An Administration LOST at Sea

American Spectator ^ | 31 july 07 | Doug Bandow

[rellimpank]

Once the scourge of goo-goo internationalism, the Bush administration is now desperate to appease the United Nations crowd, Europeans, and "transies," as the transnational progressives, or NGO gaggle, is called. The president's latest concession is pushing the Law of the Sea Treaty, appropriately known as LOST.

Needless to say, all of the wrong people are excited at the prospect of American ratification of LOST, after a more than three decade long struggle. Those who oppose the inevitable LOST victory will show themselves to be "part of an extreme out-of-touch minority," said one happy treaty advocate.

[George W. Bush]

More from Spectator (everybody, go read it!):

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WHEN RONALD REAGAN took office, LOST was nearly complete. The final session of the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea was just a couple months away. The easy solution would have been to sign the treaty and move on to other issues.

But that was not Reagan's way. Instead, he spent the next year fighting to "fix" the treaty -- which essentially meant gutting Part XI, as the seabed provisions were known -- but got nowhere. The Third World/goo-goo coalition had gotten what it wanted from President Jimmy Carter, so why should it yield ground? With enough transies screaming about how everyone else on earth was on board LOST advocates thought that Washington would cave.

But President Reagan said no. The usual gaggle of impoverished dictatorships signed on, but none of the major European countries ratified the treaty. Nor did the Soviet Union, despite profuse professions of love, affection, and admiration for the Third World. The treaty was a bad deal for anyone who hoped to explore the seabed, and Moscow certainly saw no reason to bind itself if the U.S. stayed out.

The LOST lobby issued a profusion of hysterical warnings of impending chaos and violence on the high seas, but nothing happened. Life went on as usual. No one other than the transies noticed the absence of a ratified LOST. However, internationalist goo-goos never rest and State Department employees act like moths around a light when they near a treaty. So President George H.W. Bush began negotiations to "fix" LOST, a process completed by the usual suspects in the Clinton administration. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright proclaimed success in producing a new and improved variant of LOST, and the rush began: Washington signed as a cascade of ratifications brought the treaty into effect, leading to demands for formal American assent.

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Nobody, including Ron Paul, is Ronald Reagan. But Ron Paul is keeping that Reagan legacy alive on this and many other issues!

[Greg F]

Bush is a dangerous internationalist. More harm out of this administration than any other in my lifetime, excluding, possibly Carter with his give-away of Iran to the Ayatollahs and Johnson with his Vietnam Disaster and Nixon with Watergate. Well, he’s got serious competition for the worst actually. Amazing we are still standing after these monstrous failures in the Presidency. Says something good about the American system and something very bad about American voters.

I have no idea why Bush would resuscitate this hideous give away of the seas to the UN.

[OKIEDOC]

Thank you...the checks in the mail.

[CJ Wolf]

Most people couldn’t care less. Might think it’s a tv show, or something. But, this treaty is what is behind the Russians claiming the North pole seabed.

[Ben Ficklin]

"why Bush would resuscitate this"

Uhhhhh, the treaty already has a presidential signature on it.

The GOP doesn't need to worry about this yet. Biden and Reid have so many things on their agenda, they don't have time to take it up.

[RightWhale]

The 1967 UN Outer Space Treaty is much the same and should be mentioned each time LOST is mentioned.

[B4Ranch]

>I live in Ohio and John Boehner is my representative. He can find the beach (tans a lot) but I seriously doubt he would know what I was talking about.<

Call his DC office, ask for the staffer who handles international affairs. When you get him/her on the line ask them what they think about LOST. Re-educate them if necessary.

[Greg F]

“why Bush would resuscitate this”

Uhhhhh, the treaty already has a presidential signature on it.
__________________________________________________________

Whose signature? I think you may be wrong.

[B4Ranch]

An Administration LOST at Sea

This is a question that needs to be asked at every debate. “Do you support the LOST Treaty or the UN?”

When in the hell are we going to start looking in the damn mirror. THAT’S WHERE OUR PROBLEMS ARE!

U.S. may share missile info with China
WASHINGTON, June 4 (UPI) — The United States would “seriously” consider sharing technology and missile warning intelligence with China, (Secretary of Defense Gates) the U.S. defense chief said Sunday.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1846099/posts

U.S. carrier help? (Admiral offers help to China)

Adm. Tim Keating, the U.S. Pacific Command leader, told reporters during his visit to China last month that while building and operating a carrier battle group is complex, the United States is willing to help.

“We would, if they choose to develop [an aircraft-carrier program], help them to the degree that they seek and the degree that we’re capable, in developing their programs,” Adm. Keating said.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1845931/posts

[Lancey Howard]

It’s “the new world order”.
I never would have believed in a million years that Bush would turn out to be as dangerous as a Democrat.

[Ben Ficklin]

Clinton signed it in 1994
Helms refused to let the committee take it up.
Under Lugar, the committee passed it 16-0.
Frist blocked a Senate vote.

Now, Biden is committee chair and Reid is majority leader.

[Politicalmom]

PING!!

[Greg F]

Yah, we studied LOST in Law School. Made me proud of Reagan for ignoring the bleating of the NY Times and the UN. Makes me ashamed of Bush. It is a HUGE giveaway from the industrialized nations to the third world nations and the international bureaucrats. And you are right regarding Bush’s policies, he is a disaster and it is to our shame that we let our party go from Reagan to this guy in one generation.

[Guenevere]

bttt

[Greg F]

Clinton signed it in 1994
Helms refused to let the committee take it up.
Under Lugar, the committee passed it 16-0.
Frist blocked a Senate vote.
Now, Biden is committee chair and Reid is majority leader
______________________________________________________

Thanks for the info. And no Presidential veto with Bush the Apostate.

[OKIEDOC]

Thanks for the information.

Just damn!

[AuntB]

BTT

[Austin Willard Wright]

ping

[Czar]

So you think you have it bad...
...my two fools are Boxer and Feinstein.