The Inaugural Speech: More Foreign Entanglement Promised

George Washington, that selfless Founding Father whose vision of liberty helped create our nation, warned Americans about becoming entangled in foreign alliances, and, like most early patriots, sought for America to be free and independent. He knew that becoming entangled in the affairs and intrigues of other nations would lead to war and loss.

In contrast, today's inaugural speech by President George W. Bush focused on foreign entanglements - becoming involved in the internal affairs and intrigues of numerous countries. "The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands." Could you please explain that again? He went on to hint that we would be prepared to use force and other means to assist the fight for "liberty" all over. (Of course, we will do nothing but further strengthen and appease Communist China and other who have deprived hundreds of millions of basic liberties, while urging free Taiwan to give up its liberty and become "unified" with its tyrant neighbor.)

I prefer George Washington's logic. Let America be truly free and let the world follow, if they will, but let's don't get dragged into their battles. Here is an excerpt from his famous farewell address:

Why quit our own to stand upon foreign ground? Why, by interweaving our destiny with that of any part of Europe, entangle our peace and prosperity in the toils of European Ambition, Rivalship, Interest, Humour or Caprice?

'Tis our true policy to steer clear of permanent Alliances, with any portion of the foreign World--So far, I mean, as we are now at liberty to do it--for let me not be understood as capable of patronising infidility to existing engagements, (I hold the maxim no less applicable to public than to private affairs, that honesty is always the best policy)--I repeat it therefore, Let those engagements. be observed in their genuine sense. But in my opinion, it is unnecessary and would be unwise to extend them.

Taking care always to keep ourselves, by suitable establishments, on a respectably defensive posture, we may safely trust to temporary alliances for extraordinary emergencies.

Harmony, liberal intercourse with all Nations, are recommended by policy, humanity and interest. But even our Commercial policy should hold an equal and impartial hand: neither seeking nor granting exclusive favours or preferences; consulting the natural course of things; diffusing & deversifying by gentle means the streams of Commerce, but forcing nothing; establishing with Powers so disposed--in order to give to trade a stable course, to define the rights of our Merchants, and to enable the Government to support them--conventional rules of intercourse;  the best that present circumstances and mutual opinion will permit, but temporary, & liable to be from time to time abandoned or varied, as experience and circumstances shall dictate; constantly keeping in view, that 'tis folly in one Nation to look for disinterested favors from another--that it must pay with a portion of its Independence for whatever it may accept under that character--that by such acceptance, it may place itself in the condition of having given equivalents for nominal favours and yet of being reproached with ingratitude for not giving more. There can be no greater error than to expect, or calculate upon real favours from Nation to Nation. 'Tis an illusion which experience must cure, which a just pride ought to discard.

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