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General discussion

This man wants to be your President

Apr 9, 2004 6:04AM PDT
Battles in Iraq Bring Troubles for Bush and Kerry as Well
(if needed speakeasygang/speakeasy)

In an interview on Wednesday with American Urban Radio Networks, Mr. Kerry described the president's Iraq policy as "one of the greatest failures of diplomacy and failures of judgment that I have seen in all the time that I've been in public life."

Still, even as he attacked Mr. Bush, Mr. Kerry was notably vague in saying how he would handle the matter as president. His advisers said he had no plans to offer a policy speech about a war that aides to Mr. Bush and Mr. Kerry alike said they now expected to provide a bloody backdrop for the campaign for months.

"Right now, what I would do differently is, I mean, look, I'm not the president, and I didn't create this mess so I don't want to acknowledge a mistake that I haven't made," Mr. Kerry said on Wednesday on CNN.

Mr. Kerry ignored two questions shouted to him by reporters at a meeting he held with economic advisers, about whether he would "take out" Moktada al-Sadr, the radical Shiite clergyman, a pool report said.
{emphasis mine}

At some point in the next six or so months I hope even his followers will think to ask (and accept nothing less than a concrete answer) what Kerry intends to do differently.

Evie Happy

Discussion is locked

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Is the 'tough Viet vet' now refusing to provide his insight on how to save the lives
Apr 9, 2004 9:11AM PDT

of the troops who are at risk? Nothing new. He cut and ran, leaving his crew in the lurch, once he collected his three 'wounds'.

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"Cut and Run"...
Apr 10, 2004 5:57PM PDT
He cut and ran, leaving his crew in the lurch, once he collected his three 'wounds'. - Kiddpeat

I forget. Just how many wounds did GW get before he "cut and run" during the Vietnam war???
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Until Kerry gets elected
Apr 10, 2004 5:11PM PDT

He will be like the three monkeys,
see no evil,
hear no evil,
speak no evil.

Things would change fairly rapidly if he was elected.

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Re:Until Kerry gets elected
Apr 11, 2004 4:41PM PDT

well all i can say is every time a bush gets into the office we go to war economy drops prices go up and the other thing is they worry about the space moon and mars going to build a space station on mars we americans need help with other things but if he wants a space station on mars go a head and build it and send bush to mars to run it and about his gay thing im not gay but have a few family members that is they say love dont see color well love should not see sex and one more thing send those mexicans back where they came from so america can go back to work

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Well, you do speak your mind don't you? That's good. Welcome to SE. ;-) -nt
Apr 11, 2004 8:44PM PDT

.

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This man IS your president...
Apr 10, 2004 9:47PM PDT
"... Before Mr. Bush was appointed to the presidency, he talked a lot about the impending stock market crash. As soon as he began his term, the stock market crashed. For some reason, consumer confidence was extremely low. We think his dire prediction had something to do with that. The S & P lost 36.9 points. Almost twice as many points as it did on Herbert Hoover?s watch in 1929. His tax cuts for the rich have taken almost a trillion dollar surplus and turned it into a record-breaking deficit.

"After being handed Afghanistan by the Northern Alliance, Bush managed to fail at this too. The Afghans, having lived through over 25 years of war, chaos and a brutal fundamentalist regime, met our troops with flowers, music and dancing in the streets. Bush promised that the US was there to capture Osama bin Laden, oust the Taliban and help the Afghans rebuild. However, that does not appear to be what Mr. Bush had ever planned to do. Instead, he pulled almost all of our available troops from Afghanistan and sent them to Iraq."

More here
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Re:This man IS your president...
Apr 10, 2004 11:19PM PDT

Essays from deannie baby Becky Burgwin of the democratic underground are not news....

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I agree Clay...
Apr 11, 2004 12:31AM PDT

There is nothing new. We all knew about this and hopefully you knew about it too...

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The stock market
Apr 11, 2004 3:16AM PDT

Your source seems a little outdated in pointing to that economic indicator.

The author loses me with "appointed President". Such disregard for the facts of the election undermine any shred of credibility.

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Re: This man wants to be your President
Apr 10, 2004 11:17PM PDT

Hi, Evie.

You're missing the point. Soemtimes a new leader has to do the best he can with the mess he's been handed. Bush is making that argument about Al Qaeda (the extend to which that's true is the subject of great debate now). Kerry is in much the same situation with Iraq. But the real question is, if you have a company with the unusual practice of set terms for leadership, and a CEO who's made a cockup of every area of the company's business, should that CEO be re-hired? When you divorce the question from politics and "patriotism," the obvious answer is "what, are you crazy?" But that's the key question in this election -- does Bush deserve four more years? And the only logical answer is "hell, no!"

-- Dave K, Speakeasy Moderator
click here to email semods4@yahoo.com

The opinions expressed above are my own,
and do not necessarily reflect those of CNET!

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Re:Re: This man wants to be your President
Apr 11, 2004 12:07AM PDT

Hi Dave,

You miss the point. Every President will inherit the failures of his predecessor, and every President will have his failures. But it is simply not good enough to rant that Bush has failed and seek the job. Kerry must at least give some inkling of what he specifically would have done differently had he been President, and what he would do differently when he becomes President. He can't, of course, because he has probably been counseled not to promote his "I'm an internationalist" speeches any more.

Kerry can't point to any major leadership initiatives in almost two decades in the Senate. He wants to lead this country, and our military in a time of war. He should at least have the strength of his convictions to give us a hint as to how.

Evie Happy

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Re:Re: This man wants to be your President
Apr 11, 2004 1:12AM PDT
But that's the key question in this election -- does Bush deserve four more years? And the only logical answer is "hell, no!"

While we both know I'm not likely to agree with that statement, there is another point involved. If the CEO you referred to is not to be rehired, you'll be damn careful about who you replace him with. There, you can name an interium person indefinately.

With the President, the country is generally presented with just a few choices, normally 2, maybe 3 or 4 but knowing only 2 have a real chance. And you can't do an interium deal.

So what the replacement will do is just as critical as what the incumbent has done and will do. So even if someone is dissatisfied with the current president, it's not automatic or the only logical choice to vote for his opponent.

OF course there is the old adage, never vote for an incumbent, give someone else a chance to rip us all off.

RogerNC

click here to email semods4@yahoo.com
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Still want a line that says "None of the above"
Apr 12, 2004 1:41AM PDT

Then the parties would have to go back and nominate two different people.