Proud To Be An
American?
by James Kroeger
September 11th, 2005
When American
soldiers were hailed as liberators in wars past, American civilians
back home felt a lot of pride in their achievements. It made them
feel good because they heard about the expressions of praise and
gratitude that were expressed by people in other countries re:
Americans. We like it when they
think well of us, when
they see Americans as
generous and friendly and helpful. Indeed, the only way it is
possible to win the support of the American people for a foreign
‘involvement’ is if they are led to believe that America’s
reputation would be enhanced by the venture.
This is very
basic stuff. We don’t necessarily expect our leaders to convince the
world that Americans are the best thing that ever happened to the
rest of the planet, but we sure as heck don’t want our leaders to
act in our names in a way that makes us feel embarrassed and
ashamed. At the very least, we insist that they “do no harm” to
America’s reputation. Unfortunately, under the incompetent
leadership of George Bush, America’s reputation has been badly
tarnished.
The ironic thing
is that Bush is the guy who could always be counted on to talk to us
about American pride and patriotism. This is not unlike the story of
Adolph Hitler, another leader who was always eager to talk about
pride and love of country. Hitler made the German people feel good
about their country with his talk of patriotism, but his actions and
leadership ended up ruining Germany’s reputation for at least a
couple of generations.
George Bush has
talked the talk, but has been intellectually incapable of walking
the walk. He got a free pass from the press after 9/11, but it
appears that his incompetence has finally brought so much shame on
America, the press has begun to resent it. They are finally
awakening to the fact that it is George Bush’s incompetence that has
been responsible for the shame they have been feeling.
Even some
Republicans are beginning to see that—-even if they view Bush as
being a man of ‘good intentions’—-his incompetence has ruined their
ability to feel good about being Americans. Bad-mouthing
international critics only goes so far. First the Kyoto Treaty, then
Iraq, and now the pathetic failure of the US government to seize the
initiative and respond with alacrity to the suffering of poor
Americans devastated by a natural disaster.
Yes, America,
George Bush has shamed you more than any other President ever has.
It is time for you to completely disassociate yourself from him.
More trenchant
political analysis by James Kroeger:
Hillary, Bill, & the DLC
Reclaim the Moral High Ground
Democrat Image Makeover
When
the
Republicans steal an election
Our Soldiers Are Victims
Are You Proud To Be An American?
Economic Analysis...
Unemployment: Our Greatest Enemy
Trade Policy
and Jobs
Universal
Health Care
Government
Bureaucratic Waste vs. Private Sector Efficiency
The Relationship Between Savings &
Investment
Do Tax Cuts Stimulate The Economy?
