Get Bill Bradley to do that (negotiate peace in the former USSR)!
Just saw Bradley on Larry King, and what a joy it was to see a Presidential candidate who really knows something about foreign affairs! (And I mean really knows something, beyond what you learn from shaking the hands of foreign leaders.) How many years has it been since we have had an elected President who did not have to "learn on the job"?
Of course, the interview was concentrated almost exclusively on domestic issues, but King did slip in one question about our Russia policy. The answer was brief, but right on target. As Bradley put it: in the Soviet era, we for the most part tried to go "over" (or "under") the heads of the leaders, to speak to the people directly. But since the collapse of the Soviet Union, we forgot about the people and tied our fate only to the leaders -- or rather, one leader. In fact, we have identified ourselves so closely with Yeltsin that, in the eyes of the people, we and he are one and the same. And so the people hold us responsible for everything the Yeltsin regime has done wrong (and that is a lot!). Right on, BB...
One other strong point that Bradley has, for those who are interested in this angle, is his wife. VERY brainy woman -- a Professor of German and Comparative Literature. Her latest book came out this year (about West German literature and the Holocaust). I read some very glowing reviews about it (none of which mentioned that she was Bradley's wife) at the time.
Joan |
