Posted on 12/10/2007 5:13:15 PM PST by america4vr
The world is dissatisfied with American leadership. Shocked and frightened after 9/11, we put forward an angry face to the globe, not one that reflected the more traditional American values of hope and optimism, tolerance and opportunity.
This fearful approach has hurt the United States' ability to bring allies to its cause, but it is not too late to change. The nation should embrace a smarter strategy that blends our "hard" and "soft" power -- our ability to attract and persuade, as well as our ability to use economic and military might. Whether it is ending the crisis in Pakistan, winning the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, deterring Iran's and North Korea's nuclear ambitions, managing China's rise or improving the lives of those left behind by globalization, the United States needs a broader, more balanced approach.
Lest anyone think that this approach is weak or naive, remember that Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates used a major speech on Nov. 26 "to make the case for strengthening our capacity to use 'soft' power and for better integrating it with 'hard' power." We -- one Republican, one Democrat -- have devoted our lives to promoting American preeminence as a force for good in the world. But the United States cannot stay on top without strong and willing allies and partners. Over the past six years, too many people have confused sharing the burden with relinquishing power. In fact, when we let others help, we are extending U.S. influence, not diminishing it.
Since 9/11, the war on terrorism has shaped this isolating outlook, becoming the central focus of U.S. engagement with the world. The threat from terrorists with global reach is likely to be with us for decades.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
To paraphrase *any* aspect of this emphatically naive, insipidly amateurish, didactic sermon that reads like some high-school morality play is too much to ask.
Had someone ask me to take a stab at identifying the venuein which this was conveyed, I would have said without equivocation to be some lame home page/ blog/social bookmarking site. But no, it was nothing less than the voice of one of the MSM's most distinguished, prestigious institutions. And in light of this inexcusable drivel makes it all the more harder to understand
Yep. Perhaps the Admins would add the BARF alert to the title. This one reeks!
Good. The world is an ass.
It sounds like the authors of this tripe cannot walk-the-talk of their own battle cry. They tell us to stop getting mad, but this article is full of anger.
I wish we would get tough rhetorically with this nonsense.
The idea that America is arrogant and brash is ridiculous and downright dangerous.
Saudia Arabia is humble.
Iran is humble.
‘
Russia is humble.
How?!
America is the lineage of hope. Look at South Korea. Look at Europe. Look at Japan.
The best thing that can happen to the various assortments of fascism on this earth is to get kindly crushed by the US military. Then we allow a decent government to take its place and provide a modicum of humanity to the imperial nightmares that infect this earth.
Armitage?! Talk about gall...
Get a life, the Wopo lost it's reputation a long time ago.
Yes, absolutely disgusting. Most disturbing is that an obvious enemy like Armitage was in such an influential post. The President’s worst mistake was to not clean house on day 1.
The world should stop watching CNN.
What a surprise./s
Richard Armitage is THE person responsible for blowing Valerie Plame’s supposed “cover”, but NOTHING was ever done to him about it....
translation: bend down and grab them ankles real good...
Yeah, you are correct. He did not have the stones to do what he should have done, and he continues to take doo-doo from the left.
No more RINOS for me, not now, not ever. Walk the walk, and talk the talk, or you won’t get my vote.
When I read the description of this forum my first thought was it was telling America to be better armed.
Also from the WP:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/31/AR2006083101460.html
WE’RE RELUCTANT to return to the subject of former CIA employee Valerie Plame because of our oft-stated belief that far too much attention and debate in Washington has been devoted to her story and that of her husband, former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, over the past three years. But all those who have opined on this affair ought to take note of the not-so-surprising disclosure that the primary source of the newspaper column in which Ms. Plame’s cover as an agent was purportedly blown in 2003 was former deputy secretary of state Richard L. Armitage.
Mr. Armitage was one of the Bush administration officials who supported the invasion of Iraq only reluctantly. He was a political rival of the White House and Pentagon officials who championed the war and whom Mr. Wilson accused of twisting intelligence about Iraq and then plotting to destroy him. Unaware that Ms. Plame’s identity was classified information, Mr. Armitage reportedly passed it along to columnist Robert D. Novak “in an offhand manner, virtually as gossip,” according to a story this week by the Post’s R. Jeffrey Smith, who quoted a former colleague of Mr. Armitage.
the very dude who threatened to bomb Pak back to the stone age.
In a better world, Richard Armitage would have been shunned forever and lived his last days in social and political isolation.
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