Will Ethical Abuses Cripple Republicans in the 2006 Mid-Term Elections - Essay Example

A breach of trust is a violation. Congress, in its current state, seems overdue for a makeover. That such powerful figures, such as Rep. Tom Delay, have been able to abuse positions of public trust is intolerable. It is perhaps an indicator that it is time for a change. That said, how do we accept, at face value, the Democrats' assertion that the Republicans have created a "culture of corruption" when they themselves are not without skeletons in their own closet Should we choose the lesser of two evils Should we keep score and vote for the party least likely to abuse its power I believe the FBI should set up a Congressional Ethics task force.

People that abuse their power should be indicted and imprisoned. What Congress does is too important for hypocritical partisanship. The Uncompromising American: A Recipe for DisasterThis essay topic is timely. As I write these words, the Prime Minister of Lebanon, Mr. Fuad Siniora, is begging the United States to persuade Israel to halt its attacks on his country. America has refused. Why A friendly government is caught in the middle of a violent, escalating conflict and the best that America can do is sit back and watch the carnage.

The reputation of the American executive, George W. Bush, is already tarnished by the Iraq war. It is tarnished because America is seen as uncompromising. More, America is tarnished because it is seen as being dishonest and disingenuous in the way in which it arrives at policy decisions. The world looks to America for guidance and at the same time comes away disappointed by our contradictory actions. That we are seen by much of the world, including allies, as the biggest threat to global peace, is not surprising.

We declare our love of human rights and then our soldiers torture enemies in violation of international law. We declare our love of Democracy and then support authoritarian regimes in countries such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia. We declare ourselves to be the defenders of the oppressed and then abandon countries to further other political and economic ends. The American executive, as manifest through our foreign policy, is hardly consistent or noble. It is, to be sure, ruthless. How does one change America's declining reputation without sacrificing legitimate national security concerns In my view, this is difficult but hardly impossible.

We need to stop looking at the world as a zero-sum game. We don't have to be victorious in all spheres. America needs to compromise and it needs to take a broader view of the future. We need to sacrifice minor interests for larger interests.