Now I'm confused ... When Diana Kerry impolitically told Australians that their government had made them less safe it was the "outrage of the day" on conservative blogs. Now, when the Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi visits the United States and says that the Democratic candidate is a "doubter" in the war on terror, the rules of diplomatic propriety apparently mean that John Kerry cannot respond. Logical explanations of how this makes sense will win a chocolate fish.
Let's be clear on this. Politicians will always have opinions on other countries' politics. But currently active politicians and their close associates* should refrain from overt participation in foreign countries' elections. People that may have to deal with each other as leaders or representatives of their countries should try to avoid spoiling relationships for no good reason.
I suppose we should be grateful that foreign 'interference' in domestic politics is now reduced to speeches and asides; since it could be much more martial.
(*I choose my words carefully here. Political operatives, such as campaign advisors, are professionals for hire. So, if someone wants to work for the Labor Party in Israel and Democrats in the United States, well that's their business, just as doing advertising work for companies here and abroad is of no consequence. And if Bill Clinton, who will never again be elected to public office in the United States wants to campaign for Tony Blair next year, then that's not going to affect diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Britain).
Posted by robe0419 at September 26, 2004 7:19 PM