Don't Blame Me (humor)

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Wednesday November 03, 2004 · 2:03 PM PST

2004/11/03 · 14:03

Two years from now, when US troops are gearing up for the fifth "final" assault on Falluja in order to break we-really-mean-it-this-time the back of the insurgency, when the housing bubble has popped and the unemployment rate is climbing toward European heights, when you can actually see the arsenic in your tap water, when your high school's biology teacher has been disappeared for lecturing on evolution, when Osama bin Laden is welcomed as a regular guest on Crossfire . . .

Two years from now, we'll see a lot of folks jumping on the "don't blame me" bandwagon. It'll be harder finding folks who admit voting B/C than it is to find a sober Democrat today. It's all (ahem) part of Bush's doing whatever he can to create an environment where people take responsibility for their actions and accountability (like freedom) reigns.

So, we need a snappy slogan. We want our car to be the first one on the block to capture the zeitgeist in a bumper sticker. The classic is, of course, 1973's "Don't Blame Me: I'm From Massachusetts".

I have a few suggestions below, but we've got at least two years to get through, so help me out here: Read More

Forging a Foreign Policy Agenda for the Campaign - and Beyond

Martial

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Friday April 30, 2004 · 1:26 PM PDT

2004/04/30 · 13:26

Kerry's speech today was very good, though - necessarily - Iraq specific. His call to "build a political coalition of key countries" and to "convince them that Iraqi security and stability is a global interest" while making it an "imperative we share responsibility and authority" begins the good work of building a framework around which US foreign policy can regain its credibility and effectiveness.

But this speech was only a first step. The world is watching this election. Kerry needs to win back the trust and support of our allies. He needs to be seen to be leading on the most important issues of the day even before he is elected President.

Kerry needs to use the same framework he used today to address other major, global security concerns. He needs to speak about Afghanistan and the world's commitments there. He needs to provide a global plan to attack terror and to make clear the responsibilities that every nation must shoulder to combat it. He needs to deal with the issues raised by North Korea, nuclear proliferation, and the danger such proliferation represents to every country.

There are other issues, other countries at war or in the throes of violence, that Kerry could speak to. He should resist the temptation to solve all of the world's problems, or even to address them. These four - Iraq, Afghanistan, terrorism, and North Korea - should form the basis for Kerry's - and America's - vision of global security. These four can serve to show the world a blueprint for a new understanding of international collaboration. And on these four, Kerry can chart a course clearly different from the current Administration's.

" I know that some will say that this is an impossible task, but I believe it is doable with the right approach. We must lead but we must listen. We must use every tool of diplomacy and persuasion to bring others along.
[...]
The institutions created more than half a century ago remain useful and relevant. But yesterday's designs are not sufficient to meet today's needs. Our institutions and alliances must adapt to new opportunities and threats. New enemies must be confronted by new strategies. America must lead in new ways.
But even as we contemplate what has changed, we must also remember what has not: Our belief in the rights and dignity of every human being. Our faith in democracy as the best form of government in all of human history. And our confidence in America's capability to lead allies and friends to stand together and build a world more peaceful, prosperous and just than we have ever known before.
That was our mission in Churchill's time. And for all the differences of time and circumstance, that is our urgent need in Iraq today and our enduring mission in the years ahead.
There is pride in that and honor - and if we meet the test, we can have a world that is safer because of American leadership. "

Put Afghanistan on the Agenda

Martial

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Thursday April 29, 2004 · 9:10 AM PDT

2004/04/29 · 09:10

I've just returned from Afghanistan (working with NGOs, not the military).

Unsurprisingly, the upcoming US elections were a regular topic of conversation. I was struck by one comment in particular which arose in nearly every exchange. It was repeated by both Afghans and expatriates: Afghans want Bush to win.

They are quite frankly afraid that Kerry will not take the rebuilding of Afghanistan seriously. I was floored by this. But of course, the Democrats have not given the Afghans any indication to the contrary. This oversight is a grave mistake.

Perhaps Afghanistan, and US policy there, does not matter much for the campaign here in the States. But the world is also watching this election.

Kerry, supported by the Democratic Party, should be doing everything he can to regain international goodwill before he gets into office, otherwise he will find himself wasting vital time in the early months of his Presidency. Kerry needs to be sending the message to our allies - old, new, and potential - that the US will be serious about its commitments once again and that global security will again be the focus of policy.

Furthermore, making sure that Afghans understand they remain an ally - an ally we will continue to support in the reconstruction of their country and building of their nation - will make working with them on our mutual interests far more effective. Our countries both remain concerned with the Taliban and al Qaeda, of course. We are also both concerned with, among other things, the international poppy trade, the world's access to Central Asian natural gas, and China's continuing emergence as a global power.

Two things need to happen. One, Kerry needs to put Afghanistan front and center into a speech. He needs to highlight the diversion by the Bush Administration of funds and troops away from Afghanistan. In this speech he also needs to promise a greater commitment to security throughout the country. Two, some Democratic Congressmen need to go on a junket and actually talk to leading, patriotic Afghans to explain that Kerry will not abandon them. We must support the many people in Afghanistan's government and among the country's people who have the best interests of Afghanistan at heart. As events have shown, that is one crucial way in which we can support the best interests of the US as well.

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