The Post Bush World

05/25/2008

Paul Munnis


Lately we have been inundated by prophecies about a "Post America World," the "Decline of U.S. Influence," the "Rise of The Rest of the World," how few nations are willing to deal with the U.S. any more – we have lost our friends, and other such predictions of an American sunset in world affairs.

I say bull-feathers to that -- sheer and utter nonsense.

Only one single world leadership act of significant influence is required for America to be back on a roll. Creating and manifesting these world leadership positions is what America excels at. The reason is because America is a nation of individualists. Look at Japan -- a nation of groupies. Look at China -- a nation struggling to make it due to overcrowding and a need to colonize in a place like Africa in order to survive. China is no threat to us, it could become our close ally, but we have to help them and not threaten them. Before the Korean War China and Japan were good friends. Look too at Russia -- a nation struggling to figure out their identity and their place in this world. America knows who we are - we just let the neo-cons... con us. We are a wiser nation now with a new generation educated on the realities of living in a democracy.

What encourages all of this baloney about a dying America is eight years of Bush and twelve years of GOP political control. Now it's ending and the U.S. will bounce back like we’re on a pogo stick.

Where do you want to start?

Maybe it’s terrorism that will wipe us out? The U.S. has been intercepting terrorist money and preventing the formation of anything more than small cadres of disconnected cells unable to unite to do any real damage. The whole world is organized against terrorism and is on high alert. Terrorists are making no headway. Democrats will move to interdict international arms sales and once we do then the amount of shooting will dwindle.

Bin Laden? I think he’s dead and that the Bush Administration has kept him virtually alive so as to have a terrorist bogeyman.

Al Queda? They are in danger of losing America as a foil for hate and mischief, what will they do then? The whole world has a stake in stomping out terrorism and you will see America give much better leadership at controlling these guys after Bush and Chaney once leave office.

Maybe it’s economics or oil that will bring America down? The U.S. is already on a roll for developing alternative energy and lowering and soon eliminating all oil imports from the mid-east. With Bush gone the effort will accelerate and the goals will be met. Oh, but those oil companies…

More nonsense! The oil companies exist because the U.S. government gives them license to pump and to refine. The oil belongs to you and me and to nobody else not withstanding a GOP belief that everything should be privatized. They like to think they own the earth and all that is on it but they don’t. It belongs to you and me and we let governments manage the resources for us. Our government can put Shell, Exxon, and the others out of business in a heartbeat and steer the subsidies and licenses to others on a whim. The oil companies know it too. They also know Nancy Pelosi has them in her sights and she is zeroed in on a windfall profits tax. The details are being worked out now. It will hit all of those speculating on oil futures.

As for economics there are two keys to controlling it. One is to end the Iraq War and the other is to stop the oil imports from the mid-east. I have addressed the latter above in the context of alternative energy development while Democrats are pledged to end the Iraq War. Troops will start coming home in September.

But gee-whiz our economy will be destroyed because of high priced oil. No it won’t because every American will fight back. We already are. Anybody want to buy a good used SUV that get 13 mpg? It’s parked under the Brooklyn Bridge which is also for sale.

No, it’s diplomacy that is Americas Achilles heel our enemies won’t negotiate with us.

Wrong! Put one strong minded and knowledgeable guy like Joe Biden in charge of the State Department and the U.S. will dominate the headlines with meaningful progress on international diplomacy. He would also help shape proper foreign policy for the U.S., something lacking for the last eight years. He would also set meaningful goals for the military to mission itself on and thus make the Department of Defense once again an agent of American foreign policy.

But the Russians are flipping us off -- they are cozying up to Iran, they are getting arrogant. Yup, and they are lacking in foreign currency, have a hard time fielding a military force, are fighting like heck to sell their oil which fewer people want to buy because it comes with political strings attached. The Russian economy has one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel. They are desperately seeking ways to create jobs for their citizens. Anyone who stays up nights worrying about the Russians needs to get a life.

No, no, its Iran, we gotta kill them before they get the A-bomb!

Nonsense we lived for 50 years under a nuclear shadow with Russia who had a genuine nuclear capability and we can easily live with small noisy nations like Iran having the A-bomb. Besides they are going to need atomic power soon because their oil is going to be staying in the ground. I say pity Iran don’t waste your energy on hating them.

All that we Americans have to fear are people selling books that are full of fear-mongering and then going onto TV to peddle the books and thus scaring us to death.

We have a lot of short-term problems and we are resourceful, bright, and able to think our way out of tight spots and to do it even while giving leadership to the rest of the world.

What many town-criers are really doing is trying to create a self-fulfilling prophecy hoping the US will goof and fall on its sword in a post Bush era. They fear that globalism will be constrained by the U.S. and that America will assert its strength in global trade once again. They are partly right and partly wrong. Globalism will continue but with trade consequences. Import tariffs on strategic goods will be imposed so that American manufacturing can concentrate on making strategic goods that we depend upon and make them here at home.

Under Democrats you can expect the North and South American continents to be joined into a union bigger and better than what the EU is.

We will likely not build such another large overstuffed military as what Bush inherited and decimated. Things have changed and if one lesson has been learned from the mid-east it is the futility of occupying a foreign nation. We are also learning that the nature of warfare has evolved from the use of tanks and frontal armies to a world of guerilla warfare and hit and run battles. A different kind of military is needed and will not be so expensive to equip or to maintain. The exception is in outer space. Bush is right about a need to intercept incoming missiles and destroy them before they can detonate their payloads. We will end up sending a lot of money to develop this capability but we need it desperately.

Anyone who gets up tomorrow morning and invests in American failing is bound to be disappointed.

Will America change? – Yes.

Will America fail? – No.