Considering the breadth of the Bush foreign policy results in 7+ years, it’s really quite shocking. And John McCain is making a continuation of Bushpolitik the centerpiece of his campaign. I’d advise you to have an antacid and an anti-depressant at the ready before you read the list:

Iraq: obviously the worst blundering war fought in US history, or at least since the War of 1812. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis dead, millions displaced, and when the long-expected move against the Mahdi army was made, the thin tissue of lies about the effectiveness of The Surge was ripped irreparably. Saddam was knocked from power within six weeks and captured in 9 months, and the war of occupation has continued for 4 years and 3 months since. Bad choices, bribery, crooked contracts, censorship, billions of dollars missing, soldiers without protective gear, stop-loss indentured servitude of soldiers, a ban on photographs of caskets, torture, rape, murder… what’s left to like besides the genuine efforts of most frontline troops to fight and rebuild, and their tragic sacrifices? Nothing.

Iran: a nutball president and a thocracy behind the throne, but a country where more than three quarters would prefer American freedoms and lifestyles. The government’s a big supporter of anti-Israel fighters like Hezbollah and Hamas, and has utilized outlawed weapons. With insufficient evidence, similar to the fakery used to justify Iraq, Bush has sought a defensible course to go to war with Iran, and may yet do so, blaming every failure in Iraq on Iran, for example. Evidence remains minimal for every charge made and repeated by the corporate media.

North Korea: the third in the Evil Axis Bush defined, they ultimately had a successful nuclear test before trading its nukes for economic support from Bush. But now they’re straggling, in their promise to disarm its nuclear weapons. Thus they remain a severe danger.

Afghanistan: the Taliban was pushed from power, but the warlord divisions offered a throwback to equally repressive social constructs in most of the nation. Women and children are still badly repressed. And the Taliban has regrouped and made the country more dangerous than it was at the outset, for US troops. Plus, it was in this country where Al Qaida’s leaders slipped through Bush’s fingers. Since our invasion, it’s set record levels of opium production which provides most of the global supply of heroin.

Pakistan: Bush backed the corrupt military dictator, Musharraf, with billions in aid. Then pushed to get Bhutto back in for democratic elections. She’s dead and the elections effectively ended his rule. The Pakistani scientist responsible for most of the world’s nuclear proliferation remains unpunished for spreading the technology to North Korea, Iran, Libya and more. And it’s believed Al Qaida’s top two guys reside in Pakistan’s wilderness.

India: Bush made a deal with the world’s second largest country that permits them to avoid nuclear limitation treaties.

Russia: slowed down the destruction of its nuclear stockpile, and it’s moved away from an era of cooperation to a more contentious country like it used to be on numerous international issues.

China: How ’bout them Tibetans? Still Communist, but with a more capitalist economic engine under the hood, it now vies with Russia to challenge us on international issues, especially in Middle East initiatives.

Indonesia: When struck by a catastrophic tsunami, one of the top 3 deadliest natural disasters in recorded human history, Bush offered paltry aid initially. It took actress Sandra Bullock providing a million dollars to get the aid spigot flowing as an embarrassed Bush upped the original amount and got his Dad and Bill Clinton to lead the fundraising effort afterward to help cover his initial miserliness.

Saudi Arabia: closed down the US bases there, just as Osama Bin Laden demanded. One of the most repressive societies on the face of the Earth, it spawned Al Qaida, and Bush walks around with its royalty, holding their hands.

Libya: sponsored the bombing of the PanAm flight to Lockerbie, Scotland that killed over 200, including Americans, yet Bush lifted economic sanctions against them and welcomed Gaddafi as a new friend to our country.

Somalia: Considered the world’s most lawless region, it’s a terror breeder that Bush hasn’t confronted as Clinton did.

Sudan/Darfur: the genocide continues.

Syria: in league with Iran in creating trouble for Israel, especially within Lebanon, Bush regularly rattles sabres at it, and nothing more. And Lebanon still hasn’t replaced its president, which Bush blames Syria for.

Israel/Palestine: After years of benign neglect and outright hostility to the Palestinians, now demands the peace process move forward, without any new initiatives. Just the demand that the Palestinians give everything that Israel wants.

Europe: after insulting staunch allies like France and Germany about Iraq, he’s grown conciliatory. But British forces stand by, refusing to get involved in the current Basra showdown. And the Euro has replaced the dollar as the world’s preferred currency.

Canada: now Americans need visas to travel there and those arrested in political demonstrations here are locked from travelling there.

Mexico: Soured his once solid relationship with its president.

Columbia: despite more aid, the ongoing war on drugs remains a colossal failure.

The rest of South America: the rise of more socialist American-government-hating governments has occurred in the Western Hemisphere under Bush than under all US presidents combined.

I’m sure I’ve left out more. And I add that, his aid to the rest of Africa has been the highwater mark of his foreign policy. Yet it’s also important to note his rejection of the Geneva Convention, the ending of an anti-nuclear treaty, his suspense of due process and habeus corpus, his illegal wiretapping of innocent citizens and his novel defenses of the use of torture have also been part of his foreign policy record.

And Osama Bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri have never been caught.

The continuation of this is John McCain’s pledge to you for four more years.