Topic: Foreign Policy
Words of Advice for the next Secretary of State President-elect Barack Obama recently announced his pick for SecState: Senator Hillary Clinton. Here is some advice for her, from a former Secretary of State by the name of John Quincy Adams.by Jake Towne, the Champion of the Constitution
(libertarian)
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Obama's choices so far for his advisors certainly should quell any libertarian optimism of any real "Change" from the past quarter century dominated by Bush-41-Clinton-42-Bush-43 rule. The most recent press conference announced that the Clintons will run, or have major influence over, foreign policy. The Clintons are well-known interventionists, so I do not suppose the following will change anything, but this article will be emailed to Senator Clinton anyways. Words of advice from July 4, 1821 for the POTUS candidate who this year (in a delusional lie, no less) claimed foreign policy experience as the First Lady bravely ducked enemy gunfire during a helicopter landing in Bosnia (fortunately she skipped Somalia, where her warmongering, draft-dodger husband launched another war):
"America does not go abroad in search of monsters to destroy.
She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all.
She is the champion and vindicator only of her own.
She will recommend the general cause by the countenance of her voice, and the benignant sympathy of her own example.
She well knows that by once enlisting under the banners other than her own, were they even the banners of foreign independence, she would involve herself beyond the power of extrication, in all the wars of interest and intrigue, of individual avarice, envy, ambition, which assumed the colors and usurped the standards of freedom. The fundamental maxims of her policy would insensibly change from liberty to force...
She might become the dictatress of the world.
She would no longer be the ruler of her own spirit."
For some background, Secretary of State John Quincy Adams was by no means an "isolationist," which is a favorite label of the warmongering neoconservative Republicans and their Democrat cohorts. He fully understood the importance of international trade and effective diplomacy, and their effect on economic prosperity and national security. Before being elected President, Adams served as the US ambassador to England, Russia, Prussia, and the Netherlands.
For all their incessant contrasting this summer, both Obama and Clinton have served as ambassador to, well, zero nations. Adams spoke four languages fluently; I would be fairly surprised to hear Clinton can speak a second. [Before you think that's only because Clinton was studying law, Adams also passed the bar.]
And only a fool would call Secretary Adams a "pacifist"! Witnessing the start of the bloody Revolutionary War as a child of 7 years comes to mind, and also the War of 1812. Adams demonstrated his integrity with his opposition to President Polk's aggressive and unjust war on Mexico in 1846, vigorously voicing his dissent, this time as a Massachusetts congressman.
So, no, I am afraid that the tried-and-true labels of "pacifist" and "isolationist" do not apply to Adams, just as they do not apply to the present-day Congressman Ron Paul.
The United States IS "in search of monsters to destroy." Otherwise, my generation's silly war would be called the "War on Al-Qaeda" or the "War on the Islamic Insurgency." Instead, for over 7 years, the US government has termed it the "Global War on Terrorism," a term that is deliberately vague and indefinable. It is no wonder Americans still do not know when or how this war can definitively be won. Remember, Iraq's Saddam had absolutely no ties to Al-Qaeda, his secular rule left him disfavored in Osama bin Laden's eyes. The American people were lied to, there were no WMDs. Instead, we equipped one mostly theocratic state (Israel) with WMDs while creating fallacies around another semi-theocracy's (Iran) efforts to attain them. Oh, and we attack and destabilize another Muslim dictatorship (Pakistan) that already has nuclear weapons.
So, America, which monster shall we slay next?
A foreign policy of interventionalism with the likes of Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, Saddam, Musharraf, and all other Middle Eastern nations has given renewed meaning to the dangers of involving America in wars "beyond the power of extrication, in all the wars of interest and intrigue which assumed the colors and usurped the standards of freedom."
So Senator Clinton, President-elect Obama, shall America remain the "dictatress of the world"? I warn you to answer "No" of your own free will before the rest of the world, which grates its teeth under our oppressive heel of empire, decides to respond in your place.
For the Freedom of Iraq and Afghanistan to reject our Westernized, secular Democracy, force-fed to them under the barrels of America's guns, if their peoples so wish.
For the Immediate Withdrawal of all American warriors from Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea, Japan, Germany, and Italy! Today's wars are unjust and unconstitutional, and at last check, the Korean War and WWII ended over 50 years ago.
For the Republic, not Democracy Perverted! (Can anyone even find the word "democracy" in the Constitution?)
[This article owes the quotation and some thoughts to Chapter 6 of Michael Scheuer's Imperial Hubris (2004), but the opinions expressed herein are solely my own.] (Clinton photo from Bbsrock) (Adams photo)
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
As always, unlike the NFL, the author grants full permission to allow any accounts of, rebroadcasts, retransmissions, repostings in part or full of this article to your blog or anywhere else in order to promote the Restoration of our Republic.
Veritas numquam perit. Veritas odit moras. Veritas vincit. Truth never perishes. Truth hates delay. Truth conquers.
"Whenever the legislators endeavor to take away and destroy the property of the people, or reduce them to slavery under an arbitrary power, they put themselves into a state of war with the people, who are thereupon absolved from further obedience, and are left to the common refuge which god hath provided for all men against force and violence." – John Locke
SPOOF: New Element Discovered in America! Published: December 5, 2008 The heaviest element ever was discovered yesterday by Franklin Delano Mussolini Laboratories of Washington, DC. Read all about it!
Will Joey Biden Be President? THE BARACK OBAMA BIRTH SAGA CONTINUES Published: December 7, 2008 When I first started writing on the constitutional eligibility of both Barack Obama and John McCain after the conventions, I thought the issue would be quickly silenced. Forgive my chuckling and a cheer as the forces of the Constitution continue their valiant charge for that "damn piece of paper."
The Next Bubble to Pop! Published: December 7, 2008 "These days, I am more concerned with the return OF my capital, not the return ON my capital." - attributed to Mark Twain
Ron Paul Wastes Chance to Deliver KO Punch to FED Published: November 20, 2008 Ron Paul failed to wipe the floor with Bernanke in the last Congressional Hearing. Here's why. Shift tactics next time!
Bank and Credit Union 2008 Body Count at 32 Published: November 9, 2008 "I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies." - Thomas Jefferson
The Drones Did It! Published: November 8, 2008 "The catch-all phrase - The War on Terror. In all honesty, has no more meaning than if you want to wage a War on criminal Gangsterism. Terrorism is a Tactic. You can't have a War against a Tactic. It's deliberately vague and nondefinable in order to justify and permit perpetual War anywhere and under any circumstances." - Dr. Ron Paul. Pakistan's Chaos Continues.
Iraq Demands US Troops Leave by 2011 Published: November 2, 2008 The unending Global War of Terror occupation in Iraq hits a minor roadbump. What if the Iraqis have fully recovered from Shock and Awe and want their country back?
Police State Stomps on Iraq Veteran's Face as McBama Sanctions Attack on Freedom of Speech: The Story of the Hempstead 15 (Part 1/3) Published: October 25, 2008 What? Yet another event the media completely missed? After multiple attempts to engage McBama to answer their questions, the Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) led a peaceful march on the last McCain-Obama Presidential Debate and were met with 30 mounted police and a horde of others in riot gear. The mounted police stamped on an Iraq war veteran's face and attacked the crowd. Ron Paul supporter and veteran Adam Kokesh was arrested as well.
US Soldier 2008 Body Count in Afghanistan Sets All-Time High Published: October 5, 2008 Imagine you are in a room, alone with 20 American soldiers for one day. At sunset, all their bodies thud to the floor, stone dead. At dawn, 20 more enter the room and again die at sunset. It repeats every day for 7 years. It will repeat tomorrow. This is what I know of their story, their sad statistics.
HEY! CONGRESS! Al-Qaeda does NOT have an Air Force! Published: September 30, 2008 The US House Committee on Foreign Affairs chaired a meeting published as "Defeating al-Qaeda's Air Force: Pakistan's F-16 Program in the Fight Against Terrorism." The Champion of the Constitution reports on what this meeting covered, what it really demonstrated, and how it connects with the dream of Ron Paul, Dwight Eisenhower, myself and who knows? perhaps even you.
The views expressed in this
article are those of Jake Towne, the Champion of the Constitution only and do not represent
the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates. Jake Towne, the Champion of the Constitution is
solely responsible for the contents of this article and is not an
employee or otherwise affiliated with Nolan Chart, LLC in his/her role as a columnist.
Want to comment on this
article? Leave your comment here. Your email address is
required to track your comment. However, we will neither
publish your email address nor distribute it to other
organizations or persons. The only reason we might use
it would be if we needed to contact you regarding your
comment. All comments are subject to our
terms of use policy.
Obama's choices so far for his advisors certainly should quell any libertarian optimism of any real "Change" from the past quarter century dominated by Bush-41-Clinton-42-Bush-43 rule. The most recent press conference announced that the Clintons will run, or have major influence over, foreign policy. The Clintons are well-known interventionists, so I do not suppose the following will change anything, but this article will be emailed to Senator Clinton anyways. 
She will recommend the general cause by the countenance of her voice, and the benignant sympathy of her own example.