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Politics : President Barack Obama -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: MJ who wrote (1328)	2/11/2007 3:02:09 PM
From: stockman_scott	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 149317

<<...In the immediate aftermath of 9/11 the United States had the sympathy and respect of much of the world. The outpouring of goodwill was unprecedented in the post-Vietnam period, and the United States stood alone as a military and economic power. When Bush responded to the September attacks a month later with the invasion of Afghanistan, where al Qaeda leaders were hiding out, the world community and U.S. populace supported him. But, beginning in mid-2002, when he returned to his obsession with Iraq, the worm began to turn. Using politicized intelligence and outright lies, the Bush administration, congress and the media all went along with the invasion of Iraq, beginning in March 2003. Consequently, in what we can now see was a remarkably short time, the amity and power accrued after 9/11 melted away. Although today much of the criticism of Bush and his policies comes from liberals, and Bush is quick to take shots at the “cut-and-run crowd” or “Defeatocrats,” what’s most striking is how much harm his military and economic policies have done to our national interests. Indeed, the number of conservatives now publicly repudiating Bush is testimony to how far he has strayed from the values he claimed to profess himself with regard to keeping America strong. If anything, George Bush has pursued a program inherently hostile to the conservative ideals he boasted about when running for office, and we have all suffered as a consequence. Bush’s legacy is already particularly troubling with regard to America’s credibility and image in the world, our national security and the so-called war on terror, and the U.S. and global economy. In these areas, U.S. policies, in particular since September 11th, 2001, have left us precarious and vulnerable. The U.S. standing in the world has probably never been lower than it is now in the wake of the dismal war in Iraq. Not only is anti-Americanism rampant in the Middle East, but U.S. enemies like Bin Laden and Nasrallah now dominate the political discourse of the region with great credibility on the so-called Arab Street. Even in Europe, the American image and influence is fading, and travelers may feel uncomfortable abroad, or, more seriously, American tourists and businesses fear boycotts or actual violence, as in Madrid or London in the past few years, and that seriously dampens the U.S. ability to influence other nations. Ironically, Bush claimed to have launched the war in Iraq to protect American security, but it has had the opposite effect. American troops are stretched thin and lack adequate supplies, and the U.S. is facing its worst manpower crisis since the Vietnam era. Meanwhile, the number of military officials publicly speaking out against this administration’s war in Iraq is staggering, discomfiting and unprecedented...>> More at: commondreams.org

To: MJ who wrote (1328)	2/11/2007 4:35:42 PM
From: ChinuSFO	Respond to of 149317

Bush was elected to lead this country "intelligently". Opposing the Iraq war is not the same thing as opposing the war on terrorism. People are opposing the Iraq war because it was started on intelligence reports which was trumped up to serve the interests of a select few namely the Cheney gang. The Iraq war is not a war against terrorism for if it was we would have seen immediate gains long ago like we saw in Afghanistan. Let us go back to Vietnam and see the outcome of the US pulling out of there. Has the US pullout from Vietnam led to the spread of communism like Nixon and his folks would have us believe? Instead the cradle of communism, Russia, collapse like a pack of cards. China remains a communist in name since it is increasingly opening up to the capitalists with every passing day. We need to quit living in fear. If people like Michelle Obama continued to live in fear then she would not have her husband run for President today.