Posted on 11/08/2006 2:09:50 AM PST by NormsRevenge
TOKYO - Democratic gains in Congress were seen around the world Wednesday as a rejection of the U.S. war in Iraq that led some observers to expect a reassessment of the American course there.
The shift in power also was seen as a signal in some capitals that the United States would put a greater emphasis on trade policy and human rights.
Many watching the election said the results were a significant blow to President Bush's presidency.
"Although his term will not end within the next year, I think Bush is already turning into a lame duck," Yuzo Yamamoto, 60, the manager of a Tokyo business consulting firm, said as Democrats won control of the House and challenged Republican dominance in the Senate in midterm elections Tuesday.
Outside observers saw the bloodshed in Iraq as the major driving force behind the Democrats' success.
"Voters have punished the Republicans. They are not happy with the way the leadership has handled the Iraq war," said Chandra Muzaffar, president of the Malaysia-based think-tank International Movement for a Just World.
Bush's foreign critics cheered in Vietnam, and in Muslim-dominated countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia.
"The Republicans lost in the election because the American voters are now fed up and bored with the war," said Vitaya Wisetrat, a prominent, anti-American Muslim cleric in Thailand. "The American people now realize that Bush is the big liar."
Echoing the sentiment of many in Muslim countries, Indonesian lawmaker Ahmad Sumargono hoped that the results would prompt a reassessment of American policies in Iraq and elsewhere.
"I am optimistic that American people have now realized the mistakes made by Bush in foreign policy. We hope this leads to significant changes, especially toward the Middle East," he said.
Abdul Hamid Mubarez, an Afghan analyst and former deputy Afghan information and culture minister, said he hoped that Democratic victories would lead to more reconstruction money for his war-torn nation.
The prospect of a sudden change in American foreign policy could be troubling to U.S. allies in Asia — such as Japan and Australia — that have thrown their vocal support behind the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
Some, however, doubted that there would be a major shift in Iraq, said Michael McKinley, a political science professor at the Australian National University.
"There would have been some concern in policy making circles here if the Democrats had said, 'We are definitely going to withdraw by Christmas,'" McKinley said. "But they're not able to say that," he said.
"They will have concluded that it is unlikely to have radical significance in the area of U.S. foreign and strategic policy," he added.
U.S. policy on North Korea, which angered the world by testing a nuclear device on Oct. 9, is also high on the agenda in the region. Despite the test, Pyongyang has pledged to return to stalled six-nation talks on its weapons program.
While some in South Korea have speculated that a Democratic victory could erode Bush's hardline approach toward Pyongyang, others were skeptical.
Kim Tae-woo, a North Korea expert at the Seoul-based Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, said Bush was unlikely to make radical changes in his policy in his final two years in office, particularly since the North was not a major campaign issue.
"Why should he change his policy line?" Kim asked, referring to Bush. "The Bush administration will feel no need for changes in the six-party talks."
Many around the world hoping for other changes in American policy said they hoped the election would be a catalyst.
In China, however, the resurgence of the Democrats raised fears of renewed U.S. concern over human rights and trade and labor issues. China's surging economy has a massive trade surplus with the United States.
"The Democratic Party ... will protect the interests of small and medium American enterprises and labor and that could produce an impact on China-U.S. trade relations," Zhang Guoqing of the state-run Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said in a report on Sina.com, one of China's most popular Internet portals.
In Japan, the government said the results would not change Tokyo's warm ties with Washington.
But the shift in favor of the Democrats was expected to complicate Japan's diplomatic approach to the U.S. For years, the Japanese have been able to successfully woo Bush's White House, knowing that the Republican Congress would largely follow its lead.
Now that calculus would have to change, said Tsuneo Watanabe, senior fellow at Mitsui Global Strategic Studies Institute in Tokyo.
"Now it's time for the Japanese, the embassy in Washington, to spend more time on Congress," he said.
Ooops,
forgot
the
Barf
Alert!
"The Republicans lost in the election because the American voters are now fed up and bored with the war," said Vitaya Wisetrat, a prominent, anti-American Muslim cleric in Thailand. "The American people now realize that Bush is the big liar."
--
The MSM and dem cohorts must be proud they have done their job so well. Bastards All!
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." -Manuel II Paleologus
Every vote cast for a Democrat yesterday was a vote for al-Qaeda.
The RATS are going to impeach Bush. They've got a big enough margin to do it.
The ignorance is almost blinding.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." -Manuel II Paleologus
Look at China attempt to fill the power vacuum in a couple of years.
Along with many many "true Conservatives" who stayed home b/c they were mad. Wahhhh.. Thanks alot you scumbags.
Don't right us off just yet... :)
There is no sugar-coating this:
America voted for appeasement, for surrender to Islamofascism, for rule by the leftist media, for Sharia Law, for al-Qaeda/Iranian nukes over our cities.
We are finished. And we have done it to ourselves.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." -Manuel II Paleologus
I think you're right.
Only one race had a guy running that made it widely known that he was not apologetic for his vote to support the war -- and that was Lieberman. And see how well he did!
I'm sure Dan Rather showed up somewhere last night and declared that 'the American people had a tantrum'. I guess I just missed it. (sarc)
The Dems are going to have a hard time of it. If they go for impeachment, they lose the middle in '08. If they don't, they lose the moonbats, including their $$. Likewise with the war. If they withdraw right away and Iraq turns into a bloodbath, as I predict, they lose the moderates. If they don't withdraw, they lose the moonbats.
Also, if they withdraw from Iraq, they lose their only issue. What else do they have to run on in '08? "We hate Bush" won't work, and "We hate Iraq" will be over. And that's their entire platform.
The silver lining in this is that if the Pubbies half try, '08 should be a good year.
The Dems are pretty plain on their agenda. Minimum wage bump of $2, negotiating drug prices (price controls), Big Taxes on Big Oil, and Immigration Reform (Ally Ally in Free). They just didn't talk about it in front of the opposition.
George will talk about Reaching Across to the Other Side in a Spirit of Bipartisanship. After all this passes, then they'll investigate George out of office.
Hey George, enjoy your last two years. I sure won't
Maybe GWB will finally figure out what a Presidential veto is.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.