Comments on: What a Drag it is Getting Old

By: kritter

kritter — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 15:03:26 +0000

Jim S- Larry Lindsay , who worked in the Treasury Dept was fired for suggesting what he thought would be the true cost of the war. It turns out his estimate was too conservative.

I’m not a conservative, but I do believe in a strong military, as long as it is always used as a last resort, and used only for tasks that they are trained to do.

I don’t believe that is what happened in Iraq. I think the handwriting was on the wall back in 1998, when members of the PNAC sent a letter to President Clinton, urging regime change in Iraq. Among the signees? Jeb Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney and Paul Wolfowitz. 9/11 was just the excuse, which is why they tried to get the intelligence committee to tie Iraq in with 9/11. The military has been used in Iraq for nation-building, a task for which they are very poorly trained.

By: Jim Satterfield

Jim Satterfield — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 19:26:04 +0000

But don’t you remember how much we were reassured by all of the President’s people that those who claimed the war would cost as much as $200 billion were just completely incorrect? Actually the idea was floated if I recall correctly…and promptly shot down by every Republican politician in sight.

By: thegameiam

thegameiam — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 19:09:52 +0000

I am a Republican, and tend toward the Conservative side. I am a huge believer in balanced budgets, and the current administration has been a significant letdown in that regard. (Mind you, not that I think that the previous administration was better: the Clintonian surplusses were fueled by the Internet bubble, which itself was inherently a Ponzi scheme of escalating fraud. It would have collapsed eventually no matter who won in 2000).

I don’t mind paying for the military one bit – the US military is important for advancing and protecting US interests around the world, and that’s expensive. I also would not mind a specific “war tax” which could help to fund this. I am surprised that no one on either side of the aisle has thought of that…

By: kritter

kritter — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 18:51:03 +0000

Actually, I was under the distinct impression that a lot of Conservative Republicans also aren’t too crazy about President Bush right now. Conservative ideology does preach balanced budgets, not monumental debt. And I don’t think they are crazy about paying for Bush’s war.

By: Jim Satterfield

Jim Satterfield — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 18:43:48 +0000

Many of those who pass for conservative Republicans now have a hard time distinguishing between Communism, socialism and a belief that government social programs are necessary.

By: thegameiam

thegameiam — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 17:54:35 +0000

You are joking, I presume, when you said:

Though I canâ€™t yet prove it, I think they have found something to stand for, with or without the prodding of prior generations, namely: sanity, fairness, and balance between the divisive extremes that have defined their predecessors. And thatâ€™s why, I think, their heroes are frequently named Clinton and Schwarzenegger and Giuliani, rather than Hoffman and Leary and Fonda.

Perhaps you hadn't heard about the spraypainting of The Capitol? I live in DC, and I occasionally suffer through the various marches and protests of all stripes. This particular issue (anti-war protests) gathers folks with all kinds of signs (including lots of ANSWER and other Socialist groups) who seem to only agree on the fact that they don't like President Bush.

By: Vietnam - Vietnam » Our Intentions Were Noble in Vietnam (by: Jeff Lukens)

Vietnam - Vietnam » Our Intentions Were Noble in Vietnam (by: Jeff Lukens) — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 17:48:44 +0000

[...] And naturally, many of their fans, who once protested the Vietnam War, have aged right along with them, as freelancer Jack Langer illustrates, with a wink and a nod, in his post about last weekend s Iraq war protests, … – Read More – [...]