Patrick Buchanan is one of the most brilliant political minds on the American scene. He understands how the past has shaped the present, and how knowing that can assure a brighter future. He understands this as very, very, few of the talking-heads today understand it, which is why I voted for him to be President on a third party ticket in 2000, and why I wish he'd run again.
In this piece from Human Events, Buchanan takes the President to task over his recent complaints from the realm of public opinion: "I'm troubled by isolationism and protectionism ... (and) another 'ism,' and that's nativism. And that's what happened throughout our history. And probably the most grim reminder of what can happen to America during periods of isolationism and protectionism is what happened in the late -- in the '30s, when we had this America First policy and Smoot-Hawley. And look where it got us."
Bush doesn't really do his homework, so he's quick work for someone who does:
First, America was never isolationist. From its birth, the republic was a great trading nation with ties to the world. True, in 1935, 1936 and 1937, a Democratic Congress passed and FDR signed neutrality acts to keep us out of the Italo-Abyssinian and Spanish civil wars. And FDR did say, "We are not isolationist except insofar as we seek to isolate ourselves completely from war." But how did staying out of Abyssinia and Spain hurt America?
Sadly, Pat's not running in '08. I have to choose from the lesser of two (or more) evils. Wish me luck.
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1 comment:
Back in '80 ('84?)...anyway, PJB was to appear in town. I took three of the kids to the airport to meet his flight.
We were right at the top of the ramp, so he saw them immediately. They were holding signs:
"Right Thinking"
"Right Order"
"Right for America"
He almost walked past, until the RC Code Words brought him up short and he came back to greet the children with a big smile...
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