Barack Obama didn't celebrate the 4th of July 2008

[trish]

Back when Clinton tried to address the issue of gays in the military, one might have hoped that a man in Colon Powell's position would've stood on the side of justice and equality. But then as now he stands against gays in the military.

Later, as Secretary of State in the Bush administration, Colon Powell knew the evidence of WMDs in Iraq was cherry picked; moreover he was against the invasion of Iraq. Yet, even though he was Secretary of State, he allowed the Bush administration to cut him out of the discussions and decisions that led to our bombing Baghdad.

In short Colon Powell is a homophobe and a political coward. He'll never have my vote; even for dog-catcher.

So you see, InHouston, we are alike in a couple of ways. We don't vote on race and we're both atheists.

[hippifried]

They're all cowards. Easy to spot too. the ones with the loudest mouths & most threatening tone are usually the biggest pansies. I have yet to find a dittohead that isn't a wimp.

[dickdasterly]

I'am an idiot but you still did not answer any questions, Typical of the undercover racist, "I have a black friend" Please explain the current administration and all the failures of the past 8 years. We now have someone who is actually doing something different in Washington and they use and try everything they possibly can to discredit him. He has no experience, how bout that VP choice? talk about experience; less than 2 years as governor and mayor of a town of 9000.

A heart beat away from running the country. This choice was really thought out. It was a panic move if I ever saw one!!!! Any comments InHouston???

[InHouston]

I'am an idiot but you still did not answer any questions, Typical of the undercover racist, "I have a black friend" Please explain the current administration and all the failures of the past 8 years. We now have someone who is actually doing something different in Washington and they use and try everything they possibly can to discredit him. He has no experience, how bout that VP choice? talk about experience; less than 2 years as governor and mayor of a town of 9000.

A heart beat away from running the country. This choice was really thought out. It was a panic move if I ever saw one!!!! Any comments InHouston???

And then you have Obama's extensive experience. Consistently voted "Present" in the senate and taking no position on votes that could affect him politically. And prior to becoming a senator he beat the streets Chicago trying to get people registered to vote. Whoop Dee Do. He's only concerned with his career, and he's accomplished nothing other than graduating from Harvard.

As far as all the failures of the past 8 years, I think the past 8 years have gone well for this country. We have a president who isn't afraid to take a position, have an opinion, and act. We haven't been attacked since, we have 100,000 soldiers parked right on the border of Iran, and at the same time turning Iraq into one of the largest allied arab countries in the Middle East. Contrary to all the discourse on Iraq, the Iraqi people want us there and welcome what we've done and the direction their country is going.

[trish]

I think the past 8 years have gone well for this country. We have a president who isn't afraid to take a position, have an opinion, and act.

What we have are two oil men in the white house who are both looking forward to retire and reap in the profits of their pandering…just like old man Bush. We have a president who looked into the Putin’s soul at a glance and saw a man he could trust. It’s not a enough to have an opinion and stick by it. A president needs to hear all opinions and be capable of re-evaluating his or her position when the situation requires it.

We haven't been attacked since, we have 100,000 soldiers parked right on the border of Iran, and at the same time turning Iraq into one of the largest allied arab countries in the Middle East.

We’ve been attacked every day since we’ve sent troops into Iraq. How else did we lose over 3000 soldiers. (Ten times that many have suffered severely debilitating injuries btw). Even now bombs go off in Baghdad every day and people die.

Contrary to all the discourse on Iraq, the Iraqi people want us there...

Yes. You are right. That is contrary to all discourse on Iraq, which of course includes all the discourse by the Iraqi.

[hippifried]

What's all this crap about experience? Time for a reality check.

Sarah Palin has more executive "experience" than McCain, Obama, & Biden combined. If "experience" was a prerequisite for being President, we wouldn't have one. If it was a prerequisite for getting a party nomination, this would be a race between Governors Richardson & Huckabee, with Richardson winning hands down because he has real experience with foreign policy & national energy policy. There are only 4 people on the planet that have "experience" at being President of the United States of America. Jimmy Carter, George HW Bush, Bill Clinton, & George W Bush. None of them are running for the office.

Sarah Palin & Joe Biden are not running for POTUS. Barack Obama & John McCain are. So where does the "experience" debate come in?

Ok ok I'll grant the republican claim that Barack Obama doesn't have a lot of "experience". But those same people make the claim that John McCain does. Where is it? When was the last time he negotiated a treaty? Or anything else for that matter? He's never represented the nation on the world stage. He's never been in a position of command. He's never even gone out & looked for a real job. I'll give him all his props for how he conducted himself as a POW, but that doesn't qualify him for anything else. Being a jet jockey & a pentagon lobbyist doesn't make one an expert in military strategy or foreign affairs. His entire claim to fame in the Congress is a single piece of legislation that took a decade to pass & is so riddled with loopholes that it might as well be non-existent. So where's all this "experience" I keep hearing about? At least Obama isn't making false claims on this non-issue.

[dickdasterly]

Sorry IH the last 8 years are not so great the economy is in shambles. we spend 10 billion a month in Iraq, come on now 100,000 troops on the border of Iran? To do what???? We have no Allies buy the show of force of all the other countries have in Iraq. "0" we alone are carrying the burden there!!! The President is a joke over seas. I wish I could remember which time magazine I read, because many of the ambassadors of the Arab countries think GW is a joke. In the story the said that he thinks that when he can call you by your first name that you are his friend and will listen to him.

He feels that any request that he makes you should be able to answer and commit to with out having to speak to others in your government to make a decision. they laugh at him behind his back.

He has kissed the Saudis ass since 9/11 the when oil prices went through the roof he put his tail between his legs flew to the Saudis to kiss their ass and ask them to raise the oil out put looking them dead in the eye Texas style and they said fuck you!!!! NO!!!!! What did he do?????? he flew back to Crawford!!!!

Yeah he took a stand and made some decisions problem was a great deal of them were wrong!!! and to compile it even further he wont admit it!!!!

We haven't been attacked again by terrorist because they accomplished what they wanted; to destroy the world trade center. For their ignorant ass the World Trade Center is just that; "WORLD TRADE CENTER" They calculated wrong, They felt that those 2 buildings represented America and all it's wealth. Dont you think on any given day they could blow up the NY subways? They could never hijack an another plane with Americans on board after 9/11 because they know they would never reach their target.

How can you say he ran a good Presidency when has had more people leave their post than any other president???? Do you think the middle east will ever surrender??? They have been fighting for 2000 years why should they stop now. They have us in a good position, using our best resource to fight a protracted war with in a country. George Bush forgot the lessons of Viet Nam you are trying to change a culture and impose your culture on them. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!

I had no problem with Bush going into Iraq I wish he would have waited for the approval of the UN and the rest of the world. He would have gotten more support and we could have gotten out when we wanted to because it would have been up to the rest of the world to police Iraq.

But just like him you wont admit when you are wrong!

[yodajazz]

Sorry IH the last 8 years are not so great the economy is in shambles. we spend 10 billion a month in Iraq, come on now 100,000 troops on the border of Iran? To do what???? We have no Allies buy the show of force of all the other countries have in Iraq. "0" we alone are carrying the burden there!!! The President is a joke over seas. I wish I could remember which time magazine I read, because many of the ambassadors of the Arab countries think GW is a joke. In the story the said that he thinks that when he can call you by your first name that you are his friend and will listen to him.

He feels that any request that he makes you should be able to answer and commit to with out having to speak to others in your government to make a decision. they laugh at him behind his back.

He has kissed the Saudis ass since 9/11 the when oil prices went through the roof he put his tail between his legs flew to the Saudis to kiss their ass and ask them to raise the oil out put looking them dead in the eye Texas style and they said fuck you!!!! NO!!!!! What did he do?????? he flew back to Crawford!!!!

Yeah he took a stand and made some decisions problem was a great deal of them were wrong!!! and to compile it even further he wont admit it!!!!

We haven't been attacked again by terrorist because they accomplished what they wanted; to destroy the world trade center. For their ignorant ass the World Trade Center is just that; "WORLD TRADE CENTER" They calculated wrong, They felt that those 2 buildings represented America and all it's wealth. Dont you think on any given day they could blow up the NY subways? They could never hijack an another plane with Americans on board after 9/11 because they know they would never reach their target.

How can you say he ran a good Presidency when has had more people leave their post than any other president???? Do you think the middle east will ever surrender??? They have been fighting for 2000 years why should they stop now. They have us in a good position, using our best resource to fight a protracted war with in a country. George Bush forgot the lessons of Viet Nam you are trying to change a culture and impose your culture on them. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!

I had no problem with Bush going into Iraq I wish he would have waited for the approval of the UN and the rest of the world. He would have gotten more support and we could have gotten out when we wanted to because it would have been up to the rest of the world to police Iraq.

But just like him you wont admit when you are wrong!

I agree with most of what you have said but for one point. I and my friends thought that attacking Iraq was a bad idea, even before it started.

1. Saddam Hussein was a counter balance to Iran’s influence in the region. They had fought an 8 year war, remember. Eliminating Saddam was eliminating Iran’s biggest threat.

2. Under Saddam, Iraq was still a Muslim country with a secular government, in opposition to religious controlled government wanted by Al Queda and radcial Islam.

3. Though he was brutal, he kept his country intact. Kurdish separatism is a threat to Turkey, who has a large Kurdish population next to Iraq. Turkey had to send troops to quell separatist fighters in its Kurdish region, maybe in 2000.

4. US military intervention would inevitably cause bad publicity with pictures of “dead babies”, etc, that could help to radicalize elements of Pakistan, and other Muslim countries. It could help enable leadership there, to take power with a less positive, or even hostile relationship with the US.

5. Before the invasion the US already had control of a major portion of Iraqi airspace, called the “no fly zone.” So even if they had WMD’s they had no delivery system, and the US has Nuclear weapons with an intercontinental missile delivery system, air craft carriers, nuclear submarines. It made absolutely no sense to me that Iraq would attack the US or Israel and face a nuclear response. Saddam had to be concerned with keeping power in his own country. I believe there had been assassination attempt on him and his sons.

6. My friend had told me about the “neo-cons” who had written papers advocating that the US should exert its military dominance and attack Iraq; before published before 9/11. He knew the names of the advisors, advocating such polices, like Paul Wolfowitz. He got all his information by going to the library and reading papers like the New York Times. It’s hard for me to believe that Congressional leadership did not know what was going on, including Democrats. I now know the name of a major group advocating that, which was called PNAC or Project for a New American Century.

Since my friends had discussed this, before the war, my conclusion was that it was always about controlling oil. I am more convinced today, that this is the case. I just read that four months after 9/11, Osama Bin Laden was not even mentioned in Bush’s State of the Union address. That was when he made his famous “Axis of evil” already starting to put a focus on Iraq, as well as Iran and North Korea., in January 2002. I never heard of Barrack Obama, but he apparently came to the same conclusion as my friends.

So while I agree with almost everything else in your post, you have my reasons for thinking that attacking. Iraq was a bad idea from the beginning. Welcome to the board, by the way.

One more thing, I agree that going with UN approval would have made a difference. But don't forget their case was made on the basis of WMD's. And Bush ran UN inspectors out the country to start the attack on Iraq.