The Rattle of the Saber, the Ring of the Liberty Bell

In the interminable Jerome thread, Bill White asked a very important question in response to my comment that "If you don't understand why those of us outside the United States dislike saber-rattling, you will never understand why you are so isolated."

It's worth quoting almost in full, because it was very well put:

Nobody likes saber-rattling unless they are holding the saber. But America simply is the largest military power and with the EU is one of the top two largest economies in the world... Bill Clinton DID what Obama talks about, he was simply very good at papering it over with his personal charm...

Would you prefer American politicians lie?

It's a good question.  Would I prefer a gentle lie to a very harsh truth?  The answer, to my mind, is no.  Although I love the U.S., and Americans, and I can see the advantages of a President who would walk and talk softly and hide the stick, I don't think that that would be best even if it brought about a rapprochement with the rest of the international community.

Do I want American politicians and presidents to lie?

No, I don't want them to lie.

I want them to start acting multilaterally.

I want them to start using military force as a second option.  Or third.

I want them to engage the world with their great ideas and not with their great might.

I want them to help lead the world on climate change and the environment, instead of blocking progress.

I want them to help sow peace and not tears.

I want them to unite and free, not divide and conquer.

I want them to be able to be proud of their once-great legacy of freedom, fair dealing, and justice.

I want them to promote freedom from fear, not terror.

I want them to promote freedom from want, not hunger.

I want them to promote freedom of speech, not client military dictatorships.

Many of us who are not Americans, see the Democrats as standing for much of what is best in America.  That is why we are so saddened by any Democrat who insists on business as usual, or more of the same, in foreign policy.  A foreign policy where America leads with the gun and leaves the olive branch behind, where the open hand of brotherhood is closed into the mailed fist of revenge, where the hateful words and deeds of others is met with missiles instead of engagement.

I don't want American politicians to lie.

I want them to be able to rise up, and live out the true meaning of the American creed, that "we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

That's what I want.