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

[ohioWfan]

Because you expected him to do liberal things, and he turned out to be a conservative? Because you didn't listen to what he campaigned on?

Two years after George W. Bush was elected, he had fulfilled his major campaign pledges, and freed Afghanistan from the Taliban, and made significant inroads in the war on terror.

Were you not paying attention before he was elected, or after? Because making that decision 2 years after he was elected makes no logical sense whatsoever.

(btw, 2 years after he was elected, he had about 95% approval ratings among Republicans. Are you a Democrat?)

[ohioWfan]

Starting a war in another country is not homeland security directly.

Hmmmmm......'starting a war?' Are you ignorant of the history of Iraq? Are you unaware that we were already at war with Iraq? And are you unaware that Saddam Hussein had STARTED that war?

Minor point here, but you are also wrong about 'directly.' Invading Iraq and deposing Saddam Hussein was indeed directly related to homeland security............that is, unless you believe the MSM propaganda??

[La Enchiladita]

bookmark

[GianniV]

Hilarious - I saw 1 minute of The Today Show this morning and it was Chris Matthew lecturing all of America how "Bush can Rebound" in his second term. He basically said Bush should fire everyone around him. I love how a crazy, partisan Democrat is telling Bush how "he can rebound."

What world does this guy live in? Has he noticed the remarkable economy? 3 successful Iraqi elections? No terrorist attacks in the US since 9/11?

One important point - I know a lot of people, including myself, who really don't like Bush. But when the alternative are these psychotic, crazy liberals who gave us Jimmy Carter, then we have no choice but to defend Bush. So, by constantly attacking the President, I think it really INCREASES his support among people who normally wouldn't put their neck on the line to defend him. Just my opinion.

[Former MSM Viewer]

After reading the entire article, all I can say is duh...

This guy 'gets it' with Bush.

Especially the part about the eastern liberals and their anti-Bush agenda.

And I especially liked the last paragraph.

[GoodWithBarbarians JustForKaos]

So, if Kerry got elected things would be all rosy and comfy??? By helping Iran get nuclear materials, pulling out of Iraq early and experiencing terrorist acts on US soil??? With our taxes going up and our economy going down???

[Albion Wilde]

A prophet is without honor in his own house and his own country. Matt. 13:57

[TheForceOfOne]

But like all propaganda, there is a feeling that repeated often enough, loudly enough, it’ll become the accepted truth.

Even on Free Republic. The Bush haters jump at every opportunity to bash the president.

[Southack]

"If you think that we have no border issues, then I simply don't know what to say."

You failed the test.

The question directed to you was: "What Presidential candidate campaigned in 2004 on closing our borders?"

And now you're confused because of that question...it wrecks your tiny little worldview...you can't answer it.

You have to run from that question because to answer it would be to admit that no one cared about our "borders" as recently as 2004.

No doubt you'll continue to run from that question. You have to flee from it because that question exposes *reality*, something that gets in the way of your agenda.

[Soul Seeker]

Bookmarking.

[jan in Colorado]

Great article...thanks for posting!

"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."

BINGO! If we want what is in our WORST interests, then we'd vote Democrat!

[Fudd Fan]

Even on Free Republic. The Bush haters jump at every opportunity to bash the president.

Ain't THAT the truth! We have to look to foreign press for pragmatism, all we have at home is backstabbing.

[TheForceOfOne]

Their knives are dull from all the cutting. :(

[Once-Ler]

I'm happy to read some good stuff about the President on FreeRepublic. Sure would be nice to see more of it. Thanx for posting this article.

[Gengis Khan]

Here is another nice article about Bush from the Indian media:
http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:fAsHpuqyGzIJ:www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1635835,0035.htm+Dubya%E2%80%99s+%E2%80%98l%E2%80%99affaire+India&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1

Its been posted here at FR.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1585763/posts

[Gengis Khan]

The Free Republic India and Indo-US Issues Ping!

 

(Freepmail me if you want on/off. )

[Once-Ler]

Its been posted here at FR. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1585763/posts

More good stuff. Thanx for the link.

[indcons]

Amazing article by a first-cass mind.....Pres. Bush will be rightly seen as a visionary leader when history is written in the future.

[MikeHu]

Your recommended article still has many of the characteristics of bad writing (journalism), in that one has to read the entire article to find out what the writer has to say -- and in the typical mainstream press, they have absolutely nothing to say -- and have wasted one's time, dulling and prejudicing the mind in this way to have low expectations for every other subsequent encounter and exposure to the futility of thinking there may be intelligent life in the universe.

What is striking about the piece which is the topic of this thread, is that one knows what the writer is saying from the first sentence and every sentence, word, and even the space between the lines. This kind of masterful clarity of intent and purpose thus becomes the prototype for every other interaction we have with others -- assuring us that there is intelligence at work, even if we don't have to create it ourselves. That is the benchmark for the rest of our day, the rest of our lives.

Contrast that with the typical first exposure to the world in opening the newspaper every morning to see the uninspiring parade of the mentality of US journalists telling us how much smarter they are than everybody else (including and especially the President), while showing no concrete proof of that in their thoughts -- but rather, leading us to think that at the local newspapers, the staff spends the first hour throwing up in the bathrooms just looking at one another and saying, "I'm not one of these losers," and then, distracting themselves in thinking over which team they're going to sign up for in today's highlight event of the "Farting Wars," that is the highlight of their every day at the office.

[La Enchiladita]

Jaithirth Rao is chairman and CEO, Mphasis

A little googling reveals, as I suspected, that MphasiS thrives on the outsourcing of business, not only from the U.S., but also in UK, Japan and China.

Latest report is that Texas-based EDS has offered to buy MphasiS.