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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Richnorth who wrote (602104)	8/10/2004 10:23:58 AM
From: puborectalis	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

Safer?...........".While the findings may result in a significant intelligence coup for the Bush administration and its allies in Britain, they also create a far more complex picture of Al Qaeda's status than Mr. Bush presents on the campaign trail. For the past several months, the president has claimed that much of Al Qaeda's leadership has been killed or captured; the new evidence suggests that the organization is regenerating and bringing in new blood. The new picture emerged from interviews with two officials who have been briefed on some of the details of the intelligence and analytical conclusions drawn from the information on computers seized after Mr. Khan's arrest. But they did not identify the more senior Qaeda leaders, and they said it was not yet clear to what extent Osama bin Laden still exercised control over the organization, either directly or through his chief deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri.."

To: Richnorth who wrote (602104)	8/10/2004 10:30:51 AM
From: Ann Corrigan	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

Timeline of History substantiates the ultimate cause of the collapse of USSR--it was Pres Reagan's buildup of the U.S. military & the ensuing arms race that created bread lines in Moscow & other hardships for Soviet population. Spin all you want, those are the facts.

To: Richnorth who wrote (602104)	8/10/2004 10:52:09 AM
From: Knight	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

By the time Reagan became the Prez, the former USSR was ripe for a collapse. I don't think we Reagan-supporters would deny that. However, it is also equally true that they were far from being ripe for collapse militarily. They had tremendous military strength due to their nuclear arsenal. With impending economic collapse, Soviet communism (and, hence, the leadership's power structure) was threatened. The corrupt leadership, in a threated position and blinded by their maniacal communist ideology might well have used that military arsenal as a desperate means to stay in power and to try to breathe new life into their communist ideology. Reagan's military buildup--combined with his resolute character--ensured that they knew this would be a losing proposition. Might the Reagan buildup have actually prevented a nuclear war with the collapsing USSR? The world will never know. However, I can say one thing for sure, I'd much rather have gone through that transition in history with a strong military and resolute Commander-In-Chief, than with a weak military and a vacillating Commander-In-Chief. Peace through weakness works only if you don't have anything anyone else wants, or if you're willing to give up what you have (including your principles) in order to buy peace. Reagan also had the prescience to understand that Soviet communism's days were numbered. At the time when everyone was running around wringing their hands about Soviet communism, he said that it was "destined for the ash heap of history." Liberals today are trying to discredit Reagan by saying the collapse was already imminent, yet these are the same folks who were ringing their hands back then. The truth is that they have 20-20 hindsight, and Reagan--it turns out--had 20-20 foresight. You may not agree with Reagan's policies, but give him the credit he's due.