When Bush is Gone who will the Left Blame?

Asks Gerard Baker in the TimesLondon:

Key quote:

Somewhere, deep down, tucked away underneath their loathing for George Bush, in a secret place where the lights of smart dinner-party conversation and clever debating-society repartee never shine, the growing hordes of America-bashers must dread the moment he leaves office. When President Bush goes into the Texas sunset, and especially if he is replaced by an enlightened, world-embracing Democrat, their one excuse, their sole explanation for all human suffering in the world will disappear too. And they may just find that the world is not as simple as they thought it was.

Two things have occurred in over time but particularly during the Bush tenure. 1. The Europeans (most of them) have gone soft. 2. Bush has really f'ed a lot of things up.

When Bush is gone, #1 will still be in place.

The Republican candidates, particularly I think Giuliani (who I think is going to get the nod), is going to be I imagine more of the unilateralism of Bush. I don't Giuliani as a foreign diplomat. He might be a hard headed wheeler and dealer, but I tend to see him more running as defending America defeating baddies the world over.

Which is why, as Baker notes, a Democrat might be the right candidate for '08. Otherwise the Democrats/American left (and I don't equate the two totally) may go a Euro way and become simply a party of non-responsibility and critique.

What a Giuliani or a McCain would never do that I think a smartly played Obama say could is realize the future of humanitarian missions is not going to go with NATO, but must be Chinese, Indian, Brazilian troops. The shift has got to be on. The Democrats need to have some stake in the post 9/11 world. Because a Dem, Hillary or Obama would clearly do better and be embraced by the Atlantic alliance, but such a person will still find them unwilling to do much in the way of gap-reduction. The countries who will are the countries that have a stake (markets-wise) and lots of bodies (not Europe).

[For an opposing view, John Robb here].