*This post was taken salvaged from the blog before the database was lost. However, there are no comments.*
In the age of instant reporting in television and internet media, the Republicans have failed to realize that it is impossible to fight a ground war. Every civilian casualty, every soldier killed and every mistake made in a war is well documented and garners incredible sympathy from Americans and erodes general support. The Democrats, on the other hand, have a brilliant and shrewd foreign/energy policy…
Instead of trying to increase the supply of oil (very expensive to fight wars and everyone hates you), they strive to restrict oil demand (very cheap and you get Nobel Peace Prize).
Deploying their otherwise worthless minion via business jet and S class Mercedes, the Democrats laid the foundation for an what I call Neo Imperialism. Al Gore convinced the world that they should reduce their carbon footprint. So instead of fighting wars for oil, the democrats simply pressure nations (especially developing ones) to commit to the status quo in carbon emissions and as a result oil demand is reduced.
See? The strategy is 10 times more effective and the only costs are pen/paper and a diplomat’s plane ticket. Instead of spending $10B on a war every month, we simply send ambassadors to world summits and conventions getting signatures and commitments for developing nations to stay “developing.” I’m mocking the Democrats while simultaneously realizing the genius of a modern solution to our oil demand problems.
Under the cloak of global welfare, the gap between the rich United States and the rest of the world is maintained. Of course Americans hate this idea, but they are in love with the cheap consumer electronics, bargain clothes and cheap energy that this reality affords. I’m not saying this is right, but it’s America’s #1 demand in regard to new leadership.
One thing I found completely disturbing about the recent RNC, is the chanting of the mantra, “Drill Baby Drill.” This view represents the ignorance, arrogance and outmoded outlook that has shaped the image of the Republican party, and by extension the United States in the last 8 years. It has been said that “image is everything” and in this next election, it is impossible to ignore this truth.
I recently read an article that interviewed Egyptians on the streets of Cairo. The Egyptians were very interested in the possibility of a black US president. All of the people interviewed expressed a willingness to reconsider how they viewed America if Barack Obama was our next president. This is precisely the image we need if we hope to have a successful foreign policy going forward. This “willingness to reconsider” could be the difference between peace or conflict.
What most people have come to understand is that our foreign policy and our energy policy are very closely tied. Employing superior policies is where the democrats may provide a net gain regardless of their expensive, idealistic, social entitlement programs. If we didn’t have a war in Iraq to pay for (or start more wars in the future), the Democrats could spend another $5B a month on their social programs and we would still save $5B a month: Hence my current leaning to vote for Obama.