Tuesday, October 16, 2007


Bush and Cheney Have Turned America Into An International Leper

How toxic has George Bush made the United States? Worse than Chernobyl. From today's Washington Post we learn that India is backing out of the sweetheart deal of the century that George Bush inexplicably made with them.

"The main obstacle does not involve the specific terms of the agreement but rather India's internal politics, including fears from leftist parties that India is moving too close to the United States, according to officials and experts familiar with the deal. Besieged over the past two months by growing opposition to nuclear energy cooperation with the United States, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh indicated over the weekend that he would rather save his coalition government than the nuclear pact.

"What we have done with the U.S., it is an honorable deal, it is good for India, and it is good for the world," Singh said Saturday. "But we are in the realm of politics, and within our coalition, there are differing perceptions."
Well. There you have it. The people of India all recognize that it is an incredibly good deal for them; they just can't do it because, no matter how fantastic the deal, they do not want to be associated with the United States. This is simply amazing. George Bush and Dick Cheney have literally made the US a despised leper internationally, even among allies.

There was a very good argument that this was an ill advised, bad deal for the United States to start with; so no tears should be shed on that front. The implications, however, for the reputation and standing of America in international and diplomatic relations, an area in which we have historically stood head and shoulder above all others, are simply devastating. Why is impeachment off the table? Can somebody please explain that?