Bush wants to use a "global test"
George W. Bush is too weak to defend this country. He wants to seek a permission slip from other countries in order to pursue his foreign policy objectives.
He wants to apply a global test to every action. He cares WAY too much what the rest of the world thinks. He must hate America. The LA Times has the details:
Bush Plans Effort to Mend Key AlliancesMultilateralism is for wusses. We need to stick with our current plan: dragging 60 year old men out of retirement to go die in the sand.
He will begin renewing ties at the Asia-Pacific summit, spurred by the challenges of stabilizing the Mideast and curbing nuclear proliferation.
WASHINGTON — As he puts his new foreign policy team in place, President Bush is preparing a diplomatic push to repair relations with key allies, said senior government officials, diplomats and congressional sources.
The effort stems from the administration's realization that progress on issues that include the Middle East peace process, stabilizing Iraq and preventing Iran and North Korea from developing nuclear weapons is far more likely with the cooperation of allies than if the U.S. worked alone, a White House official said.
"We've had our disagreements [with allies], and the president has said many times he'd like to move on, but the election offers the chance of a rebirth of these efforts," the official added.
Bush will personally head the effort to reengage with other countries when he meets today with key Pacific Basin leaders, including Presidents Hu Jintao of China and Roh Moo-hyun of South Korea and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Santiago, Chile. Bush will focus on North Korea in one-on-one discussions.
At least five other high-level meetings over the next several weeks are expected to bring top American and European officials together to address crucial issues. The sessions will also be a chance for the administration to display its new willingness to work together, though it is unknown whether the U.S. will offer anything for the allies' support.
"There's plenty of opportunity to send the message of multilateralism," concluded a senior administration official who declined to be named.
Secretary of State Colin L. Powell will travel to Israel and the West Bank in the next few days and then will attend a summit of Iraq's Middle East neighbors in Sharm el Sheik, Egypt. Last week, Bush said he planned to visit Europe immediately after his Jan. 20 inauguration.
Many experts consider closer cooperation with European countries, especially France and Germany, vital to achieving Bush's foreign policy goals.
Although the renewed effort to repair damaged ties stems in part from Bush's reelection, it is also driven by the hard realities of a daunting agenda — one clouded with instability on three continents, the U.S.-declared war on terrorism and emotion-laden trade issues.
"I can't think of a time in the past three decades where the foreign policy plate is so full with complex, difficult and important issues," said Richard N. Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, who was the chief of policy planning at the State Department during the first 2 1/2 years of Bush's presidency.
