From: John K Clark (jonkc@att.net)
Date: Mon Nov 25 2002 - 00:43:55 MST
"Anders Sandberg" <asa@nada.kth.se>
>the attacks were so extreme, so unprecedented that even many
>people who reflexively claim they hate the US kept silent or
>even seemed to reconsider: yes, the US is capitalist and uncultured,
>but it is not the taliban. Many otherwise neutral people becaume
>quite sympathetic to the US. This really could have become the
>democratic West against terrorism. But then the US government
>botched their diplomacy.
How has American diplomacy been botched? It seems to me that Bush is getting
pretty much everything he wants and the only price paid is that left wing
Europeans feel less sorry for the USA; I doubt pity was what he was
looking for anyway. Speaking of the taliban, if Bush had listened to these
same Europeans a year ago they'd still be in power and chopping peoples
hands off in the soccer stadium, Osama would still be able to operate in the
open at a safe base and I don't think the world would be a better place.
A year from now Bush will be known as either a brilliant hero or a moronic
villain and I'm not sure which. The war with Afghanistan was a huge success
but I don't know if Iraq will be as smooth. I hope so.
John K Clark jonkc@att.net
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