Posted on 01/25/2007 5:12:26 AM PST by RAY
That's sure the truth. Good column, he sums up many aspects of this situation that have been bothering me - not just the partisan hysteria of the Dems, but the immature and completely divorced-from-reality attitude of many Americans, regardless of party.
Wonderful, wonderful parody! Noting that this was written by a Brit in 1953, I see some things (a) are the same everywhere and (b) never change.
Good grief. I'm assuming they're too young to have lived through those awful Carter years. I remember seeing the lights go out on entire industries where I was living.
I can write off the anti-war complaints because those have never been grounded in reality, in any of the many attacks by the anti-war crowd on any war we have ever fought. But I honestly can't see how they can complain about the economy. We are literally booming; nobody in my area can even find enough employees.
It's a shame more people haven't read this article. I guess I will bump it to the top again.
bttt
Hoping more people will read this, I am bumping it up to the top again.
I'm so glad you bumped it- or I would have missed this wonderful piece.
You are welcome! Upthread Peach has a biography of the author, which should open some eyes!
Good! Keep on bumping! It's an excellent article.
Will do! I don't suppose any of the Bush-bashers will read it, but hope springs eternal.
Bumping this article for the lunch crew.
If there's any potential Horatio in this fight it's Gen. Petraeus, who, dispite the woeful mismanagement of the war in Iraq by his predecessors and superiors, looks like he might have the stones to pull this one out of the fire. And if he does, then we might be able to say that we have a leader that we don't deserve.
I'm also getting very tired of people hyping Iraq's importance to the US as a whole. Iraq is not Rome, Iraq is not Washington D.C., Iraq is not New York City. Failing there, we can and will fight elsewhere.
Great Story, and George W Bush is the right man for the Job!
I'm not a Democratic shill, nor a limp-wristed pacifist who habitually protests US military activity. I have no problem with our presence in Afghanistan, which in the form of its proxy al-Qaeda, attacked us. I'm a Catholic who believes in the teaching of his Church on the requirements for just war. I don't believe those conditions were fulfilled with respect to Iraq and the previous Pope, John Paul II didn't either, when he counseled against military action against that country. It's a shame we didn't listen to him because the situation in Iraq is deteriorating.
It's also unfortunate that this war is now overshadowing Bush's other achievements. The economy is picking up and he gave us two apparently conservative Supreme Court Justices but unless something miraculous happens soon, the war will be his legacy.
On a site like FR, it would be nice to be able to discuss Bush's shortcomings without screaming "Bushbot" or "Bush basher" at each other. A sycophantic praise of everything he does is as odious as its opposite, a visceral hatred of his every action which one sees on other web sites.
Well said.
I suggest that you review exactly what situation we were in before we invaded Iraq. Pay special attention to the plight of the Iraqi people. If we had NOT invaded, they would still be under Saddam's tyranny, with his sons ready to pick up the reigns of power when he died.
Unlike some, I take to heart the admonition that we ARE our brother's keeper, especially when people are being oppressed by a guy who was actively seeking nuclear weapons, which Saddam was doing, as has been amply demonstrated on this forum, regardless of what the media says.
I am sorry you don't see this, but it doesn't change my opinion. As far as Pope John Paul II's protest against this war, it was not made with the knowledge of all that the President knew, and the Holy Father was in failing health as well.
Yes, it is true that there is too much name-calling on these threads, and that is a shame. On that we can agree. Thank you for taking the time to post your thoughts.
Iraq ISN'T Washington, D.C., and that's the point! Yes, if we leave Iraq, we will fight them elsewhere. Wouldn't you really rather fight them there and be done with it, or would you rather they show up somewhere else, perhaps somewhere in Europe?
Bush was so certain of Iraq's importance that he spent 3000 good men and women, 1 trillion dollars, and the Reagan Revolution on it. The tragedy is that we could have fought these same men in Afghanistan or Western Pakistan. We could have killed the REAL architect of 9/11 instead of letting him hide out in the mountains for the past six years.
Bush isn't Horatio, he's Hector, letting bad judgement and pride lead him to ruin.
The Catechism says this:
1) the damage inflicted by the aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be lasting, grave, and certain;
That's a very high standard. Note the wording. It does not say "possible", "probable" or even "highly likely.". It says certain.
2) - all other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective;.
Were they? Or did we simply tire of Saddam playing games with UN inspectors and decide to eliminate him?
3)- there must be serious prospects of success;
OK, fair enough. We truly thought we could turn Iraq into a model Middle Eastern democracy.
(4)- the use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated. The power of modem means of destruction weighs very heavily in evaluating this condition.
This is where it really falls apart, in my opinion. The "evils and disorders" which an Islamic, sectarian, destabilized Iraq will present, surpass Hussein's secular dictatorship, I believe. Not to mention the American lives lost. And for the Christians, in Iraq, life is now infinitely worse. Most have left Baghdad and are sheltering in enclaves for protection.
Being one's "brother's keeper" is not synonymous with the application of overwhelming military force and the declaration of war.
Carolyn
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.