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Charles Jaco has written opinion and commentary pieces for dozens of magazines and newspapers. Each week, read and comment on a fresh on-line version. The discussion page enables you to share your view points world wide. If you would like to make a comment go to the " Join the discussion" link below. If you would like to view past editorials visit the Editorial Archive. Editorial 10/13/00 WAKE-UP CALL So far, George W. Bush and Al Gore have been running as if they were going to take the oath of office on the steps of City Hall. Guns, crime, education, morality, taxes--it's seemed like we're ready to elect a national Mayor, not President. But the 20 by 40 foot hole in the hull of the USS Cole, and the bodies of American sailors, are grim reminders that a President's primary job is national security. Hours before the suicide bombing in a Yemen port, Bush and Gore spend an hour-and-a-half talking about foreign policy. Apparently inquisitor Jim Lehrer didn't read the focus group studies showing most Americans could care less about what happens beyond the 12-mile limit. What we found out is that both men agree on most things. Bush kept complimenting the Clinton Administration on its' handling of everything from Israel to genocide in Rwanda, while showing a surprisingly firm grasp of the post-Cold War world. Gore was sober and reflective about when the U.S. should intervene to stop mass killings. Contrast this with the behavior of both of their parties over the past few years. Blinded by sputtering hatred for everying Clintonesque, Congressional Republicans refused to support military action in Serbia and Kosovo. Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott emerged from a briefing by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and blathered that he "didn't beleive" what they'd told him about Kosovo. Not surprising, since most GOP members of Congress gleefully admit that they don't even have valid passports. They put an old-line fringe isolationist--Jesse Helms--in charge of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where he has sandbagged ambassadorial appointments because of things like funding for abortions at U.S. military bases. Then, we have the Clinton Administration, which came into office knowing almost zilch about overseas policy. The Democrats at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue allowed the U.S. military to disintegrate slowly. They sucked up to the Chinese in hopes of making the world safe for corporate profits and campaign donations. They handed out ambassadorships to big-time donors and political cronies, effectively torpedoing the professional diplomatic corps. Carol Moseley-Braun, for example, became ambassador to New Zealand because she is a black woman. Never mind that she's a disgraced and defeated political hack who cozied up to the bloodthirsty military regime in Nigeria. It's all about diversity. Against this backdrop, we've had Bush and Gore talking about the national equivalent of patching potholes, fixing street lights, and making sure the trash is picked up on time. But reality has a way of intruding. Israel may be on the brink of war, as the bodies of Israelis and Palestenians pile up. The forces of democracy and Serb nationalism bloodlessly shove Slobodan Milosevic aside in Yugoslavia. Terror bombers in an inflatable Zodiac boat kill U.S. sailors and punch a hole in the side of an American warship. Should the U.S. reltaliate? if so, against whom? Do we stage air strikes or cruise missile attacks against suspected hideouts of Osama bin Ladin? How much longer do we keep up air and sea patrols around and over Iraq? How do we deal with a world that's become a lot more dangerous since the collapse of Communism? The U.S. has global reach and global responsibilities. Making kissy-face on Oprah or yukking it up on Letterman is the national equivalent of the mayor going on local cable access to talk about traffic lights. This is real life war and peace, life and death we're talking about now. It's about time. |
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