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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group
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To: paul_philp who wrote (72447)2/8/2003 9:07:31 PM
From: JohnM  Read Replies (2) of 281500
 
You reduced the Bush team to being macho.

Of course. I labeled the style macho. If you haven't noticed the swagger, the language, the challenge in the eye, the disgraceful bit in the State of the Union about how some of the terrorists were where they could not be found, or some such; just sheer macho. It's a large portion of what makes it so hard for the Bush folk to game the Iraq situation. Their PR turns folk off. Without the sober, adult style of Powell, no telling where they would be.

I think we can only hope that the rest of the globe continues to distinguish between the Bush style and the American government and it's people. To some extent that's happened. And I noticed tek thought it was not too serious a problem. I'm hopeful as well. But I fear the style coupled with the Iraqi invasion is likely to create a more permanent and more deep seated impression around the globe. One that may well be harder to overcome.

I do not say there is "no logic to their policy." There is, in some cases, logic with which I agree (Aghanistan) and in some logic with which I disagree (Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict). I'm talking about their style now. And the style is macho.

Perhaps in Canada being macho is considered a psychotic behavior pattern. In the part of the country from which friend Bush comes, it's considered just normal male strutting. My own view is that's a helluva bad way to do PR in foreign policy.
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