Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: What! You too? I thought I was the only one.

-C.S. Lewis

Tuesday, July 05, 2005

No Thank You

I'm all for constructive action on environmental issues, but the idea that the US is even slightly obligated to approve a particular course of action as a "thank you" for another state's commitment to Iraq is laughable.

"I really don't view our relationship as one of quid pro quo," Bush said. "Tony Blair made decisions on what he thought was best for keeping the peace and winning the war on terror, as I did."
Bush is absolutely right. This is to say nothing of the wisdom of the Kyoto Protocol or a like accord (or whether I agreed with Bush's tactics on the WoT, for that matter). I really don't know enough about it to give an opinion. The idea that we owe to the world some creativity on environmental issues as the earth's sole superpower and top polluter can be debated on its merits. But whatever obligation we may or may not have is certainly not as a result of any favor done for us.

I'm sure that if there is any fallout from this, it will be due to diplomatic heavy-handedness, rather than our actions in and of themselves. I consider diplomacy to be doing exactly what you want, while convincing your friends that it was their idea. Bush is pretty good at the first part, not so much on the second.

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