eight years with the village idiot (yes, Bush IS inferior in intelligence to most of us) occupying the White House and causing hatred toward Americans throughout the world.

The NRO is simply perpetuating the tactics of Carl Rove & Co.

[kansas1946]

Unfortunately, Mr. Victor Davis Hanson (I guess three names make you sound important) there will be no Utopia, and all of us Obama supporters know that. What I hope and pray for is that he will spend eight years trying to undo half the damage that your hero in the Whitehouse had done in his eight. Just to undo HALF of the damage will be a monumental achievement. So, next time you want to use your three names on a lame attempt at satire, really look at your country and see what Mr. Bush has done to it and maybe you will know why we don''t find much laugh about.

[andor3]

before dubya? ha! you wish NRO... we are going back to the real good old days--before Reagan and both Bushes. There is a decade or two of undoing to be done and we are all anxious to get Dubya out the way and get to work on it.

[endlabels]

"the absence of another 9/11-like attack here at home was a fluke - and had nothing to do either with Guantanmo, the Patriot Act, wiretaps, the destruction of al Qaeda bases in Afghanistan, or the annihilation of Wahhabi terrorists in Iraq"

The absence of another attack had everything to do with bush doing all osama wanted: (1) remove usa troops from holy saudi soil (bribe Qatar and move there), (2) eliminate the secular saddam and open the door for iran and al''qaeda to enter iraq, (3) ruin the usa economy, and (4) get your troops out of Afghanistan so al''qaeda can regroup.

A request for many others, stop using labels and start using facts!

[it_oldtimer]

This article actually paints a fairly accurate picture of many of the past US political failures and blunders that have so narrowed our remaining [realistic] political options today.

This is what years of predominantly Republican leadership has brought us. It''s a classic case of reaping just what we have sown.

[mcvet]

I am a person who used to have liberal views but became disillusioned by the hypocrisy of the left. They find it easy to use words like racist and Nazi, but enjoy making ageist remarks about McCain, criticizing Ms Rice''''s orthodontical appearance and attacking as a person of inferior intelligence anybody who disagrees with them. The left also seem to think satire is their private property. Many years ago the right took the attacks Al Capp made on them and just had to live with it. When Capp turned his attacks on the left, they crucified him.


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Posted by ozus at 09:16 PM : Apr 08, 2008
+ report abuse

I guess you don''t have to be stupid to be a fascist but you PROVE it does not help. YOU like all Nazi''s try to put everyone who doesn''t agree with you in a box, then label the box with the word "Liberal". You either do not KNOW or refuse to accept the true meaning of the word, instead doing what FASCIST have always done... GUILT by Association! Sieg Heil Bush!!

[mukluk510]

I wonder why the the deaths of 7,500 military during Clinton''s time in office did not get sufficently reported since there is such a detailed accounting about just over 4,000 (so far) in this war. I read his qualifying remark that the deaths were not combat related operations. Is Hanson conflating work accidents and health related deaths, (eg heart attacks) to spin this and twist the truth? Again, I just think that if 7,500 died it would have been big news. Mr Hanson, what are your sources?

[Gary Kempf]

Let%u2019s hope it will be as pleasant to see the results as it has been to listen to the utopian rhetoric.

I don''t know about utooia in the future, I do know we all have and continue to see total economic collapse from the past seven years under "Republican Rule".....

Suppose Obama wins the presidency....and he pulls all the troops out of Iraq....and the terrorist are no longer occupied with the war there. They no longer have to waste their resources on trying to kill our soldiers there so they focus all their efforts here. What''s to stop them....we have validated them by surrender. Will you be willing then to accept the resulting deaths here on our soil more easily than the ones lost in Iraq....you make the choice.

[ianlou]

This is a balanced, well written opinion . I am still looking forward to a Post-Dubya world.

[xlib]

mcvet-regarding your response to ozus, you seem to find it to easy to demean and vilify everyone who holds a conservative view. You sound like a typical hypocrital elitist who would prefer all Americans hold one view. That sir, is the eptome of elitism.
We all have a right to form our own opinions and political view. For you to take the stand you do shows that you, sir, are the nazi and hold fascist views.
Not all conservatives or Republicans back or even care for Bush. As an ex-dem I understand where ozus is coming from. You libs seem to vote the party line simply because the candidate is a democrat. What your party is presenting this time around are two socialists. Most Republicans DO NOT vote the party line. That could be why many of us are turned off the mccain.
Open your mind and stop demeaning those of us who have different political views. That difference is what made this country gret.

[fibonacci_]

Why did you all vote for Bush?

Thanks, you know?

[doctor--o]

NRO = No Rational Observations

Poor Bill Buckley. I guess there was only one way to go.

[bluestardad]

Just as the Nazi invasion of Poland in 1939 was illegal so was the Invasion of Iraq. Both were supported by lies and trumped up charges by the aggressor. Both the Leadership in Nazi Germany and the Leadership of the United States were and are guilty of War crimes for starting these wars. If Justice had a true "Champion" in the world, the leadership that started the Iraq war would be tried for war crimes just as the Nazi leadership was! Who is Justice%u2019s True Champion?



What moral right does anyone have to continue the Iraq war? Those of us who permit this injustice to continue either by design or compliancy are enablers sharing in these crimes!



What is the difference in the Nazis trying to stamp out the Jews and Bush, Cheney, and the Neocons killing hundreds of thousands of the people of Islam to get at their Oil and Natural Gas?

bluestardad:
This is why it is impossible to have a sane conversation on these posts. Ridiculous statement like yours. How insulting to the Jewish people to try and compare what happened with the Nazis to the situation in Iraq. Only a fool makes reckless statements like that.

[Keypinitreel1]

There is no need to be over protective of Jews... they are doing just fine....

The case is this...

Reckless aggression is reckless aggression what makes the neo cons Ice colder, water wetter and lies to justify attack more honorable?

The Jews arent the only people on earth to suffer unjust persecution and killings.... look no further than the Native Americans and Black people in the USA.

[terri101]

To say that there will be no 9/11 again is unrealistic.

But creating a desaster is unrealistic to.

There is always going to be someone who wants to prove they have balls! Ex: The President of Iran, Dictator of North Korea.

The only person right now that I can see who can and has some experience at diplomacy is Hillay. To talk with someone with out preconditions is ludicrous!

Obama just wants to get us into another war, after he puts an end to Iraq, if he does!