Special Providence_ American Foreign Policy and How It Changed World - Walter Russell Mead

306 SPECIALPROVIDENCE

IMFFund,butwithoutcongressionalvotesonappropriations,hecannot
deliverthesubstancetobackuphiswords.Thepresidentcanproclaim
Americanacceptanceofthe"threeno's"ofTaiwanpolicy(noindepend-
enceforTaiwan,noU.S.recognitionofTaiwanasoneoftwoChinas,and
noTaiwanesemembershipasa sovereignnationinany international
organization)whenvisitingChina,burcongressionalresolutionsandthe
slowpassagethroughthelegislativemachineofproposalsliketheTai-
wanSecurityEnhancementbillmakea mockeryofhisclaimtolaydown
permanent,fixedAmericanpolicyonthisissue.
Intheenda presidentwithoutcongressionalbackingmustgovern
likea Stuartking:Heconfineshisobjectivesasfaraspossibletothenar-
rowsetofactionsthatrequireneithernewmoneynoranaffirmativecon-
gressionalvote.Inextremis,liketheStuartkingswhooftentookmoney
fromFrancetosupportgovernmentexpensesthatParliamentwouldn't
support,presidentswithoutcongressionalsupportmaylooktoforeign
countriestosupporttheirforeignpolicies-asReagansoughttoraise
moneyfortheNicaraguancontras.
Facedwithanexecutiveusingeveryresourceathandtofrustratecon-
gressionalmandatesandcountercongressionalwishes,legislatorssearch
foropportunitiestoexertcontroloverexecutivepolicy.TheCongress
attachesriderstounrelatedbills,holdsupambassadorialnominations,
requiresannualreviewsandreports,andusesallofits considerablepow-
ersofobstructionanddelaytoforcetheexecutivetoterms.

ForeignPolicyandtheGeorgeW.BushAdministration

Thepresidentialelectionof2000,theclosestandmostcontroversial

Americanelectioninmorethana century,waslargelydeterminedbyfor-

eignpolicyquestions.In 1996 Clintonwon240,000votesfromCuban

Americans,or 43 percentofthetota1.^24 AngeredbyClinton'sreturnof

six-year-oldCuban refugee ElianGonzalez tohis father's custodyin

Cuba,followinga highlypublicizedbattleinthecourtsandthemedia,

andunappeasedbybothVicePresidentGore'sineffectualeffortstodis-

associate himselffrom the administration position and Sen.Joseph

Lieberman'sdesperateelection-evepilgrimageto,literally,prayatthe

tombofJoseMasCanosa,controversialfounderandlong-timeleaderof

theanti-CastroCubanAmericanNationalFoundation,CubanAmeri-

cansshifteddecisivelyinto theRepublicancolumn.Gorereceivedless