John Chuckman
COMMENT POSTED TO AN ARTICLE IN RUSSIA TODAY
“Biden calls America ‘a beacon’ for the globe, vows to lead by ‘power of example’”
Well, I think it would be difficult to find a great many people who see America as a beacon.
They once, way back in the 1950s, did tend to do that, but it has been a very long time since people felt that way about America.
Now, try asking people in Venezuela. Or people in Cuba. Or people in Iran. Or Nicaragua. Or Chile. Or Libya. Or Syria. Yemen. Iraq. China. Russia.
As far as the “power of example” goes, that would mark a complete and welcome change for America. I don’t recall a single instance in the past. The Pentagon and the CIA haven’t been known to live by that principle.
America has always told people what to do, and with clenched fists and teeth.
Generally, it tells them how to run their affairs even though, as everyone can see, America cannot run its own.
Biden also promised to “Make America respected around the world again”
“Respect” is very much one of those words with a double meaning.
We have the common-courtesy version of “respect” and we have the mob-boss version.
I wonder which does Biden truly mean? After all, you don’t have to make people use courtesy. You simply earn it by your behavior.
”Making” someone respect you, sounds more like the mob-boss version of the word.
