To: RetiredNow who wrote (236546 ) 6/9/2005 9:21:04 PM From: tejek Respond to As to your first concern, I don't like any attitude like that on our part either. But I think the flip side to this coin is that the World still draws us into ever petty squable. The world sees us as the logical arbitrator to alot of issues, so we get sucked back in. As far as your second concern, I think you don't give the American people enough credit. I know there are many Republicans today that feel like declaring themselves Independents, because they don't like the neocon thinking, yet they think the Democrats are hopeless negative and offer no vision of their own. The reason why Bush was re-elected is pretty simple. People were and are scared. The crazy world out there used to be ignored, but that crazy world has come crashing down into our world and people have lost the invincible feeling. Bush, as flawed as he is, was able to tap into that fear and make people believe that he would take off the gloves and go after those people that hurt us. The Democrats weren't able to offer a vision that tapped into that fear. Most people believed the Democrats felt that this terrorism thing was a policing issue, not a military issue. So Bush got re-elected. As far as the wealthy hijacking America, I have become increasingly alarmed at the growing wealth divide as well. It is obvious that Bush has been lining corporate pockets since the day he was elected. I believed in the need for tax cuts right after 9/11 to get our economy a shot in the arm. However, I didn't agree with the type of tax cuts he passed and I don't agree with the longevity of those tax cuts in the face of soaring deficits. I'm so pissed that Republicans have become profligate spenders, that I just may vote Democrat again in 2008 or at the very least Libertarian. I think many true Republicans feel the same way I do. Basically, everything you said in the second half of your post, I agree with. Because you realize that despite all it's warts, the world desperately needs to believe in America and what it has stood for in the past. This recent shattering of our image is a tragedy for Americans, but equally so for the rest of the world. It's like everyone woke up and Superman was doing coke, beating people up, and whoring around. No one likes what has happened to America. So in the end I believe, the people who have always looked up to us will help us get our image back, once we have another moderate President in place that does more listening than blustering.
