John Kerry's Foreign Policy Views Vs. Those Of George W. Bush

So desperate am I to have the chance to vote for someone like that, that a few days ago I allowed myself to feel a bit buoyed when John Kerry, in response to a question about the situation in Haiti, said that the Bush administration "has a theological and ideological hatred for Aristide" which has led to the administration "empowering" the rebels. To me that remark revealed a significant nuance of understanding of the world of US foreign policy that rarely makes it to the lips of an American politician. Could it be, I wondered, that Kerry is actually a cut or two above prevailing wisdom and rhetoric on such matters? (I must point out that, holding little expectation, I seldom closely follow who's who amongst establishment politicians, so until very recently I knew almost nothing specific about Kerry; in fact, I only just learned to distinguish him from Bob Kerrey, former senator from Nebraska.)

As it happens, the next day Kerry delivered a talk entirely about his views on foreign policy, particularly about the war on terrorism. And my heart lost its buoyancy.

[yadda yadda yadda click the link for the details]

So, what do we have here? Not a single word about the tens of thousands killed by US military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq; not a word about anything the United States has ever done anywhere in the world that could conceivably lead to anyone ever harboring justified resentment against the United States and seeking retaliation.

Not a word about ending, or even lessening, interventions.

It does not require total cynicism to point out that at most, at best, John Kerry's beef with the Bush administration over foreign policy -- to the extent that he really has any -- is a very minor difference of opinion between technocrats, Kerry offering a few tiny adjustments, a tweaking here or there. Most of his policy suggestions concerned things already being done by the Bush administration.

In sum total, nothing at all threatening, or even challenging, to business as usual for American foreign policy. What relief from the bully's outrages can the world expect from a John Kerry administration? What relief from the outrages done in our name can we Americans expect?

I think I can go back to ignoring establishment politicians.

here's the whole thing:
If John Kerry is the answer, what is the question?

Note: If John Kerry is the an...