An inaccurate characterization simply on the basis of its blandness alone. China shot down and stole our plane, keeping our airmen hostage, daring us to do other than apologize in the face of their aggression. You make it sound like China simply traded pawns. What China did is reinforce to the world that the U.S. is a paper tiger, and such torpor in the face of such baiting certainly didn't make 9/11 LESS likely. If you think such appeasement helped America avoid war, you're really drinking that Kool-Aid (and yes, it was appeasement to allow China to hold our militarymen hostage, subject to an apology from the U.S. for China's SHOOTING OUR PLANE DOWN, and subsequently ignore their tramping all over the plane, and subsequently let them force us to slice it into pieces to bring it back).
"It was incredibly short-sighted of him to appease these tyrants..."
It is you who have said it.
"...and this denied us the opportunity to wage two wars simultaneously."
You mean like the war on terror and the war on drugs and the war on bad skools and the war on...oh, hell, how many is the federal government fighting this week (all in accord with the Constitution, of course)? Further, it is difficult for me to see the war on Islamic fascism and the war on North Korean proliferation as the same, simply because we have essentially deferred in the latter to the Chinese and Russians in Korea, and in the former, deferred to the Europeans in Iran. Oh, wait, maybe you're right, maybe they ARE the same, 'cause in both cases we're just waiting for the shoe to drop, either on Japan or Israel, you pick the ally-to-glow-later. And in both cases, we're putting off a war that will happen, postponing a fight now to our own detriment later.
"Tell your master Pat Buchanan that, in my profound stupidity, I still love and support the President. And while you're at it, convey to Pat my heartfelt concerm for his health and my continued hope that he find employment commensurate to his talents. My head might be small, but my heart is large."
Obviously, your brain isn't much in the mix. You lump ME in with the Buchananites? I'm the guy defending Israel here, and Japan. Did you miss that? You people sure are desperate to find some common enemy behind all your troubles. Here's a tip: look in the mirror. Settling for mediocrity guarantees you'll get it, or worse.
So had we invaded China, 9/11 would never have happened? Give me a break!
You mean like the war on terror and the war on drugs and the war on bad skools and the war on...
Well, I make a distinction between metaphoric and actual. The "war against drugs" is a metaphor. War with China would be an example of a real war. And, I'm convinced that with patience and persistence, it is an avoidable war. That's the Chinese way. That's fighting fire with fire.
Further, it is difficult for me to see the war on Islamic fascism and the war on North Korean proliferation as the same, simply because we have essentially deferred in the latter to the Chinese and Russians in Korea, and in the former, deferred to the Europeans in Iran.
No disagreement here, that I can tell of. You're right; they are completely different--well, save in the respect that both would require enormous expenditure of life, energy, and resources. By the way, that's why I now applaud what I earlier decried: W's refusal to escalate a belligerent confrontation. This event, to my thinking, reinforces the reasonableness and righteousnous of his decisions to wage war against Afghanistan's Taliban and Sadam's Iraq.
As to deferring to Iran's, Syria's & North Korea's neighbors : I don't have a better idea myself. You?
Obviously, your brain isn't much in the mix. You lump ME in with the Buchananites?
Maybe you're right about my brain, in April '01 my brain was convinced that we ought to tweak the Chicoms's nose and teach 'em a lesson. Damned glad we didn't now.
I apologize for lumping you in with the Buchaninites. I thought I had you pegged. Obviously I was wrong.
I'm damned glad of that too!