The War on Realism

Neoconservatives have never been fans of realism, but these last few days have seen a resurgence of ideological ax grinding. Here's Jonathan Tobin:

Though the administration’s spin masters are trying to avoid painting the president as a cynical observer who couldn’t care less about the beastly behavior of his proposed “engagement” partner, the meaning of his failure to speak out is becoming more and more obvious. After six months in office, it is time to face up to the fact that what Americans got when they elected Barack Obama last November is the second term of the first President George Bush’s foreign policy.

The first Bush presidency was, of course, the heyday of foreign policy “realism.” It was the elder Bush who was unmoved by the Tiananmen Square massacre. Making a stink about the snuffing out of a movement for Chinese liberty would have interfered with his friendship with the Beijing gerontocracy behind the slaughter. And it was the elder Bush who opposed freedom for the Baltic states and Ukraine when the Soviet Empire was tottering.

I'm not really sure if Tobin is serious here. Just to recap: the realist elder Bush successfully, and peacefully, wound down the Cold War and helped reunify Germany. The younger Bush initiated a war and long-term occupation of Iraq which has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people and billions of dollars spent.

But realism is bad.