NationStates Jolt Archive

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/ap/20041221/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/rumsfeld
What a surprise; idiot defends insensative bastard. What's next, Bush praising Rusch Limbaugh for "effective journalism"?

Are we talking about the same Bush who made the following blunders in the following categories?


Iraq

1. Failing to build a real international coalition prior to the Iraq invasion, forcing the US to shoulder the full cost and consequences of the war.

2. Approving the demobilization of the Iraqi Army in May, 2003 – bypassing the Joint Chiefs of Staff and reversing an earlier position, the President left hundreds of thousands of armed Iraqis disgruntled and unemployed, contributing significantly to the massive security problems American troops have faced during occupation.

3. Not equipping troops in Iraq with adequate body armor or armored HUMVEES.

4. Ignoring the advice Gen. Eric Shinseki regarding the need for more troops in Iraq – now Bush is belatedly adding troops, having allowed the security situation to deteriorate in exactly the way Shinseki said it would if there were not enough troops.

5. Ignoring plans drawn up by the Army War College and other war-planning agencies, which predicted most of the worst security and infrastructure problems America faced in the early days of the Iraq occupation.

6. Making a case for war which ignored intelligence that there were no Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq.

7. Deriding "nation-building" during the 2000 debates, then engaging American troops in one of the most explicit instances of nation building in American history.

8. Predicting along with others in his administration that US troops would be greeted as liberators in Iraq.

9. Predicting Iraq would pay for its own reconstruction.

10. Wildly underestimating the cost of the war.

11. Trusting Ahmed Chalabi, who has dismissed faulty intelligence he provided the President as necessary for getting the Americans to topple Saddam.

12. Disbanding the Sunni Baathist managers responsible for Iraq's water, electricity, sewer system and all the other critical parts of that country's infrastructure.

13. Failing to give UN weapons inspectors enough time to certify if weapons existed in Iraq.

14. Including discredited intelligence concerning Nigerian Yellow Cake in his 2003 State of the Union.

15. Announcing that "major combat operations in Iraq have ended" aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln on May 1, 2003, below a "Mission Accomplished" banner – more U.S. soldiers have died in combat since Bush's announcement than before it.

16. Awarding a multi-billion dollar contract to Halliburton in Iraq, which then repeatedly overcharged the government and served troops dirty food.

17. Refusing to cede any control of Post-invasion Iraq to the international community, meaning reconstruction has received limited aid from European allies or the U.N.

18. Failing to convince NATO allies why invading Iraq was important.

19. Having no real plan for the occupation of Iraq.

20. Limiting bidding on Iraq construction projects to "coalition partners," unnecessarily alienating important allies France, Germany and Russia.

21. Diverting $700 million into Iraq invasion planning without informing Congress.

22. Shutting down an Iraqi newspaper for "inciting violence" – the move, which led in short order to street fighting in Fallujah, incited more violence than the newspaper ever had.

23. Telling Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan about plans to go to war with Iraq before Secretary of State Colin Powell.

Counterterrorism

24. Allowing several members of the Bin Laden family to leave the country just days after 9/11, some of them without being questioned by the FBI.

25. Focusing on missile defense at the expense of counterterrorism prior to 9/11.

26. Thinking al Qaeda could not attack without state sponsors, and ignoring evidence of a growing threat unassociated with "rogue states" like Iraq or North Korea.

27. Threatening to veto the Homeland Security department – The President now concedes such a department "provides the ability for our agencies to coordinate better and to work together better than it was before."

28. Opposing the creation of the September 11th commission, which the President now expects "to contain important recommendations for preventing future attacks."

29. Denying documents to the 9/11 commission, only relenting after the commissioners threatened a subpoena.

30. Failing to pay more attention to an August 6, 2001 PDB entitled "Bin laden Determined to Attack in U.S."

31. Repeatedly ignoring warnings of terrorists planning to use aircraft before 9/11.

32. Appointing the ultra-secretive Henry Kissinger to head the 9/11 commission – Kissinger stepped down weeks later due to conflicts of interest.

33. Asking for testimony before the 9/11 commission be limited to one hour, a position from which the president later backtracked.

34. Not allowing national Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice to testify before the 9/11 commission – Bush changed his mind as pressure mounted.

35. Cutting an FBI request for counterterrorism funds by two-thirds after 9/11.

36. Telling Americans there was a link between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda.

37. Failing to adequately secure the nation's nuclear weapons labs.

38. Not feeling a sense of urgency about terrorism or al Qaeda before 9/11.

Afghanistan

39. Reducing resources and troop levels in Afghanistan and out before it was fully secure.

40. Not providing security in Afghanistan outside of Kabul, leaving nearly 80% of the Afghan population unprotected in areas controlled by Feudal warlords and local militias.

41. Committing inadequate resources for the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

42. Counting too heavily on locally trained troops to fill the void in Afghanistan once U.S. forces were relocated to Iraq.

43. Not committing US ground troops to the capture of Osama Bin Laden, when he was cornered in the Tora Bora region of Afghanistan in November, 2001.

44. Allowing opium production to resume on a massive scale after the ouster of the Taliban.

Weapons of Mass Destruction

45. Opposing an independent inquiry into the intelligence failures surrounding WMD – later, upon signing off on just such a commission, Bush claimed he was "determined to make sure that American intelligence is as accurate as possible for every challenge in the future."

46. Saying: "We found the weapons of mass destruction. We found biological laboratories."

47. Trusting intelligence gathered by Vice President Cheney's and Secretary Rumsfeld's "Office of Special Plans."

48. Spending $6.5 billion on nuclear weapons this year to develop new nuclear weapons this year – 50% more in real dollars than the average during the cold war – while shortchanging the troops on body armor.

Foreign Policy

49. Ignoring the importance of the Middle East peace process, which has deteriorated with little oversight or strategy evident in the region.

50. Siding with China in February, 2004 against a democratic referenda proposed by Taiwan, a notable shift from an earlier pledge to stand with "oppressed peoples until the day of their freedom finally arrives."

51. Undermining the War on Terrorism by preemptively invading Iraq.

52. Failing to develop a specific plan for dealing with North Korea.

53. Abandoning the United States' traditional role as an evenhanded negotiator in the Middle East peace process.

Economic

54. Signing a report endorsing outsourcing with thousands of American workers having their jobs shipped overseas.

55. Instituting steel tariffs deemed illegal by the World Trade Organization – Bush repealed them 20-months later when the European Union pledged to impose retaliatory sanctions on up to $2.2 billion in exports from the United States.

56. Promoting economic policies that failed to create new jobs.

57. Promoting economic policies that failed to help small businesses

58. Pledging a "jobs and growth" package would create 1,836,000 new jobs by the end of 2003 and 5.5 million new jobs by 2004—so far the president has fallen 1,615,000 jobs short of the mark.

59. Running up a foreign deficit of "such record-breaking proportions that it threatens the financial stability of the global economy."

60. Issuing inaccurate budget forecasts accompanying proposals to reduce the deficit, omitting the continued costs of Iraq, Afghanistan and elements of Homeland Security.

61. Claiming his 2003 tax cut would give 23 million small business owners an average tax cut of $2,042 when "nearly four out of every five tax filers (79%) with small business income would receive less" than that amount.

62. Passing tax cuts for the wealthy while falsely claiming "people in the 10 percent bracket" were benefiting most."

63. Passing successive tax cuts largely responsible for turning a projected surplus of $5 trillion into a projected deficit of $4.3 trillion.

64. Moving to strip millions of overtime pay.

65. Not enforcing corporate tax laws.

66. Backing down from a plan to make CEOs more accountable when "the corporate crowd" protested.

67. Not lobbying oil cartels to change their mind about cutting oil production.

68. Passing tax cuts weighted heavily to help the wealthy.

69. Moving to allow greater media consolidation.

70. Nominating a notorious proponent of outsourcing, Anthony F. Raimondo, to be the new manufacturing Czar—Raimondo withdrew his name days later amidst a flurry of harsh criticism.

71. Ignoring calls to extend unemployment benefits with long-term unemployment reaching a twenty-year high

72. Threatening to veto pension legislation that would give companies much needed temporary relief.

Education

73. Under-funding No Child Left Behind

74. Breaking his campaign pledge to increase the size of Pell grants.

75. Signing off on an FY 2005 budget proposing the smallest increase in education funding in nine years.

76. Under-funding the Title I Program, specifically targeted for disadvantaged kids, by $7.2 billion.

77. Freezing Teacher Quality State Grants, cutting off training opportunities for about 30,000 teachers, and leaving 92,000 less

teachers trained than the president called for in his own No Child Left Behind bill.

78. Freezing funding for English language training programs.

79. Freezing funding for after school programs, potentially eliminating 50,000 children from after-school programs.

Health

80. Not leveling with Americans about the cost of Medicare – the president told Congress his new Medicare bill would cost $400 billion over ten years despite conclusions by his own analysts the bill would cost upwards of $500 billion over that period.

81. Silencing Medicare actuary Richard Foster when his estimates for the Administration's Medicare bill were too high.

82. Letting business associate David Halbert, who owns a company which stands to make millions from new discount drug cards, craft key elements of the new Medicare bill.

83. Underfunding health care for troops and veterans.

84. Allowing loopholes to persist in Mad-Cow regulations.

85. Relaxing food labeling restrictions on health claims.

86. Falsely claiming the restrictions on stem cell research would not hamper medical progress.

87. Reducing action against improper drug advertising by 80 percent.

Environment

88. Abandoning the Kyoto Treaty without offering an alternative for reducing greenhouse effect.

89. Counting on a voluntary program to reduce emissions of harmful gasses—so far only a tiny fraction of American companies have signed up.

90. Gutting clean air standards for aging power plants.

91. Weakening energy efficiency standards.

92. Relaxing dumping standards for mountaintop mining, and opening the Florida Everglades and Oregon's Siskiyou National Forest to mining.

93. Lifting protection for more than 200 million acres of public land.

94. Limiting public challenges to logging projects and increased logging in protected areas, including Alaska's Tongass National Forest.

95. Weakening environmental standards for snowmobiles and other off-road vehicles while pushing for exemptions for air pollution proposals for five categories of industrial facilities.

96. Opposing legislation that would require greater fuel efficiency for passenger cars.

97. Reducing inspections, penalties for violations, and prosecution of environmental crimes.

98. Misleading the public about the Washington mad cow case and the likely effectiveness of USDA's weak testing program.

99. Withdrawing public information on chemical plant dangers, previously used to hold facilities accountable for safety improvements.

Other

100. Cutting grants to state and local governments in FY 2005, forcing states to make massive cuts in job training, education, housing and environment.



http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=64326

Rumsfeld is so caring that he couldn't even be bothered to personally sign the letters the DoD sends to the families of dead soldiers letting them know what happened.

Loving that list, Colodia. I think it might well be the same Bush.

The worst thing about this Rumsfeld thing is that he's now a potential scapegoat. If something terminal comes up, they can shoulder the blame on Rummy and have him resign; the people will think that all the trouble has gone again and be happy.

I like that list. So true.

Bush and Rummy must be like this: :fluffle:

"A caring fellow" really doesnt describe Rummy or the Bush administration or Bush himself. This country is just run by a bunch of monkeys.

Like I said, This nation needs to break apart like The Soviet Union did.

"A caring fellow" really doesnt describe Rummy or the Bush administration or Bush himself. This country is just run by a bunch of monkeys.


They may be monkeys but they stand for good morals and family values. :rolleyes:

They may be monkeys but they stand for good morals and family values. :rolleyes:
So amending the Constitution to promote hate in the form of a ban on gay marriage is "good morals"? Please... :rolleyes:

You people are real laughable. How are those election results going for ya? See you at the inaguration. :)

You people are real laughable. How are those election results going for ya? See you at the inaguration. :)
You're equally laughable. How's that search WMD's in Iraq going? :rolleyes:

You're equally laughable. How's that search WMD's in Iraq going? :rolleyes:
They probably used them up filling the mass graves.
http://www.latefinal.com/archives/massgraves.jpg

:rolleyes: Now here is the worlds smallest ignore cannon for the worlds smallest intellect. http://www.europa.com/~john/cannon.jpg

-snip-

So...they haven't found them yet? :D

Just a question from a naive (or atleast try to be it) swed. How many personally letters of condolence has Bush and Rumsfeld sent to innocent civilians killed by american forces? As percent of the estimated total number? And that compencasen has their relatives got for the killing of their loveones? As percent of how much killed allied soldiers relatives get? Because even if you think Afganistan and Iraq was whoopi and the killing of civilians was nessicary, you most agree that the USA that want to be the leader and defender of democracy and human right should compensate and appoligies the innocent victims famillies.

They probably used them up filling the mass graves.
http://www.latefinal.com/archives/massgraves.jpg

you mean like the mass graves in Sudan?
http://www.sudan.net/news/posted/10284.html

or North Korea?
http://www.hrnk.org/pr-oct2103.html

or Congo? or Rwanda?
http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/africa/04/08/congo.graves/

if we went to Iraq to address such attrocities, then why just Iraq? and why did we need to claim it was for WMD? and why aren't we attacking countries, like North Korea, that actually have WMD and that also have mass graves?

:rolleyes: Now here is the worlds smallest ignore cannon for the worlds smallest intellect. http://www.europa.com/~john/cannon.jpg
ignoring reality doesn't make you cool, it doesn't make you appear smart, and it certainly doesn't help anybody. please try again, and be more polite.

Just a question from a naive (or atleast try to be it) swed. How many personally letters of condolence has Bush and Rumsfeld sent to innocent civilians killed by american forces? As percent of the estimated total number?
zero.

Plus if your ignoring in the general forum you should probally just walk right out now.

Plus if your ignoring in the general forum you should probally just walk right out now.

Very true

zero.

How many letters have previous US presidents signed since the invention and acquisition of the AutoPen during WW II?

During the Vietnam War, a mere handful. During the Korean War, a mere handful. During our other wars or conflicts, a mere handful, if any.

It's nothing new, and it's not peculiar to Rumsfeld or Bush.

As for Colodia's kitchen sink of why she hates Bush, one could easily make a similar laundry list for any recent American president, or certain European leaders.

It was not possible to get nations like France and Russia to go along with any invasion, no matter what the reason. As I recall, even in the aftermath of 9-11, they both objected to the immediate invasion of Afghanistan, and only allowed the idea in the Security Council under duress. Neither supplied any help. They would NEVER under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES invade Iraq - no matter what was found or admitted to by Saddam because they stood to lose tens of billions of dollars in lucrative oil contracts and defense contracts.

I don't believe we were going to find WMD. He used to have some, but he used them on the Kurds and Iranians years ago (what little he had). And it's not disputed, even by the UN and IAEA, that he wanted to acquire nuclear weapons the moment sanctions were lifted - sanctions that the French and Russians wanted desperately to lift so they could use their exclusive contracts to make more oil money.

I am quite convinced that the reason that some people don't want the US to react until it is devastated is because they actually want to destroy the US. They are tired of having their butts kicked on the battlefield. Just think of how worthless all that advanced French radar looks now - it's funny how no one wants to buy it anymore because you can't see US aircraft with it.

How many letters have previous US presidents signed since the invention and acquisition of the AutoPen during WW II?

During the Vietnam War, a mere handful. During the Korean War, a mere handful. During our other wars or conflicts, a mere handful, if any.

It's nothing new, and it's not peculiar to Rumsfeld or Bush.

i was just answering the question. do you think the fact that other presidents have failed at something means that it's okay for Bush to fail, as well? or should he, perhaps, aspire to be better and to improve on the work of those who came before him?

i was just answering the question. do you think the fact that other presidents have failed at something means that it's okay for Bush to fail, as well? or should he, perhaps, aspire to be better and to improve on the work of those who came before him?
But I thought Bush hadn't failed at anything. He certainly doesn't seem to think that he's made any mistakes--at least he couldn't come up with any when he was asked that by a reporter a few months ago. And if you ask many of the pundits/idiots who fellate Dear Leader on a daily basis, they seem to think that he's a cross between Einstein and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Yeah, good objective site with a good objective list... :rolleyes:


Are we talking about the same Bush who made the following blunders in the following categories?


Iraq

1. Failing to build a real international coalition prior to the Iraq invasion, forcing the US to shoulder the full cost and consequences of the war.

2. Approving the demobilization of the Iraqi Army in May, 2003 – bypassing the Joint Chiefs of Staff and reversing an earlier position, the President left hundreds of thousands of armed Iraqis disgruntled and unemployed, contributing significantly to the massive security problems American troops have faced during occupation.

3. Not equipping troops in Iraq with adequate body armor or armored HUMVEES.

4. Ignoring the advice Gen. Eric Shinseki regarding the need for more troops in Iraq – now Bush is belatedly adding troops, having allowed the security situation to deteriorate in exactly the way Shinseki said it would if there were not enough troops.

5. Ignoring plans drawn up by the Army War College and other war-planning agencies, which predicted most of the worst security and infrastructure problems America faced in the early days of the Iraq occupation.

6. Making a case for war which ignored intelligence that there were no Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq.

7. Deriding "nation-building" during the 2000 debates, then engaging American troops in one of the most explicit instances of nation building in American history.

8. Predicting along with others in his administration that US troops would be greeted as liberators in Iraq.

9. Predicting Iraq would pay for its own reconstruction.

10. Wildly underestimating the cost of the war.

11. Trusting Ahmed Chalabi, who has dismissed faulty intelligence he provided the President as necessary for getting the Americans to topple Saddam.

12. Disbanding the Sunni Baathist managers responsible for Iraq's water, electricity, sewer system and all the other critical parts of that country's infrastructure.

13. Failing to give UN weapons inspectors enough time to certify if weapons existed in Iraq.

14. Including discredited intelligence concerning Nigerian Yellow Cake in his 2003 State of the Union.

15. Announcing that "major combat operations in Iraq have ended" aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln on May 1, 2003, below a "Mission Accomplished" banner – more U.S. soldiers have died in combat since Bush's announcement than before it.

16. Awarding a multi-billion dollar contract to Halliburton in Iraq, which then repeatedly overcharged the government and served troops dirty food.

17. Refusing to cede any control of Post-invasion Iraq to the international community, meaning reconstruction has received limited aid from European allies or the U.N.

18. Failing to convince NATO allies why invading Iraq was important.

19. Having no real plan for the occupation of Iraq.

20. Limiting bidding on Iraq construction projects to "coalition partners," unnecessarily alienating important allies France, Germany and Russia.

21. Diverting $700 million into Iraq invasion planning without informing Congress.

22. Shutting down an Iraqi newspaper for "inciting violence" – the move, which led in short order to street fighting in Fallujah, incited more violence than the newspaper ever had.

23. Telling Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan about plans to go to war with Iraq before Secretary of State Colin Powell.

Counterterrorism

24. Allowing several members of the Bin Laden family to leave the country just days after 9/11, some of them without being questioned by the FBI.

25. Focusing on missile defense at the expense of counterterrorism prior to 9/11.

26. Thinking al Qaeda could not attack without state sponsors, and ignoring evidence of a growing threat unassociated with "rogue states" like Iraq or North Korea.

27. Threatening to veto the Homeland Security department – The President now concedes such a department "provides the ability for our agencies to coordinate better and to work together better than it was before."

28. Opposing the creation of the September 11th commission, which the President now expects "to contain important recommendations for preventing future attacks."

29. Denying documents to the 9/11 commission, only relenting after the commissioners threatened a subpoena.

30. Failing to pay more attention to an August 6, 2001 PDB entitled "Bin laden Determined to Attack in U.S."

31. Repeatedly ignoring warnings of terrorists planning to use aircraft before 9/11.

32. Appointing the ultra-secretive Henry Kissinger to head the 9/11 commission – Kissinger stepped down weeks later due to conflicts of interest.

33. Asking for testimony before the 9/11 commission be limited to one hour, a position from which the president later backtracked.

34. Not allowing national Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice to testify before the 9/11 commission – Bush changed his mind as pressure mounted.

35. Cutting an FBI request for counterterrorism funds by two-thirds after 9/11.

36. Telling Americans there was a link between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda.

37. Failing to adequately secure the nation's nuclear weapons labs.

38. Not feeling a sense of urgency about terrorism or al Qaeda before 9/11.

Afghanistan

39. Reducing resources and troop levels in Afghanistan and out before it was fully secure.

40. Not providing security in Afghanistan outside of Kabul, leaving nearly 80% of the Afghan population unprotected in areas controlled by Feudal warlords and local militias.

41. Committing inadequate resources for the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

42. Counting too heavily on locally trained troops to fill the void in Afghanistan once U.S. forces were relocated to Iraq.

43. Not committing US ground troops to the capture of Osama Bin Laden, when he was cornered in the Tora Bora region of Afghanistan in November, 2001.

44. Allowing opium production to resume on a massive scale after the ouster of the Taliban.

Weapons of Mass Destruction

45. Opposing an independent inquiry into the intelligence failures surrounding WMD – later, upon signing off on just such a commission, Bush claimed he was "determined to make sure that American intelligence is as accurate as possible for every challenge in the future."

46. Saying: "We found the weapons of mass destruction. We found biological laboratories."

47. Trusting intelligence gathered by Vice President Cheney's and Secretary Rumsfeld's "Office of Special Plans."

48. Spending $6.5 billion on nuclear weapons this year to develop new nuclear weapons this year – 50% more in real dollars than the average during the cold war – while shortchanging the troops on body armor.

Foreign Policy

49. Ignoring the importance of the Middle East peace process, which has deteriorated with little oversight or strategy evident in the region.

50. Siding with China in February, 2004 against a democratic referenda proposed by Taiwan, a notable shift from an earlier pledge to stand with "oppressed peoples until the day of their freedom finally arrives."

51. Undermining the War on Terrorism by preemptively invading Iraq.

52. Failing to develop a specific plan for dealing with North Korea.

53. Abandoning the United States' traditional role as an evenhanded negotiator in the Middle East peace process.

Economic

54. Signing a report endorsing outsourcing with thousands of American workers having their jobs shipped overseas.

55. Instituting steel tariffs deemed illegal by the World Trade Organization – Bush repealed them 20-months later when the European Union pledged to impose retaliatory sanctions on up to $2.2 billion in exports from the United States.

56. Promoting economic policies that failed to create new jobs.

57. Promoting economic policies that failed to help small businesses

58. Pledging a "jobs and growth" package would create 1,836,000 new jobs by the end of 2003 and 5.5 million new jobs by 2004—so far the president has fallen 1,615,000 jobs short of the mark.

59. Running up a foreign deficit of "such record-breaking proportions that it threatens the financial stability of the global economy."

60. Issuing inaccurate budget forecasts accompanying proposals to reduce the deficit, omitting the continued costs of Iraq, Afghanistan and elements of Homeland Security.

61. Claiming his 2003 tax cut would give 23 million small business owners an average tax cut of $2,042 when "nearly four out of every five tax filers (79%) with small business income would receive less" than that amount.

62. Passing tax cuts for the wealthy while falsely claiming "people in the 10 percent bracket" were benefiting most."

63. Passing successive tax cuts largely responsible for turning a projected surplus of $5 trillion into a projected deficit of $4.3 trillion.

64. Moving to strip millions of overtime pay.

65. Not enforcing corporate tax laws.

66. Backing down from a plan to make CEOs more accountable when "the corporate crowd" protested.

67. Not lobbying oil cartels to change their mind about cutting oil production.

68. Passing tax cuts weighted heavily to help the wealthy.

69. Moving to allow greater media consolidation.

70. Nominating a notorious proponent of outsourcing, Anthony F. Raimondo, to be the new manufacturing Czar—Raimondo withdrew his name days later amidst a flurry of harsh criticism.

71. Ignoring calls to extend unemployment benefits with long-term unemployment reaching a twenty-year high

72. Threatening to veto pension legislation that would give companies much needed temporary relief.

Education

73. Under-funding No Child Left Behind

74. Breaking his campaign pledge to increase the size of Pell grants.

75. Signing off on an FY 2005 budget proposing the smallest increase in education funding in nine years.

76. Under-funding the Title I Program, specifically targeted for disadvantaged kids, by $7.2 billion.

77. Freezing Teacher Quality State Grants, cutting off training opportunities for about 30,000 teachers, and leaving 92,000 less

teachers trained than the president called for in his own No Child Left Behind bill.

78. Freezing funding for English language training programs.

79. Freezing funding for after school programs, potentially eliminating 50,000 children from after-school programs.

Health

80. Not leveling with Americans about the cost of Medicare – the president told Congress his new Medicare bill would cost $400 billion over ten years despite conclusions by his own analysts the bill would cost upwards of $500 billion over that period.

81. Silencing Medicare actuary Richard Foster when his estimates for the Administration's Medicare bill were too high.

82. Letting business associate David Halbert, who owns a company which stands to make millions from new discount drug cards, craft key elements of the new Medicare bill.

83. Underfunding health care for troops and veterans.

84. Allowing loopholes to persist in Mad-Cow regulations.

85. Relaxing food labeling restrictions on health claims.

86. Falsely claiming the restrictions on stem cell research would not hamper medical progress.

87. Reducing action against improper drug advertising by 80 percent.

Environment

88. Abandoning the Kyoto Treaty without offering an alternative for reducing greenhouse effect.

89. Counting on a voluntary program to reduce emissions of harmful gasses—so far only a tiny fraction of American companies have signed up.

90. Gutting clean air standards for aging power plants.

91. Weakening energy efficiency standards.

92. Relaxing dumping standards for mountaintop mining, and opening the Florida Everglades and Oregon's Siskiyou National Forest to mining.

93. Lifting protection for more than 200 million acres of public land.

94. Limiting public challenges to logging projects and increased logging in protected areas, including Alaska's Tongass National Forest.

95. Weakening environmental standards for snowmobiles and other off-road vehicles while pushing for exemptions for air pollution proposals for five categories of industrial facilities.

96. Opposing legislation that would require greater fuel efficiency for passenger cars.

97. Reducing inspections, penalties for violations, and prosecution of environmental crimes.

98. Misleading the public about the Washington mad cow case and the likely effectiveness of USDA's weak testing program.

99. Withdrawing public information on chemical plant dangers, previously used to hold facilities accountable for safety improvements.

Other

100. Cutting grants to state and local governments in FY 2005, forcing states to make massive cuts in job training, education, housing and environment.



http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=64326

So amending the Constitution to promote hate in the form of a ban on gay marriage is "good morals"? Please... :rolleyes:

Not permitting gay marriages promotes hate??? :rolleyes:

i was just answering the question. do you think the fact that other presidents have failed at something means that it's okay for Bush to fail, as well? or should he, perhaps, aspire to be better and to improve on the work of those who came before him?

And I'm saying that no matter what a President or other leader does or says, the "loyal" opposition will ALWAYS find something incredibly stupid in their performance.

Or did you forget those lists that Republicans still pass around about how big of a f**k-up Clinton was?

Change the facts on the ground - do something - stop ranting about the same old things. Yadda yadda yadda Bush is f***king stupid! Tell me something you haven't said before if you aren't going to do something real about it.

As for Colodia's kitchen sink of why she hates Bush, one could easily make a similar laundry list for any recent American president, or certain European leaders.
I guess you didn't read the list and assumed the best.

And for the record, I'm a ****ing GUY!

You people are real laughable. How are those election results going for ya? See you at the inaguration. :)
No, you'll be at home with your parents laughing at people on the internet while we're busy throwing crap at Bush. Don't worry, I'll be sure to toss a big brick in your name.

I guess you didn't read the list and assumed the best.

And for the record, I'm a ****ing GUY!

That's ok, because for the record, I'm a bisexual.

No, you'll be at home with your parents laughing at people on the internet while we're busy throwing crap at Bush. Don't worry, I'll be sure to toss a big brick in your name.

Throwing crap at Bush...? Wow, sounds like a great college protest rally, or whatever silliness you claim to represent. Hope you have a great time in the DC jail when they arrest you. Don't bend over for the soap...! ;)

Why can't rummy just go away? And Cheney too. I'd be a big fan of Bush if he'd replace those two. With more moderate fellows, I might add.

Throwing crap at Bush...? Wow, sounds like a great college protest rally, or whatever silliness you claim to represent. Hope you have a great time in the DC jail when they arrest you. Don't bend over for the soap...! ;)

I hear they won't be using the lube at the inaurgural when they do the body cavity searches...

Throwing crap at Bush...? Wow, sounds like a great college protest rally, or whatever silliness you claim to represent. Hope you have a great time in the DC jail when they arrest you. Don't bend over for the soap...! ;)
pfft, dude don't even try.

pfft, dude don't even try.

The only point I was making was that your statement was ignorant...! :headbang:

Not permitting gay marriages promotes hate??? :rolleyes:
Sure it does--government discrimination against a class of people is a sign of tacit approval for the citizenry to do the same. The thinking is "if the government thinks gays aren't full citizens, then I don't have to either, and by extension, it's okay to hate them." That's what our government has done to roughly ten percent of our population, to such an extent that a significant portion of that group prefers to keep their sexuality hidden rather then face the persecution that the government not only allows, but apparently approves of and supports.

It must be a sign that the post I was going to add didn't work. Not that it was wrong, just that it would have been over the top.

So I'll just say it this way: Bush - dumbass! Rumsfeld - total dumbass!

How many letters have previous US presidents signed since the invention and acquisition of the AutoPen during WW II?

During the Vietnam War, a mere handful. During the Korean War, a mere handful. During our other wars or conflicts, a mere handful, if any.

It's nothing new, and it's not peculiar to Rumsfeld or Bush.Expectations change. HAving a war for nothing was still acceptable in the dark ages. Vietnam was already unacceptable. Nothing will be tolerated in the Iraq war.

As for Colodia's kitchen sink of why she hates Bush, one could easily make a similar laundry list for any recent American president, or certain European leaders.I don't think so.

It was not possible to get nations like France and Russia to go along with any invasion, no matter what the reason. As I recall, even in the aftermath of 9-11, they both objected to the immediate invasion of Afghanistan, and only allowed the idea in the Security Council under duress. Neither supplied any help. They would NEVER under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES invade Iraq - no matter what was found or admitted to by Saddam because they stood to lose tens of billions of dollars in lucrative oil contracts and defense contracts.
Except that they supplied help. If you remember correctly, there were french mirrage supporting US troops and there are french peace keeping forces in the north. Germany anf France provide tons of money to rebuild schools and hospitals in Afghanistan.
Invading Afghanistan was still wrong though.

I don't believe we were going to find WMD. He used to have some, but he used them on the Kurds and Iranians years ago (what little he had). And it's not disputed, even by the UN and IAEA, that he wanted to acquire nuclear weapons the moment sanctions were lifted - sanctions that the French and Russians wanted desperately to lift so they could use their exclusive contracts to make more oil money.Sanctions killed half a million people. And BTW, the US has more nuclear weapons than any country. What's wrong with nuclear weapons again?

I am quite convinced that the reason that some people don't want the US to react until it is devastated is because they actually want to destroy the US. They are tired of having their butts kicked on the battlefield. Just think of how worthless all that advanced French radar looks now - it's funny how no one wants to buy it anymore because you can't see US aircraft with it.
Come on

Expectations change. HAving a war for nothing was still acceptable in the dark ages. Vietnam was already unacceptable. Nothing will be tolerated in the Iraq war.
I don't think so.
Except that they supplied help. If you remember correctly, there were french mirrage supporting US troops and there are french peace keeping forces in the north. Germany anf France provide tons of money to rebuild schools and hospitals in Afghanistan.
Invading Afghanistan was still wrong though.
Sanctions killed half a million people. And BTW, the US has more nuclear weapons than any country. What's wrong with nuclear weapons again?

Come on

There are not now, and there have never been, any French forces or aircraft in Afghanistan. And certainly not in Iraq.

The reason that sanctions killed people is that Saddam spent all the money from Oil for Food on bribes to the UN and countries like France and Russia so that they would block US action against Iraq.

And I suppose it's no one's business that Saddam was killing that many people every few years just for fun? And putting them in mass graves? Ah, but anyone who thinks that intervention is always wrong must have thought Rwanda was the classic example of how things should be done.

And what was wrong with invading Afghanistan, when their leaders as much as admitted complicity in 9-11? What were we supposed to do, say thank you?

What's wrong with nuclear weapons depends on who has them, and why they use them when they use them. Saddam had a well proven track record for using chemical weapons as soon as he had them against people living in his own country. What do you suppose he would do with a nuclear weapon?

There are not now, and there have never been, any French forces or aircraft in Afghanistan. And certainly not in Iraq.
http://www.consulfrance-atlanta.org/forces_francaises.htm

"in Afghanistan 1,500 (9% of ISAF) including the contributions to the training of the new Afghan army, and those to Enduring Freedom on the ground (special forces), at sea (3 frigates, 1 tanker and 1 Maritime Patrol Aircraft) or in the air (2 transport aircraft)"

"In the wake of the 9/11 tragedy, France offered its military resources and capabilities to support the American-led military campaign in Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom). Immediately, the exchanges of information between our naval commanders increased, particularly in the Indian Ocean, thus intensifying the fight against all types of trafficking."

"4) French contribution in Afghanistan

Since October 21, 2001, French reconnaissance aircraft and air tankers have contributed to the air campaign over Afghanistan. They were reinforced from the winter of 2001 to the summer of 2002, by French naval aviation forces and French Air Force transport planes and fighters. France was indeed the only country, along with the United States, to have flown bombing missions over Afghanistan, in direct support of American ground troops, in particular during operation Anaconda. From October 23, 2001 to September 30, 2002, a total of 12,000 flying hours were conducted in support of operations in Afghanistan by the French Mirage IV reconnaissance aircraft, the C135 tankers, the C160 and C130 transports, the E2C and the Super Etendard from the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, and the Mirage 2000D strike aircraft. The Mirage 2000D and Super Etendard destroyed 33 targets linked to Al Qaeda or the Talibans in direct support of American Special Forces. Today, 130 military are based in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, helping to operate the airport and supporting 2 transport aircraft engaged in the support of the French contingent in Afghanistan.

French forces arrived early on the ground. From December 2, 2001 to January 27, 2002, a reinforced company secured in Mazar-e-Sharif the detachment of US engineers repairing the airfield in order to fly in humanitarian assistance. In total, some 5,500 French soldiers were sent to the region. Today, 200 special troops are involved alongside American troops in the fight against the remnants of the Talibans in Southern Afghanistan.

Today, France is still largely involved in Afghanistan. Currently, 540 French troops are deployed in that country as part of the International Security Assistance Force, whose duty is to maintain security at the Kabul airport and its surroundings. And France is also playing a significant role in training the new Afghan army, alongside the US and the United Kingdom, having organized three battalions of 500 men and being presently involved in the training of all Afghan officers.

With the Navy contribution to OEF, a total of 1,470 French troops are involved in the stabilization of Afghanistan. They currently amount to 1,820 with the arrival of the EUROCORPS in Kabul during the summer."

I know it very well since I protested the sending of french forces in Afghanistan.
Fortunatelly, there is nothing in Iraq

The reason that sanctions killed people is that Saddam spent all the money from Oil for Food on bribes to the UN and countries like France and Russia so that they would block US action against Iraq.That and the fact that Saddam used the sanctions as a tool to maintain power and to accuse the UN while appearing as a good arab leader to the people.

And I suppose it's no one's business that Saddam was killing that many people every few years just for fun? And putting them in mass graves? Ah, but anyone who thinks that intervention is always wrong must have thought Rwanda was the classic example of how things should be done.Saddam never killed "just for fun". He did put people into mass graves more than 13 years ago during war time. In Rwanda, an envoy from the UN asked for military intervention. The US refused unilaterally.

And what was wrong with invading Afghanistan, when their leaders as much as admitted complicity in 9-11? What were we supposed to do, say thank you?They didn't. They asked for evidence of Ben Laden's involvement, which is what I would have done as well. You confuse the Taleban with Al Qaeda. The Taleban used Al Qaeda for fighting the Northern alliance. They were not responsible for 9/11.

What's wrong with nuclear weapons depends on who has them, and why they use them when they use them. Saddam had a well proven track record for using chemical weapons as soon as he had them against people living in his own country. What do you suppose he would do with a nuclear weapon?You know who have used chemical weapons the most and who is the only country to ever have used the nuclear weapon, don't you?
Why should I trust Bush and not Saddam?

When did the US use Sarin?

When did the US use Sarin?

When did the US use the Rule of Law?

When did the US use Sarin?
http://free.freespeech.org/americanstateterrorism/weapons/US-Bioweapons.html
US uses Agent Orange. I don't know about Sarin.

When did the US use the Rule of Law?

Last I checked, there wasn't a world government to which the US owes allegiance. Nor does it owe any allegiance to any foreign nation.

I still would like to know how someone can assert that the US has used nerve gas when it has not. If we're going to pull assertions out of our collective asses and hold them up as fact, then I'll take the second assertion, and say that Dobbs is actually a space alien.

I think some of you are so angry about the way the world is that you can't see straight.

Last I checked, there wasn't a world government to which the US owes allegiance. Nor does it owe any allegiance to any foreign nation.The US signed the UN charter.

I still would like to know how someone can assert that the US has used nerve gas when it has not. If we're going to pull assertions out of our collective asses and hold them up as fact, then I'll take the second assertion, and say that Dobbs is actually a space alien.

I think some of you are so angry about the way the world is that you can't see straight.Nobody ever said the US ever used nerve gas. You are the one who is too angry to actually read posts and understand. It's too obvious from your point of view that Saddam is the bad/evil terrorist that he deserve to be burnt. You think the US is naturally better because you live there and read too much propaganda, but you are the one who is angry and who is blind.

The UN is not a world government. Nor has the US given up any of its sovereignty to the UN. A previous poster said that the US has used chemical weapons more than any other country. So prove it: show me where the nerve gas was used.

The US signed the UN charter.

Thanks Psylos. It's getting rather 'red' in here this morning...

The UN is not a world government. Nor has the US given up any of its sovereignty to the UN. A previous poster said that the US has used chemical weapons more than any other country. So prove it: show me where the nerve gas was used.
I said it but I never talked about nerve gas, you talked about it because you read too much propaganda about iraq and you think nerve gas is the most evil thing on earth after Saddam.
And the UN charter says that it supercedes local laws. The US constitution says that it is above anything. There is obviously a conflict here, but from a foreigner point of view, I couldn't care less about the US constitution. The US broke the UN charter it signed and is a rogue nation. If its constitution didn't allow it to sign it, it shouldn't have done it. After doing it it should have ammended its local contitution like they did in my country but they did not do it and acted illegally on the international level.

That you ignore the law doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

Then I'm sure that the UN can do something about it.

Then I'm sure that the UN can do something about it.
Not really actually, because an economic embargo on the US is not realistic. The UN can do nothing I'm afraid.

That you ignore the law doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

Well said. Thanks again, you've given my POV a voice, Psylos. Hear, hear.

Not really actually, because an economic embargo on the US is not realistic. The UN can do nothing I'm afraid.

Then what's your point? That the UN in reality is Not World Government, even though it exists on paper?

There's too much preservation of sovereignty wordsmanship in the UN Charter to allow it to be world government. It's not any more relevant than the League of Nations, unless a world superpower is backing it.

What reward would a world superpower get for acting in the UN's interest then, and not in its own?

zero.

Thank you was just intresting abot that sens Bush and his fellows was so concerned about the killing of civilians by Saddam. Though he just could also be concern by innocent dead by his hand to (neccissary or not). Maybee it's things like that USA have to think about if they want to percevied as the good guy. And also be open about the death of civilians and that the USA is doing to prevent it.

Then what's your point? That the UN in reality is Not World Government, even though it exists on paper?

There's too much preservation of sovereignty wordsmanship in the UN Charter to allow it to be world government. It's not any more relevant than the League of Nations, unless a world superpower is backing it.

What reward would a world superpower get for acting in the UN's interest then, and not in its own?
My point is that there are internationnal laws which were broken by the US.
Why do you keep talking about a world government?

The bottom line is that by breaking the rules of law, the US has lost credibility. Next time they are attacked, there will be little to no support internationnally and every other nations will watch their back when dealing with the US. If the US does not take strong measures to get some credibility back, it will end up as isolated as Saddam was.