Financial talk

CAN YOU TELL ME WHICH LETTER IS BETTER…THE FIRST ONE OR THE SECOND ONE? WHICH ONE SHOULD I HAND IN? THE SECOND ONE IS A REVISED ONE OF THE FIRST. SO WHAT DO YOU THINK? I had to write a letter as Niccolo Machiavelli to a modern politician and I chose George W. Bush. Machiavelli’s principles go well beyond his own age. People have used them as a way of making sense of our own world too. Imagine that you are Machiavelli and want to give advice to a modern politician, whether the President of the United States, your senator, or the mayor of your town. Suggest how this leader might carry out his or her policies using Machiavellian principles. When you revise your letter, make sure you have not only given advice but also have supported it with convincing arguments. FIRST LETTER!!!!!!!! President George W. Bush The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington DC 20500 Dear Mr. President: I am writing to impart to upon you some advice that I hope you will appreciate. The State should not answer to morality. As a leader, you will only be weakened by worrying about what the public believes is morally responsible. You must first focus on your ambitions. There are no wrong ways to obtain such ends; do whatever is necessary to be successful. If it be war, then fight. If diplomacy is financially better for your nation then so be it, but never answer to the public. They do not know what is in their best interest. Remember, a great leader rules with respect and fear. I write mostly to you in reference to your failure with the war and subsequent occupation you have waged in Iraq. You are a major power and therefore, to truly dominate, you must use all available resources. Currently, the United States’ commitment is only great enough to ensure continuing chaos and humiliation, considering the colossal expense and declining public support. It seems to me that, at this point, U.S. interests would be better served by installing an authoritarian leader who will work with the U.S., rather than persisting with the farce of trying to build a democracy out of what is left of Iraq. There is no need to feign sympathy for the civilian and military lives being lost on both sides. If you really believe defeating Iraq is the answer, find a better way to do it. If all you seek is their oil, then simply take access to their oil, and have no qualms about doing so. Stop listening to the masses. Do what you need to do in order to achieve your goal. Therefore, take Iraq at all costs. Stop wasting money and act as you see fit, regardless of public opinion and perceived statistical rationality based only on general consensus. Act now, before you lose power. And with these words, Mr. President, I sincerely hope you will correct past mistakes, and revive your nation to what it once was: Land of the Free, Home of the Brave, and the Leader of the Modern World. Respectfully yours, Niccolo Machiavelli SECOND LETTER!!!!!! President George W. Bush The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington DC 20500 Dear Mr. President: Though no citizen of your country, I am writing to impart upon you some timeless advice. That you are aware of the principles of governance is implicit from your education, and that you have successfully applied the principles of politics is proven your accession to power. Lest you forget that these principles apply equally in democracies as in principalities, I will here offer you some specific advice. Bear in mind that God's expectations of you as President of the United States of America, as its commander-in-chief, and as Leader of the Free World may differ radically from anything your Sunday school teachers contemplated. The State has its own morality. In your position, your concern for what the public believes is a calculation to increase your power and the power of the State. Maintain your focus on the ends of State, namely the security and prosperity of its citizens, and only pretend to conform to their moral concerns. These citizens consistently vote for their factional self-interest, to the limited extent they know it, and no honest politician respects their sentiments. Do cultivate your image, bearing in mind that public opinion is a means to power. Maintain good governance as your goal. At this stage of your term, your policies should be coordinated with those of your successor. Your policies can determine your successor. The voters expect and discount your public support of John McCain's campaign. Orient your incumbent administration to implementing McCain's policies. This will draw Democrat venom to your lame duck administration and pave the way for his success. You will not be helping McCain implement bad policies but guiding his implementation of sound policies. The United States is leading a war against Islamic triumphalism. For a prince, to be feared is better than to be loved. For a president, to be loved for addressing fears is better yet. Your success in protecting the West from direct assaults has dulled the people's fear. Big media can be your ally in educating America of the threats from Hugo Chavez, Kim Jong il, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Cultivate Russia and China. Your occupation of Iraq is unpopular everywhere. The United States is compared to Zionist Israel, and the Iraqi people to the Palestinians. You're in too deep to withdraw before your term ends, but recognize that the U.S. occupation has become an obstacle to pacification and make plans for withdrawal. World peace and prosperity depend on a stable, oil-exporting Iraq. The Iraqis need another generation to prepare for democracy, and authoritarian Shia rule will follow U.S. withdrawal. Build up the Iraqi police and military. For the sake of relations with Sunni Africa and Arabia, McCain must distance the U.S., before the Iraqi government "disarms" its "criminal" opponents. Just a word to the wise, Mr. President. Your servant seeks only to remind you of the universal principles of governance, which you know already. Keep the "consent of the governed" willing. Respectfully yours, Niccolò Machiavelli