Thursday, June 28, 2007

Go For It   [Jonah Goldberg]

The Washington Monthly asked Ted Sorenson to write the Democrats' "dream speech" for whoever wins the Democratic nomination. It's got its moments, but it generally reads like what it is, a stemwinder by a Kennedy nostalgist. I did like this passage:

Fourth, I shall fly to New York City to pledge in person to the United Nations, in the September 2009 General Assembly, that the United States is returning to its role as a leader in international law, as a supporter of international tribunals, and as a full-fledged member of the United Nations which will pay its dues in full, on time, and without conditions, renouncing any American empire; that we shall work more intensively with other countries to eliminate global scourges, including AIDS, malaria, and other contagious diseases, massive refugee flows, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; and that we will support the early dispatch of United Nations peacekeepers to halt the atrocities in Darfur. I shall make it clear that we do not covet the land of other countries for our military bases or the control of their natural resources for our factories. I shall make it clear that our country is not bound by any policies or pronouncements of my predecessor that violate international law or threaten international peace.

Fifth, I shall personally sign the Kyoto Protocol, and seek its ratification by the United States Senate, in order to stop global warming before it endangers all species on earth, including our own; and I shall call upon the Congress to take action dramatically reducing our nation’s reliance on the carbon fuels that are steadily contributing to the degradation of our environment.

Me: There's much that can be made of some of this. But I'll just make two points.

The Democratic nominee who promises to prostrate himself before the UN and apologize for the evils of America will not pick up one additional vote he doesn't already have in his pocket. But he will put plenty of votes he could get in jeopardy. 

Second, someone should tell Sorenson that the  President already signed Kyoto — through a surrogate named Al Gore — and there's nothing to sign anymore. Promising to sign the Kyoto treaty is like promising to sign the Japanese treaty of surrender in WWII.  But I do hope the Democratic  nominee makes such a pledge and does send it to the Senate for ratification. 

06/28 02:33 PMShare