Posted on 02/10/2004 5:44:07 AM PST by shrinkermd
Grand strategy is the blueprint from which policy follows. It envisions a country's mission, defines its interests, and sets its priorities. Part of grand strategy's grandeur lies in its durability: A single grand strategy can shape decades, even centuries, of policy.
Who, then, have been the great grand strategists among American statesmen? According to a slim forthcoming volume by John Lewis Gaddis, the Yale historian whom many describe as the dean of Cold War studies and one of the nation's most eminent diplomatic historians, they are John Quincy Adams, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and George W. Bush.
Gaddis knows the latter name may bring a number of his colleagues up short. Critics charge that President Bush is a lightweight, Gaddis laments, and they do so because the president is a generalist who prefers the big picture to its details. Over lunch at Mory's, Yale's tweedy private dining club, Gaddis suggests that academics underrate Bush because they overvalue specialized knowledge. In reality, as his new book asserts, after Sept. 11, 2001, Bush underwent "one of the most surprising transformations of an underrated national leader since Prince Hal became Henry V."
The Bush doctrine is more serious and sophisticated than its critics acknowledge -- but it is also less novel, Gaddis maintains. Three of its core principles -- preemptive war, unilateralism, and American hegemony -- actually hark back to the early 19th century, to the time of John Quincy Adams.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
Exactly what a president is supposed to do. That's why Reagan was great, and Clinton was a disaster. George W. Bush is a great president.
Vision >> Goals >> Strategies >> Tactics >> ProjectsEverything flows from Vision; this is the "Grand Strategy" that the authors are alluding to.
No doubt that Bush's MBA is playing a role.
Also, I wish I had a reference for it, but in 1937 or 38 there was a move afoot to block FDR's incipient rearming and other war efforts. A poll was taken to support a plebiscite where the government would need a majority of citizens before war could be declared. I remember my father telling me the constitutional amendment lost by only one or two votes. If this is a correct memory, can you imagine what would have happened. At least in the Midwest until 7 December 1941 there was a strong aversion to war such that it is problematical we would have even immediately joined the war against Germany--Hitler solved this by declaring war on us.
I agree (probably because I have almost the exact same educational background).
A poster on a thread the other day was sneering at the fact that President Bush was a history major at Yale
Funny that the poster the other day forgot to include that the President has an MBA from Havard Business School, which is famously difficult (as has been recounted here on FR by FREEPERS who have gone there or are going there).
The right to self defense begins at the individual level and extends -- from there -- to national levels, and that right to self defense is what I'd call natural law.
In other words, preemptive strikes against rogue individuals takes precedence over sovereign national rights whenever such individuals are harbored by a nation.
There can be no such thing as sanctuary for individuals in a war against terrorists.
President Bush is proof that he did not skip class at Harvard and had changed his focus after flying jets. His oil career may be less than spectacular, but he changed the day to day world of the Texas Rangers using many of the same managment ideas he is using in the government.
Well, I agree and disagree.
You are totally right about leadership in existing organizations; having an MBA who can provide this big picture thinking is an absolute necessity. Most of the time, bigger businesses suffer from a multitude of problems that can only be seen in the big picture. Every little problem seems to be dire. It takes a leader and someone with a grip on all (or most) of the aspects of business to prioritize things and set the priorities.
I disagree because I have an MBA and I own a small business owner. And, while I'll admit that my businesses is still getting off the ground, I apply almost everything I learned while doing my MBA.
...but he changed the day to day world of the Texas Rangers using many of the same managment ideas he is using in the government.
You are totally right about this. His turnaround of the Rangers is really a blueprint that others have used to help turn their clubs around. This goes beyond baseball. You look at all of recent changes in football stadiums and the hospitality-focused approach that the clubs have and that is largely credited to what Bush and the Texas Rangers organization did.
Now, I am not saying that "Bush is the greatest businessmen of all time!" or anything like that. However, he was noted amongst the other baseball owners as a very active and innovative owner. He is astute. A lot more astute than anyone on the left will admit...that is, of course, unless they are indicting him for being the most evil, diabolical man to walk the face of the earth. Then, they seem to be glowing (red hot) in his ability to manipulate the American psyche.
Umm, no thanks. I might have a "little" problem with the press.
I don't think I would make it past the first press conference before ripping the heads off of the representatives from CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, AP, Reuters, etc. I MEAN CLEAN OFF! I WOULD RIP THEIR HEADS OFF AND...
[Regains composure]. Ehem, like I said, uh, no thanks. <wink>
"...I own am a small business owner"
LOL! Cool. At least I know that "magic" formula for getting votes. LOL! (again).
(BTW, great homepage.)
Thank you. I try to keep it up to date and interesting.
P.S. Your comment about my homepage made me think of a project I announced just yesterday called my email jihad.
Here is a link to the post describing what it is. Let me know what you think and if you want to join the jihad.
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