Posted on 10/04/2006 12:40:23 PM PDT by SmithL
We need every race that we can win, RINO or not.
(http://mayminforcongress.com/)
I am a Libertarian from the Constitution State running against Shays/Farrell.
Slash taxes, phase out spending, and pay down the debt. Secure our borders. No amnesty for illegal aliens. Invading Iraq was a mistake. National defense, not interventions.
Foreign Policy and War in Iraq
I am the only candidate who supports a deadline for Iraq. I call for a deadline in Iraq of July 4, 2007 because we should not again suffer the irony of celebrating our great day of freedom while being taxed to support an invasion of a country halfway around the world. Iraq is becoming a Communist country and we should not support that any longer than necessary. Bring our troops home from nearly all foreign bases. See my position paper here.
I am the only candidate who opposes all wars of foreign interventions. Any war involving American lives or money must be authorized by the Congress in advance, not delegated to the President. I am the only candidate who would have voted unconditionally against the initial invasion of Iraq.
Patriot Act and Civil Liberties
I would vote against the Patriot Act and any violations of American liberties in the pursuit of terrorists. Every wiretap or search must have a warrant. I would vote to dismantle the hastily created and ineffective Department of Homeland Security.
Sigh....
Rumsfeld is not an idiot. He's dynamic, he's savvy, and he's smart. But his pet strategy is a bum nag, that's all. I am inclined to trust him more than just about anyone else in that cabinet position. Who is there in the party that has enough backbone to replace him?
Here is what I think Rummy has going for him: he has the courage to take all the sh*t that the Demwits have been throwing at him; He has the ability to attack stupid questions; he loves his country, he loves the armed forces, and he sticks to his guns (so to speak). I admire the hell out of a guy who has those traits.
My only beef with Rummy is that he does not see the writing on the wall regarding his vision of what the military ought to be. It cannot be just a collection of many smaller, lightly-armed high-tech rapid-deployment forces. And there are those who would counter that it does not help having One Big Army either. That's true. So there has to be a balance. The armed forces have to be big enough and flexible enough to be used in multiple places, simultaneously. In one area as a conventional ground-pounding, window-breaking steamroller; and in another area as the sleek, high-tech, fast, sexy, Clancy-esque SpecOps force that Rummy desires.
We need a bigger military if we are going to go beating hell out of every radical Moslem goathumper who supports terrorist activities AND at the same time intend to threaten that stupid bastard with the crappy haircut in North Korea with any semblance of credibility.
We need to expand the armed forces. We should not be "right-sizing" our military if we plan on fighting terrorism anytime, anywhere. Get the manpower, get the ships/aircraft/weapons/munitions, get the industrial engines rolling; and let's get this sonufabitch rolling. Enough of this half-assed prosecution of a war, for cryin' out loud.
You hit it on the head. The BIG problem is getting our military out of the Six/SIGMA era and back into the business of breaking stuff and killing bad guys. We have to weed out all the Clintonistas who have infiltrated the command structure and put in some Pattons, Halseys, and Nimitzes. Enough of this "kinder, gentler big stick" BS. You can't fight a war with your enemy and coddle him at the same time. Kick his ass until he can't get up again, destroy his will and capacity to fight, and strip his country completely of any semblance of war-making desire and capacity. Worked with Japan. Germany... well, they're European. Can't say much else.
Where'd you hear the war isn't going well, druby?
"We need a change in tactics."
From, to?
Such a statement implies you've some experience with and/or in military tactics & strategy.
Let's hear 'em, druby.
Many of us here at FR are military veterans, y'know. Known war and survived to see another day. We'd really love hearing your expertise concerning this issue. A chance to learn something *new* should never be taken lightly so I for one am all ears.
"If Rumsfeld can do that, I don't think he has to go."
You don't, "if" Rumsfeld can do "that".
>?<
"Just hanging tough isn't going to cut it."
It isn't?
Perhaps we should do as Al-Q, Iran, North Korea, the UN, France et al says we should then -- Cut-'n-run.
What're your thought(s) of what needs to be done, druby?
You & I are very different people, druby.
Possess very different ideas concerning freedom & how hard our ancestors fought, sacrificed to give us our freedoms, and, how hard we today must fight to keep and/or spread freedom.
Very different ideas, indeed.
In fact it'd appear -- & judging by your own words, druby -- my (& Rumsfeld's, the President's etc) idea(s) of how we keep our freedom & spread it to others are much more in-line with the terrorist's ideas of how they're going to spread Islamofacism than any commonality you & we share.
Why is that?
Don't mean to insult you this time, but, honestly your POV? It's much closer to that of the Democrat's, ie the Liberal-Socialists, than any "conservative" I know or have known.
You hope you realize that.
In any event I asked you "what would you do" before & now see your answer's not necessary.
Shays' spoke for you.
You & I could've saved a lot of time had you just stated your real position up front from the beginning, instead of your couching it in a question to me.
~sigh~
Live & learn, right! ;^)
...see ya around.
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