What to do now?

bryan0920 · 01-24-2008, 12:09 AM

My head is spinning. The kind of spinning that accompanies an epiphany. To give some background quickly, I am a business major who served in the military. I voted for Gore in 2000 and was dead set against Bush then. Scared cause I read a book entitled, �The Immaculate Deception.� It�s about the Bush family and very frightening. I have southern roots and would characterize myself as mildly conservative. Truth, I am a political hack and have always admired Lieberman. I am a registered democrat. The nomination of Kerry sent me into a stupor and I voted for every republican on the ticket as repayment for my outrage and for the exodus from Lieberman.

Morally Bush was right about the war. I will say and believe it until I die. But I was wrong to have supported it. I will explain after I explain why he was morally correct. Bush decided to take on the all bad guys after 9/11. Hooray!!!! Just what the response should be. WWII taught us not to let threats emerge to a point where confronting that threat could result in the kind of price we paid in WWII. He lied, I admit it, and I don�t care. I wouldn�t have cared when FDR did it just as I don�t care that Bush did it. I believed that Bush believed something that couldn�t be made as grounds for war. He needed something to legally justify the war. WMD was it. Who cares if there weren�t any? He didn�t lie about this though. He was wrong no doubt but he didn�t lie. If he did then so did Bill Clinton. I was in Kuwait in 1997 when Sadam had kicked out the inspectors and Clinton sent us to the region as a show of force.
(Operation Desert Thunder / Desert Viper)

Nobody remembers this but Clinton sent troops to confront him. My belief is if that if Sadam hadn�t made a deal with Kofi Annan a war on some level would have ensued although I am confident it would not have pursued regime change. However on our arrival many scuds were heated and thanks to early warning systems we were notified. Our response was chemical gear. None of this matters though.

What matters is why Bush was morally correct. We will start with an interview that Madeline Albright gave on 60 minutes responding to the death of hundreds of thousands of deaths of children that were a result of U.N. sanctions. (YouTube - madeleine albright on 60 minutes - "worth it")

To sum it up Iraq was starving, children and elderly dying due to lack of medicine and coupled with this was the worst part. There was no hope. Can you imagine, NO HOPE? What is worse than this? Nuclear fallout? At least this carries the absence of the need for hope. Now Iraq has massive oil wealth and culturally proud. He believed he could export Regan�s beacon of freedom to the cradle of civilization. Iraq could be transformed into an Islamic democracy that could be a beacon of hope and change to the Muslim world. Regan said the US was a beacon of hope to the former soviet satellites. A Muslim nation would never look to the west for an example. But to the heart of their Mesopotamia they would. I believed him and still do.

So why shouldn�t I have supported him? Because they were right and I am stubborn. Just finished Alan Greenspan�s book, �Age of Turbulence.� I love economics and this is a great book written by a man I respect immensely. His analysis of the Bush administration is scathing. Bush truly is a stubborn idiot. What he is doing to our economy is reckless. The deficits are out of control and his unwillingness to listen to reason and be flexible are incredibly damaging. I am not saying Kerry would be better but the truth is he wouldn�t have been worse. I was wrong to support the war not because the war was wrong but because the idiot that was in charge of orchestrating it. This is funny to say but even Hillary will be an upgrade. To see things through Greenspan�s eyes is very unsettling. He, being a republican, was excited about the Bush admin. He thought Bush�s stellar team would be able to solve the problems that we faced and at the time of his inauguration there were so many positives that even 9/11 couldn�t touch. Mismanagement by his administration has set us back 2 decades and with social security issues and baby boomers retiring we might not be able to pull ourselves back to the way things were 10 years ago for another 50 or 100 years if ever. I am so sorry. Being a political hack some trust my opinion and may have voted as I saw fit. I am part of the problem and am sorry. Seriously!!!!

I am just left with the question, where do I go from here? Mr. Greenspan talks about the republicans following a policy of deficits don�t matter although spin and say they do. It seems the republicans have become don�t tax but spend and spend some more �conservatives.� Am I to believe the democrats are more fiscally responsible? Recent history suggests they are. Clinton surely was. Frustrating!!! I can�t wait for change. The republicans are getting what they deserve.

Migi e! · 01-24-2008, 12:28 AM

VOTE OBAMA!!!!! That'll get change, about the only change is the skin color.
Until congress is changed, it doesn't matter who's in the WH.

Roshi · 01-24-2008, 12:31 AM

Obama chants for change but he offers nothing different and is very vague.

Go for Ron Paul. A true fiscal and governmental conservative.

bryan0920 · 01-24-2008, 01:01 AM

Ron Paul, another Texan? Never.

Migi: I think you are on to something. I have long held the opinion that our system needs change. Imagine someone driving to work everyday in a Ford model T getting past by the latest sports car. Thats whats happening. Our form of government, being so revolutionary, has become ineffective. It moves to slow and it does not respond quickly to changing variables. It is designed for two almost identical parties to share the wealth. We need a constitutional convention. Imagine if we had a parliamentary system and the idiot had to stand in front of congress every week and get drilled. A vote of no confidence would have been rendered long ago and we would have moved on. Two political parties? Bunch of crap.

Also, you people don't come at me with this traitor crap. Don't let patriotism blind you to our shortcomings. Our forefathers designed our system to change. It just hasn't changed fast enough to keep up with the modern world. We need congressional term limits and a whole lot more. The first version of anything sucks. So new versions are made. New democracies are built everyday with the latest advances brought on by political science.

God I hope the government isn't listening. I am not talking revolution or coup in the classical sense just a rethinking. The world is very different now. A lot have examples have been made.

Oh god, there is a knock at the door, jk.

Migi e! · 01-24-2008, 01:12 AM

Waaal now, lets not be too hasty about Texans, some of us do have "cattle under our hat".

I'm all for change, but not just a political party name, real change, act like they're working for the American people, not against the Ametrican people, which is all I've seen for a very long time.
BTW-That's a texan knockin at your door.

The_Bear · 01-24-2008, 01:19 AM

hey bryan;
what's the problem, stated within a paragraph or so, with America?

bryan0920 · 01-24-2008, 01:35 AM

Ok, this is what I am scared of. I feel the need to be careful but what the hay. Your question is large and encompasses a vast topic.

America: Do you realize the girth of the subject? If I said nothing then this would be to stop an onslaught of anti-patriotism rhetoric. Truth is not much. Well I could get into pop culture. A decline in moral values. Lack of parenting. Blah blah, whatever. Specifically I am talking about the government. The world has gone crazy. Our standing in the world is greatly diminished. If our budget gets much further out of control some potentially dangerous consequences lie ahead. Rising inflation, further weakening of the dollar, our dependence on foreign oil and it's dangers. Geeze!!! Don't believe me read the book. I am some hack looking to talk and mix it up listen to the man that moves markets.

Migi e! · 01-24-2008, 01:39 AM

I disagree with the part about our standing in the world if for no other reason than they need us. Who do they call on for help?

Roshi · 01-24-2008, 01:40 AM

RP is nothing like his fellow Texan who is now the president.

Vortex · 01-24-2008, 01:41 AM

So tell me, if Saddam was going to go into exile and take his sons with him, why did Bush have such a need to invade Iraq? Why did he interfere with Saddam's efforts to go into exile and why didn't he just work to remove him peacefully? Why the need to invade? (And there are never morally correct reasons to invade, to start a war when there are other options available to remove the evil leader. Not to mention the invasion violated the UN Charter and our constitution.)