Friday, January 28, 2005

Time for the US to pass the baton ...

2020 Vision - A CIA report predicts that American global dominance could end in 15 years. By Fred Kaplan
Who will be the first politician brave enough to declare publicly that the United States is a declining power and that America's leaders must urgently discuss what to do about it?
This isn't really news. There's nothing except supernatural intervention that would make the US the dominant world power forever. Bush hasn't caused the relative decline of the US, he's only accelerated it by 20 or 40 years or so (twice the rate of decline). Since Bush was elected by a majority of US voters with a well established track record, it's really the Bush voter that should take historical responsibility.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...


Well established track record?

Bush hasn't caused the relative decline of the US, he's only accelerated it by 20 or 40 years or so (twice the rate of decline). Since Bush was elected by a majority of US voters with a well established track record, it's really the Bush voter that should take historical responsibility.

Bush's descent in the polls is an indication that his record, as a monumental liar ('No nation building!'), was exposed only by his behaviour in office. I don't believe the voters can be faulted for believing Bush on the campaign trail. Had he laid out the programs he eventually pursued, no one would have voted for him.

JGF said...

Yes, that was true for his first "victory". When he was reelected, however, the US voters knew his track record. His problems weren't as unavoidably obvious as they appear now, but they weren't hard to see.