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.
After reading this, I'm almost inclined to say lets give the "world" what it wants and pull out of Iraq and let the chips fall where they may.
If it wasn't for us, most of the "world" would be living under some sort of opression and tyranny so if we're so bad, and we're the ones who create terrorists, and we're hated by the "world", lets just pull out of Iraq and when the Muslim caliphates are established in Tokyo and London and Berlin, lets sit back and let it happen and let the "world", who hates our guts, fend for themselves.
I'm so sick of these people and their ignorance and self-righteousness I could scream. Leave them all alone and let them live under the Muslim slavery they want so much. Let them have the beheadings, and the veils, and the stonings - all of it. I'm fed up with all of these people.
Peter Jennings 1994 "The American people threw a temper tantrum last night".
"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
You're right, Jennings said it. I thought it was Rather...not that it makes much difference
WE HAVE TWO MONTHS TO JAM THROUGH REPUBLICAN LAWS AND TWO YEARS OF EXEC ORDERS. 2008 WILL BE EARNED BY STANDING FIRM.
"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
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'tMaybe now would be the time for him to actually stand up to America's domestic enemies. Nah. Why start now?
Expect terrorism to step up in order to continue the pressure on President Bush.
Regards, Ivan
BUMP!
Reagan lost the Senate in year six. This is not an uncommon turn of events in American politics. Let's see what the Democrats do now.
9-11 is officially past history. Americans have forgotten.
PLUS - the Democrats, many of them, ran as Conservatives. It was a calculated and cynical ploy that worked.
Bush has been beat up mercilessly by the press. It finally took a toll. Like Churchill and Truman, he is profoundly unappreciated in his time, but history will be kind. That said - the war in Iraq, the WOT in general, has been conducted with too much PC. It hurt Bush and the GOP.
Any Republican who did not vote has hand in this too.
The flippant remark would be that "We look like Spain", and indeed, to much of the world, that's going to be the inevitable reaction.
Certainly our allies will be disconcerted by this move. It's hard to imagine that our Armed Forces will get enough money when the extreme left now control the House of Representatives. At least with Mr. Carter's election we couldn't have forecast what a disaster he would be, but it's easy enough with Pelosi, Rangel, and Conyers at the helm.
I remember losing the stupid assault weapons ban in the 1993-1994 years. This group in the House now is much worse: I don't believe that our country has ever had so many of the extreme left in such important positions in the House.
Osama Bin Laden and the Jihadists are dancing in the streets. American voters danced to their tune as they knew they would.
I think finally we will see the attacks that have been in planning so long.
"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
Well said.
Interesting quoutes from 1994...
http://www.mediaresearch.org/notablequotables/bestof/1994/best1-3.asp
The WAR on the MSM/DBM begins TODAY!!!
"For those of you who are gun owners, we have a deadly future ahead of us. We are now going to be singled out as the "real terrorists" by the dems and we will be attacked in every part of the country. There will be a few more "Waco's" against "right-wing extremist gun nut families".
Buy your guns and ammo now as fast and as furious as you can, come next year you WILL NOT BE ABLE TO! Bush will go along with any new "Assault Weapons" ban and ammo ban."
I was going to add to your statement, but you've said it 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
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