But as you said, especially in diplomacy, words have meanings.
I believe that Democrats are kinder, gentler. Republicans are the intransigent kinds who by making sine qua non demands on other countries back us into corners from which we cannot extricate ourselves. The very nature of diplomacy and foreign policy is that there is continuity.
For example, let’s look at Cuba. Republican presidents’ tough talk on Cuba have prevented rapprochement. So we ended up with a Cuban leadership that hardened towards the US. That’s brought the two countries closer to conflict and imposed humanitarian hardship on the Cuban people.[/quote]
Brian: With respect to Cuba, American policy regarding Cuba was the product of a Democratic President (remember the Cuban Missile Crisis?) and has remained in place during successive administrations, so that doesn’t hold water.
Relative to the “humanitarian hardships imposed on the Cuban people”, uh, Brian, that would be directly attributable to the repressive, oppressive policies of the Castro regime. To attempt to lay Castro’s bullshit at the feet of the GOP is strikingly ignorant and smacks of moral infantilism. The man is a murderous Stalinist thug and has been since he deposed Batista.
As for “kinder, gentler” Democrats, I’d offer LBJ and Vietnam (and JFK is in there, too) and the 500,000 dead Iraqis that Clinton racked up. Yeah, the Dems are a sweet bunch. As I said earlier, there is no difference between the two when it comes to support of empire.
