Presidential Contenders May Change Tune - Political Forum

CHUQ · #1 (**permalink**) 06-25-2007, 04:21 AM

I could not decide which section it would best fit, but since it is about candidates, it is here.

This reality may be sinking in to the minds of American voters and in turn the 2008 presidential contenders. Remember the soaring rhetoric of George W. Bush’s second inaugural address, which promised to use the levers of American government to democratize the world? “So it is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world,” the president declared,

If that ideal seemed unrealistic then, it seems preposterous now. The presidential hopefuls seem to want no part of the messianic democracy mission. With one eye on the crisis abroad and the other on a disgruntled electorate, White House hopefuls’ foreign policy talk is miles from the Bush vision.

’08 contenders abandon democratization - Politico.com

SmilaBee · #2 (**permalink**) 06-25-2007, 05:38 PM

Candidates no longer have the luxury of daydreaming about bringing rogue states into the fold of baseball and American pie. Why? Because of George W. Bush. His reign has created such a plethora of ill will in the world and divisiveness in his own country - that future rulers are simply overwhelmed. From the international good will towards us on 9/11/01 that Bush squandered to the outstanding deficit he has created to the lack of attention to our infrastructure, to the debacle of violence he fueled in Iraq, to the demoralizing response to fellow Americans hit by Katrina, to the spying on innocent Americans, to the horror of Abu Ghraib and Walter Reed, to the looming crises we have yet to face internally with Social Security and Medicare to - well, you name it. This man has, ironically, ruined the world for democracy. The candidates simply do not have time to think about spreading our particular brand of fairness and democracy anywhere because they are too busy contemplating how to restore it here!!

emptypepsi · #3 (**permalink**) 06-25-2007, 06:26 PM

I think we need a President that needs to worry about fixing shit in our own country before we go off with our "Adventures in Creating Democracies".

Purple Tang · #4 (**permalink**) 07-04-2007, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmilaBee

Candidates no longer have the luxury of daydreaming about bringing rogue states into the fold of baseball and American pie. Why? Because of George W. Bush. His reign has created such a plethora of ill will in the world and divisiveness in his own country - that future rulers are simply overwhelmed. From the international good will towards us on 9/11/01 that Bush squandered to the outstanding deficit he has created to the lack of attention to our infrastructure, to the debacle of violence he fueled in Iraq, to the demoralizing response to fellow Americans hit by Katrina, to the spying on innocent Americans, to the horror of Abu Ghraib and Walter Reed, to the looming crises we have yet to face internally with Social Security and Medicare to - well, you name it. This man has, ironically, ruined the world for democracy. The candidates simply do not have time to think about spreading our particular brand of fairness and democracy anywhere because they are too busy contemplating how to restore it here!!

I love this. Can I paste it into my documents for quotations so I don't have to essentailly plagiarize to sum things up?