CIA operatives, protectionist economists, and weapons systems could "contain" China and keep it a backwards hellhole full of illiterate rice farmers
Too late, genie is out of the bottle, all we can do is at least staunch hemhorraging. And no one is opposed to the Chinese People getting a better life Who.
or get all hysterical about how Iowans are soon going to be speaking Chinese
?What are you smoking? Who believes that? No. They will simply kill us if we get in their way. And take what they want. They have said so. Of course, you probably think that's "hysterical".
or lick your chops over the prospect of a short, glorious war with a nation of a billion people,
Nope. Standard leftist drivel about purported arm-chair warmongers. The late Dr. Constantine Menges laid out what our strategy should be...in China the Gathering Threat. but of course you are too knee-jerk Panda-hugging and free-trading to listen to his wisdom.
but I have less and less patience for that.
Yes, it is doubtful you have patience for wisdom.
Mercantilism is dumb policy on the part of the U.S,
But its okay for the Chi-Comms? Its most definitely working for them. There is only one way to fight this. You fight fire with fire. Dr. Menges indicates we must expressly tailor our trade policies to choke off the threat.
because the country's real problems are increasingly domestic (our shitty education system,
Standard Leftist Drivel. They create the problem, then they harp about throwing them still more money to "correct" the problem...LOL! The only problem is one of the Federalists making. It has enabled the Leftists to use Federal mandates and interference in local education to polticize it and use it as a tool for indoctrination.
our out of control entitlements and debt,
Made worse by the principle Free Traders, this Administration (can you say Prescription Drug Benefit, or No Child Left Behind?), its Treasury Secretary (apologist deluxe for evading admitting China's violations of "Free Trade" and being "manipulative" of its currency), the Federal Reserve Chiefs, both Greenspan and Bernanke.
creeping government,
Again a problem of those free traders who believe in the oxymoronic notion of Big Government Conservatism. Fundamentally self-contradictory.
the the public's inability to embrace change)
Actually, it is the Free Traders who have shown an inability to either admit reality...their schemes in China are backfiring...BIG TIME...and they have overtly made themselves enemies of our freedom and liberties. Very explicitly in their actions, such as Google and Yahoo. But we warned the free traders all about that. And they pooh-poohed, exaggerating the infinite power of the internet. LOL! The Free Traders had "no patience" for that obviously "hysterical" concern.
U.S. policy towards China is incoherent at best
You're too charitable. It is totally contrary to reality. And needs to be completely redirected.
and needs to be changed drastically in places, but we should be careful to pick our battles.
Maybe. But as you recall, Reagan did a "full court press" short of a shooting war...and prevailed.
Even Sun Tzu would agree on that point.
Somehow I don't think Sun Tzu would abdicate the power of our nation's right to police its foreign trade...and take that tool off the table. Especially while the other side is manifestly exploiting that same tool...to the hilt.
We need to do the Right Things. Now. I wholeheartedly agree. I just don't think you have any clue about what the Right Things are.
But you, in your humble opinion, you do?