Here, Bush would say, “Bring it on!” and possibly something about how we are “going to smoke them out.”
This “far-reaching network” is what got us into quagmires in Afghanistan and Iraq and what led America to torture and arbitrarily and indefinitely detain countless humans. It was led to warrantless wiretapping and massacres committed by mercenary corporations like Blackwater. And, it is what led to the looting of the U.S. treasury.
America does not have to fight the “far-reaching network.” It should consider how it can defeat it by not resorting to militarism and violence. Perhaps, confronting the weakness of America’s current condition could have more chance of wiping out this “network.” It’s worth it to consider the “enemy’s point of view” and win hearts and minds with tactics and strategy that have never been employed by America before.
“Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous.”
Capitalism is the other affliction America is experiencing. Along with war, capitalism is doing what capitalism does best and many are paying for it.
The “power” Obama refers to may generate wealth and expand freedom for Americans, but in some other nook or cranny on the Earth’s surface, some group of people is losing wealth and freedom so that Americans can be wealthy and free.
America’s use of the power of the market is why far-reaching networks spring up. Networks rise to reclaim dignity, prosperity, and freedom in the same way Americans rose up to reclaim dignity, prosperity, and freedom through the American Revolutionary War.
“Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.”
The last sentence about security emanating from the justness of our cause might deserve a place in the section about the good things Obama said. Yet, on second thought, it appears that Obama thinks when America faced down fascism and communism in the past America did not do as America pleased and America used humility and restraint.
Since I have already prescribed the Blowback trilogy for Obama, why not prescribe a couple more books? Obama should, after completing the Blowback trilogy, read Killing Hope: U.S. Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II and Rogue State, which are both by William Blum, a former State Department employee.
Also, Overthrow by Stephen Kinzer should be read as well so that a better grasp of America’s true history can be gained.
If Obama doesn’t know about everything discussed in the suggested readings, reading these could do a lot for America’s reputation, which he wishes to restore. But, if he does know and refuses to act upon his knowledge, well, that’s another and much bigger problem.
“…. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.”
Again, machismo must be discarded and replaced by humility and wisdom. This section, which might remind one of how King Kong beats his chest to signal he is king of the jungle, is why America constantly is faced with decisions to go to war.
Obama should have inverted this section. A paragraph long apology for how America has lived and conducted itself would have done a lot to repair America’s “image.”
Unfortunately, much of America’s conduct which the world despises is doomed to continue so long as leaders like Obama do not explicitly address the actions which many countries’ populations abhor.
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