Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum - Identical Twins?

Stephen Zunes, professor, editor and author, reminds us that when it comes to foreign policy the choice between Democrats and Republicans isn't much of a choice.

The administration has relied largely on force rather than diplomacy. It has shown a willingness to violate international legal norms, a callousness regarding massive civilian casualties, a dismissive attitude toward our closest allies whose security interests we share, and blatant double standards on U.N. Security Council resolutions, nonproliferation issues and human rights.

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The Democratic Party could have seized upon these tragic miscalculations by the Bush administration to enhance its political standing and help steer America’s foreign policy in a more rational and ethical direction. Sadly, the Democrats instead once again overwhelmingly threw their support behind President George W. Bush.

Zune, citing selective polls, dismisses public opinion pressures as well as campaign fundraising among American Jews as explanations for the Republocrat's foreign policy decisions and instead suggests the more lucrative (campaign fundraising...) defense contractor's lobby and lack of back pressure from leftist groups like moveon.org.

I don't know that I completely agree with him. It seems to me that all of the above are reasonable explanations for Congressional Democratic lockstep marching on issues of foreign policy in the Middle East. But I do agree with his conclussion:

In other words, the Democratic Party’s support for Israel’s attacks on Lebanon is consistent with its disdain for international law and human rights elsewhere and its defiance of public opinion on other foreign policy issues. It is not, therefore, something that can simply be blamed on “the Zionist lobby.” Rather, it indicates that the Democrats’ worldview is essentially the same as that of the Republicans.

Ever since Ralph Nader publically pronounced that there is no meaningful difference between Dems and GOPers during his 2000 campaign the Democrats that I know have clearly taken great offense at such suggestions. And in terms of domestic policy they make a good case in rebutting such charges. But, it seems to me that the last five years have shown us all that the far greater long-term threat to our national interests lays with foreign policy rather than domestic policy.

Let's take just one of the much vaunted domestic policy planks of the Democrats - raising the minimum wage. Where is the wisdom... the net gain for Americans to put Dems into office who would then raise the minimum wage only to have to send some of the very sons and daughters it's intended to benefit off to fight future wars that stem from the foreign policy choices of those same Dems? When the inevitable body bags return are those parents going to rejoice that at least their son or daughter could have made more money if they hadn't had to go die in a foreign land?