Cold War II

It's no secret that President George Walker Bush (I tend to use his whole name when condemning him, which is like every other post) wants his presidency to follow that of the last president to preside over a sudden conservative wave: Ronald Reagan. But seeing his recent foreign policy moves, it's almost as if he wants to start (if he hasn't already, that is) Cold War II.

When studying about the Cold War, I noticed a few trends that are so prevalent in our foreign policy today.

1. False values to justify more selfish objectives

Cold War I: I'm going to use my native country, Korea, as an example. Actually, the drama/miniseries that my mom, aunt, and sister are watching right now is enough evidence of what the Korean people felt and feel about the U.S. "aid" in South Korea. The American soldiers in the movie are for the most part HEARTLESS s.o.b.'s who only have their own interests in mind. They came proclaiming ideals like democracy but to many, they were just the lesser-evil occupiers.

Cold War II: What else? Iraq. We went in there to topple an oppressive regime without giving much (actually, ANY) thought to ensuring a LASTING democracy. Not to mention that we're shattering whatever chance that these people have to form a cohesive, working nation... In fact, we may have made things WORSE by inspiring a new generation of insurgents that are strongly anti-American.

2. Questionable actions in the name of national security.

Let's see... Patriot Act, Guantanamo Bay, Patriot Act, Patriot Act, Patriot Act, oh- did I mention the Patriot Act? But what I want to know is how come the government is more interested in the kind of books I'm buying/borrowing than the subway system in New York City? How come Idaho is getting the same amount of homeland security money as California? Why are people in the administration (it's funny that The Best American Politcial Writing 2004 often mentions Cheney's unadulterated contempt for the CIA... and his chief of staff just happens to be one of those mentioned as an illegal source of Valerie Plame's identity) risking the lives of covert CIA agents just to smear her husband, who in turn was only trying to tell the truth? WHY are we shipping detainees (who, really, could be ANYBODY) to Afghanistan?

3. Paranoia that distracts from real dangers

Let's assume for a second that we "won" the war in Iraq... which, technically, we did (especially if you don't count the quagmirish aftermath). But how havewe done on the "War on Terrorism"? We're so obsessed with fighting... actually I don't know WHO the hell we're fighting anymore because when the original enemy- al Qaeda- goes on TV and warns that they WILL attack again:

Ayman al-Zawahri warned that there would be further violence unless the US an dits allies withdrew from Iraq.

and our Commander-in-Chief blows it off!!! That's COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE! Didn't he take us to war to fight terrorism? Then shortly after another round ofterrorist attacks in London, the second-command guy at al Qaeda TELLS us that he'll attack and we do NOTHING. Actually, not just NOTHING... The President is actually in TEXAS enjoying his record-breaking vacation days.


My sister mentioned that the "US" has become more of an insult, "U Suck", that our governmen thas been projecting around the world.

People might just think I'm anti-war... Which I am, and have been through September 12, 2001. But it's not even about an immediate withdrawal anymore. I'm sick and tired of Bush (surprise, surprise) trying to play the heroic president during the Cold War II that HE started.

I want the administration to draft a clear-cut, flawless plan for postwar Iraq, and until such plan is drawn up, limit the activity of the troops currently in Iraq so that they are not risking their lives due to managerial incompetence.

I want the administration to APOLOGIZE for or at least ADMIT to lying to the American people about the real reason for war. Whether that was creating a pro-U.S. ally in the Middle East (though we all know how that's turning out), the only option to finish the Gulf War, a legitimate response to 9/11, or hell, even oil... I want YOU, Mr. President, to stop lying to me. When you send young people off to risk everything they have, including themselves, DON'T feed them your neocon rhetoric about fighting and persevering on a war against terror, because as we've seen, you don't give a damn about the al-Qaeda. These men and women have EVERY right to know EXACTLY what they're fighting for.

I want this administration to take my security seriously. I want the administration to think long-term... and by that, I don't mean the span of their political life. I mean, providing funding for alternative sources of energy so that we become less dependent on foreign oil, significantly (if not entirely) reducing the U.S. involvement in the Middle Eastern conflict. Making sure that the heavily-populated, high-tech Bay Area is SAFE from an attack of any sort.

This is turning into a rant, but quite frankly, it's long overdue.

I, along with MANY others (namely, most of the liberal/progressive community), have expressed in clear terms what I want from this President and his White House. Frankly, I don't care how many vacation days the President takes, or who he's screwing (in bed, not in policy) as long as he gets the job done. I regret to say that this administration has completely failed the American people and that the ONLY good it's done is rouse those apathetic to anything political into grassroots activism AGAINST the corruption.

I think, in two words, "Miserable Failure" DOES sum it up well.