It truly does appear that the Bush Administration is watching the Legacy Shopping Network. While odd statements that seemingly appear out of no-where have been staples of this Administration, see “human-animal hybrid”, events over the last week has made even less sense.
We will begin by Secretary of State Condaleezza Rice’s statement concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conference as the most serious attempt, “in many, many years”. Of course by many, many years Secretary Rice means seven. This administration has been too concerned with changing the world’s oldest cultures, Babylon/Iraq and Persia/Iran, squandering the very real ability to use 9-11 as more than an election slogan.
There was an opportunity to be had, where we could have had the “leaders” of the Muslim world, both Secular and Religious, to determine what is the nature of the being Islam is to serve. A violent, bloodthirsty, hierarchical being that demands followers to kill their enemies by whatever tactics or weaponry be available, even the use of suicide bombers to kill the young and old, men or women, civilian or military. Or does Islam demand its followers to follow a path of peace, that while Allah does not look kindly upon sin, there are certain unquestionable precepts that Justice, Honor, and Virtue, are valued more than the direction one must face when giving homage to him.
It heretical for any man to think he knows the mind of his God. Thus is the spiritual nature of imperfect, fallible beings being unable to even contemplate the enormity of the Being that created them. It is true however to infer the basic nature of one’s Supreme Being through the revelation of the precepts handed down through Scripture, or teaching of the Prophets. For example, Sura 40 of the Koran states in verses 1-2, “The sending down of the Book from God, the Mighty, the Knowing the forgiver of sin and accepting of repentance.” Though it may be obvious I am a layman even in the ways of my own faith, much less a religion as complicated as Islam, but it would appear that the God of Muhammad would, at its core, be a being that favored Justice above all.
While there have been many of the Islamic Faith who have chastised the evil distortion of Al Qaeda and the Taliban’s version of Islam, these can be discredited as regimes wishing to retain their seemingly tentative hold on power by garnering support from the United States. While examples do exist which show decisions made for purely cold National Interests rather than fueled by pure morality, the United States has attempted to blend the two whenever possible. Squandered was an opportunity to not only change the image of the United States as a self-indulgent greedy warmongering power, and to show our true self to a region that is suspicious of our very presence.
Then of course we had the inaction of this administration to the Israeli Lebanese conflict that would certainly damage the United States credibility as being impartial towards the friction between the Israeli’s and their Arab neighbors. Although to be fair this Administration has shown itself to be sluggish and quick to inaction when our own citizens are under duress, so I suppose we should accept nothing else in regards to the suffering of others.
The curious legacy hunt came into further unfocus the other day when President Bush started picking on Fidel Castro and warning Cuba to “democratize” rather than pass power to younger brother, by like 5 yrs, Raul. Even though the mechanism of this power hand-off has been in effect for some time now. Perhaps it is because I am one of the few, apparently, Americans that realize Reagan’s Policy was perfect for the enemy that was the Soviet Union, is not a timeless and necessary to fall back upon strategy.
Circumstances change, it is the nature of the world we live in. Being able to bully someone who is not looking for a fight, is relatively easy affair. Example, Luxembourg, Stop your attempts to become a nuclear power and attempt to dominate Western European Politics, simple. What is more difficult is fighting someone who is looking for a fight, and not playing into their advantages. Case in point, challenging the French to an arrogance competition.
True leaders do not seek out a legacy. They allow their actions, based on the coming together of circumstance, personal morality, and determination. The annals of history will judge some harsher than others, though it may be true that it is better to have been forgotten than remembering for having been able to change the global dynamic, and instead preferred to use fear to maintain power. So barkeep, give me another Cuba Libre’
