It’s often said that some people have such a hysterical obsession with the dreaded “neocons” that they probably search for them under their beds before going to sleep at night. And after reading Jacob Heilbrunn’s ominously titled column “Are China’s Neocons Taking Power?” it sounds like he’s probably the type to keep a flashlight handy on his nightstand:
So China flew its experimental J-20 stealth fighter jet while Defense Secretary Robert Gates was visiting President Hu Jintao? It would be hard to think of a more calculated insult–and one that America should, and will, take in stride. The Los Angeles Times reports that China’s military didn’t even bother to inform the civilian leadership. Gates knew about the test. Hu didn’t.
What does that tell you?
The real snub wasn’t directed at Gates but at Hu and his associates. Could it be that the real China threat is a military going rogue? It’s clear that China’s military is balking at pretty much everything the Obama administration wants. It doesn’t want to rein in North Korea. It doesn’t want strategic talks with America.
Heilbrunn goes on to equate the belligerent segments of China’s military with American neoconservatives:
And for now, it looks as though China’s neocons have the upper hand. Like the neocons who wrecked American foreign policy, they may be poised to follow policies that are actually inimical to China’s true interests, while arguing that they are pursuing its true ones.
First, as Max pointed out, it’s troubling that Hu seemed unaware of the J-20 flight. But there may be a reason to take this story with a grain of salt. With Hu’s planned trip to the U.S. next week, it could be possible that either Chinese or U.S. officials would want to give the impression that the president wasn’t aware of the test. The timing of the demonstration was obviously a snub to Gates, and by claiming ignorance, Chinese officials might be trying to side-step an unpleasant confrontation.
Second, it’s pointless to try to affix to the military of the Chinese authoritarian regime a label that originated out of the complex politics of the United States. Simply being “hawkish” doesn’t make someone a neocon, as Heilbrunn appears to be suggesting. And needless to say, the Chinese military isn’t even interested in promoting democratic values in its own country, much less abroad.
It is a precarious balance, but Obama was born for such spin challenges. Unfortunately, his starry-eyed supporters will be slow to check the reality at their feet.
It’s what he does that matters. And like a little girl playing house, playing President without being President is not the same as on January 20th actually having to do what you pretend to do – and taking responsibility for it.
The thing he won’t be responsible for, though, is any failure. It will be either the previous administration, the Republicans, the Senate, the House, the states, the lobbyists, Bill Clinton, his grandmother, Rev. Wright, or an opposing force to be named later, who’s at fault. That’s signature Obama.
Not to be overly cynical here, but I don’t think Obama particularly cares about the economy. His reversals after the primaries, and then his reversals after the election, suggest to me that Obama is driven entirely by concerns of political expediency. Obama is about Obama. To some extent that works in our favor, since he will not pursue the more hare-brained liberal policies mentioned prior to the election. But it also means that he’s perfectly content to leave the American economy in a tailspin for as long as it takes to cement his FDR legacy with massive new government programs.
He will declare the economy recovering as soon as it no longer suits his purposes for the economy to be seen as deteriorating–not before, and not after.
Over time the symptoms of depression got easier to handle as I developed an understanding of the disease, and tireless work on my self from a bunch of angles reaped enormous benefits. Would you agree with this approach?