Perhaps more will be made of this as we get nearer to the date, but on 7 November former President George H. W. Bush will be presenting his own George Bush Award for Excellence in Public Service to one of his son's fiercest foreign policy critics, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts. Georgie Ann Geyer suggests that this may be a not so subtle way for the former president to signal his displeasure with the way his son is conducting himself in office. Writes Geyer:
The father lived his life in the service of moderate and intelligent internationalism. His manners were always meticulously courteous, as he wooed even critics overseas to see the American position. He was even-handed in the Middle East and thus brought the area to the verge of peace for the first time in history; he was capable of using force but preferred to do it supported by coalitions of friendly states, thus cementing international cooperation.
The son seems to have made posturing against his father's accomplishments and beliefs his life's work.
W has given way to a radical right that abhors international coalitions and manners; he mocks the world and denies any need for its help. He has led the Middle East to the nadir of its hope and possibilities, and he has led the United States to a moment in history in which we face asymmetric warfare from one end of the globe to another.
And above all, he has replaced his father's courtesy and good graces with an almost proud rudeness and scorn for others.
While Geyer fails to mention the genuine incompetencies of the Clinton administration, it is certainly true that the younger Bush can hardly hope to match the depth of foreign policy experience of his father. In fact, few recent presidents could do so. In this case, the son could almost certainly stand to learn something from the father.
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