WAPO: Crises Reveal Limits of Bush's Personal Diplomacy on World Stage

Is there any reason to believe that world leaders would perceive McCain any differently than Bush? I can see none in light of the fact that McCain has rubber-stamped Bush policy since day one despite the Bush election machine having unleashed their dogs upon McCain in 2000 in his presidential bid. Clearly it demonstrates McCain’s loyalty to his party but little else.

Bush is a lame duck and the rest of the world's leaders don't give him much thought with the presidential race revealing no clear winner from recent polls. Consequently they believe that McCain has a chance and they may be dealing with the same administration with a new figurehead for another four years.

The international policies of the past are no longer effective. Each and every conflict in the world is different politically, economically, socially and technically than the ones preceding them. These were lessons learned the hard way in 1914, 1950, 1964 and 2001 to show but a few examples. Frankly McCain is not equipped to engage in new thinking to adapt to an ever changing world; the view that you either beat-up or buy-off a bully, as both Bush and McCain believe, simply doesn’t work any longer. In the military public affairs and civil affairs arenas the motto was “winning hearts and minds” which was damned hard to do after destroying very fragile existences with misplaced ordinance and ill-conceived tactics built on bad intelligence.

As the international climate is now Obama made the right choice in Biden as a VP because Biden has the credentials abroad to negate the argument that Obama lacks the experience to act and deliver in a way that clearly demonstrates the courage of our convictions and the ability to use military might as the last resort, as it should be, all else before having failed. Simply Obama knows how to identify and recruit those who have the experience, knowledge, background and conviction to make policy reality.

It’s a new, ever-evolving world that requires fresh ideas, approaches and leadership to adapt and effect positive change. What we’ve been doing for almost these last eight years hasn’t worked abroad (or at home) so how can we reasonably expect different results if we don’t respond differently with new leadership equipped for the century in which we now live?

21-50. Out.