Projection of Force

I had written about JFK and wondered where the Democratic Party went. Here's an article from the Boston Globe discussing how to negotiate with those who wish to harm us.

It's all the rage to talk about negotiating to avoid war. I think that what few Democrats understand today is that negotiations do not work when we are seen as weak. And the Arab world is looking at Congress's plans to undermine Bush at every step and sees nothing but weakness.

An American proverb, often attributed to Teddy Roosevelt, "Speak softly and carry and big stick" would go a long way to helping negotiations, as they did with Libya. But right now the administration is being undermined for political purposes that make war much more likely and negotiations nearly impossible.

We are seen as the "weak horse" and that will only prolong our struggles with radical Islam.