| Topic: |
Politics > Politics-USA |
| User: |
"WeThePeople" |
| Date: |
01 Aug 2003 01:26:55 PM |
| Object: |
Weapons of Mass Deception: How many lives? How many dollars? |
Published on Thursday, July 31, 2003 by the New York Times
Sidestepping on Iraq
Editorial
Throughout his political career, George Bush has been famous for sticking to
a few issues, and repeating a few well-burnished talking points over and
over. Wide-ranging news conferences do not play to his considerable
strengths, and as president, he has generally avoided them. But having
decided to make a rare exception yesterday, Mr. Bush should have been able
to come up with better responses to two big and obvious questions: why he
ordered the invasion of Iraq and why he pushed for tax cuts that have left
the nation sinking into a hopeless quagmire of debt.
Mr. Bush's vague and sometimes nearly incoherent answers suggested that he
was either bedazzled by his administration's own mythmaking or had decided
that doubts about his foreign and domestic policies could best be parried by
ignoring them.
Mr. Bush will simply not engage the issue of whether his administration
exaggerated the Iraqi threat in the months leading up to the American
invasion. When asked whether the United States had lost credibility with the
rest of the world since neither weapons of mass destruction nor a strong Al
Qaeda connection had been uncovered in Iraq, the president veered off into a
tour through American history and the difficulty of coming up with an Iraqi
version of Thomas Jefferson. He then skidded to a halt with the announcement
that "I'm confident history will prove the decision we made to be the right
decision."
Mr. Bush still hung onto his most well-worn buzzwords, however. Iraq was a
"threat" — just as the tax cuts were "a job-creation program." The president
and his advisers obviously still believe that the constant repetition of
several simplistic points will hypnotize the American people into forgetting
the original question.
Saddam Hussein was certainly a threat to his own people, and there is still
an enormous amount to be gained if the United States can foster a
prosperous, open society in Iraq. But that does not cancel out the fact that
the primary reasons Washington gave for the invasion look increasingly
suspect. That is a serious problem, both in terms of the nation's
credibility and the reliability of American intelligence. Mr. Bush owes the
nation more than a brushoff on these matters.
In the case of the economy, the president was stuck defending an
indefensible strategy of piling up one unnecessary tax cut after another.
Having helped to turn the promise of budget surpluses into the
disappointment of rising deficits, Mr. Bush mimics his father's out-of-touch
performance in the 1992 campaign by acting as if the country is in fine
fiscal shape. It is hard to buy his assertion that his first concern is
Americans who are out of work.
Given the rambling non-answers the president gave to questions about Iraq
and the economy, it was interesting to hear how focused he was when someone
asked how, with no opponent, he planned to spend $170 million or more on the
primary. "Just watch me," Mr. Bush said concisely. There is one area in
which the president's thinking is crystal clear.
http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0731-06.htm
--
"From the brief time that we did spend occupying Iraqi territory after the
war, I am certain that had we taken all of Iraq, we would have been like the
dinosaur in the tar pit – we would still be there, and we, not the United
Nations, would be bearing the costs of the occupation. This is a burden I am
sure the beleaguered American taxpayer would not have been happy to take
on."
– Norman Schwarzkopf, from his 1993 autobiography, "It Doesn't Take a Hero."
.
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| User: "Barbara Walker" |
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| Title: Re: Weapons of Mass Deception: How many lives? How many dollars? |
01 Aug 2003 01:56:09 PM |
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"WeThePeople" <windriver2000@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:3f295fea_2@newsfeed...
Throughout his political career, George Bush has been famous for sticking
to
a few issues, and repeating a few well-burnished talking points over and
over.
Well yeah, famous for that and also famous for defeating cocky,
self-righteous Democrats in the elections. Ann "Ma" Richards mocked him
with her famous "Poor George!" line. Then he kicked her Democrat butt.
The DNC confidently predicted Gore would "win the debates". Then Bush
kicked his Democrat butt in the debates. Quickly recovering from that
humiliation, the Democrats then confidently predicted Gore would "win the
election", and pointed out that Bush was, in their opinion, "a moron".
Then Bush kicked their Democrat butts again in both the 2000 and the 2002
elections.
Apparently the Democrats' weapons of mass deception aren't working for them
any longer.......
Barbara Walker
Irving, Tx..
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| User: "Transition Zone" |
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| Title: Re: Weapons of Mass Deception: How many lives? How many dollars? |
01 Aug 2003 07:37:15 PM |
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"Barbara Walker" <barbara.walker4@verizon.net> wrote in message news:<dJyWa.30426$Vt6.12476@rwcrnsc52.ops.asp.att.net>...
"WeThePeople" <windriver2000@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:3f295fea_2@newsfeed...
Throughout his political career, George Bush has been famous for sticking
to
a few issues, and repeating a few well-burnished talking points over and
over.
Well yeah, famous for that and also famous for defeating cocky,
self-righteous Democrats in the elections. Ann "Ma" Richards mocked him
with her famous "Poor George!" line. Then he kicked her Democrat butt.
The DNC confidently predicted Gore would "win the debates".
He did, hands down.
Then Bush kicked his Democrat butt in the debates.
NOT.
Quickly recovering from that humiliation, the Democrats then confidently
predicted Gore would "win the election", and pointed out that Bush was, in
their opinion, "a moron".
So. He was. What's wrong with that ??
Then Bush kicked their Democrat butts again in both the 2000
With the help of Daddy Bush's judge friends ?? (Otherwise he would have LOST).
and the 2002 elections.
Where the Republicans couldn't even get out of filibuster territory ?? Wow.
Apparently the Democrats' weapons of mass deception aren't working for them
any longer.......
At least we can find ours.
Barbara Walker
Irving, Tx..
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