If I were a terrorist

[Binky Bainbridge]

Thanks for your interesting comments FD. Let's take a closer look at them.

Originally Posted by Flying Dutchman

What is justice and fair play exactly? By your statement one would assume you are stating that we, as a nation, are the oppisite.

Did I say the US was the opposite, NO, you are making up your own, (incorrect). assumptions. To pursue the World Policeman analogy a bit further, I have no problem with the US acting as the World's Policeman - rather the US, the world's largest democracy, than Russia or China. All I was trying to convey was the fact that being the World's Policeman requires a level of even-handedness and openness that demonstrates to the rest of the world that the US is pursuing goals for the common good and not merely for self-interest. It also demands a degree of subtly, i.e., not every intervention requires "a big stick" approach just because the US has the world's biggest sticks, if you get my drift.

Exactly how do we not use justice and fair play?

Who said the US wasn't just and fair-minded? But remember, perception is all important, and perception isn't always reality. In the eyes of Arab states the US is seen as an ally of Israel and is always seen to be willing to support Israel no matter what. I have no problem with that personally, but it does demonstrate what I'm trying to say - the way you see things is not the way others may see them. "Justice" as far as arabs is concerned is to hand Israel (Palestine), back to the Palestinians, "Justice" as far as the US is concerned is a two-state solution.

What makes you think the USA is not moving forward? Exactly how have we moved backwards? ........
.........Exactly what incompetence has Bush shown other than getting involved with a war you feel is unjust?

Emergency Management: Bush & Co completely failed to manage the first large-scale emergency since 9/11. Despite all their big talk and hundreds of billions of dollars spent on homeland security over the past four years, this administration proved itself stunningly incompetent when faced with an actual emergency. (Katrina Relief Funds Squandered)

Fiscal Management: America is broke. No wait, the US is worse than broke. In less than five years these borrow and spend-thrifts have nearly doubled our national debt, to a stunning $8.2 trillion. These are not your father's Republicans who treated public dollars as though they were an endangered species. These Republicans waste money in ways and in quantities that make those old tax and spend liberals of yore look like tight-fisted Scots

Katrina relief: Eleven thousand spanking new mobile homes sinking into the Arkansas mud. Seems no one in the administration knew there were federal and state laws prohibiting trailers in flood zones. Oops. That little mistake cost you $850 million -- and counting.

Medicare Drug Program: This $50 billion white elephant debuted by trampling many of those it was supposed to save. The mess forced states to step in and try to save its own citizens from being killed by the administration's poorly planned and executed attempt to privatize huge hunks of the federal health safety net.

Afghanistan: Good managers know that in order to pocket the gains of a project, you have to finish it. This administration started out fine in Afghanistan. They had the Taliban and al Queda on the run and Osama bin Laden trapped in a box canyon. Then they were distracted by a nearby shiney object -- Iraq. We are now $75 billion out of pocket in Afghanistan and its sitting president still rules only within the confines of the nation's capital. Tribal warlords, the growing remnants of the Taliban and al Qaeda call the shots in the rest of the county.

Iraq: This ill-begotten war was supposed to only cost us $65 billion. It has now cost us over $300 billion and continues to suck $6 billion a month out of our children's futures. Meanwhile the three warring tribes Bush "liberated" are using our money and soldiers' lives to partition the country. The Shiites and Kurds are carving out the prime cuts while treating the once-dominant Sunnis the same way the Israelis treat the Palestinians, forcing them onto Iraq's version of Death Valley. Meanwhile Iran is increasingly calling the shots in the Shiite region as mullahs loyal to Iran take charge. (More)

Iran: The administration not only jinxed its Afghanistan operations by attacking Iraq, but also provided Iran both the rationale for and time to move toward nuclear weapons. The Bush administration's neocons' threats to attack Syria next only provided more support for religious conservatives within Iran who argued U.S. intentions in the Middle East were clear, and that only the deterrent that comes with nuclear weapons could protect them.

North Korea: Ditto. Also add to all the above the example North Korea set for Iran. Clearly once a country possesses nukes, the U.S. drops the veiled threats and wants to talk.

Social Programs: It's easier to get affordable -- even free -- American-style medical care, paid for with American dollars, if you are injured in Iraq, Afghanistan or are victims of a Pakistani earthquake, than if you live and pay taxes in the good old U.S.A. Nearly 50 million Americans can't afford medical insurance. Nevertheless the administration has proposed a budget that will cut $40 billion from domestic social programs, including health care for the working poor. The administration is quick to say that those services will be replaced by its "faith-based" programs. Not so fast...

"Despite the Bush administration's rhetorical support for religious charities, the amount of direct federal grants to faith-based organizations declined from 2002 to 2004, according to a major new study released yesterday....The study released yesterday "is confirmation of the suspicion I've had all along, that what the faith-based initiative is really all about is de-funding social programs and dumping responsibility for the poor on the charitable sector," said Kay Guinane, director of the nonprofit advocacy program at OMB Watch.." (More)

The Military: Overused and over-deployed.
Former Defense Secretary William Perry and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright warned in a 15-page report that the Army and Marine Corps cannot sustain the current operational tempo without "doing real damage to their forces." ... Speaking at a news conference to release the study, Albright said she is "very troubled" the military will not be able to meet demands abroad. Perry warned that the strain, "if not relieved, can have highly corrosive and long-term effects on the military. (More)

With military budgets gutted by the spiraling costs of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the administration has requested funding for fewer National Guard troops in fiscal 2007 -- 17,000 fewer. Which boggles the sane mind since, if it weren't for reserve/National Guard, the administration would not have had enough troops to rotate forces in and out of Iraq and Afghanistan. Nearly 40 percent of the troops sent to those two countries were from the reserve and National Guard.

The Environment: Here's a little pop quiz: What happens if all the coral in the world's oceans dies? Answer: Coral is the first rung on the food-chain ladder; so when it goes, everything else in the ocean dies. And if the oceans die, we die.

The coral in the world's oceans are dying (called "bleaching") at an alarming and accelerating rate. Global warming is the culprit. Nevertheless, this administration continues as the world's leading global warming denier. Why? Because they seem to feel it's more cost effective to be dead than to force reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

Trade: We are approaching a $1 trillion annual trade deficit, most of it with Asia, $220 billion with just China -- just last year.

Energy: Record high energy prices. Record energy company profits. Dick Cheney's energy task force meetings remain secret. Need I say more?

Consumers: Americans finally did it last year -- they achieved a negative savings rate. (Folks in China save 10 percent, for contrast.) If the government can spend more than it makes and just say "charge it" when it runs out, so can we. The average American now owes $9,000 to credit card companies. Imagine that.

Human Rights: America now runs secret prisons and a secret judicial system that would give Kafka fits. And the U.S. has joined the list of nations that tortures prisioners of war. (Shut up George! We have pictures!)

... Those seem to be what you, in your opinion, makes for a good president.

Is McCain better?

McCain aides forced to quit over ties to Burmese junta By Leonard Doyle
Tuesday, 13 May 2008

McCain aides forced to quit over ties to Burmese junta - Americas, World - The Independent

[Flying Dutchman]

I appreciate your responses Binky.
I was making my assumptions by how your post was worded. No harm, no foul. I was not trying to imply any bad intentions. If that is how it appeared, my bad.
I agree that perception is key, but at this point any perception is going to be skewed no matter which way it goes. We can ill afford to look weak in any matter right now. We will never get the trust and respect from any Arab country (at least not in public) that is run on religious fundamentalism. There is no secret that Israel is our ally, nor that Israel does some of the things they do because they know we will back them.

It is an impressive list you have posted. I tried to read all the pages associated with them. I did notice that most of the sources were liberal based. Taking that into consideration, I am sure if I looked up some conservative based ones they would say something different. That being said I will try and answer as to my own opinions:

Emergency Relief and Katrina:
Katrina was a total mess. No argument there. It showed one of the biggest flaws Bush has, putting people in charge of programs they have no business being in charge of. I also put a lot of blame on the governor of Louisiana and the mayor. You did not see the problems on such a wide scale in the other areas hit. Again, the buck stops with Bush and he has to take the blame for the feds inaction. That being said, I can not find his administration as incompetent in Emergency Management since after that mess they cleaned up their act. Incompetence means, to me, that you keep doing incompetent acts. There are still areas that need to be fixed, but by and large they are doing a good job now.

Fiscal Management:
Both sides, Repub and Dem, spend money like crazy. Yes, Bush is in charge and must take responsibility but he does not control Congress.

Medicare:
I did not find what the Medicare Drug Program was talking about. Yes the states have stepped in…..but that is what they are supposed to do. The link you posted no longer exists. Medicare and Social Security are a mess period. I know, I work in it everyday. It was a mess before Bush, he just has not done anything to help it. So I will give that one to you.

Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and North Korea:
Why we left Afghanistan……many different reasons. Mostly because we went there to get rid of the Taliban. Well, we did since they left and went into Pakistan and Syria. We had to turn over the country to those who run it and they suck. Now we get criticized for leaving too soon, but yet people want us to leave Iraq before we are done……go figure.

Iraq is not finished so to call his administration incompetent on that one is a judgment call all the way. Yes it has cost more than was expected, yes it has lasted longer than expected, yes it is not what was expected but I do not agree with it being incompetent. Time will tell on that one.

Iran is, was, and forever will be a shithole. I guess it was Bush’s incompetence that led to the little tyrant to be elected as the leader of Iran. I doubt it.

I also fail to see how it was/is Bush’s incompetence that allowed North Korea to become North Korea. I guess the rest of the world didn’t have anything to say about it.

Social Programs:
Your social programs link is from Feb of 2006. Did the administration cut 40 billion from social programs? I don’t know about you but they do not seem to be suffering here in Dodge City. Do you know how much money goes into social programs? Ever think a good chunk of it is not needed? How many million Americans could not afford insurance BEFORE this report, or before Bush? I do not know either.

Military:
When you can get two former Republican secretary of anything to say something good about Clinton, I will listen to what these two say then. I doubt many in the military would say Bush is incompetent in how it is run.

Trade:
I do not know enough about foreign trade to even remotely guess on this.

Energy:
The energy “crisis”, which is not a crisis but expensive instead, is a many headed monster. I guess when we put in 400 million miles of windmills we can all look back and say “wow, why didn’t we do this earlier.” Of course the fact that we can’t drill our own oil, can’t build more refineries, can’t build or use more nuclear energy but can send the economy into a tailspin by growing corn for ethanol…….ok, he and every president before him is incompetent on the energy issue.

Consumers:
Wow, what we do with our money, or lack thereof, is a sign of a president’s competence………how did I miss that. Damn it, I want my government to make sure I do not over charge my credit!

Human Rights:
I won’t even get into an argument about human rights. When we start beheading our prisoners instead of dunking a few of them in water, we will talk.


So, mostly what you have is opinions on his administration by people who dislike his administration. I agree with Katrina, Afghanistan and the environment. I think Bush’s biggest problem is his choices of administrators and the “good old boy” network. Rummy should have been canned way before he was, the FEMA guy was a total boondoggle, and many others. Time will tell how ineffective, or effective, his administration was.

Do I think McCain can do a better job than BO? Yes I do. I also think Hillary could do a better job than BO. I like BO’s enthusiasm and drive, but his lack of experience IN THE JOB is a major problem. Has he ever led anything? Has he even been the manager of a fast food place? Dreams and hope are nice…..but he does not have the experience to make them come true. You think Bush was treated nasty by the Dems, wait and see how BO would be treated. Nothing will get done because the Repubs will refuse to work with him. He also does not have the needed clout to keep his political rivals at bay. Just my opinions is all.