Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch Message Board

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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch

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To: michael97123 who wrote (72874)	2/25/2005 1:32:57 PM
From: stockman_scott	Read Replies (3) of 89467

Mike: Thanks for the post...I don't clearly identify with one political party...I'm still registered as "an Independent"...Over the years I have voted for candidates from BOTH parties and from a third party...When I was in college in Maine I was a big supporter of Republican William Cohen -- an alum from my school and an excellent Senator who Clinton selected to be his Secretary of Defense. Later on I really respected and admired Maine's other senior Senator -- George Mitchell (another alum from my school)....Mitchell is a bridge builder and a very sophisticated thinker...He went on to become the Senate Majority Leader. Clinton was NOT perfect and those that were posting on SI back in the late 90s know I was quite critical of him at times....On the other hand, Bill Clinton was very bright and had the intellectual curiousity and charisma to be a great president (I would put John F. Kennedy in this category too). Clinton surrounded himself with bright folks and he was admired around the world. GW Bush demonstrated in his first term that he was all about loyalty and letting Cheney and Rove run the show. I got input on what Bush and Rove were "really like" from a family friend who was an interim President of The American Red Cross right after 9/11. Bush is not very sophisticated and doesn't like to really dig in and understand tough issues -- he prefers to be briefed on everything and once he makes up his mind then he doesn't like to re-visit decisions (this was a fatal flaw when you look at the NeoCONS drive to go to war with Iraq)...a strong president who was an independent thinker would have told his VP and his head of the CIA that he wanted much more evidence about the "imminent threat" that may force a president to make a decision that could cause thousands to lose their lives and change the course of history...Clinton and J F Kennedy would have agonized over this type of decision and I'm quite confident they both would not have bought into the NeoCONs propoganda...Bush's father had a National Security Advisor that GW Bush should have listened to -- Brent Scowcroft is a very wise and experienced man who cautioned the nation about rushing into Iraq (and stirring up a hornets nest). The bottom line is I don't like a President who doesn't read much and outsources most of the deep thinking to those on the radical right....If a President is a Democrat or a Republican they should have VERY WELL DEVELOPED critical thinking skills...They should encourage debate and seek out alternative perspectives...I like how Bush's father was eventually willing to RAISE taxes when our country's fiscal integrity depended on making the tough decisions...GW Bush and Cheney are rigid and don't seem to ever acknowledge the impact of making their tax cuts permanent (Bob Rubin spoke eloquently about this on C-SPAN over the weekend)...Bush and Cheney also don't understand the new scientific findings on Global Warming and the impact of their dramatic cutbacks at the EPA...Even Richard Nixon had more favorable domestic policies than GW Bush (he was a big believer in protecting the environment and the EPA flourished while he was our leader). The bottom line is I look for the best talent out there...In my lifetime our country has very rarely nominated and elected the best qualified candidates...GW Bush was not successful in the business world and has been bailed out by family friends over the years...If the mainstream media and most voters in our country had really CAREFULLY examined Bush's track record as governor they would not have elected him as president the first time around. Yet, it is shocking to me that he was elected again this past November...It's partly due to the fact that Kerry/Edwards did not run a strong campaign...Yet, I think "a wartime President", the shock of 9/11, The Swiftboat Vets, and Karl Rove's dirty tricks actually helped Mr. Bush the most...Many of my friends in Europe and Asia can't understand why Americans wanted 4 more years of Bush...We currently have the most unpopular president we may have ever had...Bush didn't want to conduct an open town hall meeting in Germany this week (and the Germans wouldn't allow one of Rove's scripted and pre-screened events)...I really am upset with how Bush has conducted foreign policy -- our nation has to lead by example and when many other nations around the world lose their respect for our leader we have real problems. Just my views right now. -s2

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