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Tuesday, July 11, 2006

The End of the Bush Revolution -- Remember, You Read it Here First

6:48 PM

Is it possible that Kingfish Georgie the 2nd's misrule over the land of the free and the home of the brave is grinding to an ignominious halt in its own ruts--not to mention the 5 billion plus souls who had no opportunity to vote for or against him but whose lives were most assuredly affected by the worst American president in well over a hundred years? Some pretty damn smart people are stepping up onto the soapbox and saying that it is.

A significant case in point is the article excerpted and linked to below. I know that most of you live lives far too happily busy to find, subscribe to, or read, relatively non-commercial analysis from sectors of the exceedingly established, but not really considered a part of, MSM (main stream media, a phrase I dislike as much as the acronym I just used prior to it). Well, dear friends, here you can--btw, if you read these pages, you are my friend, make no mistake about that, regardless of your ideological persuasion, I cherish every set of eyeballs that drop in.

Please begin reading some very insightful analysis and then click on through for the whole story:

The End of the Bush Revolution

Foreign Affairs, July 2006

Philip H. Gordon, Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy Studies (The Brookings Institution)

A RETURN TO REALISM

Reading over President George W. Bush's March 2006 National Security Strategy, one would be hard-pressed to find much evidence that the president has backed away from what has become known as the Bush doctrine. "America is at war," says the document; we will "fight our enemies abroad instead of waiting for them to arrive in our country" and "support democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture," with the ultimate goal of "ending tyranny in our world."

Talk to any senior administration official, and he or she will tell you that the president is as committed as ever to the "revolutionary" foreign policy principles he spelled out after 9/11: the United States is fighting a war on terror and must remain on the offensive and ready to act alone, U.S. power is the foundation of global order, and the spread of democracy and freedom is the key to a safer and more peaceful world. Bush reiterated such thinking in his 2006 State of the Union address, insisting that the United States will "act boldly in freedom's cause" and "never surrender to evil."

But if the rhetoric of the Bush revolution lives on, the revolution itself is over. The question is not whether the president and most of his team still hold to the basic tenets of the Bush doctrine�they do�but whether they can sustain it. They cannot. Although the administration does not like to admit it, U.S. foreign policy is already on a very different trajectory than it was in Bush's first term. The budgetary, political, and diplomatic realities that the first Bush team tried to ignore have begun to set in.

The reversal of the Bush revolution is a good thing. By overreaching in Iraq, alienating important allies, and allowing the war on terrorism to overshadow all other national priorities, Bush has gotten the United States bogged down in an unsuccessful war, overstretched the military, and broken the domestic bank. Washington now lacks the reservoir of international legitimacy, resources, and domestic support necessary to pursue other key national interests.

It is not too late to put U.S. foreign policy back on a more sustainable course, and Bush has already begun to do so. But these new, mostly positive trends are no less reversible than the old ones were. Another terrorist attack on the United States, a major challenge from Iran, or a fresh burst of misplaced optimism about Iraq could entice the administration to return to its revolutionary course� with potentially disastrous consequences.

View Full Article (PDF--186kb)

Copyright 2006 Council on Foreign Relations

6:48 PM / Editor / permalink 8 comments

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8 Comments:

Great! I have similar views:

http://uvgarden.blogspot.com

Enjoy!

By Really!, at 12:56 AM

Thank you for bringing this article to my attention. I applauded when I reached the end.

I can only pray that millions of Americans will take to the polls to rid this country of Mr. Bush's cronies. Thank goodness that we have a 2 term limit for the presidency. I can only hope that Mr. Bush won't make an attempt to change that piece of legislation or decide to call out the military to protect his throne.

By Gay in Florida, at 7:23 AM

I am not so optimistic that the "Revolution" is over, although I am glad there are some people who are.

FTI - Might want to check out "A New Light on the Real 'Bush Doctrine', the Valerie Plame Affair, and the War in Iraq" on: www.gravierhouse.com.

On a personal note, want to thank Joe for his support of me as a young author, and applaud his work, Blood Will Tell.

- Steve Herman

(Law Blog, Political Blog, and Literary Blog at: www.gravierhouse.com.)

By Anonymous, at 5:57 AM

When will the Mother Ship take you guys back?

By Anonymous, at 10:24 AM

Dear Really,

Thank you for dropping in and taking the time to leave an enthusiastic comment. Unfortunately, the Blogspot network is blocked here in China, so visiting your site is difficult to do with any frequency.

All the best,

Joseph

Dear Gay in Florida,

It is always a pleasure to find your insightful words in the comment box, thank you.

While it would not succeed, it would not surprise me if the Srub & Twigs cabal attempted to repeal the two-term limit in one fashion or another.

All the best,

Joseph

Dear Steve,

I can't tell you how wonderful it was to discover your site last night while doing a bit of Katrina research and your name popped up on a Google page.

I am overjoyed to learn that you have already published several fine books! I always believed in you (even if Nancy was a bit myopic).

I am sure you know that your dad and his partners are my valiant heroes and always will be!

Thank you reminding me that my optimism is so often not well-founded.

More later in an e-mail.

All the very best

Joseph

Anonymous,

The only proper response to you is to ask when you are expecting the FatherLand ship to take you and your ilk to that special place in hell reserved for fascists.

Another question: Why is it that you right-wing bigots never identify yourselves? Cowardice is your calling card, like all the others.

Joseph Augustus Bosco

By Joseph, at 11:43 AM

I'm sorry, I intended to say Mother Wheel, I can't identify myself now because I am busy planning cross burnings and abortion clinic bombings at this time.

By Anonymous, at 2:46 PM

Anonymous,

It is interesting to note that if a professional pundit--from either the left or the right--said or wrote anything publicly about the advocacy of burnings and bombings, even if meant purely as sarcasm, he or she would lose their job in a Yankee goddamn minute.

But then amateur cowards and bigots already understand that, which is why you and your kind always hide behind the anonymous button...and white hoods.

Joseph Augustus Bosco

By Joseph, at 3:07 PM

It is very telling that his own party has had to abandon him of late.

It is nice to see an outbreak of conscience on The Hill....

By Lonnie, at 10:09 AM