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

To: Maurice Winn who wrote (135763)	6/5/2004 6:20:22 PM
From: Ish	Respond to of 281500

<<Gee, I didn't realize quite such a high proportion of USA taxes go to military activities. Are you getting a good bang for my tax bucks? I bet I could do some cost-cutting.>> I did some cost cutting myself when I was a spec 4. I'm sure unclewest has done some on his own. Band for your buck? You're getting it. The US is working to keep the free world free. The big bang is we no longer provide cannon fodder. Yes people die in war but we are switching to technology instead of massive casualties to win.

To: Maurice Winn who wrote (135763)	6/5/2004 7:52:05 PM
From: Rascal	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 281500

I hate myself for posting this but have been forgiven by both my fathers. But it is not a mistake. I have signaled my regret to the King of Jordan. So after you read it let's just move on. From Capitol Hill Blue Bush Leagues Bush's Erratic Behavior Worries White House Aides By DOUG THOMPSON Publisher, Capitol Hill Blue Jun 4, 2004, 06:15 President George W. Bush’s increasingly erratic behavior and wide mood swings has the halls of the West Wing buzzing lately as aides privately express growing concern over their leader’s state of mind. In meetings with top aides and administration officials, the President goes from quoting the Bible in one breath to obscene tantrums against the media, Democrats and others that he classifies as “enemies of the state.” Worried White House aides paint a portrait of a man on the edge, increasingly wary of those who disagree with him and paranoid of a public that no longer trusts his policies in Iraq or at home. “It reminds me of the Nixon days,” says a longtime GOP political consultant with contacts in the White House. “Everybody is an enemy; everybody is out to get him. That’s the mood over there.” In interviews with a number of White House staffers who were willing to talk off the record, a picture of an administration under siege has emerged, led by a man who declares his decisions to be “God’s will” and then tells aides to “fuck over” anyone they consider to be an opponent of the administration. “We’re at war, there’s no doubt about it. What I don’t know anymore is just who the enemy might be,” says one troubled White House aide. “We seem to spend more time trying to destroy John Kerry than al Qaeda and our enemies list just keeps growing and growing.” Aides say the President gets “hung up on minor details,” micromanaging to the extreme while ignoring the bigger picture. He will spend hours personally reviewing and approving every attack ad against his Democratic opponent and then kiss off a meeting on economic issues. “This is what is killing us on Iraq,” one aide says. “We lost focus. The President got hung up on the weapons of mass destruction and an unproven link to al Qaeda. We could have found other justifiable reasons for the war but the President insisted the focus stay on those two, tenuous items.” Aides who raise questions quickly find themselves shut out of access to the President or other top advisors. Among top officials, Bush’s inner circle is shrinking. Secretary of State Colin Powell has fallen out of favor because of his growing doubts about the administration’s war against Iraq. The President's abrupt dismissal of CIA Directory George Tenet Wednesday night is, aides say, an example of how he works. "Tenet wanted to quit last year but the President got his back up and wouldn't hear of it," says an aide. "That would have been the opportune time to make a change, not in the middle of an election campaign but when the director challenged the President during the meeting Wednesday, the President cut him off by saying 'that's it George. I cannot abide disloyalty. I want your resignation and I want it now." Tenet was allowed to resign "voluntarily" and Bush informed his shocked staff of the decision Thursday morning. One aide says the President actually described the decision as "God's will." God may also be the reason Attorney General John Ashcroft, the administration’s lightning rod because of his questionable actions that critics argue threatens freedoms granted by the Constitution, remains part of the power elite. West Wing staffers call Bush and Ashcroft “the Blues Brothers” because “they’re on a mission from God.” “The Attorney General is tight with the President because of religion,” says one aide. “They both believe any action is justifiable in the name of God.” But the President who says he rules at the behest of God can also tongue-lash those he perceives as disloyal, calling them “fucking assholes” in front of other staff, berating one cabinet official in front of others and labeling anyone who disagrees with him “unpatriotic” or “anti-American.” “The mood here is that we’re under siege, there’s no doubt about it,” says one troubled aide who admits he is looking for work elsewhere. “In this administration, you don’t have to wear a turban or speak Farsi to be an enemy of the United States. All you have to do is disagree with the President.” The White House did not respond to requests for comment on the record. capitolhillblue.com Rascal @There'sAQuartOfStrawberriesMissimgToo.com PS Who is leaking this stuff? Answer: Everybody

To: Maurice Winn who wrote (135763)	6/5/2004 8:00:52 PM
From: dumbmoney	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

Yes, the U.S. spends a fortune on the military. cdi.org Last of the Big Time Spenders: U.S. Military Budget Still the World's Largest, and Growing United States 399.1 Russia 65.0 China 47.0 Japan 42.6 United Kingdom 38.4 France 29.5 Germany 24.9 Saudi Arabia 21.3 Italy 19.4 India 15.6 South Korea 14.1 Brazil 10.7 Taiwan 10.7 Israel 10.6 Spain 8.4 Australia 7.6 Canada 7.6 Netherlands 6.6 Turkey 5.8 Mexico 5.9 Kuwait 3.9 Ukraine 5.0 Iran 4.8 Singapore 4.8 Sweden 4.5 Egypt 4.4 Norway 3.8 Greece 3.5 Poland 3.5 Argentina 3.3 United Arab Emirates 3.1 Colombia 2.9 Belgium 2.7 Pakistan 2.6 Denmark 2.4 Vietnam 2.4 North Korea 2.1 Czech Republic 1.6 Iraq 1.4 Philippines 1.4 Portugal 1.3 Libya 1.2 Hungary 1.1 Syria 1.0 Cuba 0.8 Sudan 0.6 Yugoslavia 0.7 Luxembourg 0.2