<p>This is like debating religion. How do you know it didn’t? I can’t prove it did and you can’t prove it didn’t. I don’t think any resources were pulled off the hunt for binnie. I’m sure they are doing everything they can to find him. It’s a big world, especially when people are helping you hide.</p>
<p>I don’t have a problem with the fact that we went into Iraq. We just did a ****-poor job of executing. I feel for those families who have lost soldiers. Their sacrifice is as much as one can ask. The only difference between theirs and the people who died in the 9/11 attacks is that this what they signed up for…they knew the risks of being in the military. </p>
<p>Let me ask though. Is it the money or the loss of life that has all the anti-war folks fired up? If it’s loss of life I would think being anti-alcohol since alcohol related driving deaths kill 16,000 people a year…</p>
<p>Be honest, did you believe there were WMD’s in Iraq at the time? I did. Congress did. Most of the world did. It’s easy to look back and say “D’oh”. Bush was placed in a damned if you do - damned if you don’t situation. What would have been the outcries if there had been another attack in the US and it turned out Iraq had something to do with it. Bush would be just as villified. I don’t think any POTUS has ever been placed in a position like this with such a short term in office. I still believe he did what he thought was best at the time based on the flawed data presented.</p>
<p>Riddle me this… Since everyone likes to look back and second-guess. What would have been the US response had Gore been in office when this happened? Where would we be now. Go ahead, what do you think?</p>
<p>For me, it’s both. The loss of a promising young life is unfathomable from a parent’s point of view, regardless of whether they signed on for it or not. The loss of billions upon billions of dollars in what I consider to be an ill-timed war, money that could have been better spent on American infrastructure, health care, and education–yep, that bothers me. </p>
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<p>I honestly didn’t know if there were WMDs or not, but I felt very strongly that we needed to stay focused on Afghanistan, the Taliban, and bin Laden. I was furious when Democrats like Hillary Clinton and John Edwards voted to give Bush the authority to invade Iraq. Possibly my feelings were tainted by my intense distrust of Bush. I’ve long seen him as a dangerous chickenhawk whose motivations regarding Iraq were HIGHLY questionable … but I won’t go there. Suffice it to say, had McCain been in office instead, I would not have had the same doubts and concerns.</p>
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<p>Probably the same as if McCain had been in office. We’d have gone after bin Laden in Afghanistan and utilized all of our resources to find him.</p>
<p>I can’t speak for Al Gore’s brilliance or lack thereof, but I have a Corgi dog who is almost certainly smarter than our current Commander-in-Chief. :)</p>
<p>Bush didn’t use to be this clueless (I have watched some of his speeches before he became president). I think something happened to him when he got to the White House.</p>
<p>You may be right, tega. As President, he appears to have gone out of his way to act like a buffoon–and not in a funny or charming way. Certainly, not how you would want the Leader of the Free World to present himself to the international community. I honestly don’t think he’s as stupid as he acts. :)</p>
<p>Whether there were WMD in Iraq or not was irrelevant to us - Hussein wasn’t nuts enough to use them against us. He pretended to have them to keep Iran in line. He wanted to keep his palaces with balconies so he could shoot into the air. The only reason he went into Kuwait is because we had all but green lighted his actions. He thought we were his “buds.” He had no idea we would get involved. Saddam was a bully and a coward.</p>
<p>You’re right. He was only nuts enough to use them against his own people on any number of occassions. If he had decided Israel looked good to attack it would have destabilized the region like you wouldn’t believe. I’ll always believe they wera a target first and formost to preserve their oil reserves. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if his WMD’s (or what is left of them) are stored somewhere in another “safe” country.</p>
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<p>I honestly believe if McCain was in office we would have had Bin Laden by now because McCain would have taken the region apart brick by brick to find him. He wouldn’t have cared about the politics. I think if it was Gore we would have been hit again because he would have thought the diplomatic solution was a good idea. He wouldn’t have authorized the destruction of Afghanistan like Bush did.</p>
<p>Yeah. Gore is a toughie. He didn’t exactly handle the whole election thing very well. He could have put a stop to all of the fighting and whatnot but chose not to. It tells me a little about how he would have been as the CIC.</p>
<p>It’s done, it’s over with. It was very fascinating to watch unfold. I thoroughly enjoyed the few days after the election. It got stupid when the lawsuits started. I blame Gore for this contesting every election thing that seems to be commone anymore. There was even talk at one point that Clinton might mount a lawsuit against Obama during the primaries. Fortunately someone had better sense.</p>
<p>It’s done and over with … and yet, it’s not. Those days when the election was up in the air scared and sickened me more than they fascinated. It was like watching a terrible accident happening in slow motion. My take on the situation was undoubtedly very different from yours; I genuinely liked Gore and every instinct I had distrusted/disliked Bush. So when it came down to the Supreme Court deciding the election, it was very easy for me to see it in a sinister light. … Allow me to continue simmering with resentment, at least until the next millennium. Then I’ll give it up. :)</p>
<p>It should have never gotten that far. Short of recount of the entire state of FL Gore lost the election. He asked for recounts in certain counties, got them and lost. After that he still wasn’t happy… He’s the reason the SC decided the election. He should have manned up and conceded before dragging the country through all of that. We’ll have to agree to disagree on this one.</p>
<p>I like this timeline. Interesting to reread and refresh what I had forgotten/didn’t know…</p>
<p>I really don’t think it matters who is smarter, more brilliant, or a better family man when deciding who should be our next President. Presidents good and bad come from lots of different backgrounds and depending on the situation they step into, determine their course of action. In the situation we’re currently in, I support Obama because I want to get out of Iraq and I don’t see McCain being able to accomplish that task. It has nothing to do with who is more experienced or who is smarter or who is a better family man. Whoever gets elected I think can do a fine job. I just think it’s all personal choice. No use in arguing who would make a better President because neither one of them has actually had the “experience” as President. And as for the argument about grades and stuff, I think that in general, grades and what school you go to predict to some extent how successful you are. Keywords being in general. Obviously you can pull out many people who did bad in college or went to bad schools who do well. But in general, those who do well in school end up being more successful then those who do not. There’s a Yahoo article about the median earnings of people coming out of the Ivys vs State schools and it shows a huge gap in their earnings in entry level jobs that then carry over in 10 years. I tend to stick with the majority, not a few obscurities that skew the results.</p>
<p>I don’t disagree with you for the most part. I don’t think it will be as easy as everyone things for Obama to extricate us from Iraq. I guess we’ll find out if he wins in November.</p>
<p>Au Contraire. McCain would be much better at overseeing anything involving the military - even the withdrawal. He’d make sure it was done correctly in order to ensure that we NEVER have to go back again.</p>
<p>And with 2 sons on Active Duty, he wants us out of there more than anyone!</p>
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