Don’t mis-underestimate Dubya

The Indian Express ^ | March 01, 2006 | Jaithirth Rao

[bayourant]

http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=88747 As we prepare to welcome the leader of the world’s most powerful republic, it behooves us to make sure that we grapple with facts, not just biased opinions. It is unfortunate that so much of the information about the US is derived by our elites from the eastern seaboard, Left-leaning media who are on the opposite side of the American political spectrum from George W. Bush and who therefore have a vested interest in opposing and disparaging him.

The images of Bush they have succeeded in planting internationally are that Bush is dim-witted, a simple-minded religious fanatic, a supporter of a rapacious plutocracy. None of these are based on facts. But like all propaganda, there is a feeling that repeated often enough, loudly enough, it’ll become the accepted truth.

Let us take a look at the facts. The Bush family is as elitist as they get in America. Bush’s grandfather was a Republican senator from Connecticut. His son, George Bush Sr, took the decision literally to move the family “west”. This may seem like an accident. But what an intelligent and fortuitous accident it was. They moved to the southwest just as this part of the US was gaining demographically. The likelihood of a president of the US bobbing up from Connecticut, with its declining population, is pretty low. Texas on the other hand has been for the last 35 years on the rise economically and politically. The Bush family moved to Texas just as the state was moving from over a century of Democratic domination to becoming a bastion of the Republicans. Incidentally, a branch of the Bush family represented by the president’s younger brother has moved to Florida, another state with burgeoning demography and a flourishing economy. The family’s uncanny ability to anticipate the future and “move” to where the future will happen needs no better proof.

President Bush attended Yale and Harvard Business School. Critics will of course make snide remarks that this was on account of family connections. While that may help to some extent, to be dismissive of his attendance of top-class academic establishments would arguably be one more silly under-estimation of the man. Despite representing what is viewed by many as a political party committed to the white Protestant cause, Bush has reached out to the Hispanic community with intelligence and sensitivity. If nothing else, this represents another wise anticipation of demographic inflexion. The Republican Party would condemn itself to irrelevance if it fails to co-opt the growing Hispanic population. At considerable risk to his popularity with xenophobes within his own party, Bush has proposed a Guest Worker programme which is immigrant-friendly and responds to the concerns of the Hispanic voter. His ability to re-fashion himself as a “non-elitist” or to convert a marginal first term victory into a decisive one in the second round are not acts of the politically inept. Those who think of him that way seriously “mis-underestimate” him!

Bush has shown a broad-mindedness and inclusiveness in his appointm-ents that completely demolishes the argument that he is merely a mouthpiece for evangelical Christians. He may be a sincere, pious, believer in his faith, but he’s consistently stood for the separation of church and state and for the inclusiveness of all groups. This may be for principled reasons or because he his politically smart. The net effect has been positive. His executive and judicial appointments embrace Catholics (also new entrant into the stable of Republican supporters), Jews and African-Americans. Note that both his secretaries of state (the senior-most cabinet members) have been African-American. His surgical approach to Senator Trent Lott when he resurrected long-forgotten racial antagonisms is a classic example of heightened sensitivity.

In foreign policy, Bush has the reputation deservedly or otherwise of cold-shouldering Europe (or is it just Old Europe?) and reaching out to China and India. Again, one sees the same knack of grasping the future rather than swimming in the glue of the past. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and he have created an Indo-US CEO forum. Contrast this with Chirac’s clumsy response to the Mittal-Arcelor deal. China is the economic powerhouse of the future and India is headed the same way. Bush’s visit to China highlighted this despite the dozens of reservations and differences on Taiwan and other irritants. He was warmly received by the Chinese elite, an important lesson for his Indian counterparts.

As a betting man, the very fact that Bush is positive about India means that it is quite in order to go long on the Indian stockmarket. His ability to spot the trend has a tested track record. It is equally important to pay attention to the fact that almost instinctively he is on our side on a variety of issues, be it the approach to Islamist terrorism or the approach to nuclear power as a viable, even desirable energy source for the world. He has maintained a clear distance from ecology fundamentalists who would deny India nuclear fuel and at the same time hector us not to burn high-sulphur coal. How exactly are we supposed to provide for an energy-starved population who do not aspire to remain permanently poor?

The one argument I find most entertaining is that he is doing all this for the good of the US. Of course he is. That is what makes his approach so credible and self-sustaining. He has been elected by Americans to further their interests and that’s what he is doing. If he can find that doing business with India makes sense within that agenda, it seems to me that we have all the elements of a relationship not based on frothy rhetoric but on sound convergence of interests. It is in this spirit of intelligent practicality, conscious of our vital interests that we should “do business” with this pragmatic Texan.

Jaithirth Rao is chairman and CEO, Mphasis

[bayourant]

THere wasnt upheavel world wide. Thats what irriatated me about this story. Looking at the TV you would think millions of muslims werew protesting. They werent. There were not 100,000 muslims protesting. I kept seeing the same demostrations with the same signs for a week. The arab street didnt explode at all. The culprits were the same ole folks that were always protesting ans causing trouble.
As to the UAE MInister. I dont expect his job is to make it more US friendly. The people of his country prob didnt like it he expressed it and now they are moving on. I mean part of the freesom of speech deal is we cant expect them to adopt a attitude of oh go ahead do it. The whole thing was overblown. Most moslems didnt give a darn. Most were not protesting. I know the USA and others were expecting or demanding mass demostrations of muslims protesting mmuslims that protest cartoons but really why should we demand that. Are we that important. I expect most folks said I have more important things to do such as be with my family

[bayourant]

How does 300 million outnumber 1.2 billion lol

[Fruitbat]

You're right, just in Denmark and other parts of Europe, Australia, throughout the ME, and even in other places too.

All over a cartoon with Mohammed wearing a turban with a bomb in it. Boy howdy. I wonder what we can expect when some some equally unbalanced nut job blows up a mosque somewhere.

I'm goin' to bed...

[ccmay]

2 years after Bush got elected I quit voting Republican.

Really? Did you make even the least effort to fix things in the Republican Party? Did you give money to your preferred candidate before the primaries, or work his phone banks, or seek an appointment on your precinct committee, or attend a caucus or convention?

If all you did was bad-mouth Bush to your like-minded cronies and sit home watching TV on Election Day, then you are part of the problem.

--ccm

[CarrotAndStick]

Ping!

[Southack]

"Well, and this just in, WTH's he been doing with the borders and can any sane person say that the issue there is not harmful to our nation? Home and property values have practically vaporized in some border towns and regions, illegals pour over the borders like water over Niagara Falls, who knows who is coming in, criminals, terrorists, etc. W says something like he said today, but IMO he doesn't have any credibility..."

He has plenty of credibility; everyone in the world knows that if President Bush says that he's going to invade, that he means it.

If he says that he's going to cut taxes, everyone knows that he means it.

If he says that he's going to deploy our National Missile Defenses, then everyone knows that he means it.

That's credibility.

President Bush does what he says. He's governing as President just as he campaigned.

So here's one single, lone, honest question for you (and it is going to rock your world when you figure out the answer):

What Presidential candidate campaigned in 2004 on closing our borders?

Now ask yourself how many votes that candidate got.

Because here's the kicker: no one *cared* about the border issue in 2004 or 2000. So it's a pretty new issue (some might even say "contrived").

So holding President Bush accountable for something that he *didn't* campaign on is disingenuous. If he was running around doing things *not* on his campaign list, then he'd be giving the American people something other than what they voted for...

[CowboyJay]

"There may be economic synergies, but that's been the case throughout human history with philosophical differences often breaching and torpedoing the healthiest and most productive economic arrangements!"

Colonialism playing itself out again, and again, and again. SSDD ever since the day crude started coming out of the desert. WOT is passive-aggressive behavior, and fascism.

Communism didn't crash in Russia because we kept sending them money, did it?

Energy independence. It's the only way.

[Cronos]

The images of Bush they have succeeded in planting internationally are that Bush is dim-witted, a simple-minded religious fanatic, a supporter of a rapacious plutocracy. None of these are based on facts. But like all propaganda, there is a feeling that repeated often enough, loudly enough, it’ll become the accepted truth.

Nazi philosophy. DUmmies follow it too.

[Cronos]

His ability to re-fashion himself as a “non-elitist” or to convert a marginal first term victory into a decisive one in the second round are not acts of the politically inept. Those who think of him that way seriously “mis-underestimate” him!

Amen...

[Cronos]

He has maintained a clear distance from ecology fundamentalists who would deny India nuclear fuel and at the same time hector us not to burn high-sulphur coal. How exactly are we supposed to provide for an energy-starved population who do not aspire to remain permanently poor?

Another zinger to the envirowackos...

[AmeriBrit]

"Most conservatives are PO'd at W's lack of attention to border issues!"




Los Angeles Times Service
Mon, Feb. 27, 2006


The proposed barrier along the Mexican border was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives in December and is scheduled to be debated by the Senate next month. In Spanish, they call it el muro.

cont'd...... http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/13970566.htm

[Moorings]

Great article. Thanks for posting it.

This Rao is quite sharp, and has excellent insight that could shame a lot of elite journalists in this country, who deliberately or blindly propagate lies, half-truths, myths and propaganda.

[Moorings]

Bush has shown a broad-mindedness and inclusiveness in his appointm-ents that completely demolishes the argument that he is merely a mouthpiece for evangelical Christians.

He would not be a good evangelical christian if he was prejudiced and excluded talented people. .

[Miss Marple]

Thanks for posting this, bayourant! This is a very interesting article, with a take I haven't seen before (pointing out how often the entire family has anticipated demographic trends).

I pinged a few folks too this article. I suggest they also ignore most of the replies on the thread, since it was taken off-topic most of last evening.

[hershey]

India should view Bush as a very good friend, they've enjoyed the fruits of outsourcing, globalism, etc. beyond their wildest dreams.

[ChessExpert]

"This is what world-class journalism (writing ) looks like -- and why China and India will rise.

The level of thinking is powerful and clear -- unlike the sorry example of thinking offered by the United States mainstream press -- that is totally puerile and dysfunctional. That's where America has fallen behind the most as a global competitor and why the newspapers (mainstream media) are failing. They're pure crap and worthless."

Good point!

I have pretty much given up on talking politics/economics with liberal friends and relatives. One reason is that one sentence jabs seem to be the model acquired from our "news":
It's all about sex.
What about WMDs?

Perhaps quality writing like this might snap them back to a higher standard of reasoning and discourse.

[IrishMike]

"As we prepare to welcome the leader of the world’s most powerful republic, it behooves us to make sure that we grapple with facts, not just biased opinions. It is unfortunate that so much of the information about the US is derived by our elites from the eastern seaboard, Left-leaning media who are on the opposite side of the American political spectrum from George W. Bush and who therefore have a vested interest in opposing and disparaging him".

I enjoyed the read, thanks.

[Fruitbat]

You're clearly more interested in politics than you are in practicality.

No, on "homeland security" he has credibility issues! Starting a war in another country is not homeland security directly. That last word is a key word here before you jump all over that.

If you think that we have no border issues, then I simply don't know what to say. If we do, W says we don't, or at least hasn't acknowledged any kind of problem. Ergo, he has credibility issues on THAT topic!

[Fruitbat]

Good points!

WOT is passive-aggressive behavior, and fascism.

Yep! That's all it is. In fact, in practice socio-politically, Islam is almost indistinguishable from Nazism.

[Fruitbat]

Good! Then let's get the damn thing up. Also, let's see what happens when people get over it.

More amnesty? What?

Where are the buses taking people back? Will there be ones then.

That's more than "a day late" and depending upon what it is, could be a "dollar short" too. And 700 miles ain't close to the entire border. What about the rest?

Also, there's quite a bit of counter rhetoric there for politicians to "be afraid of" for their votes as it were. It has yet to see the Senate according to that piece.

So here we are, nearly five years after 9/11 and we're merely in the discussion phase politically. Yeah, I'd say that after all the "tough talk" on homeland security that poses somewhat of a credibility issue.

Besides, you're talking politically. I'm not. I was referring to everyday, sane, not self-interest conflicted, self-serving politicians. I'm talking about Americans such as those that used to enjoy the nation that we had the way it was. I'm talking about those whose housing/property values have plummeted or become worthless as illegals have overrun communities like ants swarming a sandwich morsel at a picnic.