The Zimmer Doctrine
Page 19
“Is this what led you to give your speech at the United Nations where you basically accused the world of taking advantage of America’s goodwill?”
Zimmer smiled patiently. “I believe if you go back and listen to what I said, you’ll find that I pointed a finger at the world, but I also told the world that America would have to take a long look at itself in the mirror. You see, Ken, we’ve done a lot of good things around the world. We’ve helped countries that wanted and needed our help. But we’ve also made some big mistakes. One of the most egregious is that we’ve tried to implement our own ideology in cultures and settings that would probably be better served in a different way.”
“Could you give us an example, Mr. President?” Wick felt the reins slipping out of his hands. Zimmer was good. More than that, Wick saw that it wasn’t bullshit. The president really believed his convictions.
“The best example is one we've given serious thought to. For a long time, we’ve tried to bring democracy to the world. We have waved the flag of freedom and promised a new life if only countries would embrace the American political model. But, here’s the problem. We’re all different. What works here may not work in a developing country. They may not be ready or they may not have the capability to run things the way we do. Their leadership may say they’re ready because we’ve promised all this aid, but maybe, just maybe, we should look deeper and spend more time listening to their needs. Perhaps they have the answer and we need to stop placing our beliefs on them. You can’t make a centuries-old system change, but you can plant the seeds of freedom and tolerance and then work with that country’s people to see what grows. I’m here to say that we’ve been wrong in the past, and we’ll undoubtedly be wrong in the future. However, as long as I am president, I will seek to do what is right, rather than what is popular.”
“I think we’ve heard that line countless times before, Mr. President. Don’t you think it’s a little naive to imagine a world where everyone lives by the Golden Rule?”
The president stared at him for a long moment and smiled again.
“It might make me appear naive, Ken, but I’d rather be naive and hopeful than bitter and vengeful. Imagine what would happen if politicians truly took their constituents’ best interests at heart and stopped using scare tactics to sway votes.”
“That’s a bold thing to say considering you have a re-election coming up.”
Zimmer shrugged like he didn’t care.
“Believe what you want, Ken, but I’m taking my administration to task and I'm requesting that Congress work with me on this. It won’t be easy but I think it’s the right thing to do.”
Wick thought he saw an in, but the clock in the corner informed him he had time to address only one more subject.
“One last question, Mr. President. How do you think this new approach bodes for your chances of re-election?”
President Zimmer’s smile was even wider this time.
“I guess we’ll just have to see.”
+++++
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Epilogue