“To avoid destruction, the United States need only measure ...

[WCGreen]

up to its own best traditions and prove itself worthy of preservation as a great nation.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/31/opinion/31thompson.html

I got this quote from an OpEd in the NYT...

Nicholas Thompson, writing a book about George Kennan, thinks it time America apply the political plans Kennan suggested we use to combat the Soviet Union back in 1947 to the threat we see from Islamic Fundamentalist terrorism...

This is a political fight we are in, a war of ideas, a battle for a way of life. I remember learning about Kennan back in my world politics class at Ohio State in the late '70's. My prof had been one of the sub-negotiators of the original SALT treaty with the Soviets back in the early 70's. He explained that we would never win if we fought a war with the Soviets since wars when they end tend to scramble the conventional wisdom on both sides and literally create a whole new world...

Think about that...

A whole new world...

The world that Bush and his neocons clearly see is based on fear; instilling fear in our citizens to promote support of the 'Hot" war and fanning the fear our advisers have of our military capabilities...

If that is what we are faced with then what shall we expect of the outcome...

We can wait out the terrorists, an avenue Kennan promoted to defeat the Soviet Aggression, or continue to do battle around the globe and create cynicism about our way of life that our advisories have done so much to promote...

Kennan was right. Look back on the sixties. Our country was being torn apart by a war and a changing social order...

What the people around the world saw was Vietnam but they also saw MLK and the Kennedy brothers...

They saw that in our interpretation of freedom, people could make a difference. Social wrongs could be righted and the people truly did have a say in how our government was run. They also saw the Peace Corp and the moon landing. People were in awe of the US back then. They didn't like out consumer driven lifestyle, but they had a deep respect for our way of organizing our country...

It's funny that the Kennan way, as stated in the quote, was the correct way to victory in the Cold War. Too bad it had be prolonged by the Swinging Dick's of the world such as Nixon and Regan and Kissenger...

It really is important that we ask out Democratic nominees how will they promote America to the world after the Bush years are history...

Will they reach back in sixty years and take the advice of George Kennan, or will they be cowed by defense contractors and war mongers and continue on in the manner of might makes right and damn the consequences ...

Only time will tell...

That is why I, for one, could care less whether or not a candidate will hypothetically set conditions or state preconditions when meeting a foreign leader...

Our Democratic leaders should be confident enough in this country to do what is best for our country and not be forced to adhere to politically motivated rhetoric...

We all see the corner the current occupant of the White House has painted for the country...

Do we really want someone who is a rigid and steadfast as Bush...

I hope not...

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Nothing to add...

K&R

:patriot:

[melody]

2. It's worthy of preservation because it's our nation ... it's the only one we have.

There's no other choice but to make sure it survives.