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Politics : DON'T START THE WAR -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: stockman_scott who wrote (21753)	3/16/2003 4:29:56 PM
From: PartyTime	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 25898

In a nutshell: >>>During the Presidential campaign of 2000, journalists had the ability to compare Bush's mendacious campaign sloganeering with his record as the governor of Texas with little to fear from the White House. They did not, and Mr. Bush was able to convince a large segment of the American public that he was somehow qualified to be the President. The press was then free to point out the breathtaking and criminal tactics Mr. Bush's campaign used to steal the Presidential election in Florida. They did not, and the American public was sufficiently lethargic to embolden the Supreme Court to sweep these tactics under the rug and install Mr. Bush into office. Early in Mr. Bush's term, the press was again free to point out the easily predictable disaster that would result were Mr. Bush's tax proposals written into law. Again, the press took a pass, and since that time millions of Americans have lost their jobs and slipped into poverty. Perhaps most catastrophically, the press was free to point out that Saddam Hussein had nothing whatsoever to do with the attacks of September 11, and that White House assertions to the contrary where a most odious form of political sleight of hand. The press again failed to make the public aware of these basic facts, and as a result, our democracy stands poised to embark on a war of aggression in violation of both international law and the wishes of virtually the entire world community.<<<

To: stockman_scott who wrote (21753)	3/16/2003 4:31:16 PM
From: PartyTime	Respond to of 25898

>>>The significance of these failures cannot be overstated. Opinion polls conclusively demonstrate that the American public is fundamentally misinformed about key facts that have driven the Iraq debate. It is these misconceptions that are allowing the Bush administration to pursue a foreign policy that is decidedly not in our national security interests. One can only wonder if support for the war would fall to levels seen in our NATO allies (levels that would make the attack political suicide) were Americans made aware of the same stories that have received widespread attention in the foreign press.<<< This is why folks should check in daily on this thread's header.

To: stockman_scott who wrote (21753)	3/16/2003 4:32:29 PM
From: Karen Lawrence	Respond to of 25898

When is Richard (Prince of Darkness) Perle going to prosecute Hersh for "terrorism". This Administration is replete with escapees from Bedlam.

To: stockman_scott who wrote (21753)	3/16/2003 4:49:26 PM
From: PartyTime	Respond to of 25898

That's a very great capsulation as to what's been going on and what's not been going on. I agree, had the American media reported both the historical and current facts of the situation regarding Iraq, more and more Americans would be behaving like the populations of Britain, Spain and Italy, populations which do not support the actions of their leaders. It's long been my contention that Powell's presentation of supposed facts, most of which have since been disproven, was aimed more at shoring up American support behind the Administration; that the increased terrorist alert was again aimed at the fear of Americans and also a means of shoring up support; and that the recent capture of an Al Qaeda leader that America already took credit for killing (back in September-November 2002) also was a means by which to shore up the support of the American public. All of the administration's rhetoric relative to Iraq's nuclear capability has been proven unfounded, and it was largely this rhetoric which influenced Congress into passing a pre-election support resolution for Bush's preemptive war on Iraq. Again, I submit this has been an effort to whip fear into the genuine concerns of the American public. That the path leading to this war is littered with enumerable incidents of fabricated documents, plagerized information and deletions of fact has caused mid-level intelligence personnel to leak information. If this war really was that important for our vital national security interests, why would this information be leaked by folks who ordinarily would remain loyal to their respective British and US governments? That 1,000 veterans, including generals, admirals, colnels commanders, majors and captains would sign a document stating that this war is a violation of international law, morality and militarily is impractical is telling, and yet another example where folks who ordinarily would remain loyal to their government have taken actions and put their names and reputations on the line to stop this war. This war achieves political objectives only and has nothing to do with morality. It's my belief that the GOPside strategists believe Bush automatically gets reelected if he gains the reputation as the one who took Saddam down; it's my belief this war cloaks Bush's selection as president, rather than his election as president, and that it also cloaks the worsening economy (which should be the issue of the day); it's my belief that these strategists also theorize that taking Iraq out of the picture would enhance the standing of Israel and thus fracture an element of both political and financial support that's long been a stable base of support for the Democrats; it's my belief that those corporately aligned with this oil-drenched Administration will gain obscene profits as a consequence of this war related to the control of the primary source of the world's oil and from the rebuilding the infrastructure of Iraq. Were people before profits the guiding force then this war would not be happening and the common citizen American would not be behaving out of fear and supporting the Bush Administration only because, given what they've been told, it seems to be the right thing to do.