bush to send kerry to middle east!

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 10:36am

*s*


kerry to solve israel-hezbollah war

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 10:38am

Very good

[Gothampc]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 10:41am

Who would have been Kerry's Secretary of State? Or would he take the Superman approach and broker the peace all by himself?

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 10:49am

I am actually kind of suprised he has not sent papa Bush and Clinton to try and do his work for him.

But, if you are going to quote Kerry, you might as well provide the accurate article:

"If I was president, this wouldn't have happened," said Kerry during a noon stop at Honest John's bar and grill in Detroit's Cass Corridor.

Bush has been so concentrated on the war in Iraq that other Middle East tension arose as a result, he said.

The president has been so absent on diplomacy when it comes to issues affecting the Middle East," Kerry said. "We're going to have a lot of ground to make up [in 2008] because of it."

I don't know if anyone could have prevented this, but I am sure the empowering of Iraq under Bush due to his blunders in Iraq has not helped the situation.

ETA - edited for emoticon
Kerry knocks Bush on handling of Mideast conflict Updated On: 7/24/06 at 10:49 AM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 10:56am

No one could have F*CKed it up any more than Bush has: The Taliban is taking back Afghanistan. Iraq is enmeshed in Civil War. Iran is closer to nukes than they ever were. And the Israelis and Palestinians are further apart than ever.

Bush is doing a HECKUVA job on foreign policy.

But if it makes you guys feel better to sn* like Beavis and Butthead and say "Kerry is a pencil head" and "Gore is a geek," then by all means, sn* away.

But your guy's foreign policy has been a disaster.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 11:09am

Joey, let us look at this logically

Are you saying if either Kerry or Gore got in, Iran would not have nukes or if they did they would stop what they were doing simply because Bush had not been there? Do you really believe that if either of your guys got in the Palestinians would be living in peace with Israel? Sad to say, there will never be peace in the middle east until they accept Israel which ain't happening soon no matter who is in power. What did Clinton do or what would your guys have done to get the Taliban out?The only reason we went in was after 9/11. Prior to that nothing had been done

To set the record straight, other than his initial response to 9/11 & what he has done to go after them as opposed to waiting for another hit & his tax cut, I believe he (GWB) has been a total disaster.

Updated On: 7/24/06 at 11:09 AM

[Gothampc]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 11:15am

Kerry said: "We have to destroy Hezbollah"

So why weren't the Dems working on this during the Clinton years?

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 11:18am

I have no idea what may or may not have happened under gore or kerry, but it would have been better easily. because they have at least a ****ing clue. there's n comparison between those two and shrubya. and to imply that kerry and gore are a joke and to pretend that shrubya is not is a sad, pitiful worldview. and THAT would be a joke, if it wasn't so awfully tragic.

[jimnysf]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 11:32am

"So why weren't the Dems working on this during the Clinton years?"

Because the right wing Repubs had everyone tied up with nonsensical investigations over oral sex.

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 11:36am

Hezbollah is a proxy for Iran - which as become more powerful under the Bush Administration.

Bush fixation on Iraq as an Axis of Evil, has not only compromised our military effectively, but has left Iran and Syria in the region to grow unchecked (and North Korea).

While none of us have proof of how different the world would have been without the misstep of invading Iraq, I am pretty comfortable saying that the mess that is Iraq right now, and the power vacuum it created, thereby further empowering Iran into a regional power, has only helped Hezbollah.

And, Clinton was working on a comprehensive peace plan, which Arafat would not accept - when Arafat died, there was a chance to encourage and empower moderate Palestinian leadership. Bush was so focused on Iraq that all other issues (save an almost knee-jerk support for Sharon's policies) were put on the back-burner.

Hezbollah has grown exponentially under the Bush regime, in part because Iran now has no effective counter-threat in the region.

I find it funny that every time you guy screws something up, you point to Clinton and say . . . "but what did Clinton do?".

Perhaps we need to find some stem cells in need of liberation in the middle east - that might just get Bush's attention.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 11:41am

"Because the right wing Repubs had everyone tied up with nonsensical investigations over oral sex."

Or maybe Maddy Albright was too busy playing drinking games with Kim Jong-il.

You want to talk about bad policy in the Middle East, let's talk Jimmy Carter.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 11:42am

Arafat would not sign it because he alledgedly said he would be signing his death warrant if he did

If someone, in any negotiation, gets 96 % of what they want & they still turn it down, it tells you something.They do not want peace. Nothing other than the destruction of Isreal will suit them

Hezzbollah was elected by the people there. North Korea got many things from Clinton & they broke their agreement which led to where we are now

To point to Clinton's failures is just as necessary as pointing out GWB's

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 11:50am

Roxy, you are assuming that Arafat speaks for all of the Palestinians, he did not - he was viewed by many as a corrupt leader. There was a moment in time after his death where an opportunity existed, and Bush did not seize upon that chance.

In Lebanon, Hezbollah is elected by the people, in part because it has the money to support the infrastructure of Lebanon, thanks to funding and support by Iran and Syria. Both of these countries have become more powerful and more aggressive under the Bush Administration.

North Korea - how many nuclear weapons were built under Clinton's watch? How many cameras are now on site there? Was Clinton perfect? And Goth, slinging insults at Madeline Albright is almost pathetic - as she probably already forgotten more about international relations than Condi Rice, a scholar on the Soviet Union, will ever learn.

Clinton was not perfect. And Arafat's failure to sign a peace plan was a huge blow. But Bush's failures cannot be absolved by simply pointing to the what Clinton was not able to achieve.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 11:53am

Bush's initial response to 9/11 was as bungled as everything else: He SQUANDERED the moment in which he had the sympathy of the entire world.

He went into Afghanistan and moved the Taliban into the mountains--TEMPORARILY.

He FLIP-FLOPPED between "Osama: Wanted Dead or Alive" and "Osama: I'm not very interested in him."

Then he went into Iraq, ostensibly to topple the "worst dictator in the world," while there were actually worse atrocities happening in the Sudan and more dangerous leaders in Iran and North Korea.

He F*CKed up Iraq completely, all the while LOSING the sympathy of the world and giving the insurgents, Islamists and terrorists more reason than ever to hate the US. He didn't create the flame of their hatred, but he certainly poured kerosene on it. Remember: He is a self-proclaimed WAR president.

Well, we "elected" a war president and we got war. It wouldn't be so bad if he had picked a nice easy war to win, like the Falklands or something. But he picked the region that defeated Great Britain and destroyed the Soviet Union, as well as countless invaders over the centuries. What do they say about those who do not learn from history? Well, George Bush condemned the United States to repeat those bitter histories.

Would Kerry have done better? ABSOLUTELY. Would Gore? WITHOUT A DOUBT? I don't see how either of them--or anyone--could have done worse.

Updated On: 7/24/06 at 11:53 AM

[jimnysf]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 11:55am

"Clinton was not perfect. And Arafat's failure to sign a peace plan was a huge blow.".

LOL. The first and last word....

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 11:58am

Happy to oblige.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 12:35pm

Oh. My. God. Gothampc was actually reduced to a blubbering "Buh-buh-but CARTER."

"Joey, let us look at this logically ..."

Oh Roxy. That's rich. You, yourself, once opined that if Kerry had been elected president, "we" would have been "hit again," terroristically speaking.

You, logically, knew that how?

[bwaysinger]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 1:43pm

HOw many successful terrorist attacks occurred in the U.S. during a Democrat president.
How many under a Republican?
Death tolls?

Now, which political party do you trust to keep you safer?

[Gothampc]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 1:49pm

"HOw many successful terrorist attacks occurred in the U.S. during a Democrat president."

Why don't you ask the question, "How many terrorist attacks occurred on U.S. interests during a Democrat president."

When you ask that question, you come to the realization that if Clinton had not been asleep at the wheel and taken action when terrorists were attacking U.S. interests abroad, 9/11 wouldn't have happened.

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 2:00pm

And, are all of the insurgent attacks currently going on in Iraq not terrorist attacks, going after US interests and lives. I thought we are fighting them there, so we do not have to fight them here? Or, is that just one more tag line they use to confuse the American public.

The far right tied Clinton up with Impeachment, and then blames him for not going after Al-Qaeda when he wanted to.

If I remember correctly, there were screams from the right about Clinton making up an enemy to distract the American public from looking at the impeachment issue.

If you want to blame Clinton for that, then the Republican Right, who were so intent on over-turning a Presidential election that they compromised his ability to defend its interest in order to embarrass him, needs to be held accountable as well.

And now, this same Republican right, who were so intent of pushing Paula Jones' suit forward so they could get at Clinton, are claiming privilege for the Vice-President regarding the Plame suit. You know what, a sitting President or Vice President should not be subjected to a civil suit while in office - regardless of party - but now, that principle is under question because the far right so had to destroy Clinton.

The far right has created much of the mess we are currently in by its pathological hate for Clinton, and its desire to destroy him at all costs mentality.

Funny how Bush is now arming himself with lawyers out of fear that the GOP will lose the midterm elections. Karma is a bitch, gotta say.

And Goth, if Bush would have listened to the Clinton advisers as they left, and appreciated the risk that Bin Laden posed, and had he actually read the memo on vacation that said Bin Laden intent on using Planes as weapons (paraphrasing) we might be in a very different world.

Bush was so intent on being anything but Clinton, that he compromised our safety in the process. For goodness sake, his chief policy advisor, Condi Rice, was an expert on the Soviet Union - doesn't that speak for itself?

He was not ready for the world as it existed when he took office, and was not going to listen to anyone tell him otherwise.

ETA - updated for typos.

Updated On: 7/24/06 at 02:00 PM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 2:00pm

If Bush had paid attention to the August 6, 2001 briefing that was HAND-DELIVERED TO HIM ON HIS VACATION IN CRAWFORD, perhaps 9/11 would never have happened.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 2:02pm

Buh buh buh buh but CARTER...

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 2:07pm

Hmmm - who traded Arms for Hostages? Reagan.

[jimnysf]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 2:08pm

It's all JFK's fault! If only Nixon had won....Oh, he did and he resigned in disgrace? Nevermind.

[JustAGuy]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 2:18pm

Here's a short list...seems the Republicans have had their fair share of terrorist activity during their administrations too.

President Reagan

1983
April 18, Beirut, Lebanon: U.S. embassy destroyed in suicide car-bomb attack; 63 dead, including 17 Americans. The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility.
Oct. 23, Beirut, Lebanon: Shiite suicide bombers exploded truck near U.S. military barracks at Beirut airport, killing 241 Marines. Minutes later a second bomb killed 58 French paratroopers in their barracks in West Beirut.
Dec. 12, Kuwait City, Kuwait Shiite truck bombers attacked the U.S. embassy and other targets, killing 5 and injuring 80.
1984
Sept. 20, east Beirut, Lebanon: truck bomb exploded outside the U.S. embassy annex, killing 24, including 2 U.S. military.
Dec. 3, Beirut, Lebanon: Kuwait Airways Flight 221, from Kuwait to Pakistan, hijacked and diverted to Tehran. 2 Americans killed.
1985
April 12, Madrid, Spain: Bombing at restaurant frequented by U.S. soldiers, killed 18 Spaniards and injured 82.
June 14, Beirut, Lebanon: TWA Flight 847 en route from Athens to Rome hijacked to Beirut by Hezbollah terrorists and held for 17 days. A U.S. Navy diver executed.
Oct. 7, Mediterranean Sea: gunmen attack Italian cruise ship, Achille Lauro. One U.S. tourist killed. Hijacking linked to Libya.
Dec. 18, Rome, Italy, and Vienna, Austria: airports in Rome and Vienna were bombed, killing 20 people, 5 of whom were Americans. Bombing linked to Libya.
1986
April 2, Athens, Greece:A bomb exploded aboard TWA flight 840 en route from Rome to Athens, killing 4 Americans and injuring 9.
April 5, West Berlin, Germany: Libyans bombed a disco frequented by U.S. servicemen, killing 2 and injuring hundreds.
1988
Dec. 21, Lockerbie, Scotland: N.Y.-bound Pan-Am Boeing 747 exploded in flight from a terrorist bomb and crashed into Scottish village, killing all 259 aboard and 11 on the ground. Passengers included 35 Syracuse University students and many U.S. military personnel. Libya formally admitted responsibility 15 years later (Aug. 2003) and offered $2.7 billion compensation to victims' families.

President Clinton

1993
Feb. 26, New York City: bomb exploded in basement garage of World Trade Center, killing 6 and injuring at least 1,040 others. In 1995, militant Islamist Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman and 9 others were convicted of conspiracy charges, and in 1998, Ramzi Yousef, believed to have been the mastermind, was convicted of the bombing. Al-Qaeda involvement is suspected.
1995
April 19, Oklahoma City: car bomb exploded outside federal office building, collapsing wall and floors. 168 people were killed, including 19 children and 1 person who died in rescue effort. Over 220 buildings sustained damage. Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols later convicted in the antigovernment plot to avenge the Branch Davidian standoff in Waco, Tex., exactly 2 years earlier. (See Miscellaneous Disasters.)
Nov. 13, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: car bomb exploded at U.S. military headquarters, killing 5 U.S. military servicemen.
1996
June 25, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia: truck bomb exploded outside Khobar Towers military complex, killing 19 American servicemen and injuring hundreds of others. 13 Saudis and a Lebanese, all alleged members of Islamic militant group Hezbollah, were indicted on charges relating to the attack in June 2001.
1998
Aug. 7, Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: truck bombs exploded almost simultaneously near 2 U.S. embassies, killing 224 (213 in Kenya and 11 in Tanzania) and injuring about 4,500. 4 men connected with al-Qaeda 2 of whom had received training at al-Qaeda camps inside Afghanistan, were convicted of the killings in May 2001 and later sentenced to life in prison. A federal grand jury had indicted 22 men in connection with the attacks, including Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden, who remained at large.
2000
Oct. 12, Aden, Yemen: U.S. Navy destroyer USS Cole heavily damaged when a small boat loaded with explosives blew up alongside it. 17 sailors killed. Linked to Osama bin Laden, or members of al-Qaeda terrorist network.

President Bush

2001
Sept. 11, New York City, Arlington, Va., and Shanksville, Pa.: hijackers crashed 2 commercial jets into twin towers of World Trade Center; 2 more hijacked jets were crashed into the Pentagon and a field in rural Pa. Total dead and missing numbered 2,9921: 2,749 in New York City, 184 at the Pentagon, 40 in Pa., and 19 hijackers. Islamic al-Qaeda terrorist group blamed. (See September 11, 2001: Timeline of Terrorism.)
2002
June 14, Karachi, Pakistan: bomb exploded outside American consulate in Karachi, Pakistan, killing 12. Linked to al-Qaeda.
2003
May 12, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: suicide bombers killed 34, including 8 Americans, at housing compounds for Westerners. Al-Qaeda suspected.
2004
May 29–31, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: terrorists attack the offices of a Saudi oil company in Khobar, Saudi Arabia, take foreign oil workers hostage in a nearby residential compound, leaving 22 people dead including one American.
June 11–19, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: terrorists kidnap and execute Paul Johnson Jr., an American, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 2 other Americans and BBC cameraman killed by gun attacks.
Dec. 6, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: terrorists storm the U.S. consulate killing 5 consulate employees. 4 terrorists were killed by Saudi security.
2005
Nov. 9, Amman, Jordan: Suicide bombers hit 3 American hotels, Radisson, Grand Hyatt and Days Inn, in Amman Jordan, killing 57. Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility.