"Why I voted for Bush"

[Fake Boris]

God I hope I never get that moron in a po sci course.

This guy actually has a Ph. D.?

[Drachasor]

Bah, it isn't like Kerry is going to leave Iraq anytime soon if he gets elected.

Send a message to the rest of the world? Well, if Bush gets re-elected then it sends a terrifying message about American Democracy; that it is our way or the highway and we'll shoot first and sort out the mess later. The rest of the world and shocked and mortified by what the U.S. had done by and large, and confirming that this is what America is would send a very chilling message indeed.

I will tell you one thing though, democracy in the middle east is certainly too big of a job for Bush. He can't realize we don't have enough troops or allies. He refused to acknowledge that most of the Iraqis are very angry with us. He acts like this group of Iraqi forces we've trained there like us, when they might have 5% of their ranks infiltrated and the rest of them aren't too thrilled about the occupation either.

We need a president that will recognize the realities of the situation. That is something Bush and his Administration can't or won't do; they've demonstrated that again and again over the past 4 years.

-Drachasor

Edit: clarified the intent of my first sentence. Added "Iraq" and "if elected".

[Berzerker]

dojo -

Down one path lies retreat, abdication and a reign of ambivalence. Down the other lies a nation that is aware of its past and accepts the daunting obligation its future demands. If we choose poorly, the consequences will echo through the next 50 years of history.

This is illogical hyperbole, the import of this election is far less than the elections that got us into this mess. You don't look at an election after war has broken out, you look at previous elections that paved the way to war and what went wrong. And what went wrong was Reagan, Bush 1, Clinton, and Bush 2 - these are the men in power when the road to war was being paved. Hell, we can go back a few more administrations to the post WWII world - the creation Of Israel, support of the Shah in Iran, etc. But it was our involvement in the Iran-Iraq war as we got mad at the Iranians for ousting the Shah that led to terrorism as we see it. Saddam became our friend because of the Iranian revolution and that led him to believe we would wink at his invasion of Kuwait. We led him to believe that, he invaded, we reacted differently, and then we made what appears to be the fatal mistake - we began building military bases in Saudi Arabia. Will electing Bush or Kerry solve this problem? I doubt it, neither candidate seems to understand the wisdom of minding one's own business.

If we, in a spasm of frustration, turn out the current occupant
of the White House, the message to the world and ourselves will be
twofold.

So it's spasmatic to oust the noncompoop who mislead us into Iraq? LIke father, like son...

First, we will reject the notion that America can do big things. Once a nation that tamed a frontier, stood down the Nazis and
stood upon the moon, we will announce to the world that bringing democracy to the Middle East is too big of a task for us.

Ask the Saudis for help?

But more significantly, we will signal to future presidents that as voters, we are unwilling to tackle difficult challenges, preferring caution to boldness, embracing the mediocrity that has characterized other civilizations.

This guy thinks the collapse of previous empires resulted from voters not embracing the notion of empire? How many actually voted? And empires collapse because they over extend, not because they stay within their means.

The defeat of President Bush will send a chilling message to future presidents who may need to make difficult, yet unpopular decisions. America has always been a nation that rises to the demands of history regardless of the costs or appeal. If we turn away from that legacy, we turn away from who we are.

No, it'll simply mean that bad decisions were made by those seeking an empire. Maybe empire ain't a good idea to begin with...

Second, we inform every terrorist organization on the globe that
the lesson of Somalia was well learned. In Somalia we showed
terrorists that you don't need to defeat America on the battlefield when
you can defeat them in the newsroom.

If "defeat" means we leave them alone and they leave us alone, then the lesson will have been learned. Don't smack a hornet's nest with a stick...

They learned that a wounded America can become a defeated America. Twenty-four-hour news stations and daily tracing polls will do the heavy lifting, turning a cut into a fatal
blow. Except that Iraq is Somalia times 10.

Or hopefully, that a wounded America will wake voters up as to what our leaders have been doing abroad to create enemies. That's why these clowns tell us we were attacked because we are free; as if a bunch of people woke up one day and just couldn't stand the fact another group of people on the other side of the world were "free". Hell, we aren't even free, so wtf are these American leaders talking about? They can't admit 9/11 was a result of their meddling in the Middle East... I understand, passing the buck is as old as Adam, Eve, and God.

The election of John Kerry
will serve notice to every terrorist in every cave that the soft
underbelly of American power is the timidity of American voters. Terrorists will know that a steady stream of grizzly photos for CNN is all you need to break the will of the American people. Our own self-doubt will take it from
there.

Self-doubt is important, it's what teaches a child to not keep putting their hand on the stove.

Bin Laden will recognize that he can topple any American
administration without setting foot on the homeland.

That's peculiar, setting foot on other people's homeland is as American as appie pie.

It is said that
America's W.W.II generation is its 'greatest generation.' But my greatest
fear is that it will become known as America's 'last generation.' Born
in the bleakness of the Great Depression and hardened in the fire of WW II,
they may be the last American generation that understands the meaning of duty, honor and sacrifice.

So you're unpatriotic if you oppose our globalist endeavors? These a-holes are why we are in this mess...

It is difficult to admit, but I know these
terms are spoken with only hollow detachment by many (but not all) in my
generation. Too many citizens today mistake 'living in America' as 'being
an American.' But America has always been more of an idea than a
place. When you sign on, you do more than buy real estate. You accept a set of values and responsibilities.

Yes, the "responsibility" to close your eyes as these people bring enemies home from their world travels.

This November, my generation, which
has been absent too long, must grasp the obligation that comes with being an American, or fade into the oblivion they may deserve. I believe that 100
years from now historians will look back at the election of 2004 and see
it as the decisive election of our century.

No, the election that sees an "isolationist" win will be the most important - that will be when we no longer seek dragons abroad to slay.

Depending on the outcome, they
will describe it as the moment America joined the ranks of ordinary
nations; or they will describe it as the moment the prodigal sons and
daughters of the greatest generation accepted their burden as caretakers
of the City on the Hill."

That city on a hill will be turned to vapor one day by a nuke carried in by terrorists, it's just a matter of time. So, how do we prevent this? Eliminate all nukes? Nope, we can reduce their number but that's no guarantee. It's easier to avoid creating terrorists... These attacks began, not just after decades, no, centuries of the west screwing around in Muslim lands, but after we began building military bases in Saudi Arabia. Lesson? We are infidels and infidels don't occupy Muslim holy lands without paying a price.

[Agathon]

Again

Berz

[Berzerker]

Leave it neo-cons and the GOP to bring libertarians together with communists?

[Al B. Sure!]

Agathon:

wow... that is EXACTLY what i'm talking about... you're pushing it FAR too hard where you sound like a fool. the things you say are like a conservative calling Kerry a Communist ****** who will turn over the US to the Chinese and the French. why is it that conservatives never say things like that? because they have enough sense to know that there is a fine line between being a bit rough on your opponent to get undecideds to come to your side and being downright silly.

[Al B. Sure!]

Leave it neo-cons and the GOP to bring libertarians together with communists?

yeah... leave it to the GOP, with it's tens of millions of registered party members, 150 years of history, and over a dozen presidents, to bring modern Jacobins together with bolsheviks... oh and don't forget Lyndon LaRouche!

[DinoDoc]

Are we still invoking Godwin?

[Ted Striker]

I have never felt this ashamed in my country ever


You know, when I grew up, we always watched great movies. In them, America always protected the world from the bad guys.

Unfortunatley, this time we ARE the bad guys.

George Bush and President Cheney have disgraced our nation more than any other leaders in history.

My write in ballot goes out tomorrow morning. I will fill it out tonight, and make my mark for John Kerry.

This is coming from someone, who waited in line, all by him self, up all night, without food or water, for 17 hours, to pay my last respects to President Reagan.

George Bush has perverted everything that I stand for. He is not the United States of America.

[Al B. Sure!]

yall liberals sure love proving my point OVER and OVER again... i'm not complaining though... your silliness is converted people to the GOP.

[Ted Striker]

I think it's more of the opposite Speer

I have never seen this many conservatives defect over to Kerry

[Dis]

this is the most disgusting thread I have ever seen.

I'm a conservative, and I didn't vote for Bush. I don't expect any sane person to vote for him.

How much more does he have to screw up to lose?

I can't believe bush is going to easily win this election.

[Imran Siddiqui]

I have never seen this many conservatives defect over to Kerry

Ditto... Hell I am one!

[Al B. Sure!]

when will it stop? liberals have called Bush everything short of the devil... let's not forget all the references to Hitler...

blaming Bush for the flu? blah? what's next? Bush made my wife divorce me! Bush gave me severe back pain! Bush...

what possesses yall to act like this? it's really sad.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Let me know when Kerry says those things. Until then...

I've heard conservatives say Kerry will invite the terrorists in. When will it stop?