If you listen closely to the speeches being offered at the Republican National Convention, it becomes clear that the GOP plans to continue with the Bush administration’s go-it-alone approach on foreign affairs. The line of attack is simple: Barack Obama cares too much about international opinion; John McCain will defend American interests without worrying whether the international community approves.
Here is President George Bush:
My fellow citizens, we live in a dangerous world. And we need a president who understands the lessons of Sept. 11, 2001: that to protect America, we must stay on the offense, stop attacks before they happen and not wait to be hit again. The man we need is John McCain.
The president, essentially, is endorsing a shoot-first approach, one that militarizes intelligence gathering and paints a picture of a world in which American military power will be the only solution to international crises.
Then again, this should be no surprise, given that Bush is only endorsing an approach he has used for the last seven-plus years — with disastrous consequences.
Former Sen. Fred Thompson followed the president, taking Bush’s argument and adding a pinch of American exceptionalism to the stew:
The respect he is given around the world is not because of a teleprompter speech designed to appeal to American critics abroad but because of decades of clearly demonstrated character and statesmanship.
The “teleprompter speech designed to appeal to American critics abroad,” as if being concerned that our actions have consequences and create reactions around the globe is a bad thing. I mean, that’s what we teach out children, right? That they need to be conscious of others?
But then
America needs a president who understands the nature of the world we live in. A president who feels no need to apologize for the United States of America.
No apologies. That is the McCain foreign policy in a nutshell.
Hank Kalet 