Despite setbacks on North Korea and Iraq, President Bush vowed yesterday to stick with his policies on both crises, praising Chinese condemnation of North Korea's apparent nuclear test and citing progress in helping the fledgling Iraqi government stand on its own.Now there will be probably two spins on this and it will depend entirely upon your political outlook as to which will be accepted.
Even as he rejected calls to hold bilateral talks with Pyongyang, Bush said during a Rose Garden news conference that diplomacy is beginning to unite the world against North Korea's nuclear efforts. He called it hopeful that China is helping North Korea "understand it's not just the United States speaking to them," and he reassured South Korea and Japan that the United States "reserves all options" to protect its allies in the region against threats from the communist state.
If you are suffering from Bush Derangement Syndrome, this latest statement of policy will garner cries of "cowboy diplomacy" and "lack of an ability to change."
If you are a Bush supporter, you will see these latests statements as indicative of a President who doesn't govern by polls.
What I see is a President who believes his policies will work. Like Ronald Reagan 20 years ago, Bush is willing to see his policies through, no matter the criticism. Reagan's policy of peace through strength lead to the collapse of hte Soviet Union and victory in the Cold War. Changing policy in mid-stream, second-guessing, can lead to disasterous outcomes and leave your allies in a lurch. South Korea and Japan deserve to know that the United States will not abandon them.
It takes a leader confident in himself to stay the course. Bush's advisors are no doubt giving him advice about alternatives, but this is the right approach--and the only approach guarateed to bring about success.
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