Publius' Forum

Bush gave a transformational speech Tuesday at the National Defense University at Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, DC. I am sure we will see the Europeans and their like minded US compatriots in the Democratic Party and the Main Stream Media claim what he said there was just blather and nothing new if they comment on it at all. But this speech was quite a thing, really.

Along with affirming that the USA has entered into a new century with a new foreign policy direction that Bush is not going to waver from, he also aimed a shot across the bow of the US State Department. I hope they were listening.

He started off the segment of his speech aimed at the Dept. of State with this excellent line:

"This status quo of despotism and anger cannot be ignored or appeased, kept in a box or bought off."

He is telling the Brent Scowcrofts and Colin Powells of the world that the stabilizing, Real politick ideas they learned from Henry Kissinger and others who postulated similar old style machinations of pre 1950s Europe are not going to be acceptable to Americans any more. I say hallelujah. That one line describes the principles free actions of the US State Dept. for the last 60 years. It is about time we stopped giving our enemies the ammunition to tear the USA down that the State Dept. has provided for so long with their many missteps, bad decisions and advice.

"The advance of hope in the Middle East requires new thinking in the region." Continued Bush with his admonition. Darn right. This is one of the reasons that Colin Powell leaving the State Dept. is 4 years late.

Bush then said, "By now it should be clear that authoritarian rule is not the wave of the future, it is the last gasp of a discredited past." Are you listening, gentlemen? Condi Rice should be given the free hand to whip her charge into shape to fall in line with Bush's more principled foreign policy line of thinking.

And if the State boys didn't get it by that point in the speech, Bush clarified it with, "The advance of hope in the Middle East also requires new thinking in the capitals of great democracies, including Washington, D.C."

Were you listening, State Dept.? Bush may as well have said, "Can you hear me now?" New thinking, boys. That means throw out the dogeared play-book written by the moribund denizens of the Truman and Eisenhower State Departments and get with the new program.

Still not clear, Foggy Bottom? Well then, carefully listen to this from the President's address: "By now it should be clear that decades of excusing and accommodating tyranny in the pursuit of stability have only led to injustice and instability and tragedy."

And Bush nailed it with these last three segments:

"It should be clear that the advance of democracy leads to peace because governments that respect the rights of their people also respect the rights of their neighbors.

It should be clear that the best antidote to radicalism and terror is the tolerance and hope kindled in free societies.

And our duty is now clear: For the sake of our long-term security, all free nations must stand with the forces of democracy and justice that have begun to transform the Middle East."

Appeasement and accepting the rule of dictators in other countries to sponsor hoped for "stability" is the game of last century. No longer will America avert its eyes as despots murder, imprison and abuse their own peoples so that our nation's business interests can continue without molestation. We will do as we always SHOULD have done. Support democracy and freedom throughout the world. After all, that is the only avenue to REAL stability anyway.

Let us hope that Bush uses one of the largest brooms ever wielded in Washington to sweep Foggy Bottom clear of the dregs of old European foreign policy lovers and the failed policies, both morally and in outcome, of the last 60 years.