Unless an unexpected revival of wisdom, diplomacy, and efficiency overtake this administration, the legacy of the Bush years will be alienation, deceit and mismanagement.
As much of the world galvanizes against the Bush foreign doctrine, the President repeatedly refers to anti- American sentiment as anti-Democratic, when in fact it has taken on a whole new bias you could call anti-Republicanism. The landslide election victory of Chavez in Venezuela is another example of how the Bush Presidency is energizing anti-Republicanism around the world.
We have as the foundations of our country ideals of freedom and a capitalistic society moderated by social necessities. While this may be the more progressive and humane form of government and in the long run would better many countries, in the short term it cannot take hold, especially if it is brought about by coercion. To these populations without Democratic foundations, stability and prosperity are the better paths to Democracy.
We need a more focused use of our resources to aid these countries to achieve these goals. It is imperative that we lead by example. The rest of the world will have to look up to us before they can embrace emulating us.