How to answer "Was Bush Right?"

[Hamlette]

The way the media is behaving, one would think starting a war over WMD has led to peace and prosperity world wide. It's making me sick. I cannot bring myself to say "Bush was right." (If anything, Friedman was right, not Bush. But that's a different issue.)

I need a quick and smart response since I might not have much time to explain the history of Lebanon. And I need you to help me.

What I want to say is:

Yes, I'm delighted that America is supporting democracies in the Middle East for a change but I'm worried about history repeating itself like the Shah of Iran.

or

I've adopted a wait and see policy. They lied to me about Iraq having WMD, are they lying to me now about democracy sprouting up all over?

or

It's a time for cautious optimism but I can't celebrate until all of our troops are home and safe.

Come on, how lame. Help me with something better.

[KansDem]

1. How 'bout "Yes, extreme right...still is...!"

Just some levity...

[ClintonTyree]

2. Tell them, "yes he's right"....................

"but he's not correct". Then walk away. Let them digest that for a while.

[Hamlette]

4. actually it comes up in terms of: see, the middle east is getting better

just like Bush said would happen.

I really don't want to play word games, I want to inform quickly.

[ClintonTyree]

6. And just HOW is it getting better?

Make them cite facts, that usually screws them all up. Back yourself up with enough facts to shoot them out of the air. If you don't want a quick and snappy answer, it's going to be time consuming and the facts will be your only defense.

[FreedomAngel82]

18. LOL

That would be good! It'd probably take them a while to get it. ;)

[Be Brave]

3. I would just take advantage of people who believe this,

and sell them the Golden Gate Bridge.

Sorry, I know I wasn't very helpful to you.

[cheezus]

5. answer: well, YOU don't seem to be that convinced yourself

them: what?

you: well, you're not over there helping spread democracy, so obviously you're not behind it

[Bouncy Ball]

7. Well here you go:

1. We violated international law when we waged a preventive (not pre-emptive, PREVENTIVE--have them look it up, there's a big difference) attack on a country that posed no threat to us and had done us no harm. Ironically, while we were amassing tanks on their borders and aiming missles at them in the run-up to the war, IRAQ would have been fully justified if they had waged a pre-emptive attack on US forces from Jan to March of 2003.

2. You CANNOT attack a country for the purpose of affecting regime change. You can't. It violates international law, again. Affecting regime change is all the bushies have left, but it is very clear, in black and white, that one country is not allowed to attack another for the purpose of taking their leader out of power and replacing that person and/or party.

For those ignorant assholes who turn up their nose at international law, remind them that the US gets mighty pissed off when other countries don't follow international law, but we seem pretty slap-happy under bush to give a big middle finger to it. The rest of the world is in such a state of disrespect for us, not because this is antyhing particularly NEW (let's face it, while we have done some good in the world, the US has rarely ever worn a halo and wings), but because we are so brazenly and so severely breaking those laws.

Two wrongs do not make a right. I certainly DO hope Iraq can recover from this clusterfuck, but that will NEVER make what bushco did in that region RIGHT. Never.

Oh and then suggest to the person you are talking to that they go over to Iraq and tell some Iraqis who lost their entire family, their homes, and their livelihood that "bush was right."

[FreedomAngel82]

19. Something else to bring up

is ask them if they'd like it if Germany came and took Bush and his administration out of power (I wish they would).

[Coastie for Truth]

8. Say "Nice assassination of Yassir Arafat"

smile, nod, and leave.

The CIA and Mossad are already being given credit for the assassination of Yassir Arafat by some.

[Stephanie]

9. BushCO has no more intention of "spreading freedom" than they did -

than they did of finding WMD. "Liberating Iraq" is just as big a lie as "finding the WMD" was. BushCO is in Iraq to establish a foothold in order to dominate the entire region and its resources. They have no intention of allowing genuine democracies which they cannot control. Don't be fooled by Iraq Lie II, which is just as false as Iraq Lie I.

[FreedomAngel82]

20. Exactly

Rumsfeld was on "Meet the Press" and he said they knew EXACTLY where the WMD's were. In Baghdad. But no WMD's yet!

[Guaranteed]

10. Right for who?

Us?

If anyone tells you that our country is safer because of the war, they're lying.

[napi21]

11. It's way too soon to tell. Let's see how long American soldiers have

to stay there, getting killed!

Let's see what kind of government Iraq ends up with.

Let's see what happens in Iran, Tiwan, N Korea, China, etc.

[mandyky]

12. Even a broken clock is right twice a day!

#1 Bush DID NOT want voting in Iraq, he had to be dragged kicking and screaming by the UN and circumstances.

#2 Why are we building 14 bases in Iraq, I don't think we're ever really leaving.

[Wright Patman]

13. Oil is at $55 per barrel

Cheney predicted it would have dropped to $10 by now. His secret energy task force saw Iraq exporting 6 to 10 million barrels a day by 2005.

See, the war WAS about oil and also the U.S. dollar's role as the petrocurrency. All other matters being discussed are insignificant. As another indication of the failure of the war, the dollar has been in steady decline pretty much ever since * took office.

The '"democracy" issue is bogus. The fact is the cabal would defecate their pants if Saudi Arabia announced a free and fair election for next week.

[FreedomAngel82]

21. Yes

Bring up other countries that you know have dictators and unfair elections that aren't being "liberated." It's always these little bitty countries the size of one of our states that have NOTHING but oil. Mention PNAC and tell them to look it up. Leave them with enough that you'd make them go and research it.

[applegrove]

14. It only shows that USA had much more ability to tetter Middle East

or totter it. I didn't know they had control over so many groups and grievances and lack of democracy.

[Avalux]

15. The end does not justify the means -

and how can something good come out of all the lies we've been told?

[Strelnikov_]

16. What Democracy?

One limited election in Iraq, Lebanon revealing it's traditional fault lines, and the extreme right in Israel about to revolt.

You think they would have learned their lesson from 'Mission Accomplished'.

And that's the way I would respond, "Another Mission Accomplished?"

The Weimar Republic and the Kerensky government also looked promising for a short while, until the underlying weaknesses in the social fabric began to manifest themselves.

[not fooled]

17. What about Saudi Arabia? And how are we putting democracy...

...in Iraq when we OCCUPY THE COUNTRY??? Some "democracy". Plus, just remind any morans who buy the bullshit that * is pro-democracy that the US enacted dozens of laws that basically make Iraq a fiefdom of multinational corporations. Example: no unions. US has legal authority in lots o'ways. Iraqi sovereignity is a myth.

Bottom line: at best, * wants to introduce corporate fascism in these countries. Just like here.:eyes: However, he could induce the MSM to report as though these are going to be "real" democracies. Wouldn't be the first time that lazy journalists give * the benefit of the doubt and report his way.

Bottom line: when * turns Saudi Arabia democratic, THEN I'll take him seriously. About the time hell (the neocons' future residence) freezes over...

[FreedomAngel82]

22. True

I remember not long after the "election" in Iraq Malloy was reading a bit of their constiution and he was saying how in Iraq people wouldn't be able to sue corporations. So what's that? What if someone is a worker there and they get hurt? All they get is a "whoops"?

[buddysmellgood]

23. Tell them this story. My basement was really dry. I plugged up the sewer.

My basement is no longer dry. Freedom is on the march.

[ConsAreLiars]

24. When the neocons say "democracy" is growing in the ME.

they are lying. They always lie. That is just who they are. The amount of suffering and and bloodshed has increased. Indifference, respect, suspicion and mistrust of the US have been replaced by universal hatred and contempt and an upsurge in Islamic and Christian hate mongering every year this gang has held state power in the US.

So how is this a good thing?

[jayctravis]

25. If smaller kids team up to hold off a school bully...

then is the bully right for pushing them around in the first place?

In Grim Fairy Tales Cinderella had a happy ending, but that didn't stop the evil stepsisters from being nailed into a barrel and rolled down the hill.

[LynnTheDem]

26. My response; while they may hate their dictatorship govts, they ALSO HATE

AMERICA and BUSH.

WHO THE HELL do you think those people are going to "democratically elect" if they try ousting these leaders? Leaders who will align with BUSH??? Leaders who will align with AMERICA???

Right now their leaders are BUSH'S ALLIES. THAT'S who they'd be trying to get rid of. THINK ABOUT IT.

[No Exit]

27. If "democracy is spreading across the middle east", how're we

gonna celebrate when the cost of that spread was that WE were turned into a fascist state?

To those who think "Bush was right": Go ahead and celebrate Bush's "rightness", but you'd better hope that some of those middle eastern democracies have the compassion to come to the U.S. and rescue us from this totalitarian regime. Looks like the tables have turned and the shoe is on the other foot. We got the wrong shoe this time.

We were a rich country. Then we helped the arabs to become rich by helping them get their oil out of the ground, and by becoming one of their best customers for their oil. Now they're richer than we are.... We were a free country. Then we (allegedly) helped the arabs to become free by "spreading democracy". Now they're freer than we are. How long before Americans have to start emigrating to these wonderful "free" arab countries, coming to them to "have a better life"?

[No Exit]

28. "Freedom is on the march" in the middle east, and fascism is on the sneak

in the U.S. of A.

[GaYellowDawg]

29. Here you go.

The United States has toppled many governments, but outside of WWII, has never replaced them with stable ones that have done their peoples good.