President Bush, at long last, welcomes Russia fully into the First World.
Thursday's ruling by the Commerce Department means Russia will receive the same treatment as other major U.S. trading partners in trade disputes including cases of alleged dumping, which have resulted in sanctions against Russian steel companies and others.
The decision, which President Bush personally relayed in a telephone call to Putin, recognized Russia's decade-long struggle to build a free market economy after more than 70 years of Communist rule.
Democrats, of course, are fuming.
Democrats say Bush will harm U.S. companies by giving Russia 'market economy' designation.
That headline is a bit misleading. Some Dems worry that since Russia isn't yet completely market-oriented (sadly, neither is this country) that some legal protections will be needed to protect US businesess.
First, free trade is always better. Always. I won't get into why, because it's a Friday night and I'm only blogging until Melissa gets here in a few hours. But free trade is always better than protectionism, "fair trade," "starve the darkies," or whatever they're calling it this week.
Second, the Democrats are missing the big picture. People, we now live in a world where Russia -- did you hear me? that's RUSSIA -- can be considered a mostly free nation, worthy of our respect and our peaceful trade.
That's big. Huge. Bigger than huge and huger than big. The world has changed so many times and in so many ways in the last dozen years, that maybe the Dems just don't realize yet that it's changed yet again. And changed for the better.
Welcome home, Russia.
More importantly -- this makes Russia more likely to open the oil taps when the Saudis get pissed.
The Democrats haven't had an original idea since the 1930s, and we're still living with the after-effects of that giant brain-fart. You aren't really surprised that they're missing the "big picture" here, are you?
Gee, didn't they spend the Carter and both Reagan terms arguing IN FAVOR of 'normalizing' trade relations with Russia? Aren't they the ones arguing in favor of 'normalizing' trade with Cuba? Didn't the Dems spend eight years expanding trade (including some things that weren't theirs to trade away) with China?
What does Russia have to do to satisfy these people-turn communist again?
Indeed. Consider this opening sentence from a history book entitled "Russia and the Soviet Union" by Warren Bartlett Walsh, published in 1958:
"The Russian Empire at the time of its greatest extent claimed an area which stretched from the eastern border of Prussia to the coast of California,"....
With our new Russian friends, democracy can now be said to stretch right round the northern hemisphere. The dictatorships and other remaining countries who haven't yet seen the light of democracy shine in their dark lands should be afraid. They should be very, very afraid.
Na zdarovye! Cheers! Here's mud in your eye!
I am so happy to have discovered blogging. This is my first post. I just read what's here and I would like to add that Russia ain't there yet and could slip back into a dark age. This could easily create the opportunity for some Igor to turn it into a new totalitarian circus.
Here in Canada I have observed that the public tit is the most erotic tit you will ever attach to. Public money is toxic and addicting. Avoid it at all costs and better Yet ... stop supplying it as best you can. And never forget that "slaves don't own guns".
