US has forfeited its "moral leadership" of the world under Bush: Dean

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20031207/pl_afp/us_iraq_democrats&cid=1521&ncid=1473

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States has forfeited its "moral leadership" of the world under President George W. Bush (news - web sites), Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean (news - web sites) charged.


"(Bush) has forfeited our moral leadership in the world," Dean, a staunch opponent of the president's decision to invade Iraq (news - web sites), said on Fox News Sunday.


"When the Berlin Wall came down and the Soviet Union collapsed, it came down for two reasons," said Dean, seen by many as the front-runner in the race for the Democratic nomination and the right to face Bush in the November 2004 presidential election.


"One is that we have a strong military, and I think a strong military is important," he said. "The other is that most people behind the Iron Curtain wanted to be like us.

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[onebigbadwulf]

1. We still execute children... enough said

[last1standing]

2. Good words.

And he's right. When the people of the world no longer want to be like us, it'll be the end of our dominance in the world market. That in turn will destroy our economy and then our country.

Only four years ago, the United States of America was admired the world over. Now, we are feared and resented.

I'm not just an angry Democrat, I'm a frightened one.

[shanti]

10. don't be frightened

you'll be playing right into chimpy's hands. be ANGRY and work for change!

[Maple]

3. Well....he's campaigning for the presidency

so I suppose he has to say stuff like that.

Grating tho.

On edit...whatever makes him think other people and cultures want to be like Americans? They hate us for our freedoms?

[ProudToBeLiberal]

4. well why do they want to move to the united states?

It's the land of oppurtunity...or was. I mean it's pax americana

[Maple]

6. People move everywhere

England, France, Italy, Canada, Brazil...big world out there.

[Guaranteed]

11. He only mentioned those

behind the Iron Curtain...the East Germans, at least, you'd think were pretty happy when that wall came down.

[eblack101]

5. Dean the Revelator

Friends,

It will seem odd to some of us, but to a large portion of middle America, this charge will seem exagerated. Many of our countrymen still believe that Iraq was sheltering, arming and aiming terrorists, and more importantly, that most nations supported us in invading Iraq. Not surprisingly, a recent survey found that these are the very people who voted for Bush in the first place. The same survey found that of those who initially voted for Bush, but have since found out that we had no Int'l support and that Iraq had no connection to 9/11, only 28% of them would vote for Bush now or in the future.

To us the news is old hat, but as it spreads around the country, even we (jaded as we are)should get a refreshing lift from the popular attitude adjustment that will eventually follow.

eric

[thebigidea]

8. how lucky I am to have a friend like you to show me the way

[Guaranteed]

12. I agree...

that seems a positive post....things are looking up, yes?

[Mikimouse]

7. This is not anything new...it was completely predictable

, not just from Dr. Dean, in fact it was predicted in the first volume of Democracy in America (1834, Alexis de Tocqueville)
"America is great because it is good...when it ceases to be good, its greatness will have tarnished"

[Military Brat]

9. Now, there's something the RW can relate to, and squirm

I think Dean might have hit a nerve there. It's true, and it's undeniably obvious (if you're paying attention) that we've lost the right to claim the moral high ground. And of course it happened long ago, but at least the U.S.A. was perceived as a country with ideals that it embodied in its leadership. Not any more!

It will be interesting to watch the reaction of the RW pundits.

[Voltaire99]

13. Sorry, Howie: the lady wasn't exactly a virgin (gasp!)

Dean's right about Bush's immorality, but history isn't the candidate's strong suit. Let's be honest: even the recent record is black. Think of Clinton bombing a vital Sudanese pharmaceutical factory and even more vital Serbian families -- or letting the children of Iraq die in the hundreds of thousands through sanctions while approving military targeting of that nation's water system. Think of his predecessor and that man's predecessor illegally sponsoring terrorism against Nicaraguans. Drop back to Nixon and LBJ and Kennedy, collectively exterminating two million Vietnamese.

Iraq is an immoral war, but Bush has much to do before he can enter the record books.

[JNelson6563]

14. you must be joking

America's first pre-emptive strike in order to execute their energy plan is a first. Jr's in the record books on many accounts.

Julie