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January 24, 2005
President Bush has chosen to wrap his second term in the ideals and rhetoric of freedom. Yet, the invocations of freedom and democracy emanating from Bush mean little given his administration's record of weakening America's position as a respected and revered world leader. No administration in recent history has done more to shatter alliances with our allies, or undermine positive perceptions of America around the world, than this one. Talk is cheap. The president will have to do far more in the next four years to live up to the liberal ideals espoused in his second inaugural address.
- President Bush's rhetoric about freedom will undercut U.S. credibility unless he is willing to confront nations that undermine liberty; abuse human rights; and thwart democratic reforms. Freedom, democracy, liberty, and human rights are not just nifty words to make a presidential address sound important. America has always stood up for these values at home and abroad. It is difficult to take the president at his word given his track record. Many of America's key allies in the war on terror, including Russia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, have failing grades when it comes to extending freedom. He must begin to hold them publicly accountable and reassert American leadership.
- The president talks of ending "division among free nations" but his administration is directly responsible for the fraying of America's alliances. President Bush should put his own values to work and take serious steps to repair our alliances with Europe and other nations badly frayed after the war in Iraq. America can not—nor should not—shoulder the entire burden for keeping the world free and the administration must put real time and resources into diplomatic efforts to present a unified front against global terrorism. The President, in light of the damaging abuses at Abu Ghraib, can begin by recommitting the United States to the Geneva Conventions and changing its approach to the International Criminal Court.
- The president needs to do much more to live up to his admirable search for an "end to tyranny." American must lead the global war on terrorism from a position of moral authority and mutual respect. The administration's deeds over the last 4 years have eroded this authority and caused long term damage to America's leadership capacity. Over the next four years, the president must put as much effort into living up to America's values as it does into proclaiming them in flowery speeches.
Daily Talking Points is a product of the American Progress Action Fund.
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Daily Talking Points is a product of the American Progress Action Fund. |
