When Bush first went to China not so long ago, I thought he would say something along the lines of:
"We got a political hot cake back home, and we are going to make some noise about ya all. It don't mean nothin, mind ya. Once we get past the elections, things will continue as they must in due course."
Thus, the Chinese would be reassured that what they heard on the TV news, ie congress and their import duty threat, were just pacification efforts by the leadership directed at the American people.
Instead, Bush, or the administration independent of Bush, seems to be taking successive jabs at China, perhaps until provoking some response dictated by a hidden agenda.
The disconnect in the whole thing, for me at least, is the sudden about face in international relations. It seems that the US is taking a very arrogant stand, with the entire globe. Sort of 'We don't need you, we know what is best and we will do it with or without you'. And if we work the headlines over the past few months, I think we find signals that the whole world has issues with stands we've taken.
In effect, the US appears to becoming a more isolated, protected enclave, which I believe is symptomatic of decay, an unwillingness to face reality and 'play nice'.
Terrorist threat or not, I can find no excuse for what I see happening. If the masses were not so busy trying to lead lives and manage affairs, they might realize the creation of a false self image, and correct before it is too late. |
