Blair’s Speech
I heard Tony Blair’s speech in its entirety yesterday and I will agree with Kathy Kinsley’s remarks. At the very least, Bush should hire Blair’s speechwriters. In the alternative the President should take weekly lessons in rhetoric from the Prime Minister. Heck, he almost had me convinced by the end of his talk to Congress. There is no doubt Mr. Blair is a skillful orator and he delivered a speech that was much superior to any of Mr. Bush’s. He also hammered some points that the President needs to hear. We are not going to get very far in the world by dictating policy, we have to use the power of persuasion. We must ensure that the United Nations becomes a working entity, not continue to marginalize it. We have to be a citizen of the world, not an isolationist dictator.
It was a powerful bit of rhetoric and the Democratic Presidential candidates should be taking notes on how to be firm about the beliefs we all share as Americans contrasted with the actions of this administration.
UPDATE: Kevin at Wizbang makes a similar point.
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July 18th, 2003 at 11:34 am
Interesting to remember that CANDIDATE Bush opposed the “nation building” stance that Clinton had (in his opinion) and opposed our interference in Bosnia. Granted this was pre-9/11 but I still do not see how “nation building” (which is what we are doing in Iraq now) is helping the “War on Terrorism”. We should feel no safer today than we did almost two years ago when a child is used to try and smuggle a gun onto a plane.
I agree that Blair is a great speachmaker and have often said that Bush would be better off to let him do ALL the talking. But, as the Republicans have often said about Clinton, a pretty speachmaker does not change the substance of what is being said done…sending and leaving troops over in Iraq for target practice for a people who seem to have no real regard for what we are trying to do to “free” them.
Wonder what will happen to Blair now that the Defense Minister who questioned his intelligence is found murdered!?
July 18th, 2003 at 12:06 pm
The murder is definitely a cause for deep concern. The people of Iraq do have a regard for freedom, but they have heard this song and dance before, when they were occupied by Great Britain for 70 years. They want things to happen quicker than they are, and no one can blame them. We have a responsibility to turn over the major functions of government as quickly as possible, if only to get away from the view of America as occupier.
Yes the President made a huge error in going forward with this action, but now that he has we have a responsibility to the people of Iraq to ensure the best possible chance for a good future.
July 18th, 2003 at 3:21 pm
This is the problem that I have with all of this….we left our own borders unprotected to go and “free” another country (of course this was an afterthought to the reason we were given).
We have morally bankrupt troops and now the REAL threat to our safety, KOREA, has finally been acknowledged as being a problem. (Something many, including me, saw prior to the deployments to Iraq).
I agree that these people have heard this song and dance before but the problem here arose from us unilaterally going in to free them with no real exit strategy and we may fail anyway.
If this was done for our safety it is a really poor way of going about it. If it was done to liberate a country, then it should have been better planned and “sold” to the American public as such. It was not and THAT is the real crime here.
We have left other countries in far more dire shape (most by not doing anything). Why is it our responsibility now not to “desert” these people? We freed them; it’s time they took care of things themselves and we move on to protect our own borders and allow our troops to finally come home.
I do not agree with Blair or Bush that it is the USA’s “responsibility” to be the policeman of the world. It is not our job to spread democracy like missionaries run amok. Democracy does not always work and probably will not work in this case. Ask some old Peace Corps workers how difficult it can be to try and incorporate our “modern ways” in some of the backwards countries that we tried to “help.” Ask Turkey or the USSR how well democracy is working for them. It is not the answer to everyone’s problems.
Hence, I fail to see why we need to remain in a country that is perfectly capable of figuring things out for themselves (most are very illtelligent and many well educated). They seem intent on doing so anyway. They know a country without Saddam. It is thier choice to keep it that way. I do not see how one more American life is going to help these people achieve anything more than what they can achive on their own.
Unless we are there to protect something else….can you say OIL?
July 18th, 2003 at 4:26 pm
The thing about Blair is that he just sounds so… British. He has these funny little pauses in the middle of his sentences that makes you believe that he is really thinking about what he is saying and choosing his words carefully. I don’t think Bush could EVER give that impression to anyone.
July 18th, 2003 at 4:44 pm
Good observation! And agree, I don’t think that Bush could ever make anyone beleive that he thought about anything he was saying. when left to his own devices the best he can come up with is “darn good!”