What Diplomacy?

After Bush all but declared war last night, ABC followed it with a two hour extended report titled When Diplomacy Fails. I looked up the meaning of diplomacy just to make certain that it means what I thought it means and sure enough, the definition is:

1. the art and practice of conducting negotiations between nations
2. skill in handling affairs without arousing hostility

The first definition may apply what our government has been doing (although I question the art aspect of it) but the second definition is the exact opposite of what Bush has been doing - he has been extremely successful in arousing hostility everywhere.

I really have not seen any sincere efforts by his administration to engage our foes diplomatically - we refuse to talk with North Korea, for crying out loud! How do you conduct negotiations without talking with your opponent? Diplomacy, in the Bush administration, means convincing our allies into agreeing with our way of doing things. "Failed diplomacy" is not causing Bush to wage war against Iraq, it simply means that he does it without the world's blessing. I think true international diplomacy here has been pretty much absent ever since the Bush regime took over.

Ironically enough, ABC's special preempted Miracles a fictional show about strange events "which may point to a frightening and deadly "large event" that is coming…"