Quote:
Originally Posted by Claeren
I am supposed to have the answer to that question? I am some kid on a message board! I am not saying i know how to lead the world, all i am saying is that in the last ~4 years activities in Russia have been accelerating and due to the Bush administrations proccupation with Iraq (both politically and financially) there is no sign that is going to slow. Condoleezza Rice is one of the worlds foremost experts on Soviet/Eastern-bloc politics, maybe she has some ideas?!
Fair or not that will be a legacy when it explodes on the world stage sooner than later.
Certainly Bush Sr and Clinton failed to take decisive action when they had the chance and they always have to take some academic blame for that. But it has been the total disillusionment of most of the worlds population due to THIS Bush that has allowed Russia to accelerate their efforts towards what is increasingly a fascist state.
The world didn't hate Clinton, and they didn't even hate Bush Sr. Bush junior has single handidly pushed world public opinion against America and its goals.
EVEN if Americans like his policies in the short term, EVEN if Clinton and BushSr should share the blame, i think the PERCEIVED REALITY, for better or worse, will come to focus on how anyone could have let Russia fall in the direction it is falling.
I am not commenting on how fair that is, just that i think it will be how it is.
I don't think i am conspiracy theorist at all though!? Where are you getting that from?
And i am NOT a Hillary supporter. To have 4 straight presidents over ~20 years+ from only two families would be disgusting and an afront to democracy. Why not just give them crowns if that is how people want to rotate power in America?
I think John Mccain would be my first choice, although more so the 4-8 year ago Mccain. So i think that leaves me with Obama, but mostly only because he is an outsider and America needs an outsider IMO.
I think my biggest concern out of all of that though is America's failure to lead by example. They can preach these big idealistic ideas about freedom but when the rest of the world looks inside the current American government i don't think they see much to be inspired by. And i doubt many want to build their own governments, for better or worse, in America's image. Why is it that Republicans themselves can be SO skeptical about 'their federal government and all of its waste' yet be so surprised when the rest of the world does not want their government either? The sad part is, when the American government is not hijacked by special interests and greed it is actually pretty inspirational i think!
The hindsight 100 years from now will be, what the hell was Bush doing all those years while democracy died?! Which is ironic considering his little war in Iraq had a stated purpose of spreading democracy.... too bad when he says 'democracy' he just means 'opening markets to exploitation'.
Claeren.
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Okay I will apologize. My wording in the last post was totally uncalled for. You're obviously a lot more intelligent than most of the political theorists I deal w/ on the net.
I'm not saying I think Hillary would be the best president either, but I definitely think she will win. Just as I didn't really care to have Bush Jr. for a second term, but knew Kerry had zero chance of winning.
Basically my point is this. There was nothing that could be done about Russia. It was a damned if you do damned if you don't situation. If America had tried to foster relations anymore, then the Russians would have seen it as a cultural invasion. IF the American policy was isolationist, then the Russians would have seen it as a cold shoulder. Russia's ultimate goal was to emerge as a superpower once more and they are. The same thing has been going on w/ Russia for close to a thousand years, and Russia seems to expand its sphere of influence further and further each time.
I think a lot of the reason why the US is so hated is because they were perceived as being unchallenged. Let's face it, everybody loves the underdog. The next US government will be far more isolationist in practice than the last. This combined w/ the emergence three new superpowers ( China, Russia, and the EU (whom I think is doomed to self destruct, but that's a whole other post)), will ultimately change the world's view on the US. I guarantee you in 10 years people will be beeeeegging the US to become militarily involved in other countries.