American Politics during the Bush Presidency

[QUOTE=Sidney]In many ways, these Liberal Dreamers are so similar----oratorical skills, youth, attractive wife, the best schools, ''great'' new ideas, etc. And most importantly, incredible BULLSHIT! I / we, the youth of the time, were totally ''enraptured'' with JFK. But with much with study and listening to many older wiser, experienced men of the day, I began to realize my earlier, youthful foolishness. And I voted against JFK. But JFK was elected. He became one of the worst Presidents of our lifetimes. How short are our memories? Now, comes Obomba (sic) with many, many, many more deficiencies than JFK, and the people are so excited with his oratorical skills and BULLSHIT! God, help us if he is elected! ---------Depressed Sid[/QUOTE]Don't fret "Depressed Sid"! My guess is that Obama is pretty much part of the "machine" as anybody else. It is impossible to get elected if one is not. While he won't be as beholding to to some of the same special interests as the Bushies, he will still have to answer to others. Changes will be moderate in nature and not earth shattering. For all the talk about how "liberal" he is, his background is one of pragmatism and compromise. I would be satisfied if he got rid of the designated hitter rule, loosened up the travel restrictions to Cuba and had Scalia quarrentined. Anything else would be gravy.

[QUOTE=Daddy Rulz]"Unlike Senator Obama, my admiration, respect and deep gratitude for America's veterans is something more than a convenient campaign pledge."

Except of course when it comes to voting yes on a bill that would allow them to build a better life after their service to our country. I will show my gratitude by making it harder for them to get an education thereby limiting their options and continuing to serve?

Oh yes and don't forget extending enlistments. I am so grateful to them for their service that we will extend their term of service beyond what they contracted for, can't you see we love these fine young men and women and their hillbilly armor.[/QUOTE]McCain's reason for originally supporting a competing bill was simple, and based on the idea of an all-volunteer military: If you make it very lucrative for a soldier to leave the service, he will. The military needs to keep some of its enlistees to form the basis for a permanent standing force. A proper balance has to be struck between appropriate educational benefits and a professional army. Reasonable men can disagree on this, as Senators Webb and McCain did, and without partisan rancor much to the credit of those two men. I find it unfortunate that the Obama campaign needed to turn this into a ludicrous personal attack on the only man in the race who has ever truly fought for me.

And as for that contract business, every contract I ever signed (along with all my peers) has language in it that means I am in it for the duration if the needs of the service demand it. Enlisting in the military is not the same thing as signing on to be an independent contractor for a business.

[QUOTE=Andres]"10 years from now, when all the dust from the Iraq ad Afghan wars be settled, it will be painfully clear that the US wouldn't be neither safer or unsafer from a terrorist point of view than at 2001."[/QUOTE]As somebody whose hometown was actually attacked on that day, I remember not only the black smoke rising over everything, but also that [b]everyone [/b]agreed that it was only a matter of days/weeks/months until the enemy would make similar spectacular attacks.

It has been no coincidence that there have been no further attacks in the US. It is only because the US government, led by the man the left hates so much, has worked tirelessly to destroy terrorists where ever they are. Harry S Truman was also hated by many small-minded people when he left office in 1953; his "popularity ratings" were similar to the current President. How has history treated HST?

[quote=Andres] blah blah blah "will have amassed huge profits thanks to that perfectly planned hysteria"[/QUOTE]When somebody tries to kill me and my countrymen or make us convert to Fundamentalist Islam as part of a Worldwide Caliphate under the control of Muslim imams, it's not "perfectly planned hysteria." It's called war.

[quote=Andres]Finally, I'm afraid that the 8-year Bush tenure in power has become such a financial failure for public accounts (commercial and budgetary) that only by chance the US will return to the January 2000 figures.[/QUOTE]Somebody from Argentina, of all places, should think twice before writing about how bad America's economy is. 60 years ago Argentina was one of the wealthiest countries in the world. How does it compare now? Perhaps yet another multi-billion dollar handout/rescue plan from the United States coming soon? Maybe that will get Argentina back into the Top 50! (Don't worry, Argentina is still ahead of Paraguay. A little. ;) )

[QUOTE=Jackson]Hi HairBalderman,

I disagree completely, and I believe that history will show that George Bush did what had to be done without regard to it's immediate popularity. For example, Bush knew that for our own defense we needed to take the fight to Al Queda by invading a country directly in the middle of their hornet's nest, effectively sticking a finger right up their ass.

Of course, you can't acknowledge that your strategy was to use another country as a battleground in your own war, so you disguise it as a liberation. The net effect is that you create a magnet for the rabid dogs, luring them into fighting [u]our[/u] [u]army[/u] [u]on[/u] [u]foreign[/u] [u]soil[/u], thus keeping them occupied and deflecting their attention from attacking our homeland.

Bush knew that the invasion that was needed to cover the real strategy would prove to be politically unpopular, but he did it because it need to be done. Of course, there's nothing to be ashamed about having liberated 36 million people from the subjugation of a homicidal maniac, and for having brought democracy to a country and a region, but it will take 10 to 20 years before people understand that it was the correct thing to do.

Thanks,

Jackson[/QUOTE]I'm sure there is or will be shortly a 7 Step Program for recovering Republicans. One of the steps has to be Overcoming Denial. This ranks right up there with Elvis sightings, believing in Santa Claus and accounts of Martian Invasion sightings on page 8 of the New York Post. George Bush, Secret Man of Vision. ROTFL if it wasn't so tragic. The 650,000 plus Iraqi who died since the US invasion would be clapping their hands too if they weren't dead from being "liberated".

[QUOTE=Sidney] From personal experience and observing other young Black men in GA, I must suspect that Obomba (sic) was ''given'' much of the same treatment and privileges and treatment all through his schooling!---Not impressed, Sid[/QUOTE]Sydney, old sport, Good to see you posting your own thoughts instead of someone else's. So all this venom about Obama comes through your own personal experience with black people in Georgia of all places and your suspicion that Obama might of been given special privileges because he was black. Not knowledge mind you but "suspect". I think you've got a dog in this hunt and it's called racism. What do you think Syd?

[QUOTE=Bacchus9]I think you've got a dog in this hunt and it's called racism. What do you think Syd?[/QUOTE]If you actually knew Sidney as well as I do, you would be laughing at your own stupidity in making that comment, B9.

[QUOTE=Hunt99]As somebody whose hometown was actually attacked on that day, I remember not only the black smoke rising over everything.

When somebody tries to kill me and my countrymen or make us convert to Fundamentalist Islam as part of a Worldwide Caliphate under the control of Muslim imams, it's not "perfectly planned hysteria." It's called war.

Somebody from Argentina, of all places, should think twice before writing about how bad America's economy is. 60 years ago Argentina was one of the wealthiest countries in the world. How does it compare now? Perhaps yet another multi-billion dollar handout / rescue plan from the United States coming soon? Maybe that will get Argentina back into the Top 50! (Don't worry, Argentina is still ahead of Paraguay. A little.;))[/QUOTE]Hunt, the smoke looked more grey to me that day. Maybe it was just where I was standing.

I think Andres meant the "perfectly planned hysteria" that came after you'd been killed and converted to Fundamentalist Islam as part of a Worldwide Caliphate under the control of Muslim Imams. You know after Bush declared victory on that ship the Navy floated off the California beaches for him so he'd look good.

How very Republican of you to try to belittle Andres for speaking about the obvious state of the US economy. Nothing to say about his mother or sister? Come on man, don't hold back, you're a Republican.

[QUOTE=Hunt99]If you actually knew Sidney as well as I do, you would be laughing at your own stupidity in making that comment, B9.[/QUOTE]When you're too close to something Hunt you can't see the forest for the trees.

[QUOTE=Dickhead]As Bush gets ready to leave office, I think it's important we consider his many accomplishments:

1) Creating the stupidest war since the Spanish-American War.

2) Running the economy into the toilet.

3) Increasing unemployment to mid-term record levels.

4) Eroding basic civil and privacy rights.

5) Running the dollar into the toilet.

6) Lying, weaseling, evading responsibility, and also did I mention weaseling?

I forget what else. Oh yeah, having his drunken slutty daughters come to Buenos Aires.

But that's just the bad stuff. On the positive side he, umm, he umm,

Help me out here.

"Vote Obama: Half Honky, All Donkey"[/QUOTE]Like the 'half honky, all donkey quote.

#8 - Throwing the constitution in the toilet by violating any and all civil liberties he could.

Suerte.

Stowe

[QUOTE=Doggboy]Don't fret "Depressed Sid"! My guess is that Obama is pretty much part of the "machine" as anybody else. It is impossible to get elected if one is not. While he won't be as beholding to to some of the same special interests as the Bushies, he will still have to answer to others. Changes will be moderate in nature and not earth shattering. For all the talk about how "liberal" he is, his background is one of pragmatism and compromise. I would be satisfied if he got rid of the designated hitter rule, loosened up the travel restrictions to Cuba and had Scalia quarrentined. Anything else would be gravy.[/QUOTE]Doggboy,

Very, very sad but unfortunately, probably very true. Neither party has the balls to discuss AND fix the real problems in this country. The nation debt, social security (keep it but increase taxes AND a gradual reduction of benefits) medicare, global warming, the energy problem.

If we were still a "can-do" country we could solve the energy problem within 15 years. If we devoted the talent and money to it as we did the Manhattan and Apollo projects. Solar, wind and fuel cell technology could be prefected within 15 years if the amount of money and research spent on the other 2 projects were done to solve this issue.

T Boone Picken's plan would be a step in that direction until we could perfect the other options.

But we are no longer a 'can-do' country. All politicians talk about, when they are not making lying promises to us, are the issues that inflame.

IMHO.

Suerte.

Stowe