Helen Thomas Sings

Posted in Common Dreams:

"Even in victory, we Americans have a price to pay in the loss of our prestige as a peace-loving nation, once known for its magnanimity in victory. We used to spread democracy with the Peace Corps, the story of our inspiring struggle for independence, our values, our Constitution, our ideas, exchange students, the Voice of America, cable news, etc.

In diplomacy, old friends now fear us and wonder whether they can deal with us. We have alienated longtime allies who felt that Iraq already had been reined in over 12 years under tight trade restrictions and U.S. and British enforcement of no-fly zones. They worry where our pre-emptive attack policy will take us next. Feeling newly empowered, Bush and his Cabinet officials have been sternly warning other nations to toe the U.S. line or face "serious consequences." It's diplomacy with not-so-veiled threats. The United Nations is another casualty of the war, weakened because the United States rejected its authority and took unilateral military action.

On May 7, 1918, President Theodore Roosevelt wrote in an editorial in the Kansas City Star during World War I that standing by a president when right or wrong "is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." He said it was his duty as a citizen to get as much information as he could "to keep the government in check." Roosevelt also said "patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official...." The adage "my country right or wrong" is a deeply embedded tradition with Americans. It is also a dangerous one when our government is pursuing the wrong goals.

If the new Bush doctrine of pre-emption means more U.S. armed attacks on countries perceived as potential threats, we will incur more bitter enemies and continue to deeply disappoint our remaining friends. This policy carries a steep price. "