Sure, I worry whether Kerry is up to the task -- but you better define what the "task" is.
Bush has been trying to intertwine the Iraq issue with the war on Terrorism in a way that obscures their nation building agenda. Iraq wasn't a haven for terrorists - certainly not more so than Syria, Libya, Iran, Sudan, or Saudi Arabia. Iraq was a launching pad for a much bigger empire building plan that went something like this:
(preface this with the supposition that the planners of the Iraq debacle assumed they would be welcomed by open arms and no real resistance)
- rid Iraq of Saddam
- get a nice functioning society going with a leadership that was kindly to the US and unafraid to use internal police powers (damn any human rights abuses) to keep internal terrorist development at bay
- threaten other countries in the region with same
- sit back and collect the rewards.
But of course, the opposition to a US dominated M.E. is fierce and simply is not going away. Not now, not ever, not at the point of our weapons. Welcome to endless guerilla warfare and a widening conflict, thanks to the catalyst provided to terrorists throughout the region.
As I've been slowly outlining here, I can not support the "mission" which Bush and his - can't even call them neocon because that isn't strictly accurate - inner circle envison.
As a "democrat" (a staunch supporter of democracy, not a democrat in the liberal persuasion) I am completely against governments making big lies to the people. The people, if given the facts, will generally make the right decision. When a small group of people believe they know more than the collective wisdom of hundreds of millions of others, democracy has broken down.
Bush failed in this very important test. Forget "global test" he fails the national test of confidence. They concocted a reason to go into Iraq to support their secret mission and goal for the region. It was a flawed plan which the world will pay for over the years to come.
Is Kerry up to the task? I honestly do not know if anyone is up to the task of correcting the wrongs which Bush has started, but there is one thing for certain - the current administration must be called to account, they must be replaced, and we'll have to hope that the people will send that message very clearly so that Congress and the beauracracy can get behind the new leader and make something work.
No half-assed support.
Enough of this for me for now, its back to trading, golds made a nice dip which I am participating in on the bounce. |
