One-Upmanship

Like most Americans, I studiously avoid the Republican Candidates' Debates. "I'll take your wall along the border and raise you to a double wall!" "I'll take your double wall and electrify it plus I'll add an alligator-filled moat!" "Oh yeah, I'll make high school students clean up the school lavatories to teach them the value of work!" "That's nothing, I'll make them do it on their knees with toothbrushes!" I got my fill of one-upmanship on the schoolyards of my youth.

Sometimes though, juvenile one-upmanship goes beyond mildly amusing to dangerous. Rick Perry stated in Monday's debate that the US should eliminate all aid to long-time ally Turkey and kick it out of NATO because it is ruled by Islamic terrorists. Top that for being tough against Islamofascism, Mitt, Newt, Rick S., or Ron.

The Turkish government immediately condemned Perry's allegations as "unfounded and inappropriate". The US State Department responded, "We absolutely and fundamentally disagree with (Perry's) assessment." Well, for the time being, anyway . If Rick Perry becomes President, Turkey automatically becomes infested with Islamic terrorists because he said so and State Department folks don't want to lose their jobs. How many lost their jobs by disagreeing whether Saddam had Weapons of Mass Destruction because George W. said so?

Alas, it is human nature to live up to other's opinion of you. "You say I'm an obnoxious bully? I'll act like one." The Turkish government might reply, "You say I'm ruled by Islamic terrorists? I'll throw out NATO missle bases keeping an eye on Russia. I'll open my border with Iraq so arms can flow in. Gee, I border Syria, too. Maybe, I'll stir up the pot there. What kind of Islamist terrorist nation would I be without threatening Israel? That always gets a rise out of you guys."

One-upmanship is best left on the schoolyards and out of international relations.