In Winnie-the-Pooh, there is a significant moment when the bear is asked whether he wants honey or condensed milk with his bread. He replies “both”. You can get away with this sort of thing if you are a much loved character in children's literature. But it is more problematic when great nations start behaving in a childish fashion. When Americans are asked what they want – lower taxes, more lavish social spending or the world's best-funded military machine – their collective answer tends to be “all of the above”.
在《小熊维尼》(Winnie-the-Pooh)的故事里,有一个颇有意义的时刻——当有人问维尼是想在面包上抹蜂蜜还是炼乳时,他的回答是“两个都要”。如果你是儿童文学中深受人们喜爱的角色,这样做是没有任何问题的。但如果大国开始以孩子的方式行事,问题就严重得多。当美国人被问到想要什么——低税、更大方的社会支出或manbetx app苹果 资金最充足的军事机器——的时候,他们的集体回答往往是“全都要”。