France Vows To Block UN Resolution on Iraq War

[Az]

I believe him to be capable of rational thought, though he is paranoid, and he has suffered greatly in his childhood.

[Drake Tungsten]

You and David Floyd and all the rational people do.

That hurts, SlowwHand. That really hurts...

[GePap]

Originally posted by Lord Merciless

Who cares? Does it make a difference?

It makes a huge difference. A private groups can get up and move, it can hide anywhere in the world: can Iraq hide? How? No matter where Osama is, hje can remain in control of Al Qaeda. If Saddam ever left Iraq again, do yuo think they would let him back in, into his palaces?

I see that you are not evil enough to be a dictator. I also see that you are a reasonable person and think powerhungry tyrants are just as reasonable as you. I'd like to know you someday.

No powerhungry tyrant stays in power for 30 years being a psychotic megalomaniac. Hitler lasted only 12. The world doesn't crae how many of your own people you kill, as long as you are not killing othewrs outside the little piece of real-state the world has decided to let you rule.

[SlowwHand]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten

You and David Floyd and all the rational people do.

That hurts, SlowwHand. That really hurts...

I apologize. I sincerely do.
It was just there, too good to pass up.
Cheap-shot. I know.

[Chris 62]

Not to hit this to hard, but rational people don't put their picture everywhere, give continous coverage of everything they do, and think that gassing and killing is the best way to hold power.

That may be pragmatic, but it's not rational.

[Chris 62]

Sloww, my sig says it all, it's a DIRECT quote, unaltered.

[GePap]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
"Saddam is rational; I agree with Gepap on that."

Yes. You and David Floyd and all the rational people do.

DF might be annoying, and may hold very radical notion's that 99% of people on Poly might disagree with, but he is logically consistent based on his assumptions.

You may not agree with what DF says, but he is a better debater than most people here: of course it seems that many people on Poly can't differentiate between beliefs and abilities. How sad.

Azazel, Drake:

Saddam has taken one crazy risk in his whole carrer, the invasion of Kuwait. Had things been a little different, it would have payed of. Yes, Saddam is immensely paranoid, but so was Uncle Joe, and yet Uncle Joe never pushed the button. Hell, even Mao, who kept saying that nuclear war is no big deal, never did anythign particularly crazy with nukes. Can either of you give me any evidence that we could trust Saddam with nukes less than Uncle Joe or Mao?

[Az]

btw, I am still waiting for answers for my question, GEP.

[Drake Tungsten]

I apologize. I sincerely do.
It was just there, too good to pass up.
Cheap-shot. I know.

If I wasn't crippled by the flu, I'd kick your ass for saying that...

I can take a lot of abuse, but saying I'm like Floyd, well that's just plain nasty...

[DinoDoc]

All this talk about DF has remionded me of a debate on proliferation I left unattended. Thank you guys.

[Chris 62]

Actually, he's a rotten debater, he ignores your argument and makes things up as he goes, but that's besides the point.

His best quality is no matter what, he will never alter his postion one iota.

[Adam Smith]

Originally posted by Frogger
IIRC, they can also be used for construction of microprocessors, and are banned as dual-use materials.

Are microprocessors on the banned list too? Why would Saddam build something that he could buy for next to nothing and easily smuggle in even if it was banned?

[GePap]

Originally posted by Chris 62
Not to hit this to hard, but rational people don't put their picture everywhere, give continous coverage of everything they do, and think that gassing and killing is the best way to hold power.

That may be pragmatic, but it's not rational.

Someone who is irrational can't be pragmatic: how can one judge correctly what will and won't be practical, if one is unable to reason and make good cost-benefit annalysis?

Moral people may not want to put their picture everywhere, and gas and kill thousands, but if your aim is to be the absolute ruler of a place, then you do such things. Quibble and argue all you want about Saddam's basic premises, but if I can assume, that once I know his basic premise, his basic values, I can judge with great accuracy what he will do, then the man is Rational. He may be an immoral, narcissitic, paranoid son of a *****, but that does not make one a raving lunatic that would do anyting.

[SlowwHand]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten

I apologize. I sincerely do.
It was just there, too good to pass up.
Cheap-shot. I know.

If I wasn't crippled by the flu, I'd kick your ass for saying that...

I can take a lot of abuse, but saying I'm like Floyd, well that's just plain nasty...

Sorry you're sick. Had I known, I would have let it pass.
That was nasty, I admit.

Chris, yeah, I know about David's remark.

One thing I have to agree with GePap on,
Floyd is consistent. He is that much.
He has opinions that I have to believe are the product of a sheltered life.

[Defiant]

GEP, correct me if I am wrong but did Uncle Joe and Mao ever invade another sovreign nation? I really don't know if they did, whereas Saddam has tried twice.