It’s not just Jeb: Why all the GOP candidates should be grilled about W’s foreign policy

[DonViejo]

It’s not just Jeb: Why all the GOP candidates should be grilled about George W. Bush’s foreign policy

Jeb Bush isn't the only GOP candidate who should have to field questions about the last Republican president

JIM NEWELL

Jeb Bush wants to re-brand himself as his “own man” when it comes to foreign policy. And domestic policy, and life in general. Fine! It’s perfectly fair to treat Jeb Bush as his the distinct political entity that he wants to be; he shouldn’t be hampered down by what terrible thoughts his terrible older brother has. He can tell us what he believes and we can go by that.

It just so happens, though, that His Own Man’s foreign policy is a lot like that of the 43rd president of the United States, George W. Bush. He loves boosting the defense budget and killing everyone who gives the United States a nasty look and arming any group that wants to pick a fight with Russia. He introduced a buzz-term that means nothing: “liberty diplomacy.” He fancies peace through carpet-bombing and throws the word “strength” around a lot. “For the life of (him), (he) doesn’t understand” all the gripes about NSA mass surveillance of everyone all the time. He remains the hawk that he’s always been. He doesn’t want his foreign policy compared to his brother’s? No problem, then: his foreign policy is insane, all on its own.

Bush said all this yesterday when it was his turn to Lay Out His Foreign Policy Vision. This is among the most tiresome perfunctory pre-presidential routines. Reporters hype these speeches up and then live-tweet the candidate’s variations of vague notions about “showing strength.” Not one of the candidates who has Laid Out His Foreign Policy Vision to date has said a single interesting or surprising sentence. It’s all rah rah bomb them all, bomb the people. As I wrote last year, when some other dope was Laying Out His Foreign Policy Vision, “Instead of holding events to Lay Out Foreign Policy Visions, candidates could save reporters the time and energy by just issuing lists of which countries they intend to bomb in the first week, and we can make Venn Diagrams.” Let me re-up that suggestion today.

more
http://www.salon.com/2015/02/19/its_not_just_jeb_why_all_the_gop_candidates_should_be_grilled_about_george_w_bushs_foreign_policy/

[Proud Liberal Dem]

1. After the disaster that was the Bush (P)residency

I think that we, the American public, are ENTITLED to know exactly how all of our candidates, but especially Presidential candidates, intend to manage our foreign policy once elected.