Some thoughts while listening to the President speak...

[rwilli82]

He took a question from a reporter who said something along the lines of "A recent poll showed that the American people think that Democrats would do a better job handling the war in Iraq and what would you do differently

Comments

[rwilli82]

I did read the Rolling Stone article.

Then I read this article which blew Kennedy's tinfoil hat wearing 'facts' to shreds.

I admit that I bought into Bush's original reason of going into Iraq was two-fold: find the WMD's and take out Saddam. We took out Saddam but didn't find the weapons. The country is in the process of rebuilding itself yet there is still a problem with attacks from Al-Queda, which is why we are still there.

What I don't get is the anti-war sentiment that you carry and this theory that this whole thing is about oil. We have tried in the past to make peace with these countries and it didn't work. We were attacked and Iraq, which was becoming a breeding ground for these terrorists, posed a threat to us. We attacked them and removed a dictator, but where is control of oil that you have been insisting that this was all about?

My whole point began on the fact that the media is reporting polls as facts. These polls have created some sort of alternative world that says Democrats are going to take over Congress in 2006 and that Bush will be defeated in 2008 (Note: Bush can't run in 2008 so why all the fuss?). This is very similar to what we saw in 2004 yet Bush was re-elected.

As for Vietnam I know of a few people that actually fought in Vietnam (one of which is my ex GF's dad) and I'm basing my opinion on what they have to say. They didn't take kindly to the anti-war protesters back then.

[cplady]

The blog you posted is interesting, but taking each of those points as separate entities does not invalidate Kennedy's points. Any SINGLE point would not have made a difference overall as the poster pointed out. Several of them would have. Regardless, the vote in several states was too close to tell. I'm sure there are arguments for both sides for and against. I agree polls are not always accurate, but there was enough of a discrepancy...an UNUSUAL thing...to get people to ask questions. There were a lot of these "coincidences" that could have added up to a different result.

"What I don't get is the anti-war sentiment that you carry ">

I never said I was anti-war. I neverK said I do not support our troops. Accusing me of such appears to be the normal reaction for those who believe you should never question the government. You aren't the only one who has friends and relatives serving in Iraq and Afghanistan you know.

It was my understanding our country was built upon freedom of speech and opinion. I never thought I'd see the day when my phone conversations would be scrutinized, or that 65 year old ladies in Florida would have their bank accounts frozen due to "suspected terrorist activity" or that I would be accused of being anti-war, anti-american and unsupportive of our troops just because I question the reasons for going against convention and the United Nations to invade a country over false pretenses.

I would like someone to give me one good, VALID reason for why we went to Iraq. You keep connecting the 9/11 attack and Iraq, yet it's been said over and over Iraq had nothing to do with the attacks. Al-Queda is not based in Iraq. They have much larger cells in other countries. Why haven't we gone to those other countries? Why not Israel? Why not Brazil and Columbia? Why not Egypt?

We are still in Iraq not because of Al-Queda. It's because there are three or four separate religous groups who all want control and none can agree. We are there because of the insurgients who still support the Hussein regime. NOT AL-QUEDA. This is what I pointed out in my first reply. The mass of people who believe we are there to fight Al-Queda amazes me. Yes, the insurgents are terrorists. They are not necessarily part of Al-Queda.

I LIVED through the Vietnam war. I lost friends and one relative in that war. I have many more friends who served...some who volunteered and some who were drafted. I've seen the direct effects that war had on them and it's not pretty.

Imagine being drafted into a war you don't believe in and coming home to the hatred people placed on all who served regardless of whether they wanted to or not. And much of the hatred came from soldiers being asked to wipe out entire villages, including women and children, because those women and children often carried explosives and acted as suicide bombers. Sound familiar?

Imagine how it was when our friggin' GOVERNMENT dropped the ball on those vets. How many years did it take before the government finally acknowledged the specific problems (agent orange effects and emotional issues) of these vets and offered assistance? I'll tell you...more than 20 years later. They did the same to the Gulf War vets. Talk about not supporting our troops!!

I believe in freedom of speech. I believe everyone has a right to their political views. That's what freedom is supposed to be all about. It just saddens me when I see people basing their views on false information, never realizing when they are being manipulated, never questioning, and ignoring what is right in front of them.