Zaphod for President

Ever since writing my last post, I have been suffering from a rather extreme case of the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon in regards to Dennis Kucinich. Everywhere I look I am seeing more rumors, more tid-bits and more opinions on this Democratic dark horse.

This evening on Bill Maher’s Real Time, Kucinich was smiling at me again. As usual, Maher was being somewhat rude, and outright mocking Kucinich’s odds of winning the nomination. When that failed to stop Kucinich from grinning, Maher pressed him on the issue of Bin Laden. Surely, argued Maher, President Kucinich would give the order to kill Osama Bin Laden.

Said Maher:

Come on! Say you’ll kill Bin Laden so you can hit 10% in the polls.

Replied Kucinich, still grinning:

I don’t support a foreign policy based on assassination.

Again, I have nothing but praise for Kucinich’s convictions. So long as he respects me enough to speak his version of truth, I will respect him enough to consider his point of view.

Unfortunately, Maher is right: threatening Bin Laden is an easy way to gain numbers in the polls, just ask Obama and Hillary. I agree with the overall philosophy that terrorism is a tactic, not a nation of origin, nor a lifestyle choice. However, I must admit that I find Kucinich’s diplomacy-based strategy in the Middle East a tad naive.

Here is where I strongly split with Dennis Kucinich; here is where I feel Kucinich is wrong; here is where I may lose a few of my left-leaning readers:

I support an isolationist foreign policy. Simply stated, I think America needs to withdraw from the world stage, resolve our own domestic issues, and then renegotiate our position in the greater world from a position of strength.

As George Washington once said:

The great rule of conduct for us, in regard to foreign nations, is in extending our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connection as possible. Europe has a set of primary interests, which to us have none, or a very remote relation. Hence she must be engaged in frequent controversies the causes of which are essentially foreign to our concerns. Hence, therefore, it must be unwise in us to implicate ourselves, by artificial ties, in the ordinary vicissitudes of her politics, or the ordinary combinations and collisions of her friendships or enmities.

I believe that America’s current foreign policy is the single greatest liability we have- it is a policy currently owned lock, stock and barrel by the military-industrial complex.

As Dwight D. Eisenhower once said:

Our economic position is even worse. We have continued to sell our manufacturing and service jobs to the developing world, meanwhile diluting the spending power of the American dollar to a point rapidly approaching total collapse. Rather than encourage human rights and democracy, economic globalization has had the opposite effect: regimes such as China remain as horrific and oppressive as ever, while nations like India actively enslave themselves in the new debt-based economy paradigm.

In terms of energy, we are wholly dependent on the Middle East, despite a mind-boggling assortment of readily available alternative energy technologies, such as solar, wind, and biofuels. The environmental impact of subsidizing our energy consumption via import is simply catastrophic, and global warming is only the tip of the iceberg. Worse still, the American illusion of endless energy consumption has survived three generations, and is now permanently embedded in our culture. For example, no American teenager’s life is complete without a stylish automobile powered by imported oil.

The bottom line, in regards to American foreign policy, was summarized very well by Mike Gravel during last night’s debate:

Who are we afraid of?

I think that in a post-nuclear world, traditional nation-based armies are an anachronism at best. Which army is going to march against the United States? Who would attempt to subdue 300 million gun-toting, nuke-lovin’, overweight and endlessly neurotic Americans by force? Our would-be invaders would be hung from the gallows the very moment a McDonald’s restaurant was forced to close early, assuming they weren’t nuked into oblivion long before setting foot on American soil.

Isn’t it far more likely that future threats will come in the form of isolated groups of highly motivated criminals? I think so. That is why I do not fear a foreign invasion. I think it is far more likely that we will see violence from a single madman with a gun collection, or small terrorist syndicate, than from any army controlled by any Internationally recognized state. I think an evolution in law enforcement is long overdue, and that the Federalization of force is no longer as necessary as it was in the years following the Civil War.

I believe that if America were to focus on a few years of isolation, it would grow strong again. I believe that once we are stronger, we can negotiate for better terms on the world’s stage. In my opinion, our label as “the world’s only remaining super power” is an albatross around our neck, and a completely unnecessary luxury being financed by the taxation of grandchildren yet to be born.

I admire Kucinich, and respect his as a noble goal. However, I believe that in order to help others, we must first help ourselves. Perhaps it is old fashioned of me, but I maintain a staunch belief in self-determination. To use Iraq as the easy example: I never wanted to get involved in the first place. Does anyone think that an American is going to be the one to fix Iraq? Does anyone think that an American could fix Iraq?

I think an Iraqi will be the one to fix Iraq.

I think an Iranian will be the one to fix Iran.

And I think we Americans need to get our own house in order before we start barking orders at the neighbors again.

Please Note: If anyone thinks I am mocking Kucinich by my choice of image, rest assured, the opposite is true. I think his wife is a babe, and see a very confident and self-assured man in that picture.

Note 2: I understand that this rant may appear totally out of right field for those unfamiliar with my quoted sources. For you, I strongly recommend that you read A People’s History of the United States: 1492 to Present by Howard Zinn.

Note 3: I understand that the world is ripe with tragedy. To use an obvious example; Dafur. I appreciate that someone who believes we should “Save Dafur” will most likely strongly disagree with my pro-isolation views. For you, I recommend that you read Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit by Daniel Quinn.

Note 4: If anyone feels that I need to read a book, please suggest it in the comments below. I am an avid reader, and appreciate suggestions.

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