Wouldn't it be great to hear this from a Presidential hopeful

[kdailey4315]

WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT TO TURN ON THE TV AND HEAR ANY U.S. PRESIDENT, DEMOCRAT OR REPUBLICAN GIVE THE FOLLOWING SPEECH?
My Fellow Americans: As you all know, the defeat of the Iraq regime has been completed.

Since congress does not want to spend any more money on this war, our mission in Iraq is complete.

This morning I gave the order for a complete removal of all American forces from Iraq. This action will be complete within 30 days. It is now time to begin the reckoning.


Before me, I have two lists. One list contains the names of countries which have stood by our side during the Iraq conflict. This list is short . The United Kingdom , Spain , Bulgaria , Australia , and Poland are some of the countries listed there.

The other list contains every one not on the first list. Most of the world's nations are on that list. My press secretary will be distributing copies of both lists later this evening.

Let me start by saying that effective immediately, foreign aid to those nations on List 2 ceases immediately and indefinitely. The money saved during the first year alone will pretty much pay for the costs of the Iraqi war. THEN EVERY YEAR THERE AFTER IT'll GO TO OUR SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM SO IT WONT GO BROKE IN 20 YEARS.

The American people are no longer going to pour money into third world Hellholes and watch those government leaders grow fat on corruption.

Need help with a famine ? Wrestling with an epidemic? Call France .

In the future, together with Congress, I will work to redirect this money toward solving the vexing social problems we still have at home . On that note, a word to terrorist organizations. Screw with us and we will hunt you down and eliminate you and all your friends from the face of the earth.

Thirsting for a gutsy country to terrorize? Try France or maybe China .

I am ordering the immediate severing of diplomatic relations with France, Germany , and Russia . Thanks for all your help, comrades. We are retiring from NATO as well. Bon ne chance, me z a mies.

I have instructed the Mayor of New York City to begin towing the many UN diplomatic vehicles located in Manhattan with more than two unpaid parking tickets to sites where those vehicles will be stripped, shredded and crushed. I don't care about whatever treaty pertains to this. You creeps have tens of thousands of unpaid tickets. Pay those tickets tomorrow or watch your precious Benzes, Beamers and limos be turned over to some of the finest chop shops in the world. I love New York

A special note to our neighbors. Canada is on List 2. Since we are likely to be seeing a lot more of each other, you folks might want to try not pissing us off for a change.

Mexico is also on List 2 its president and his entire corrupt government really need an attitude adjustment. I will have a couple extra thousand tanks and infantry divisions sitting around. Guess where I am going to put 'em? Yep, border security.

Oh, by the way, the United States is abrogating the NAFTA treaty - starting now.

We are tired of the one-way highway. Immediately, we'll be drilling for oil in Alaska - which will take care of this country's oil needs for decades to come. If you're an environmentalist who opposes this decision, I refer you to List 2 above: pick a country and move there.

It is time for America to focus on its own welfare and its own citizens. Some will accuse us of isolationism. I answer them by saying, 'darn tootin.'

Nearly a century of trying to help folks live a decent life around the world has only earned us the undying enmity of just about everyone on the planet. It is time to eliminate hunger in America It is time to eliminate homelessness in America . To the nations on List 1, a final thought. Thank you guys. We owe you and we won't forget.

To the nations on List 2, a final thought: You might want to learn to speak Arabic.

God bless America . Thank you and good night. '

 

[DrMoab]

Funny, I read this on here right before the last election 4 years ago.

 

[impetus-93xj]

Call it what you want to call it, Canadaians are not blind. George bush is a money grubing, war monger, oil tyckoon. Piece keeping mission my ass. If the cause was legitamate then you would see canadians put down their beer and fight.

 

[Ba-Riedo]

Call it what you want to call it, Canadaians are not blind. George bush is a money grubing, war monger, oil tyckoon. Piece keeping mission my ass. If the cause was legitamate then you would see canadians put down their beer and fight.

Did your line under your name always say 'Proud Canadian' or did you just change it. atriot:

-Alex

 

[impetus-93xj]

nope , been proud since day one

 

[G.Q. Jeeper]

I dought many educated people feel this way. The war was a disaster we Canadians knew it from the start it would end up a shipwreak. I fully supported my countries decision on not going to war.

The US has to take a long hard look at what its doing. Pointing the fingers at foreign country's that do not tow the US's line is a cop-out and has more holes than swiss cheese. The US has to take responsibliy for it's own actions.

Jeff

 

[DrMoab]

I dought many educated people feel this way.

I dought many educated people spell Doubt "dought".

 

[ZacSquatch]

What are you talking Aboot, Aye!!

 

[G.Q. Jeeper]

^^ oopsie my bad, ehehe

gotta hit spell check type too fast!

Jeff

 

[WB9YZU]

^^ oopsie my bad, ehehe

gotta hit spell check type too fast!

Jeff

oopsie?
Like in "Oopsie daisy"? - LOL!

Don't get too hung up on some canned message from the last election.

However, the idea of a bit of isolationism rings true with me.

I believe it is better to teach someone to fish once and have them hate you for not playing the patsy, than to constantly give them fish and still have them hate you.

 

[5-90]

I can agree with an awful lot of that, tho...

• We've expended an awful lot of resources playing "GloboCop"
• We've spent an awful lot of money trying to help other countries - and we've not gotten a lot from the rest of the world in return.
• We spend an awfully large number of lives trying to save other countries (both with the UN and independently - but mainly under UN command)
• We consistently suffer in "the Court of World Opinion" - even when we're doing the right thing (I'm not saying that this war in Iraq is "the right thing" - and I don't support the war proper. However, I'll continue to support our soldiers over there - because I can make the distinction between the war started by higher-higher and the poor slobs over there doing the fighting and dying. Most people don't seem to be able to...)

Yes, we probably shouldn't be in Iraq. Oil may be a large factor there (although terror is a factor as well - and that little factoid shouldn't be ignored.) However, we're there - we should finish the bloody job, and get the Hell out, not plan on staying there. But, we should finish the job we started before we leave.

Foreign aid? As has been mentioned by wiser men than me - how much of our "foreign aid" goes to actually help the people it's intended to help? How much of it goes to the fatcats at the top? We just give them the money/resources/food/whatever, and trust in them to administer it properly. Dumb. No reason to continue that - besides, "charity begins at home," and we've got no business trying to bring up the standard of living of other nations until we get our own sorted out.

Economic aid likewise. Was I the only one to see the irony in us trying to help the CIS (former Soviet Union) get their **** together economically? We were, what, two trillion dollars in debt at the time? Sending the lamb after the lion again, were we?

Let's take a break from all this helping everyone else rubbish, and focus on problems at home. Here's a few:

• What's our annual trade deficit? Shouldn't we have "economically neutral" trade - or, ideally, make it a bit profitable for us? If China wants to clobber us, we don't need to be taken to war - just call in their trade debts. That will probably wreck us economically...
• Value of the dollar? Don't make me laugh - it's shot and getting worse. I've not been a fan of economics as a "science" (it's a mass hallucination based upon a common fiction,) but there are people who think they can understand things. Prove it - inflation seems to have been consistently outstripping wages for the last 15-20 years, and shows no sign of slowing. What's causing that, and how can we fix it? We wonder why kids are stupid these days - plot that against the economy, and make a key point the demise of the ability of the one-income family to survive comfortably. You should see a correlation (but I won't point it out.) Plot the removal of the "gold standard" in there as well - that little data point may surprise you as well.
• Foreign aid. Here, we see a drain on the economy (GDP going out) with no compensation. Hm - welfare, writ large.
• Welfare. While we're on the subject, anyhow. If you're going to go "on the dole," and you're otherwise capable of doing something - you have to do it if you want to collect. Even if you don't have any saleable skills, it doesn't take any particular skill to push a broom or a shovel - there is always manual labour, if you can't do anything else (this goes in with "stop paying Congresscritters" - if you don't produce anything, why should you get paid for not doing it?) Note that I don't include "old age pensions" or disability compensation in there - although there is probably work that these people could do as well, if you could grant them a little consideration while they're trying to do it (referring to the disabled. However, even oldsters would probably appreciate a little something to do with their time - we forced them out to pasture, but that doesn't mean they're dead yet...)

Granted, the solution may not be that simple - but those are the problems that stick out at me - and that I don't see anyone actually doing anything about. Why don't they get started? Hell, why don't we get started? Come up with effective solutions that preserve independence and personal liberties, and let's work to make them stick (socialism won't work. It's not a case of "the right people haven't been in charge" - it's an unworkable system. Perhaps true Marx/Engels socialism can become possible, if human nature were to be carefully winnowed out and temperaments changed. But, it would be easier to simplify the tax code and square the circle - and we've been working on those rather longer. So, throw that idea out the window.)

 

[WB9YZU]

Wow.

Can I get the Cliff Notes version?

Not knocking the effort, I just can't keep up tonight.<shrug>

 

[Ray H]

Short and sweet.
We belong in Iraq because we won a war against them. I dont understand why the U.S. seems to be the only country that doesnt get that concept. Someone picks a fight, a country goes to war, the winner keeps the spoils. We should be opening Walmarts and building condos throughout the newest U.S. territory called Iraq and selling the rest of the world oil from our wells.
Im sick and tired of going to war and walking away with nothing but the certainty that we will need to do it all again in 15 years.
I also dont care what Canada or the UK or France or any other country thinks about what we do. We dont require their permission to accomplish the mission.
Im sure peacable folk would consider this a bully mentality, but remember, a bully goes out looking for trouble just for the sake of doing it. Thats different than defending your interests. The U.S has never gone anyplace they havent been invited in one way or another.
So, if we have to keep troops in Iraq, lets own it. If we dont plan to own it, then get the he$$ out.

 

[ehall]

Call it what you want to call it, Canadaians are not blind. George bush is a money grubing, war monger, oil tyckoon. Piece keeping mission my ass. If the cause was legitamate then you would see canadians put down their beer and fight.

Canadians are scrambling for the exit in Afghanistan so I gotta disagree

Chretien's son-in-law lost a lot of money in France Total-Fina stock when Saddam fell. Sucks that your country was controlled by money grubbing oil tycoon interests huh

 

[matt6669]

Actually read this front start to finish.

There are a lot of good points in what everyone is saying but the biggest is this foreign aid crap. The US is getting poorer and poorer and were just giving out money like were kings when stuff in this country is going to the shit hole. I'm honestly afraid to see what this country is going to be like by the time i hit my 40's (im 22 now).

But the problem is where do you start, theres so much corruption in the system that the only way to fix it seems is to throw everything out but how does on accomplish that.

 

[8Mud]

If it were all that simple. In hind site maybe the war in Iraq wasn't all that dumb. America trying to secure a source of oil out of the Americas, works on two levels. They can save what they got (at home and in the hemisphere) and deny Iraqi oil to others. America was built on oil and until fairly recently was an exporter and not an importer.
Maybe Bush and the bunch weren't all that dumb, saw the handwriting on the wall, the increased demand from India and China. And decided to grab while the grabbing was good.
A lot of mistakes made in the execution of the war. But that is to be expected as long as the politicians in power, the media and the opposing political parties are all doing there part to stir the pot and run the war.
IMO you really have to be more objective in condemning other countries for not wanting to join in. Many have a vested interest in America not succeeding. Those that are oil exporters, helping the consumer to bypass the established suppliers is not very good business.
Saddam owed a whole lot of countries an awful lot of Euro's, they were hoping he would eventually pay off in oil, they need it also.
Germany is helping in Afghanistan, they would probably help more, but many of there citizens feel just the same as the dickheads in Berkley do. They are afraid the whole thing is going to expand and suck them in, in a big way.
This whole America is the center of the universe thing is IMO just arrogance run wild. Some of the countries you mentioned were up and running (though often not well) a thousand years before anybody heard of America. They've managed to make it this far and could probably continue without America (though likely not as well as with America).
Take a step back and try to see the whole thing objectively and without the nationalism aspect. Maybe from a business perspective.

 

[ehall]

In hind site maybe the war in Iraq wasn't all that dumb

Removing a genocidal tyrant who had attacked and/or threatened every one of his neighbors, who had attacked US citizens and interests (including an attempted assassination of a former US president), who had worked with terrorist groups around the world in those attacks (including al-Qaeda aligned groups such as Abu Sayyaf), who had continually violated a cease-fire agreement with the US for 12 years running... Getting rid of that guy was a damn good idea.

Oil? We could have bought it from Saddam at the same cut-rate prices that France, Russia and China had already negotiated in exchange for an end to sanctions.

Maybe look at it from a real perspective?

 

[Ray H]

If it were all that simple. In hind site maybe the war in Iraq wasn't all that dumb. America trying to secure a source of oil out of the Americas, works on two levels. They can save what they got (at home and in the hemisphere) and deny Iraqi oil to others. America was built on oil and until fairly recently was an exporter and not an importer.
Maybe Bush and the bunch weren't all that dumb, saw the handwriting on the wall, the increased demand from India and China. And decided to grab while the grabbing was good.
A lot of mistakes made in the execution of the war. But that is to be expected as long as the politicians in power, the media and the opposing political parties are all doing there part to stir the pot and run the war.
IMO you really have to be more objective in condemning other countries for not wanting to join in. Many have a vested interest in America not succeeding. Those that are oil exporters, helping the consumer to bypass the established suppliers is not very good business.
Saddam owed a whole lot of countries an awful lot of Euro's, they were hoping he would eventually pay off in oil, they need it also.
Germany is helping in Afghanistan, they would probably help more, but many of there citizens feel just the same as the dickheads in Berkley do. They are afraid the whole thing is going to expand and suck them in, in a big way.
This whole America is the center of the universe thing is IMO just arrogance run wild. Some of the countries you mentioned were up and running (though often not well) a thousand years before anybody heard of America. They've managed to make it this far and could probably continue without America (though likely not as well as with America).
Take a step back and try to see the whole thing objectively and without the nationalism aspect. Maybe from a business perspective.

I actually agree with your whole post. You cant expect any country to do anything except what is best for it. I wish more people in the U.S. could see that. We would be on a different path today, one which would make our country stronger and not weaker.
I think its known that, as of today, the U.S. is the strongest country on earth, militarily. In the big picture, it wasnt long ago that Great Britain was in this seat, before that, it was France, Rome, China and so on. Its just our turn, the next century will bring another, maybe Canada or Germany or Iraq, who knows. Thats the big picture. Now is our short time to shine. We should be taking advantage of it because it wont last forever. We shouldnt feel guilty for that, its the way its always been and its the way it always will be. Dont think that Saddam wouldnt be our leader if he couldve pulled it off. Dont think China or Korea wouldnt take us if they could.

 

[8Mud]

Removing a genocidal tyrant who had attacked and/or threatened every one of his neighbors, who had attacked US citizens and interests (including an attempted assassination of a former US president), who had worked with terrorist groups around the world in those attacks (including al-Qaeda aligned groups such as Abu Sayyaf), who had continually violated a cease-fire agreement with the US for 12 years running... Getting rid of that guy was a damn good idea.

Oil? We could have bought it from Saddam at the same cut-rate prices that France, Russia and China had already negotiated in exchange for an end to sanctions.

Maybe look at it from a real perspective?

Altruism is pretty far down on my list of reasons to want to go to war. Most of your other reasons are good enough for me.
Sure the war was about securing an oil source among about fifty other reasons. Respect probably being higher on the list, than many that have been discussed.
I was thinking back to what my father said just before we invaded Iraq, when I wrote that post. He is a sharp old bird, nearing 90 now, he was actually fairly darned close in his predictions. He predicted the insurgency, other fallout from the invasion, and predicted it would bring a whole bunch of crazies out of the woodwork pretty much all through the middle east and even worldwide.. He predicted the mis management of the war, he didn't think much of Rumsfeld. Perspective is never really objective, but if you can almost exactly predict the outcome, your perspective is likely correct.
Personally I was against the war, but when we decided to go in, I was for doing it the good old fashioned heavy handed way. The heck with world opinion.
If I was going to hold a grudge with anybody it would be Turkey. When they turned around most all of the 3 rd Armored division and refused them the passage that had been promised (and been paid for) and/or renegotiated for more money. They likely cost unnecessary American and Iraqi casualties.

 

[RedHeep]

Canada is like a loft apartment over a really great party.

It amazes me that canadians are so tuned into our politics. The average american could care less. Maybe it's got something to do with piggy backing off of our section of the continent. Maybe it's got something to do with all those brand new auto factories that you have now thanks to NAFTA.