With(out) a little help from our friends

William Burton has some great things to say about the way the Bush administration handles its foreign policy.

If you tell people You're not important; I couldn't give a rat's ass what you think; no, we're not gonna help you with your own problems (which was the Bushie attitude towards the world before Sept 11th), it makes it a hell of a lot harder to get cooperation when you really want it....Why don't we try to do all the symbolic stuff that may be a pain in the ass, but doesn't really hurt (like ratifying the UN treaties on the Rights of Women and the Rights of Children); then we can do stuff that only hurts us a little but helps others a lot (like loosening trade rules for textiles with Turkey and Pakistan); then we'll get a lot more smiles thrown our way when we really need something.

I've always thought the basic role of the president in foreign policy matters was to be national schmoozer. Shake hands, have tea in front of the oil painting of a founding father, smile for the cameras, make a little business deal. This has to be the thing the Bush administration is the worst at.