The Bush administration seems in a headlong rush to get us into a third war before we have even extricated outselves from the current two failures they have provided. They have moved another carrier group into striking range of Iran, and almost daily they hurl threats at Iran. Threatening another country is what Bush calls "diplomacy".
No one wants Iran to develop a nuclear bomb. There is no doubt that would make our world a much more dangerous place. The more countries that have nuclear weapons, the more likely one of them will actually use them. But what can we do? Surely Bush is not right in his belief that the only two options are threats or military action.
Take note of these words from a saner politician:
No nation has ever been forced to renounce nuclear weapons, but many have chosen to do so. The Iranians will not end their nuclear program because we threaten them and call them names. They will renounce nukes because we convince them that they will be safer and more prosperous if they do that than if they don't. This feat will take more than threats and insults. It will take skillful American diplomatic leadership.
These are the words of New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, and he is right. We cannot afford to go to war with Iran at this time, and threatening them will only increase their determination to stay on their current path. What we need is real diplomacy, where nations sit down with each other, treat each other with respect, and find common ground on which to solve mutual problems.
While Bush rushes headlong into another war, and Clinton and Obama seem interested only in giving each other a black eye, there is a candidate with real solutions to our problems - Bill Richardson.
And this is not just talk. Richardson has the diplomatic experience and skills to actually get things done. He has proven time and again in the past that even those we consider "outlaw" nations will respond to reason if they are treated respectfully by people that they trust. Bill knows how to establish that trust and create that respect. He understands what real diplomacy is and knows how to use it properly.
Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a president who understood that there are many kinds of power other than military power? Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a president who knew how to create good will among nations rather than turning the world against us? Bill Richardson would be that kind of president.
I implore you to ignore the flash and dazzle of shallow candidacies, and opt instead for competence. That is what Bill Richardson offers and that is what America so desperately needs.
AMEN!!!
ReplyDeleteYou know, I've been seeing a lot of two separate memes n both the MSM and the left blogsophere lately, and they're both bunk.
First (and worst) is this notion that his penchant for diplomacy somehow relegates him to the office of Secretary of State - as though we don't need a Top Dog with diplomatic skills, just an SoS. Yeah, and look where that's gotten us.
Second is a lead-in to the "he can't win" idea, usually phrased something like, "I'm just not sure he can hit back hard enough when the attacks start" - accompanied by hand-wringing and pearl-clutching. To that all I have to say is: You obviously don't know Bill. He tends not to go on the offensive right out of the gate, a la some of his current competition, but I guarantee you that if anyone tries swift-boating him, they'll get frickin' buried.