Respect and (some) Fear

Submitted by Brian McCarthy (United States), Nov 12, 2003 at 00:03

It is good to have an administration that acts in our self interest without apology.

The Clinton administration was too concerned with making friends rather than pursuing our interests. That kind of behavior breeds contempt and makes for friends who are only friends as long as you are doing what they want you to do. The quickness with which some of our fair-weather friends turned on us after 9/11 shows how little effort we should put towards making "friends".

The Bush administration seems to understand that we should instead seek to create respect (and some fear) by acting firmly in our own interests. Respect and fear last.

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