At the end of day, we need a credible institution that has ability to lead an international response to global problems like nuclear proliferation, the horrifying spread of HIV-AIDS, economic and political rebuilding in war-torn regions, and worldwide poverty.
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It was a remarkably quick turn around with our relationships with Japan. Within two to three years we were rebuilding landing strips at airports that we had bombed a few months before. We forged what has been an enduring alliance with Japan. We went from them going from being one of our bitterest enemies to them being our ally. It was interesting how that was accomplished in almost no time at all.
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It is the neglect of timely repair that makes rebuilding necessary.
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But look what we have built low-income projects that become worse centers of delinquency, vandalism and general social hopelessness than the slums they were supposed to replace. Cultural centers that are unable to support a good bookstore. Civic centers that are avoided by everyone but bums. Promenades that go from no place to nowhere and have no promenaders. Expressways that eviscerate great cities. This is not the rebuilding of cities. This is the sacking of cities.
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people are going to have to draw on their inner strength like we've never, ever had to do before. It's going to be, in some neighborhoods, total rebuilding.
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And if citizens of New Orleans who are really contemplating coming back heard that we're really intent upon making the place secure again - regardless of whether the levees held or not - then I think a rebuilding process would really take shape.
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The fact is we can only love what we know personally. And we cannot know much. In public affairs, in the rebuilding of civilization, something less dramatic and emotional is needed, namely tolerance.
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There will be a lot of rebuilding that is going to need to occur. These things do spur GDP growth.
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