Self-Styled "Elites" Can't Seem to Admit Error

Admitting error is, to me, one of the main qualifications of someone as an expert or an "elite." How the hell can anyone trust an "expert" whose ego is such that he can't say when he's gotten something baldly wrong?

But the self-styled "elites," who got Russia so wrong and criticized Palin for getting it right, aren't retreating. They're reloading.

With more dumb.

This Federalist piece notes that the Obama Administration's reaction to Romney's alleged gaffe -- calling Russia America's number one "global foe" -- seems out-of-touch now, doesn't it? Obama's legions quipped "The eighties called, they want their foreign policy back."

Well, the seventies just called for Obama -- and they want their own foreign policy back.

Even the reliably-liberal Washington Post editorial board says that Obama's foreign policy -- such as it may be -- is based on "fantasy."

Excerpts at that link, full editorial here.

If you remember, Obama suggested in 2008 that he would bring us "smart power," rather than Bush's dumb power. This was the Obama's recasting of "soft power" as "smart," and Bush's "hard power" as, impliedly, not smart.

But the ace arrow in their quiver always seemed to be -- as it continues to seem to be -- that all they have to do is patiently inform Russia (or Iran, or China, or whoever) that it is in their own countries' best interest to act as "civilized" members of the "community of nations."

This is so arrogant and dumb I don't know what to say about it.

Did they really think that not a one of Bush's diplomats thought to say something utterly obvious like "You know, it's actually in your own interests to agree with us?" This is the first or second thing said in any negotiation, over anything at all -- buying a car, buying a house, arguing with a spouse about who changes the diapers... The "it's really in your own interest" is such a common gambit that it indicates the incredibly dull-witted nature of Obama's squad to imagine this was new or novel to anyone else.

The second level of arrogance concerns the foreign nation in question -- Does Obama or Kerry (or did Hillary) really imagine these countries hadn't already gamed out in their own heads what their own best interest was? Did they really think that Putin, for example, had utterly failed to consider the benefits of being a good actor in the "civilized community of nations" would net him, and what being a bad actor would lose him?

I have to imagine that our counter-parties in these "smart power" negotiations are somewhat annoyed to be held by Obama's people as slow children who haven't bothered to think about the most basic things, such that they want and need Obama to remind them of the most basic things.

Did they really think they could just Jedi Mind Trick the whole world?

Just because it works on the weak-minded -- Democrats, the media -- doesn't mean it works on everyone.

posted by Ace at 12:17 PM

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