My grandfather died a few months ago at the age of 92. He had been a lifelong Republican and had worked in state and federal government. He also fought in WWII against Japan. He was horrified by what had become of the country he loved so much and what had become of the party he had dedicated so many years to. The Bush years took an emotional toll on him that I would have never imagined possible, and to have people like Six praising Bush’s non-service and standing up for the man who did immeasurable damage to our country is pretty upsetting. My grandfather fought for freedom: Bush sent our men & women to war over ideology, not freedom (with the far right in Israel having a huge hand in that decision). American ideals seem to be in the express lane on the Tidy Bowl highway–patriotism has been replaced by nationalism and the “home of the free and the brave” has become the police state (see Pittsburgh for a recent example) of the paranoid (Beck and teabaggers).

Go back and look. I didn’t say Iraq was vital. I did send my daughter off to war with a tear and a prayer. By the way, I’m not GOP, I’m a registered Independent and primarily a Libertarian Conservative.
The Army is not busted. I’ve kept enough contacts within to be confident about saying that. It’s no thanks to the left though. You do remember code pink don’t you?

“You mean President Obama?”

This isn’t a totaliarian society just yet. I’ll refer to obama in any way that seems good to me.

“What slim chance we had of victory may be gone and the man who blew that chance has skipped town to clear brush back on his ranch full time I guess.”

The balance in Iraq is still in doubt, no argument from me there, but it has a better chance of survival now than it had before General Petraeus. Of course who was it that argued that the war was lost and the surge would fail? Remember when the left called him General Betrayus? I didn’t see anyone on the left clamoring for a victory strategy just unconditional pullout and abject failure. The reasons we went there, good, bad or indifferent, the positive gains made in that country are because Bush (finally) put the right person in charge and gave him the tools he needed. It’s called leadership.

“I was referring to the quote from A Few Good Men.”

Try a history book instead. You might even learn something.

That’s him. Bad deeds don’t mean someone can’t say something meaningful. I also quoted Obama.

What branch of service was obama in?

I was referring to the quote from A Few Good Men.

I thought the litargs wanted us out of both Iraq (and Afghanistan). I thought obama was going to do that post haste.

You mean President Obama?

Looks like you thought wrong.

As for service, quite a few chest beaters couldn’t find their way to a recruiting office either before or after 9/11.

Vice-President Cheney, Karl Rove, Newt Gingrich, Jonah Goldberg, Matt Drudge, Glenn Beck, Ann Coulter, Bobby Jindal and practically every conservative cheerleading the war.

I cared enough to try re-enlising in 2004, back before they got desperate enough where there probably would have taken a 49 year old back in. Back when I already saw Bush was practically destroying the Army.

But now I wonder isn’t one trillion dollars and a busted Army enough? Aren’t 6,000 dead and 40,000 maimed enough?

If Iraq is so vital why don’t I see every GOP family urging their sons and daughters to go fight the damn war the way my father went to fight in WWII, even before he was able to vote without risking life & limb.

Our interests were never threatened by Saddam and it is now obvious that Afghanistan has languished, practically forgotten while we pour blood and treasure into a country that never attacked us.

What slim chance we had of victory may be gone and the man who blew that chance has skipped town to clear brush back on his ranch full time I guess.

“I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it.” - Col. Jessup

That would be the man who let his subordinates beat a recruit to death and then lied about it? Sounds like he would have fit in at Bhagram, airbase a few years ago.

Why do I think obama will be found wanting?

His predecessor did such a bang up job of it by comparison of course.

Every president should lead the nation into an ill-conceived war, spend $1,000,000,000,000 to find didly-squat to justify the stated cause for the war and prove his manhood to his father while racking up 40,000+ wounded and 6,000 dead.

As a former soldier (not a fictional one) I find George Bush wanting.

BTW. I got here from the empire. I like it. Can I hang out with you guys for a while?

I completely agree.

My “scare quotes” (see what I did there?) weren’t meant to apply specifically (or certainly ONLY to France). And I certainly wasn’t stretching to say France is the enemy. I was following what Obama said at the UN. Furthermore:

“We have sought - in word and deed - a new era of engagement with the world. Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges.”

Or to quote a tough guy:

“I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it.” - Col. Jessup

You might want to take another look at that. The area where he was found and was doing his census work is one of the largest marijuana growing areas east of the Rockies. Rural growers are some of the most violent and dangerous people out there. I’ve been a street cop for 24 years so yes, I do know what I’m talking about. Moonshiners fought the government for decades and in similiar locations. It’s not just among right wing circles that ‘feds’ is a curse word. If you insist on calling this a right wing militia killing be prepared for a nice crow dish. A sandwich perhaps?

“We warned you against Iraq and the lack of focus in Afghanistan.”
Richard bottoms

And now this administration is making noises about ignoring the theater commander and possible withdrawal. Maybe. Not too sure. We’re asking around. Where’s that focus now?

“Real enough to know that a president who turned our prestige, the world’s sympathy after 9/11, and surplus into a trillion dollars of debt to China is why we had zero leverage against Putin’s Russia.”

Ah, an oldie but a goodie. Yes, Bush was a fiscal socialist. There, I said it. Happy now? I am certainly not alone in that view.
On the other hand, this administration is spending to the tune of 1.2 trillion in projected new debt every year, much of which China is buying. And that’s without cap and trade and health care.
The gripping hand? We had zero leverage against Russia because…wait for it… we have zero leverage against Russia. Putin is an old school, hard line russkie and he plays the game the way he wants to. He doesn’t care a whit for what anyone thinks or does, short of expressed military power. No one has leverage on the man.