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Dr it was in fact Bush/Sec of Def Cheney who started us on the military downturn not Clinton although Clinton did do his damage also. I don't mean W and VP Cheney I mean GHW Bush and Sec of Def Cheney who started the military downsizing and cost us the best U.S. Navy carrier based fighter ever built the F-14.

I'll set you straight on some facts real quick. Bush Sr did over half the USN fleet reductions more came under Clinton and yes even more came under Bush Junior and no I am not making it up either. I look those things up in DOD sites for myself. We are at an all time Naval strength low Doctor. Or we were as of 2008's figures.

But I also ask you to explain to me this? How could Clinton do it with a GOP Two House Majority for 6 of his 8 years in Office? HOW! Did GW Bush help our military? NO! He sat on his sitter during a golden opportunity to restore our military strength and get needed manpower. Worse he chose one of the worse GOP Secretary of Defense in history tied only with Dick Cheney which was Rummy who bungled things so bad during the Ford years.

It may interest you to know Rummy was the designer of the Hollow Carter Military. Rummy left Carter a mess I know because I was active duty. When Junior picked him for Sec of Def I though Oh No Here It Comes Again. The Carter years weren't any kinder but Carter can't by any means be blamed for all the mess military wise. As much as I hate to say it things actually started improving by the end of Carters term to a certain extent. Carter ended a policy Rummy had in effect during his first tenure called the walk away military and tried to do again under Bush JR. When I got to my ship Feb 1977 AWOL and desertion was high especially desertion. You could walk off 31 days and report to another command and be out in a couple of weeks. Carter stopped it. Carter's Sec of Navy also started the Navy on the mend and I saw considerable changes in that direction happen.

As for trade? Reagan said Trade Partners not Trade Patsies and Bush nor his dad cared about the difference between one and the other. I can see FAIR trade with Canada and even Mexico. I can so a certain extent see FAIR trade with China. That however was not Bush policies. Bush's had us up to our years in their families beloved China Trade. I question Bush China dealings father and son as much as I do Bill Clinton's. Do you? Why not you should. Or do you hold a double standard just because of that Magical -R?

Not much of nothing Bush JR did changed the fact we have even our National Guards being called up for second, third, fourth round deployments to Iraq. END TROOP STRENGHTS what did Bush do? When capable eager to serve men were being turned away after 9/11 did Bush even try to ask for more troops> HE&& NO he didn't. He ran the ones we have ragged. You want to tell me that is leadership? in over deployments. He expanded nothing but giving contracts to Dickie's buddies. Just like he made sure Poppy's has beens and RINO's got party support in elections. There was no End Troop increase under mush except less than 10,000.

Homeland Security? You drink that Kool Aide? That too was a make a political position for family friend and it wasn't needed. Do you like it now that Zero has it? Well Do you? I don't but I had enough common sense to realize ELECTIONS HAPPEN!

Did Bush help us any by not going ahead and wiping out Iraq destroying it? Tell me had he not allowed the Generals to do their job and destroy Iraq do you think Iran would be laughing it's tail off building a nuclear device? The war in Iraq should have been measured in months not years. And No I did support Bush Nation Building either. Again another make some folks rich Bush project.

On domestic issues there wasn't much difference between LBJ and GWB. But for todays enlightened Republicans JFK is too conservative for their blood it seems.

Bush policies cost us plenty carrier wise. Poppy/Cheney set up policies that cost us our two newest conventional aircraft carriers.

The downfall of the Bush presidencies both Junior and senior was the abandonment of much of the Reagan Doctrines. That became evident by the very ones both of them chose for key positions and by the ones they supported in congressional and senate races. Bush's never met RINO's they wouldn't support over a conservative. That Doctor is a good part of what cost us a two house majority. Neither Bush was a leader. They were elitist Country Club liberal Republicans.