re: What is radically different about Bush's tone, words, or policies??
The policy of preemption.
This is probably your best point, but it also comes under radically different circumstances.
The marginalization of our institutions, especially NATO and the UN.
They are not much more or less marginalized then they where before.
The total disregard of financial responsibility, especially as we approach the retirement of baby boomers.
Poor fiscal discipline is nothing new let alone radically different.
Turning most of the world from totally sympathetic to our cause into thinking we are the most dangerous country in the world.
The opinions of other people are not the actions or policies of Bush. If we assume that this has indeed happen it still wouldn't be an answer to the question.
Not getting revenge for 9/11.
1 - Not an answer to the question.
2 - Not true, there has been plenty of revenge.
3 - What would you, or Clinton, or Gore, or Kerry or anyone else have done differently and how would the results have been greatly different and more positive it terms of getting revenge for 9/11.
800+ plus soldiers deaths, 10,000+ Iraqi civilian deaths.
Again not an answer to the question, and also much smaller numbers then in the wars that many previous presidents have gotten the US in to.
Deficit producing tax cuts where 80% of the benefit goes to the richest 10% of the people.
1 - The real deficit producers where the spending increases and the economic slowdown that had already started under Clinton and was accelerated by 9/11. Even if you assume that tax cuts cause no additional economic activity and thus no tax revenue (a silly assumption) the tax cuts would only be a small part of the deficit.
2 - Tax cuts, and deficits for that matter are nothing new. And since the rich pay most of the taxes the benefits of tax cuts go mostly to the rich again nothing new.
Sowing fear for political gain
1 - Nothing new or radically different.
2 - You haven't even established that Bush has done this.
Other then Iraq there really is nothing vaguely radical about Bush's policies, and even Iraq really isn't radically different from some of the other wars the US has been involved in.
Tim |
