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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: tekboy who wrote (80065)	3/6/2003 10:10:59 PM
From: Rascal	Respond to of 281500

I would have asked him: Mr. President what surprises you most about the difference between your Administration and your father's administration? Rascal@ openendsarehard.com

To: tekboy who wrote (80065)	3/6/2003 10:16:33 PM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 281500

THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG By Art Buchwald Columnist Tribune Media Services President Bush keeps referring to the discovery of Iraq's missiles as "the tip of the iceberg." There are some, not many, who feel that if weapons are the tip of the iceberg, then Mr. Bush is Captain of the Titanic. Let us suppose it is so. The Captain speaks. "Mr. Rumsfeld, stay on course, straight ahead." "Aye, aye, sir." Mr. Ashcroft, in the crow's nest, rings his bell and says, "Hard rudder right. Iceberg straight ahead." The Captain says, "Full speed astern!" A passenger and large donor to the Captain's steering campaign asks, "What have we struck?" "An iceberg, but don't worry. My father ran into them in these waters all the time. Alert damage control. If there is an inquiry, we will testify we only saw the tip of the iceberg." "Aye, aye, sir," Mr. Rumsfeld says. "I tried to steer around it, but it was too late." The Captain says, "Close all the watertight doors and don't let the passengers know that anything is wrong." Chunks of ice are flying all over the deck. The Captain orders Mr. Powell to go below to see how much damage there is. He reports the ship is taking on water, but the damage can be repaired. Quartermaster George Tenet reports to the bridge that his crew will go along with the Captain's tip-of-the-iceberg story, but they are still worried there could be a large gash in the hull. Mr. Rumsfeld gets on the loudspeaker and says, "Attention passengers, we are prepared to run into any iceberg anytime, anywhere, before it runs into us." Mr. Ashcroft says, "I have a thousand people in the brig. What should I do with them?" The Captain says, "Keep them there. They may have information on icebergs that we don't have. Mr. Powell, are there any foreign ships in the area?" Mr. Powell responds, "A French freighter, a German tanker, a Russian tugboat and a Chinese junk, but none of them will acknowledge our SOS. The only one responding is a British destroyer." The Captain says, "Keep trying. Maybe the Bulgarian navy will answer our call." Mr. Rumsfeld, how are we fixed for lifeboats?" "We have the most modern lifeboats in the world, as well as the most powerful flares. I have assured the passengers that if we don't destroy the iceberg now, we will have to destroy it later." The Captain asks, "Where is Mr. Cheney?" "We don't know, sir. He is hiding on the boat somewhere, but he has been ordered not to go near the bridge in case something happens to you." The Captain says, "How much water are we taking in now?" "So far the only complaints I've gotten are from the first-class passengers, who hope to get a rebate in case the ship goes down." The Captain says, "Lower the lifeboats." "Yes, sir." His order could not come at a better time. The orchestra starts playing "Nearer My God to Thee." © 2003 Tribune Media Services, Inc. tms.tribune.com

To: tekboy who wrote (80065)	3/6/2003 10:23:20 PM
From: Condor	Respond to of 281500

I would have asked: Mr President, if you feel its achievable to halt worldwide terrorism why can we not halt the Columbian drug trade or halt our failing ecomony?

To: tekboy who wrote (80065)	3/7/2003 2:47:46 PM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 281500

Top Bush Aides Worked for Pro-War Think Tank By Terry Jones The Observer (UK) observer.co.uk Posted 3/3/2003 8:37:04 PM ... Summary: According to this editorial from the United Kingdom, there is an extremist group of zealots in the US government leading the charge to start a war against Iraq. This group was formed in the early 1990s ... Could Tony Blair look at the internet now, please? Why is the British Prime Minister the only person who seems to be unaware of the US hawks' agenda. It's heart-warming to hear Tony Blair's concern for the plight of the Iraqi people and how the only possible way to help them is to bomb them with everything the Americans have. Mr Blair's sudden sympathy for the Iraqis' political aspirations comes as a welcome relief after all these years of US, UK-led sanctions, which have caused the deaths of over half a million Iraqi children, according to the UN. But I'm a bit worried that Tony may be deluding himself that his friends in the White House share his altruistic ideals. I'm sure Tony has been reading all the recent stuff about PNAC - "The Project For The New American Century" - but has he looked at their website? newamericancentury.org As everybody knows, the PNAC is a think-tank founded in 1997 by the people who are now closest to President Bush - Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Jeb Bush and so on. It's a pretty safe bet that what PNAC think is what George W. Bush thinks. PNAC represents the thinking of the men now in power in the United States. PNAC's stated aims are to: "to shape a new century favourable to American principles and interests", to achieve "a foreign policy that boldly and purposefully promotes American principles abroad", "to increase defence spending significantly", and to pursue "America's unique role in preserving and extending an international order friendly to our security, our prosperity, and our principles." They don't split hairs at the PNAC. George W. Bush and his advisers' stated aim is to ensure that America and American interests dominate the entire world for the foreseeable future. And what's more they make no bones of the fact that they intend to achieve this without diplomacy - that's old hat. What PNAC intend to do is enforce the Pax Americana through military might. Does Tony Blair know that? Has Tony Blair read the PNAC Report called "Rebuilding Americas Defenses 2000"? It refers to the new technologies of warfare and goes on: "Potential rivals such as China are anxious to exploit these transformational technologies broadly, while adversaries like Iran, Iraq and North Korea are rushing to develop ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons as a deterrent to American intervention in regions they seek to dominate." So when George Bush and his colleagues talk about Saddam Hussein posing a "threat" to America - they don't mean he's going to drop bombs on Washington (how on earth could he without committing national suicide?) - what they mean is that he poses a threat to American military dominance in the Middle East. Does Tony Blair know that's what they mean? In fact, does Tony Blair know that President Bush's advisers regard Saddam Hussein as merely an excuse for military action in the area? The PNAC Report of 2000 states: "the United States has for decades sought to play a more permanent role in Gulf regional security. While the unresolved conflict with Iraq provides the immediate justification, the need for a substantial American force presence in the Gulf transcends the issue of the regime of Saddam Hussein." So Iraq is merely "the immediate justification" and Saddam's regime is not so important as establishing American military might in the Gulf. Does Tony Blair know that? If he has read PNAC's Report he knows that he is simply aiding US right-wing militarism and extremist Republican plans for world domination. Surely in such a cause he would not be prepared to expose the British people to the nightmare of permanent terrorist threats and attacks. Surely for such a cause he would not be prepared to set fire to the Middle East, to destabilize the entire world for the foreseeable future and - most important perhaps - to risk his own political neck by pursuing an evil and almost universally despised policy. On the other hand, if Tony Blair, has not read "Rebuilding Americas Defenses 2000" or gone to the PNAC website to learn exactly what motivates Rumsfeld, Cheney, Perle and Wolfowitz, and so on then why the hell hasn't he? Go to your computer now, Mr. Blair. Look at the reality behind all this sanctimonious wringing of hands over the plight of the Iraqi people. Read what your American Republican friends are really intending. Please.