July 4 weekend is a good time to think about great Americans. And if there's a great American thinker in 2009, I nominate Andrew Bacevich, a retired Army colonel who now teaches international relations at Boston University. Not only did Bacevich serve the nation in Vietnam and elsewhere around the globe, but his family made the ultimate sacrifice when his son -- also named Andrew Bacevich, a first lieutenant -- was killed in Iraq by an IED in 2007. By then, Bacevich, a self-described "Catholic conservative," had already been highly critical of the U.S. invasion, and the increasing role that militarism -- as opposed to diplomacy -- and a quest for American domination was playing in our national life.
I've kind of overdosed on Bacevich lately -- I was just finishing his outstanding book, "The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism," this week when I heard most of his hour-long interview on WHYY's "Radio Times" (which you can listen to here). His writing speaks truly to neither classical, locked-in liberalism or conservatism, but seeks to find a rational role for America in the 21st Century, as opposed to untenable policies based on cheap oil and long -- endless, in fact -- wars.
"The Limits of Power" was written at the very start of the 2008 campaign and was published last summer. In its conclusion, Bacevich wrote something strikingly prophetic for 2009, when President Obama has been disappointing in several key areas in delivering the change he promised, sometimes because of external forces and sometimes for reasons that are self-inflicted.
Here's what he wrote last year, with hyperlinks from 2009 to illustrate the power of his prophecy:
The (Obama) agenda is an admirable one.Yet to imagine that installing a particular individual in the Oval Office will produce decisive action on any of these fronts is to succumb to the grandest delusion of all. The quadrennial ritual of electing (or relecting) a president is not an exercise in promoting change, regardless of what the candidates may claim and ordinary voters believe. The real aim is to ensure continuity, to keep intact the institutions and arrangements that define present-day Washington. The veterans of past administrations who sign on as campaign advisers are not interested in curbing the bloated powers of the presidency. They want to share in exercising those powers. The retired generals and admirals who line up behind their preferred candidate don't want to dismantle the national security state. They want to preserve it and, if possible, expand it. The candidates who decry the influence of money in national politics are among those most skilled in courting the well-heeled to amass millions in campaign contributions.
No doubt the race for the presidency matters. It just doesn't matter as much as the media's obsessive coverage suggests. Whoever moves into the White House on Jan. 20, 2009, the fundamental problem facing the country -- a yawning disparity between what Americans expect and what they are willing to pay -- will remain stubbornly in place.
The subtitle of Bacevich's book is "The End of American Exceptionalism." That sure sounds like a downer, especially as we prepare for the pomp and fireworks of another Independence Day. But the truth is that it all depends on how you define "exceptionalism." I believe that all people are created equal with equal rights, regardless of which particular slab of this rock they're born onto. I don't think any nation is entitled to an outsized claim on the world's resources, for example, nor is empire something that is desirable or that has ever worked for very long in the history of humankind. But I do believe that America, and Americans as a people, have done some exceptional things over 233 years and can be even more exceptional in the future, by continuing to create a more perfect union that values human rights and freedom in a way that others will envy and copy. That is the eternal American quest that we celebrate on July 4 -- and every other day.
Have a great holiday weekend.
(Associated Press photo)
Posted by Will Bunch @ 11:42 PM
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53 comments
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wiki: In an article of the The American Conservative dated March 24, 2008, Bacevich depicts Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama as the best choice for conservatives in the fall. He also goes on to mention that "For conservatives to hope the election of yet another Republican will set things right is surely in vain. To believe that President John McCain will reduce the scope and intrusiveness of federal authority, cut the imperial presidency down to size, and put the government on a pay-as-you-go basis is to succumb to a great delusion." //// OH, MY SIDES. LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THAT CBO CHART AGAIN, SHALL WE? http://blog.heritage.org/2009/03/24/bush-deficit-vs-obama-deficit-in-pictures/ BUT HE'S A "CONSERVATIVE". RIGHT.
SBVFT you have posted this before and what always strikes me about the graph is how the deficit numbers come down from today until 2012 and then seem to explode again after 2012. Is there something going on in 2012 where a lower deficit would be a benefit to Obama???
I'm at a loss Bird. The World Cup maybe?
SBVFT, maybe Obama believe the world is going to end with the Mayan calendar on December 21, 2012 and he doesn't want to carry the bad karma of a huge deficit into the next plane of existence.
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He is the Messiah though Bird, giving various people thrills up their legs and inspiring creepy North Korean-like choruses of children singing hymnals to their parent's political messiah. He is not of this planet. I trust he will make it all better. Hope. Change. http://iowahawk.typepad.com/iowahawk/movies/
This guy also says we shouldn't be trying to nation-build in Afghanistan. Interesting.
What is it with you "conservatives?" Are you congenitally dishonest, or is it a learned trait? Take a look at the trend line established by the deficit growth under Bush and extend that line. You'll see that it would wind up being very close to reaching the exact same budget deficit as the projection for 2019. And indeed, nice way to ignore the reality that much of Obama's deficit is due to actions taken to clean up the mess left behind by the dope you voted for to be president. Twice.
Here's another picture for you fraudulent "deficit hawks." --snip-- In 1981 the gross national debt, as a percent of the nation's annual income, reached its lowest point since 1931, 32.5%. It could have been paid off then more easily than at any time in the previous 50 years. Despite his professed abhorrence for debt, Reagan instituted unprecedented peacetime deficit spending. (The current Administration's Office of Management and Budget (OMB), in its 2006 Budget, provides a remarkably candid explanation of what happened to the deficit during the Reagan and Bush I administrations). --snip-- http://911review.org/Media/National_Debt.html
"I believe that all people are created equal with equal rights, regardless of which particular slab of this rock they're born onto." That's a lie. If you really believed that, you wouldn't advocate special rights for people based on race, gender, etc. Don't worry, I don't expect you to admit to it.
"I've kind of overdosed on Bacevich lately..." Don't worry, Sloth. He'll always come back to his first true love.
" nice way to ignore the reality that much of Obama's deficit is due to actions taken to clean up the mess left behind by the dope you voted for to be president. Twice." Two simple questions for you TPS: 1) If I accept your premiss that Obama is cleaning up Bush's mess (and don't instead point out that Bush's deficit was decreasing until the purse strings were taken over by Democrats in 2007) - why does Obama's deficit explode again after he seemingly cleans up Bush's mess by 2012?? 2) "by the dope you voted for to be president. Twice" - Bush was elected by the American people just like Obama - why do you hate Americans?? Do you recall your recent post complaining about "toadies" being elitest, etc?? I can find it for you if you'd like. Can you say hypocrit?? (OK more like 4 questions)
Comrade, Will doesn't despise Reagan. He needs Reagan to sell his books. LOL.
---}}} why does Obama's deficit explode again after he seemingly cleans up Bush's mess by 2012?? {{{--- Obama's deficit would be continuing at more or less the same rate of increase as occurred under Bush for his four years. Personally, I'd rather have a deficit from spending on education and helping poor people than lining the pockets of the rich and powerful, but if you weren't complaining about budget deficits, front and center, during Reagan, Bush I, and Bush II, then it sure seems like faux outrage to be so upset about deficits under Obama.
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About Will Bunch
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Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.
Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.
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