does george bush scare you?

[bobtheduck]

when he goes on them mad holy god like rants with those strange little eyes he is like some mad religous cult leader only with nukes behind him whats even more worrying is this is his last term and has little to lose, why dosent he just calm down and sort his own country out instead of bullying other nations any man with limited intelligence in that kind of position is dangerous

[WaldoMcFroog]

As I've argued before, a) I and many people far better informed than me did not believe Blair's dossier and b) didn't believe the case made to the UN resulting in 1441.

Anyone who'd been exposed to the Plan for a New American Century would have been cynical about the motivations for invading Iraq. Published during the Clinton presidency, it makes a clear case for the use of force in order against targets in the middle east in order to ensure the supremacy of the US into the next century.

Additionally, both Colin Powell and Condeleeza Rice were on record shortly before 9/11 stating catagorically that the blockade against Iraq had been successful in preventing Saddam from developing WMD. (Please read the fact in red.)  

All your points about when and where such and such an institution/ country signed up to the notion that Saddam had WMD - which are entirely accepted as matters of fact - make not a jot of different to the fact that many people were entirely suspicious of the whole process.

Can I point you at John Kampfner's 'Blair's Wars' for a well presented examination of Blair's motivations in creating the dossier in the first place?

[Clanad]

I find it strange that most of the world simply doesn't know what to do with a leader that clearly states what he intends to do, why he intends to do it and then does it.  This prompts many to make clearly thought out, well spoken, established in fact statements like "holy god rants with strange little eyes...some mad religious cult leader... only nukes behind him... last term", etc.  When an earned MBA from Harvard doesn't indicate intelligence, when discredited surmises by politically biased television broadcast "journalists" are still believed, when one states "I don't read many publications, I use my own head... etc.," then, golly gee... I've been bested in the market place of ideas.

I would have to ask, though... exactly what would ya'll recommend as being pre-requisite for such a leadership post?  The man is obviously an adherent to WYSIWYG, and those that bow to the god of political correctness don't know how to handle it. 

Waldo, doesn't it strike you as even a little bit incongruent, that the one thing that almost prohibited Bush's initial election in 2000, was the revelation of his DWI in Maine thirty years previous.  Strange that his father's influence wasn't able to hide that fact...

Fact is, the large majority of voters in this election (largest turnout in 60 years) have looked at the man and decided he's the best choice to lead the country.

Last word to ianess... if you would rather live under a regime that allows, no, encourages the killing of women who have been raped and by that misfortune have brought dishonor to their families, if you would like to live in a society that has produced hundreds of thousands of mass graves, regularly fed men, women and children into industrial plastic shredding machines, etc.,  then I suggest you adhere to your lack of belief in democracy and power being with the people. 

[FP]

Clanad,  I will just say that I meant that I don't read biased publications and said this as a reply to your inference that I am influenced easily by anti-american articles.  I judge for myself and do use my own head.  I am old enough and I hope wise enough to make fairly reasonable judgements.  And as Bangkok says, an MBA does not necessarily mean a person is intelligent.  Intelligence is not measured by academic qualifications. 

I believe in democracy, true democracy, which I do not think you have in the States.  I also believe that the States is not the greatest nation on earth and does not have the right to dictate the policies of other cultures.  I am not that naive.

[FP]

PS  I believe that President Bush has unfortunately given the States an extremely bad name and it will take a long time for your country to recover.   

[WaldoMcFroog]

"Waldo, doesn't it strike you as even a little bit incongruent, that the one thing that almost prohibited Bush's initial election in 2000, was the revelation of his DWI in Maine thirty years previous.  Strange that his father's influence wasn't able to hide that fact."

Indeed. Nor did Bush changing his driver's licence number (a move described as "highly unusual" by the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles in 1999) manage to keep the fact hidden, although that's widely believed to be the purpose of the move.

I don't understand what you mean about Bush's 'initial election'. He's only been elected once.

[Clanad]

In closing, may I only say, thank you to Quizmonster, for your supporting statements.  This is especially appreciated in light of your articulate and well reasoned offerings to questions placed on the Answer Bank...

[Bangkok]

A closing observation ot two of mine.  Clearly, the subject is highly emotive and previous threads have followed similar lines.  We will have to agree to disagree on the merits of Messrs Bush and Blair policy on Iraq (as is our demoncratic right, thankfully).  I cannot resist noting that other despotic regimes in places that have less to offer the developed world are not afforded the same treatment or investment as Iraq (Zimbabwe, the Sudan, a number of former Russian Republics merely as examples).

Part of the issue for any defenders of Bush is that his good points are overshadowed by the easy opportunities to ridicule some of his actions and statements.   Part of the issue for Bush detractors is the intense loyalty he inspires in people that want firm leadership. 

I stand by the points I made earlier, which have not been commented upon or rebutted.  Finally, I would suggest that the majority of biased journalists (and particularly their employers) are biased to the Right.  Micheal Moore is not a majority!