NATO AIR
Senior Member
I would like to refute one of Sen. Kerry's main foreign policy promises: that he will restore America's relations with Europe and rebuild old alliances.
I am not one of those who believe Kerry will destroy America or render her open to terrorist attack... i believe he will be forced by circumstances and reality to keep a considerable amount of the Bush foreign policy platform as his own. Just as Pres. Bush will have to moderate and adjust his foreign policy to a considerable bit of what Kerry is talking about and advocating, by circumstance and reality.
HOWEVER....
Our relationship with Europe, in the vein it used to be, is over forever. What is most disturbing is that increasingly, the MODERATE viewpoint (usually exhibited by such Senators as Chuck Hagel, John McCain, John Warner, Richard Lugar, Joe Biden, Joe Lieberman, UN pukes like Dennis Holbrooke and Dennis Ross, and Sec. State Colin Powell) of America is at odds with the EU's. Take three examples: Darfur, Iran and China.
In all three cases, the EU sees the reality and the facts on the ground, and yet chooses to deny that very reality and those very facts. They don't see evidence of genocide in Darfur (even though its fairly plain for every aid group, humanitarian NGO and the US Congress to see, a word that was only previously used by this sheer majority of groups and individuals in a place called rwanda (but only after the fact). They want to "talk" and "discuss" with Iran in "good faith" even though Iran has continued on every platform to lie, cheat, hide and evade the facts about their ACCELERATING nuclear program. It seems to most in America's diplomatic community that even if Iran declares itself a nuclear state and threatens its neighbors, the EU will still oppose taking preemptive or even defensive military action without an Iranian warhead exploding in Rome or Paris. On China, America's rhetoric and the facts are less than convincing, but at least American officials have openly supported the freedom forces of China (journalists, veteran officials, political opponents) who are putting their careers and lives on the line to try to stop Communist oppression. Aside from the Brits, nary a word has been heard from the EU in actual support of the freedom parties in China.
Should we also mention the EU's miniscule donation to humanitarian aid in Darfur, their condoning of European nations like France holding training exercises with the Chinese military, their attempts to profit from oil revenues in Iran and Iraq despite oppressive regimes and a further long litany of foreign policy views and activities that differ far from America's goals?
Ladies and gentlemen, we've got serious problems with the Euros. This means we start restoring our credibility with the rest of the world and strengthing (and repairing)alliances with nations like Britain, Russia, Poland, India, Japan, Singapore, South Africa, Nigeria and Brazil, or we can just give up the leadership role because its only going to get further undermined and made difficult by the EU's foreign policy.
In doing so, we avoid the unnecessary and DANGEROUS compromising with the Germans and French and their friends. Let us bargain from a position of strength, not weakness. Weakness begins when you let "friends" undercut you at every turn, while smiling in your face the entire time (like Saudi Arabia, France, Germany and to a lesser extent, Pakistan).
I am not one of those who believe Kerry will destroy America or render her open to terrorist attack... i believe he will be forced by circumstances and reality to keep a considerable amount of the Bush foreign policy platform as his own. Just as Pres. Bush will have to moderate and adjust his foreign policy to a considerable bit of what Kerry is talking about and advocating, by circumstance and reality.
HOWEVER....
Our relationship with Europe, in the vein it used to be, is over forever. What is most disturbing is that increasingly, the MODERATE viewpoint (usually exhibited by such Senators as Chuck Hagel, John McCain, John Warner, Richard Lugar, Joe Biden, Joe Lieberman, UN pukes like Dennis Holbrooke and Dennis Ross, and Sec. State Colin Powell) of America is at odds with the EU's. Take three examples: Darfur, Iran and China.
In all three cases, the EU sees the reality and the facts on the ground, and yet chooses to deny that very reality and those very facts. They don't see evidence of genocide in Darfur (even though its fairly plain for every aid group, humanitarian NGO and the US Congress to see, a word that was only previously used by this sheer majority of groups and individuals in a place called rwanda (but only after the fact). They want to "talk" and "discuss" with Iran in "good faith" even though Iran has continued on every platform to lie, cheat, hide and evade the facts about their ACCELERATING nuclear program. It seems to most in America's diplomatic community that even if Iran declares itself a nuclear state and threatens its neighbors, the EU will still oppose taking preemptive or even defensive military action without an Iranian warhead exploding in Rome or Paris. On China, America's rhetoric and the facts are less than convincing, but at least American officials have openly supported the freedom forces of China (journalists, veteran officials, political opponents) who are putting their careers and lives on the line to try to stop Communist oppression. Aside from the Brits, nary a word has been heard from the EU in actual support of the freedom parties in China.
Should we also mention the EU's miniscule donation to humanitarian aid in Darfur, their condoning of European nations like France holding training exercises with the Chinese military, their attempts to profit from oil revenues in Iran and Iraq despite oppressive regimes and a further long litany of foreign policy views and activities that differ far from America's goals?
Ladies and gentlemen, we've got serious problems with the Euros. This means we start restoring our credibility with the rest of the world and strengthing (and repairing)alliances with nations like Britain, Russia, Poland, India, Japan, Singapore, South Africa, Nigeria and Brazil, or we can just give up the leadership role because its only going to get further undermined and made difficult by the EU's foreign policy.
In doing so, we avoid the unnecessary and DANGEROUS compromising with the Germans and French and their friends. Let us bargain from a position of strength, not weakness. Weakness begins when you let "friends" undercut you at every turn, while smiling in your face the entire time (like Saudi Arabia, France, Germany and to a lesser extent, Pakistan).
