[chudogg]

This is childish, and irrelevant without noting the context of the times. George Washington was speaking about the War between France and Britian, which was tearing apart the solidarity of Americans and creating a division between pro-French Republicans and Pro-British Federalists. It was ruining our trade and naval commerce and both nations were acting beligerent to the U.S. Washington was saying not to get involved.

The world and the country as progressed alot since then. But it is worth noting that Thomas Jefferson, shortly after this Inaugarual adress, was successful in building an international coalition to quell the Barbary Pirates (i.e. Islamic Terrorists) who were interupting American trade. I would say George W. Bush is merely carying on the tradition of our Founding Fathers.

[Ohioan]

Washington's remarks here, and his words elsewhere, as Jefferson's in describing the Barbary Pirate thrashing, show that they had a consistent foreign policy, and that policy is basically well defined by Washington's remarks here. Your effort to marginalize them, also, does not challenge the common sense of any of Washington's points in the Feature: Debate, which are stated in terms of the ages.

William Flax