Friday, May 23, 2008
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Appeasement By Any Other Name . . .
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Posted by:
Carol Platt Liebau at
12:19 PM
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Charles Krauthammer today eviscerates the "Obama Doctrine" of meeting unconditionally with enemies, revealing it for the dangerous naivete that it is.
Seeking to right the ship, Joe Biden (clearly auditioning for Secretary of State, Heaven help us, in an Obama administration) writes in today's Wall Street Journal to set out the usual anti-Bush talking points. (Amusingly, by the way, he rips the President for "instigating an optional war in Iraq," conveniently ignoring the fact that he voted for the 2002 resolution).
Along with lamenting that an "obsession" with the war on terror has distracted us from matters including "the persistence of poverty" and "a rapidly warming planet," (funny how an attack on the homeland will fuel such "obsessions"!) Biden excoriates the Administration as follows:
Instead, Mr. Bush has turned a small number of radical groups that hate America into a 10-foot tall existential monster that dictates every move we make.
The intersection of al Qaeda with the world's most lethal weapons is a deadly serious problem. Al Qaeda must be destroyed. But to compare terrorism with an all-encompassing ideology like communism and fascism is evidence of profound confusion.
Terrorism is a means, not an end . . . If [President Bush and John McCain] can't identify the enemy or describe the war we're fighting, it's difficult to see how we will win.
If there's any "evidence of profound confusion," it's on Biden's part. One preliminary question for Biden (and Obama, for that matter): Is the prospect of Al Qaeda obtaining a nuclear weapon not an existential threat?
More broadly, it seems that the president (and by extension, McCain and the GOP) are paying the price for having gone PC, labeling the struggle we're in as a "war on terror," rather than being upfront and calling it the "war on Islamofascism" or the "war on Islamonazism" or the like (yes, Senator Biden, it is an all-encompassing ideology like Communism or fascism). Does Biden not understand who and what we're fighting, or is he being deliberately disingenuous?
Reading the entire piece, one almost hopes that Biden is just disingenuous -- the only other possibility is that this Democratic "leading light" on foreign policy is frighteningly ignorant. Take this passage, dealing with the Iran problem:
Instead of regime change, we should focus on conduct change. We should make it very clear to Iran what it risks in terms of isolation if it continues to pursue a dangerous nuclear program but also what it stands to gain if it does the right thing. That will require keeping our allies in Europe, as well as Russia and China, on the same page as we ratchet up pressure.
What does he think we have been doing!? To come full circle, let's go back to Krauthammer:
Iran, for example, has engaged in five years of talks with our closest European allies and the International Atomic Energy Agency, to say nothing of the hundreds of official U.S. statements outlining exactly what we would give them in return for suspending uranium enrichment.
Appeasement by any other name is still appeasement -- and ignoring or dismissing the Islamofascist threat, and seeking to placate or enemies seems to be the nub of a Democrat approach to national "defense."
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It is Bush and McCain that have rejected old school Republican and Conservative foreign policy in favor of this left wing internationalism.
"By left-wing, I allude to Bush's insistence on increasing the size and power of the federal government at every turn while also ignoring its real responsibilities, such as border security.
As for foreign policy, many people believe Bush's approach has been right-wing.
I regard this as nothing more than a liberal plot to discredit conservatives. The neoconservative foreign policy endorsed by Bush comes directly out of left-wing ideas of internationalism. We right-wingers don't give a damn about spreading democracy for the simple reason that the democratic will of foreigners is going to be exercised in their interest, not ours.
A right-wing foreign policy would focus solely on America's interests. If we had had a right-wing president after 9/11, we would have had a War on Al Qaeda, which could have been quickly wrapped up. Instead we got a "Global War on Terror," which will never end and which, in Bush's own words, is being fought to advance the interests of the Iraqis and the citizens of other countries the neocons eventually want to invade and liberate."
http://blog.nj.com/njv_paul_mulshine/2008/05/bob_barr_offer s_an_alternative.html |
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[talking points]
Irony:
- “Appeasement”
- “existential threat”
- “"war on Islamofascism" or the "war on Islamonazism"”
- “all-encompassing ideology”
- “not understand who and what we're fighting”
- “Democratic "leading light" on foreign policy is frighteningly ignorant”
- “Appeasement”
- “appeasement”
- “ignoring or dismissing the Islamofascist threat”
- “seeking to placate”
You lose points for missing Chamberlain, 1938, and not comparing Iran to Nazi Germany. And I think you could have fit 'appeasement' into the post at least 3 more times.
Try refering to Democrats as "Appeasing appeasers who appease" next time.
But otherwise, you've hearded the Talking Heads gold star for today. |
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Bush knows who the enemy is ... its the PC liberals that require that we muzzle our speech to dare not speak the name of our enemies ...
Biden is a fool to try and cover for Obama ... must be angling for a job offer ...
Obama is a con man who will soon blow up completely ... he is so far over his head that he doesn't even realize how bad he is ...
If rating are the measure then what about the Democratic congress and senates ratings ... they would love to have Bush's ratings ...
Poll ratings are meaningless anyway ... they change on a dime and don't reflect the real world ...
It's a choice between The Debate Club school of foreign policy and The Fight Club school of foreign policy ...
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hearded = earned.
I will proofread my posts...
I will proofread my posts... |
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Thompson himself writes that ongoing discussions with Iran have not produced an agreement regarding nuclear speech. He also quotes Krauthammer regarding the "hundreds of official U.S. statements outlining exactly what we would give them in return for suspending uranium enrichment."
Does this not make it 100% obvious that appeasement and negotiation are NOT the same thing? We have been negotiating but we clearly have not given up enough to please the Iranians. Ipso Facto we have not appeased them.
Negotiating is a process. Appeasement is an outcome. Confusing the two, which is the new conservative talking point, is just another effort to draw a patriotic face on pure ignorance.
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Carol,
I wanted to bring up a point to counter Obama's pandering speech to Jewish voters in Boca Raton, yesterday.
IF Obama can't say that Bill Ayres was WRONG to conspire to plant bombs in the women's restroom at the Pentagon, how on earth can American Jews b-e-l-i-e-v-e Obama when he insists that he personally believes that Hamas suicide bombers who blow up buses and pizza parlors are WRONG ?
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While Jimmy Carter - oops, I mean Barack Obama - wants to psychoanalyze and group-hug the most dangerous regimes on the planet, I prefer the Reagan/Bush approach: We win - They lose!
As long as the topic is foreign policy, Republicans win - Democrats lose. That's why they work themselves into such a lather when foreign policy is the issue. |
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Calling it "islamofascism" or "islamonazism" is the most transparent propaganda. It is Islamic terrorism -- indeed, it is the terrorist, non-state actor aspect that is so critical. The reality is, there are hundreds of millions of muslims in the world. The US cannot invade and/or bomb every country that is our enemy. We have to try other means, including negotiation. |
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[As long as the topic is foreign policy, Republicans win - Democrats lose.]
If we ignore the last seven years, I'd agree with you.
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9-11 changed everything, to stick our head in the sand and pretend we can have meaningful negotations with people that there only goal in life is to kill us all, in my opinion is just stupid! The new AG said he was schocked after his first briefing at the dangers that face us daily. 9-11 was the 5th attack and the second one on our own soil, each one more deadly. President Bush has kept us safe at home for over 7 years, for that we should all be thankful, but instead, all the armchair Generals think they know better. The papers that were finally translated from Sadam proved that he was working hand in hand with the terrorists. Every one thought he had WMD'S, that is what he wanted us to believe, and I am sure he had them at one time, he used them on his own people. Just like Hitler, he wanted to cleanse the world of the unfit, they want to cleanse the world of unbelievers, that is unbelievers of what they believe. How do you negotiate with zealot, with force! |
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again, the 9/11 truthers out there claiming it was an inside job. 9/11 was the 2nd terrorusts act on the WTC, the 1st was in 1993 lead by the blind sheik, killed 6 americans and wounded about a 1000. So to all those with selective memories and blind arrogance and choose to remain ignorant and call it warmongering, and propaganda, that is when it happens when our guard is let down. Seems to me thaT IS What Obama wants!!!! |
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Phil Donahue was just on Hannity and Colmes. He is a good voice for the liberals,and their inempt reasoning on how to keep the peace. How people can forget the hate that came with 9-11, We lost 3 planes, used as bombs and a forth was stopped by brave Americans, I could just see Colmes, Harry Reid, Mizz Peolsi, Mizz Clinton, and even the new savior, Obama. I am sure they would have tried to reason with the terrorists that took control of the plane so it would have eventually hit their assigned target. I wrote Hannity I couldn't believe he had Colmes on his show, but after thinking it over what better way for rational people to see the stupidity of the left. |
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Negotiations –Talks, Discussions, Conference, Consultation, Dialogue, Debate, Parley
Appeasement – Conciliation, Pacification, Accession
However, the result of negotiating with someone that says his stated purpose is to facilitate not only your death but your way of life. The fact that negotiating without preconditions is appeasing his stated purpose. How can you negotiate anything under that pretext? What can be accomplished?
While appeasing his stated purpose, you only provoke him to continue in his efforts to be successful in achieving his objectives.
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The problem is for the last 7 and 1/2 years we have had an incompetent fratboy as president whose foreign policy is "bring it on" . A windshield cowboy that doesn't even know how to pronounce diplomacy much less understand it..
This rube has totally botched many opportunites to advance the influence of the United States.. He does not have a freaking clue how to negotiatie and has been taken for a sucker and milked of tax paywer funds repeatedly by much more saavy governments.. This idiot has given up billions in bribes and got buckus for most of it.. In fact thats his entire idea of diplomacy.. grease palms and hope they do what we bribed them to do..
We need to get back to basics and flush the Bush/Rice/Cheney Doctrine down the toilet. |
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It seems to me the only ones dealing with stupidity is you and alot of other liberal nut jobs who are in denial. Granted Bush made mistakes, Along with my previuos post you can see terrorist acts against the U.S.
below.
http://www.danielpipes.org/comments/13059
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and I heard on radio that hundreds of Muslims marched against the service person who used the Karan as target practice.
My question?
1. Why don't you use your energy to let those who are Muslim in Afganistan - Iraq - Pakistan, etc. know the freedom you enjoy in America?
2. Ask them to take up arms against the violent extremists who want to take away the freedom that the U.S. is there fighting for, so that their country can have peace, this is why we are there.
3. Remind them their Karan does not teach violents, that your God does not ask you strap on bombs and kill innocent people.
4. Let the people know that Muslim Americans have freedom to pray, work, and be educated in the way that is peaceful. Let them know you were able to march in the streets of America and did not face violents from those who have a belief other then Muslim.
5. Our service men/women hear and see their military family die from a bomb strapped on some who say they are doing it for their God. While the rest of the country sit back and watch and do not protest this action or step in and turn over the terrorists. WHY?????
6. Iraq, Afganistan, Pakastan and any other Muslim country must demostrate that their God is a loving God, just like our God. They have to condem those who kill in the name of their God, this should tell all Muslims that the terrorists are not of their belief, they are wanting to be a dictotor of their country and it is time to step up to the home plate and reach out to the allies that are there to protect them, help them help themselves to save their religious rights and freedom, just like you-the American Muslims can and are enjoying in the United States.
Joy |
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and I heard on radio that hundreds of Muslims marched against the service person who used the Karan as target practice.
My question?
1. Why don't you use your energy to let those who are Muslim in Afganistan - Iraq - Pakistan, etc. know the freedom you enjoy in America?
2. Ask them to take up arms against the violent extremists who want to take away the freedom that the U.S. is there fighting for, so that their country can have peace, this is why we are there.
3. Remind them their Karan does not teach violents, that your God does not ask you strap on bombs and kill innocent people.
4. Let the people know that Muslim Americans have freedom to pray, work, and be educated in the way that is peaceful. Let them know you were able to march in the streets of America and did not face violents from those who have a belief other then Muslim.
5. Our service men/women hear and see their military family die from a bomb strapped on some who say they are doing it for their God. While the rest of the country sit back and watch and do not protest this action or step in and turn over the terrorists. WHY?????
6. Iraq, Afganistan, Pakastan and any other Muslim country must demostrate that their God is a loving God, just like our God. They have to condem those who kill in the name of their God, this should tell all Muslims that the terrorists are not of their belief, they are wanting to be a dictotor of their country and it is time to step up to the home plate and reach out to the allies that are there to protect them, help them help themselves to save their religious rights and freedom, just like you-the American Muslims can and are enjoying in the United States.
Joy |
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O I don't think the right tries to make the American people afraid of Barack Hussain Obama, He does a great job of that on his own.
Don't just listen to what he wants you to hear in public, go to the Library and check out his books, if this does not make you afraid, then just wait until he ever becomes President.
Sure, America wants hope, change and faith in our future, BUT, Obama is not the man to bring that about, he is heading for dictatorship of American. Have you listened to his wife also?
Open your ears, your eyes and then read what he says in his books and think what it would mean if he were President, then come back and tell me how you REALLY feel about this man.
It is not his color of skin, it is what he believes in and that is NOT in you or I, it is a belief he can have power over us.
Joy |
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