John Bolton responds to Obama's "One World" Eurospeech...eloquently!

[Manedwolf]

John Bolton: One world? Obama is on another planet

By JOHN BOLTON

Sen. Barack Obama said in an interview the day after his Berlin speech that it "allowed me to send a message to the American people that the judgments I have made and the judgments I will make are ones that are going to result in them being safer."

If that is what the senator thought he was doing, he still has a lot to learn about both foreign policy and the views of the American people. Although well received in the Tiergarten, the Obama speech actually reveals an even more naive view of the world than we had previously been treated to in the United States. In addition, although most of the speech was substantively as content-free as his other campaign pronouncements, when substance did slip in, it was truly radical, from an American perspective.

First, urging greater U.S.-European cooperation, Obama said, "The burdens of global citizenship continue to bind us together." Having earlier proclaimed himself "a fellow citizen of the world" with his German hosts, Obama explained that the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Europe proved "that there is no challenge too great for a world that stands as one."

Perhaps Obama needs a remedial course in Cold War history, but the Berlin Wall most certainly did not come down because "the world stood as one." The wall fell because of a decades-long, existential struggle against one of the greatest totalitarian ideologies mankind has ever faced. It was a struggle in which strong and determined U.S. leadership was constantly questioned, both in Europe and by substantial segments of the senator's own Democratic Party. In Germany in the later years of the Cold War, Ostpolitik -- "eastern politics," a policy of rapprochement rather than resistance -- continuously risked a split in the Western alliance and might have allowed communism to survive. The U.S. President who made the final successful assault on communism, Ronald Reagan, was derided by many in Europe as not very bright, too unilateralist and too provocative.

But there are larger implications to Obama's rediscovery of the "one world" concept, first announced in the U.S. by Wendell Willkie, the failed Republican 1940 presidential nominee, and subsequently buried by the Cold War's realities.

The successes Obama refers to in his speech -- the defeat of Nazism, the Berlin airlift and the collapse of communism -- were all gained by strong alliances defeating determined opponents of freedom, not by "one-worldism." Although the senator was trying to distinguish himself from perceptions of Bush administration policy within the Atlantic Alliance, he was in fact sketching out a post-alliance policy, perhaps one that would unfold in global organizations such as the United Nations. This is far-reaching indeed.

Second, Obama used the Berlin Wall metaphor to describe his foreign policy priorities as President: "The walls between old allies on either side of the Atlantic cannot stand. The walls between the countries with the most and those with the least cannot stand. The walls between races and tribes; natives and immigrants; Christian and Muslim and Jew cannot stand. These now are the walls we must tear down."

This is a confused, nearly incoherent compilation, to say the least, amalgamating tensions in the Atlantic Alliance with ancient historical conflicts. One hopes even Obama, inexperienced as he is, doesn't see all these "walls" as essentially the same in size and scope. But beyond the incoherence, there is a deeper problem, namely that "walls" exist not simply because of a lack of understanding about who is on the other side but because there are true differences in values and interests that lead to human conflict. The Berlin Wall itself was not built because of a failure of communication but because of the implacable hostility of communism toward freedom. The wall was a reflection of that reality, not an unfortunate mistake.

Tearing down the Berlin Wall was possible because one side -- our side -- defeated the other. Differences in levels of economic development, or the treatment of racial, immigration or religious questions, are not susceptible to the same analysis or solution. Even more basically, challenges to our very civilization, as the Cold War surely was, are not overcome by naively "tearing down walls" with our adversaries.

The best we can hope for is that Obama's rhetoric was simply that, pandering to the audience before him, as politicians so often do. We shall see if this rhetoric follows him back to America, either because he continues to use it or because Sen. John McCain asks voters if this is really what they want from their next President.

John Bolton, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and the author of "Surrender Is Not an Option."

[Ben]

"allowed me to send a message to the American people that the judgments I have made and the judgments I will make are ones that are going to result in them being safer."

That has to be in his top ten arrogant statements. Presidents don't make judgments -- kings do.

It's funny, a LOT of the liberals I know are always quoting the Benjamin Franklin line about giving up liberty for safety when referring to Bush policy (actually I do to, especially at the airport), but none of them raise an eyebrow when Obama "makes judgments" for their safety.

[Manedwolf]

It's funny, a LOT of the liberals I know are always quoting the Benjamin Franklin line about giving up liberty for safety when referring to Bush policy (actually I do to, especially at the airport), but none of them raise an eyebrow when Obama "makes judgments" for their safety.

Trivia bit: Ben Franklin never actually said that line. It was just attributed to him, as it seemed like something he might say, but it was a common sentiment at the time. It's one of the most persistent apocryphal quotes in modern American political history, with dozens of wording variations.

The only thing he ever put in his own writing, printed in Poor Richard's Almanack, was ""Sell not virtue to purchase wealth, nor Liberty to purchase power."

[xavier fremboe]

So, at what point do we actually get a substantive policy speech from Obama?  I know the soaring rhetoric is working just fine for him, but doesn't he have to actually outline some means to achieve his ends?

[Manedwolf]

So, at what point do we actually get a substantive policy speech from Obama?  I know the soaring rhetoric is working just fine for him, but doesn't he have to actually outline some means to achieve his ends?

He doesn't want to reveal the actual policies. It might scare people.

[Ben]

It was just attributed to him, as it seemed like something he might say,

Well then hopefully the line I use to pick up chicks like Ben did is actually his. "Come strumpet(s) wouldst frolic in the hay with me?"




As for Obama, stop arguing about it he's in. Just ask him:

When Experience, Knowledge and Honor Just Aren't Good Enough. Vote Obama.
Hope. Change. And All That Other BS. Vote Obama.
More Experience Than a Fifth Grader. Vote Obama.
Standing Up For the Power of Horse Manure. Vote Obama.
Talking Big. Doing Nothing. Vote Obama.
This Election Is All About You. Voting for Me. Vote Obama.
Sure, I Remember Voting In the Senate That One Time. Vote Obama.
Kim Jung Il, Hamas and Fidel Castro Can't Be Wrong. Vote Obama.
Pass the Arugula. Vote Obama.
You Say Corrupt Land Deal. I Say Creative Financing. Potaytoe, Potahtoe. Vote Obama.
Like Black People? Vote Obama.
The Man With The Iraq Plan. Yeah, The Plan That Didn't Work. So What, Racist? Vote Obama.
Flag Pins Are Stupid. But I'm Not Unpatriotic. You Racist. Vote Obama.
Don't Like My Pastor? Shut Up, Racist. Still Don't Like Him? I Guess I Don't, Either. Vote Obama.
Watch the Oceans Recede. Watch the World Make Peace. And Watch As I Saw This Woman In Half! Vote Obama.
Fooling All of the People All of the Time. Vote Obama.
Cut Military Funding. Dictators Are Nice. Vote Obama.
Yes We Can. Or Rather, I Can. Vote Obama.

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/BenShapiro/2008/07/30/new_slogans_for_barack_obama?page=full&comments=true

[FTA84]

"The walls between old allies on either side of the Atlantic cannot stand. The walls between the countries with the most and those with the least cannot stand. The walls between races and tribes; natives and immigrants; Christian and Muslim and Jew cannot stand. These now are the walls we must tear down."

This sounds awfully similar to speeches given by Neil diamond at his concerts.... (I had free tickets)

[longeyes]

Bolton is the one we've been waiting for.

Too bad he'll never be President.

[Tallpine]

Standing Up For the Power of Horse Manure. Vote Obama.

I'm around real horse manure every day, and it doesn't stink near as bad as Obama 

[longeyes]

Obama is the catastrophe we've been waiting for.

He is Division Incarnate.

[xavier fremboe]

"The walls between old allies on either side of the Atlantic cannot stand. The walls between the countries with the most and those with the least cannot stand. The walls between races and tribes; natives and immigrants; Christian and Muslim and Jew cannot stand. These now are the walls we must tear down."

This sounds awfully similar to speeches given by Neil diamond at his concerts.... (I had free tickets)

Hopefully it'll come out that he killed a drifter for priapic needs.

[MicroBalrog]

Given I know who Priap was... "Priapic needs" sounds eminently disturbing. What does it mean?

[xavier fremboe]

Given I know who Priap was... "Priapic needs" sounds eminently disturbing. What does it mean?

It's a reference to an SNL skit with Will Ferrell playing Neil Diamond on VH1 singers and songwriters. One of the songs he claims to have written "after he killed a drifter to get an erection."  It's funnier than my description, but I'm on my iPod. I'll post a link if I can find it.