Time is passing the Republicans by again; it did in domestic policy and so it is in foreign relations. Sen. Dole ridiculed President Clinton saying, “The U.S. has lost respect as a world power.” He cites Bosnia, Somalia and Haiti-all problem areas left over from the previous administration.
The Cold War gave conservative administrations license to hit on small countries like Nicaragua, Grenada, Panama, etc., to gain respect. However, the Cold War is the past; present-day respect is obtained through economic strength. Japan and Germany, without military presence, has proven that.
Clinton is in the process of winning world respect for America through economic strength, not through 20th Century Cold War superpower tactics. Dole and the Republican Party must join the president in his march toward the 21st Century if they want to gain respect.
