Joshua Horton
For the last four years America’s foreign policy has been the focus of the White House. Dealing with terrorism worldwide, ousting Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, defying the United Nations’ recommendations and abusing the support of longtime allies, the Bush White House has done everything it could to destroy the image of America in the eyes of all nations.
For nearly 80 years, we were the guardians of the Free World. We set standards of peace and unity. We created world bodies to deal with conflict before they erupted. We supported the creation of the Geneva Convention in order to define unjustified action against people and prisoners during wartime. We were not always the most popular, but we were the most respected.
Condoleezza Rice is one of the most qualified people for the position of Secretary of State. But the problem with her nomination is that she is too close to the Bush White House. The Secretary of State is one of the most important positions in the cabinet. In fact, during most of our nation’s history, it was the stepping stone to becoming president. The Secretary of State has always been a person who understood the world position on an action and tempered the White House’s position to fit what would be acceptable action. The Secretary of State is our nation’s top diplomat and as such must be able to balance world opinion and U.S. action. Yet Secretary Rice does not seem to be a person who is interested in balancing the two. She seems bent on doing exactly what the President wants 24/7, much like a house servant.
For our foreign policy to be successful, we must pick and choose our battles. The Secretary of State must have the freedom to oppose some actions by the White House. The foundation of our Constitution rests in its system of checks. No one person always knows what’s best all the time. We must support a system that allows open discourse. We must demand that our leaders challenge those accepted policies. We must demand that our Secretary of State not be a tool of the system.
Unfortunately, this is all Rice has been for President Bush during the last four years. During her time as National Security Advisor, we saw the worst terrorist attack on American soil. We saw little action taken to bring those most responsible to justice. We have seen her go along with a “Mickey Mouse” plan for Iraq. We have seen little in the way of increased protection at the borders or ports. We have seen her allow the Geneva Convention to be ignored; only giving ruthless nations a permission slip to do the same. We have seen her full-heartedly, without reservation, support actions that have led America down a dark path.
What impact will she have on the next four years as Secretary of State? There will be nothing different; she will just be a more prominent tool in Bush’s chaos.
Josh Horton is a registered democrat and president of the College Democrats.
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