President Bush's blundering brand of diplomacy.

News Type: Opinion — Seeded on Fri May 16, 2008 6:42 PM EDT

Article Source: Slate

world-news, israel, middle-east, foreign-policy, diplomacy, knesset

Much outrage has been vented over President George W. Bush's May 15 address to the Knesset, where he likened negotiating with Iran or Hamas to appeasing Nazi Germany. His remarks were mendacious in many ways, not only as a dishonest attack on Barack Obama.
But the controversy has distracted attention from another passage in the speech, which highlights a more serious matter—the scandalous inadequacy of this president's foreign policy, the glaring gap between his rhetoric and his behavior, the startling inattention to diplomatic strategy and tactics.

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4.7

{"commentId":1809916,"authorDomain":"Extremist-Moderate"}

Extremist Moderate

Surely the author of this isn't expecting an actual PLAN of some kind to achieve the "bold" vision Bush has for the Middle-East? That's not what politicians are for, they are to provide us with the broad, inspirational visions that we are unable to create for ourselves.

The mundane tasks of organizing and accomplishing these grand ideas are matters for less august personages. And it's not really that important if these trivial things never happen, as it is the idea that really counts. Right? :)

{"commentId":1809916,"threadId":"265558","contentId":"1493695","authorDomain":"Extremist-Moderate"}

3 votes

#1 - Fri May 16, 2008 6:52 PM EDT

{"commentId":1810484,"authorDomain":"stranger2315"}

stranger2315

Fred Kaplan,

Seems to me GWB has had quite a lot of success with his foreign policies. One only has to look to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Things aren't as tidy as you would like them to be, but that is the nature of bringing about change. These things take time. And let us not forget there isn't much help coming from the Democratic party.

Now there's a column for someone who can write without worrying about what their colleagues would think.

All and all---GWB has done one heck of a job defeating the very people sworn to kill us.

Stranger2315

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2 votes

#2 - Fri May 16, 2008 8:47 PM EDT

{"commentId":1810659,"authorDomain":"LonoKemp"}

LonoKemp

absurd. the notion that what G-dub has done is anything other than a complete disaster is absolutely delusional.

{"commentId":1810659,"threadId":"265558","contentId":"1493695","authorDomain":"LonoKemp"}

6 votes

#2.1 - Fri May 16, 2008 9:31 PM EDT

{"commentId":1810888,"authorDomain":"Rixar13"}

Rixar13

The only thing GWB has had success in is destroying our influence as progressive leaders of the Free World, and driving up the 4 fold the price per barrel of oil. And he did give up Golf out of Respect, NOT. Worst in History, well I guess that is success.

{"commentId":1810888,"threadId":"265558","contentId":"1493695","authorDomain":"Rixar13"}

4 votes

#2.2 - Fri May 16, 2008 10:21 PM EDT

{"commentId":1811044,"authorDomain":"Extremist-Moderate"}

Extremist Moderate

GWB has done one heck of a job defeating the very people sworn to kill us.

That's great news they've been defeated! So now we're bringing the troops home, right?

{"commentId":1811044,"threadId":"265558","contentId":"1493695","authorDomain":"Extremist-Moderate"}

3 votes

#2.3 - Fri May 16, 2008 10:57 PM EDT

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President Bush's blundering brand of diplomacy.

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