Friday, August 29, 2008

Obama & Biden: The New Neo-Cons?


Because of my work-related travels this past week, I've managed to miss most of the DNC convention, but I did hear Thursday nights opening act--Bill Richardson. I kind of liked Richardson until last night when he re-iterated the war policy of the Democrats:

Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe we must fight the terrorists not where we imagine them to be, but where we know them to be like Afghanistan and Pakistan. We must lead a global effort to secure loose nuclear materials, not where we imagine them to be, but where we know them to be, in Russia, and the countries of the former Soviet Union.


What? More foreign intervention? Haven't we learned our lesson from Iraq? Or Vietnam? Or Korea?

Whatever happened to the foresight of our founding fathers? Like the words of George Washington:
The great rule of conduct for us, in regard to domestic nations, is in extending our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connection as possible. Europe has a set of primary interests, which to us have none, or a very remote relation. Hence she must be engaged in frequent controversies the causes of which are essentially foreign to our concerns. Hence, therefore, it must be unwise in us to implicate ourselves, by artificial ties, in the ordinary vicissitudes of her politics, or the ordinary combinations and collisions of her friendships or enmities.


Or those of President Thomas Jefferson, who in his inaugural address on March 4, 1801said: "peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none."

Sigh...Alas, some things never change...

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