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One of the most telling, and perhaps one of the most overlooked, interchanges in last night's debate, was the spontaneous exchange between the two men about their respective daughters. The President said that he was trying to put a leash on his daughters, to which Senator Kerry quickly responded, "I've found that doesn't work."
Why is this telling? Because it encapsulates both men's foreign policy in one quick, unscripted, honest moment. The President's whole worldview is based on authoritarianism: proceeding based on an assumption (that adult children can be controlled by their parents), whether or not said assumption has any basis in reality. Senator Kerry, on the other hand, bases his worldview on empirical reality: when an approach does not work, you find another that does. Clearly, he has discovered the value of diplomacy and negotiation, rather than attempting to force compliance. The President's worldview has led to a failed attempt to control the rest of the world and force our beliefs on those who do not conform. The world, and the U.S. in particular, are less safe as a direct result.
When an authoritarian personality is questioned, they quickly become defensive. If not questioned, they become arrogant. I saw both those traits in George W. Bush last night, along with a clear inability to articulate any real issues other than the talking points in which he was so carefully schooled (all of which he repeated several times). In Senator Kerry, I saw a man of international stature, a man who can restore our standing in the international community and return our nation to the peace and prosperity we have been so sorely lacking these last three years.
Since President Bush feels being President is such hard work (he must, he repeated it approximately fifteen times), perhaps it's time he took more than his usual 40-day vacation on his Crawford ranch. Perhaps it's time for him to retire.
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