The Doctrine of Wimpism

It's hard to believe that the country is already gearing up for the 2012 presidential election. The Republican field is crowded with candidates who are jockeying for position by making frequent visits to Iowa and New Hampshire. Even President Obama announced his re-election bid earlier this week.

We already know what the hot-button issues are going to be this time around. First and foremost will be the economy. Republicans will unleash a relentless attack on Obama for his failed stimulus, out-of-control spending, and the fact that the national debt has increased significantly under his watch.

They'll also spend a lot of time and money exposing the evils of Obamacare. All the polls that indicate the majority of Americans oppose Obama's healthcare law are sure to come back to bite him, unless he conjures up some kind of miracle over the next year to win the people over.

But another major issue will be America's standing as a world superpower. Even this early in the game, potential GOP candidates are decrying Obama for bowing to other world leaders (literally and figuratively), apologizing for America's supposed past egregiousness, and his refusal to use phrases like "war on terror," even going so far as to attempt to charge the 9/11 terrorists as common criminals. Thankfully he just recently backed off from that position and will now try them in military courts.

Whether we want to admit or not, America is weaker in the eyes of the world today than arguably any other time over the past 150 years. Our military is over-extended, we are deeply in debt, and our country is sharply divided along ideological lines. They may not do so openly, but I firmly believe that countries like China and Saudi Arabia are laughing at us behind our backs.

There is no question that we are at a critical juncture in American history. If we keep going down the path we're headed, we will lose our standing as the world's dominant superpower and our children will be inheriting a very different country than the one you and I grew up in.

I don't know if you've seen the advertisement from Citizens Against Government Waste in which a Chinese professor addresses a lecture hall full of students in the year 2030. He talks about great empires that have fallen throughout history, including Rome and the British Empire. Then he brings up the United States, citing that we turned our backs on the principles that made us a great nation. We tried to tax and spend ourselves out of a recession, and failed miserably in our healthcare reform. The professor notes that China owned most of our debt and utters the line, "Of course, they work for us now." This incites rousing laughter from the dozens of Chinese students in the room.

It's enough to give you a chill down your spine for one major reason. This is something that could easily happen if we continue going the way we're going. It's rooted in reality, not fantasy.

So how do we change course and prevent this from occurring? There are many things we need to do, but one action that must take place immediately is ending once and for all what I call the "doctrine of wimpism." It's time for America to start getting tough.

We continue to allow both OPEC and China to push us around. OPEC does whatever it wants when it comes to pricing oil, even cutting production to keep prices where they want them. They have never looked out for our interests, only for their own. You might say that you can't blame them, but here's the problem. We're the first ones to come to Saudi Arabia's need when they request security for the Arabian peninsula, or when they ask us to help innocent civilians in Libya. They call, and immediately we answer.

Yet when we asked them to help us in the past as astronomical oil prices squeezed American consumers, they refused. Can someone please explain to me how this works?

Look at it this way. Say you owned a company that specialized in providing security. You have a vendor from whom you purchase all your materials: weapons, armor, technological gadgets, etc. The vendor starts having some problems with thugs who are threatening his business, and comes to you for help. You gladly provide him with the security ne needs, at no charge. Why do you do this? Because you consider him a friend in need, and you are only too glad to help.

Then the unthinkable occurs. While you're providing free security to protect his business, he suddenly doubles the prices of everything he sells you. You ask why, and you suggest ways that he might be able to keep prices down. But he basically responds by saying, "This is the way it is, and there's nothing I can do about it."

Now, tell me what you would do? Would you continue to provide free security, all the while paying the massive price increases he just slapped you with? If so, then you're a fool. I would hope that you would stand up for yourself and do one of two things. You could either charge him for the security you're providing to offset the price increase, or pull out your security people and leave him to fend for his own. On top of that, you'd do whatever you could to find another way to obtain the supplies you need for your business.

As sad as it is to say, America is the fool providing free security while our vendor (in this case, for oil) continues to jack up the prices. I cannot fathom why we allow the Arabs to take advantage of us in this way. We need a leader who will stand up to them, someone who will say, "Pay us for the security we provide, or find your own security." Believe me, that will get their attention. They'll come to the negotiating table very quickly if we gave such an ultimatum.

Then there's China. As much as President Obama wants to believe it, China is no friend of the United States. They manipulate their currency, and they take our jobs and our businesses. Since the Chinese government tramples all over the rights of its citizens, labor there is very cheap (almost slave labor, in fact), and there are virtually no environmental regulations to deal with. But instead of calling them out on it, our president would rather hold sumptuous feasts at the White House in honor of the Chinese Prime Minister.

In a recent interview with Bill O'Reilly, Donald Trump said that he would slap China with a 25% tariff. That may sound a bit harsh, but I agree with Trump that something needs to be done. We're serving as the whipping post for the world, and if we don't start standing up for ourselves, the lashes will only increase in both frequency and severity.

O'Reilly dismissed Trump's tough talk, citing that there would be repercussions for any bullish action we take against OPEC and China. But what could they possibly do to us? Will the Saudis stop selling us oil? I doubt it. We're one of their biggest customers, and they need us as much as we need them. Will China start selling U.S. bonds? Go right ahead, I say. That will hurt them as much as it would hurt us, if not more.

Get ready to watch the GOP field assail Obama for his perceived weakness as the leader of the free world. With candidates like Donald Trump in the mix, there's sure to be a lot of talk about re-establishing America's image and standing as the world's dominant superpower. Even if Trump doesn't earn the nomination, he can have a major impact if his views resonate with voters. For the winner may have to take a long, hard look at Trump's positions and consider incorporating them into his or her own platform.

It's time to stand up, America. This isn't about being a bully or even a "tough guy." It's about standing up for yourself and making sure that others don't take advantage of you. It has more to do with being smart than being aggressive or forceful. We need to once again show the world who's in charge. If we don't, then someone else will seize our crown, most likely China. There's still time to ensure that the commercial from Citizens Against Government Waste is not prophetic, but we need to act and we need to act now. It's clear that our current leader is not the one to do it, so we're going to have to find one who will in 2012. I hope and pray that we do so.