Obama and the yinyang problem
The tribal resentment problem is a powerful metaphor. But it is important to recognize the yinyang problem - that the Republicans have nearly monopolized the male side of the wholistic Chinese metaphor without having to say much of anything about the female side of the equation.
What makes Palin a brilliant choice is her now trademark metaphor - the pit bull with lipstick. She spits out male get tough metaphors like Annie Oakley with a pump-action shotgun.
Democrats - John Kennedy the prime example - once had a get tough side that was a product of FDR's wartime leadership and the WWII national unity that was still recent memory. Vietnam took that away from the Democrats and we have not recovered.
JFK, running against Nixon a Red-baiter with no military credential, not only had the dubious Missile Gap, but a new war fighting strategy - fighting guerillas and "brush fire wars".The Green Berets and the Peace Corps were Kennedy's and both were products of the same missionary spirit.
All this to say that what Barack Obama lacks is not a foreign policy but a military policy. If he does not find a way to show that he has one, that it has strength, that it is forward looking, and that he is the one who really will chase Bin Laden to the gates of hell Obama and the Democrats will not win this election.
- GWC
What makes Palin a brilliant choice is her now trademark metaphor - the pit bull with lipstick. She spits out male get tough metaphors like Annie Oakley with a pump-action shotgun.
Democrats - John Kennedy the prime example - once had a get tough side that was a product of FDR's wartime leadership and the WWII national unity that was still recent memory. Vietnam took that away from the Democrats and we have not recovered.
JFK, running against Nixon a Red-baiter with no military credential, not only had the dubious Missile Gap, but a new war fighting strategy - fighting guerillas and "brush fire wars".The Green Berets and the Peace Corps were Kennedy's and both were products of the same missionary spirit.
All this to say that what Barack Obama lacks is not a foreign policy but a military policy. If he does not find a way to show that he has one, that it has strength, that it is forward looking, and that he is the one who really will chase Bin Laden to the gates of hell Obama and the Democrats will not win this election.
- GWC
Advertisement
Interesting observation. I hadn't really thought about a distinction between the two before. As I do think about it I agree there is indeed an important distinction.
Military policy would seem to be a component, or subset of foreign policy. Its the closed fist at our side giving credibility to the open hand of diplomacy.
If I correctly follow your Yin-Yang metaphor, you feel the Dems. have an open hand diplomatic policy, but not the balancing closed fist military policy.
Can you provide some military policy examples, so that I'm more clear about what you're proposing?
Rec'd
September 8, 2008 12:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
I think the best historical example is that Kennedy, after the brinksmanship of the 13 Day Cuban Missile Crisis, removed our missiles from the Soviet-Turkey border. He also negotiated for a nuclear test ban rather than aggravate the confrontation with the USSR.
Aggravation was the expectable Cold War gut reaction - especially because the Soviets really had been provocative in placing medium range missiles in range of the continental U.S.
- GWC
September 8, 2008 1:04 AM | Reply | Permalink