Does our government even care?

I would like to say that I agree with Liz’s nothing that America’s leaders will “do whatever they damn well please, whether their people want it or not.” The last five years in Iraq have been hell and the Bush Administration knows it. Whatever false pretenses the invasion was based on are now mute and the United States government seems to be doing anything possible to get the American public on their side. While the President tries desperately to maintain some semblance public support, he faces an increasing amount of opposition from his fellow republicans. Democrats on the other hand are enduring an all out fist fight over who opposed the war most vehemently, who came to that conclusion quickest, and who will be best suited to end the conflict. And while I do not doubt that each candidate is genuine in their concerns and positions on Iraq, I do think the ongoing debate is almost entirely due to growing dissent about the war. If, for example, people suddenly decided to care solely about North Korea, Darfur, or HIV in Africa, these policies and actions would change from thirty-second sound bites to the focus of all speech and policy. They need to be reminded that we control them, not the other way around, and that we aren’t just simply going to trust that they’re doing the right thing.

Public interest (and vote-getting) aside, I would like to take a moment to highlight the brighter, albeit less represented side of public and foreign policy. Although the general will is ultimately a driving factor, I think that many of our state and world leader’s realize what our values are as a Nation and do not simply blow with the wind, catering to the daily demands of society. For example, I just got back from seeing former President Jimmy Carter. The president spoke of his work on the Elder’s Campaign, a sort of “think tank” task force that deals with issues of human rights abroad. When asked the question of what the next elected President can do to restore our international respect and standing, the answer was simple. In the words of the president himself, “I believe that within a half hour of our next president being inaugurated, we can restore our good standing in the world.” He went on to explain that we must eliminate preemptive war, striking only when our SECURITY is IMMEDIATELY threatened. He also said that we must stop torturing our detainees, and become a champion for human rights across the globe. President Carter truly is a man of incredible knowledge and extreme compassion and the views he expressed are held by everyone, regardless of their party affiliation. I think these are just fall under certain general expectations that we as Americans have of our governmening officials. Unfortunately however, not everyone in positions of authority think like President Carter. Thankfully, he has been able to remain someone of great influence throughout the world.