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Gephardt Attacks Bush Foreign Policy as âMachismoâ
One of the dwarfs speaks:SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - U.S. Democratic presidential hopeful Richard Gephardt on Tuesday condemned President Bushâs foreign policy as "machismo" and "arrogant unilateralism," saying his clumsy diplomacy on Iraq had shattered U.S. foreign alliances and endangered America. Unlike the subtle yet strong diplomacy by Madeleine and Bill C? Bwahahaha In an attack on Bushâs diplomacy since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the Missouri congressman said Bush had treated allies "like so many flies on Americaâs windshield" and should immediately seek U.N. and NATO help in stabilizing Iraq. I like that analogy, and donât consider that a bug, but a feature "Foreign policy isnât a John Wayne movie, where we catch the bad guys, hoist a few cold ones, and then everything fades to black," Gephardt, who supported the war in Iraq, said in remarks prepared for delivery to the San Francisco Bar Association. "Diplomacy matters. Burden-sharing matters. Follow-through matters. And yes, sustaining the peace is harder, more complex, and often costlier than winning the war itself," he said. "No matter the surge of momentary machismo -- as gratifying as it may be for some -- itâs short-sighted and wrong to simply go it alone." Gephardt, one of nine Democrats vying to challenge Bush for the White House in 2004, said he would not apologize for supporting the war. But he said he was running for president "because I believe George Bush has left us less safe, and less secure, than we were four years ago." Gephardt was the Democratic leader in the House during the Iraq debate, and he is one four Democratic presidential contenders who supported the resolution authorizing military action, along with Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts, John Edwards of North Carolina and Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut. He has been criticized by some Democrats, including rival and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, for failing to ask enough questions about Bushâs plans before backing the resolution. But Gephardt said he helped change the war resolution so that it called on Bush to work with U.S. allies and the United Nations, and develop a real plan to stabilize a post-war Iraq. Bush ignored those principles, he said. "Instead, guided by arrogant unilateralism and a deeply flawed âpre-emption" doctrineâ, he has brought us to where we are today in Iraq," Gephardt said. Wonder how many states this crap would carry? Massachusetts? The District of Columbia? Posted by: Frank G 2003-07-22 |
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