NationStates Jolt Archive

Sometime before I was born, there was a series of books written called Choose Your Own Adventure. My elementary school library had a bunch, and they were fun, even though I always seemed to wind up dead.

That actually has very little to do with the subject of this thread, but I felt compelled to explain the title.

The actual subject is fairly simple: how would you answer the questions the US presidential candidates were asked Sept. 26? I just copied the questions I saw in the transcripts, not counting follow-up questions or candidate specific ones, so many can be answered with one comment. Here they are:

Where do you stand on the financial recovery plan?
What are you going to have to give up, in terms of the priorities that you would bring as president of the United States, as a result of having to pay for the financial rescue plan?
What do you see as the lessons of Iraq?
Do you think more troops -- more U.S. troops should be sent to Afghanistan, how many, and when?
What is your reading on the threat to Iran right now to the security of the United States?
How do you see the relationship with Russia? Do you see them as a competitor? Do you see them as an enemy? Do you see them as a potential partner?
What do you think the likelihood is that there would be another 9/11-type attack on the continental United States?


Discuss. Or rather, answer. Just post something.

I'd always read those from the back forwards.
Kinda like prognostication ... so i'll go hit the scrying pool now, i guess.

What do you see as the lessons of Iraq?


Put the Military-Industrial Complex under a microscope and keep them there.

Where do you stand on the financial recovery plan?

I honestly don't know enough about economics to comment on this.

What are you going to have to give up, in terms of the priorities that you would bring as president of the United States, as a result of having to pay for the financial rescue plan?

We're going to have to give up the TSA, and Homeland Security. I do think we need to cut some government size, and power in order to pay off this financial rescue plan. Long story short, we're tightening our belts people.

What do you see as the lessons of Iraq?

Listen to the guy who actually been to war, not the oil man.

Do you think more troops -- more U.S. troops should be sent to Afghanistan, how many, and when?

Yes, they should be shipped out of Iraq and back to Afghanistan. Afghanistan was a right and just war, Iraq was not.

What is your reading on the threat to Iran right now to the security of the United States?

Meh, we got Israel who has their own Nukes. Israel is going to be Iran's first target. If Iran lobs one, Israel will lob ten back and turn Iran into glass.

How do you see the relationship with Russia? Do you see them as a competitor? Do you see them as an enemy? Do you see them as a potential partner?

I think Russia is trying to reclaim the former glory of the USSR, and trying to show that it still matters on the global stage. I would talk to Russia and include it into the world's discussion, making it feel like it matters.

What do you think the likelihood is that there would be another 9/11-type attack on the continental United States?


As long as the CIA, FBI and other law enforcement agencies work together, the chances are slim. However, we must also give the same right to those in Gitmo and the prison in Iraq the same rights that Americans have.

Where do you stand on the financial recovery plan?

I would rather not discuss it and simply blame the previous administration when I'm voted in thanks, or Clinton if I happen to be Republican, whatever's popular with public opinion to be honest.

What are you going to have to give up, in terms of the priorities that you would bring as president of the United States, as a result of having to pay for the financial rescue plan?

Your pensions probably ha ha, wheeeeee...., no, umm, pork spending, ha ha, oh boy, no seriously...

What do you see as the lessons of Iraq?

You can really lie to the public these days, you don't even need to hide it too much, as long as it doesn't involve sex, which is a bit annoying because as president I expect to get some offers if you know what I mean :wink:

Do you think more troops -- more U.S. troops should be sent to Afghanistan, how many, and when?

I think it's cheaper to just bomb them occasionally, just as effective really.

What is your reading on the threat to Iran right now to the security of the United States?

In reality, not too much. However, in regard to my need to stomp on people's rights, THEY'RE A-COMING TO GET YA!

How do you see the relationship with Russia? Do you see them as a competitor? Do you see them as an enemy? Do you see them as a potential partner?

Frankly I just don't like them.

What do you think the likelihood is that there would be another 9/11-type attack on the continental United States?

It's a real tricky balance between assuring people they're safe under my presidency and scaring people so I can do what I like, hmmmm, I'll pass on this for now thanks.

Where do you stand on the financial recovery plan?

Main problem here is the widespread fear in the markets, which seems to drive share prices lower whatever government does. Arrest all of the government officials who keep perpetuating the panic by proclaiming daily that the crisis is going to be the worst thing ever in the history of the universe . Seize control of the mass media to avoid scaremongering and make a personal appeal for the public to put their money into the markets to stabilise the system.

What are you going to have to give up, in terms of the priorities that you would bring as president of the United States, as a result of having to pay for the financial rescue plan?

Everything except the Platinum statue of myself to replace the statue of liberty.

What do you see as the lessons of Iraq?

Don't elect a simpleton controlled by hawks and oil interest groups

Do you think more troops -- more U.S. troops should be sent to Afghanistan, how many, and when?

Yes, as many as the commanders on the ground say are needed, when they say they need them. Should never have intervened miltarily in the first place, rather than securitizing the issue, international organizations should have cooperated to treat the issue as a criminal, rather than a military one. But now the troops are there America has a moral duty not to cut and run and to try to restore peace. Other measures outlined below aiming to reduce support for terrorism will also help to pacify the situation.

What is your reading on the threat to Iran right now to the security of the United States?

None. They are incapable of arming anywhere near to the levels of the United States. Any attack might damage a US city, but would result in the total nuclear annihilation of Iran. Hardly in their interests.

How do you see the relationship with Russia? Do you see them as a competitor? Do you see them as an enemy? Do you see them as a potential partner?

Drop the Cold War nonsense. If Russia is treated as an equal by the United States and its sphere of influence accepted, its policies will become more peaceful as the Russians will feel less need to assert themselves to avenge defeat in the Cold War. Threatening war if it takes action in neighbouring countries only makes it more likely to happen, inflaming Russian national pride.

What do you think the likelihood is that there would be another 9/11-type attack on the continental United States?

High. Reduce by openly abandoning the war on terror as an ill-advised narrative which has increased West-Middle East tensions. Openly rejecting the politics of intervention in other states except where genocide is occuring (in any other situation, the damage done by intervention outweighs the benefits). Increase aid at the expense of the military, and renegotiate the structure of international financial institutions and the UN to give them genuine power and legitimacy on a democratic basis rather than being a US puppet. With a nuclear option, states will never attack the United States. Non-state groups attack the United States as they regard it as an enemy of Islam, intervening as part of some "clash of civilizations", and as the controller of an international system biased against poor countries. Removing these justifications will destroy grassroots support for terrorists.

I would then watch as my opponent's support in the polls rose to 98%.

* Where do you stand on the financial recovery plan?
well i think what the're trying to do is silly, in terms of what the're telling people they expect to accomplish with it, though i think the're dead serious as to what its actually about, which is pretty much putting the coup de gras on the constitution.

my own "financial recovery plan" would be a two year moritorium on forclosures and something f.d.r. came up with, called the works projects administration

* What are you going to have to give up, in terms of the priorities that you would bring as president of the United States, as a result of having to pay for the financial rescue plan?

well absolutely nothing because i'm not supporting that plan. i have one, as mentioned above, that would work for real people, real places and real things, not re-loosen credit, which too much credit, to easily available, to irrisponsibly used, is really at the root of the problem in the first place.

* What do you see as the lessons of Iraq?

i think the lesson, really that all of us need to learn, is to not create incentives for the kind of mentality we've had running things and setting policy.

* Do you think more troops -- more U.S. troops should be sent to Afghanistan, how many, and when?

no, or at least i'd have to look into that a little more then all the saber rattling and arbitrary assumptions we've been hearing. there are definately problems there, but i don't think a military answer is the whole solution, even if it does turn out to be a neccessary part of it.

* What is your reading on the threat to Iran right now to the security of the United States?

the threat of iran right now, to the u.s, or any other super power government, or world stability in general, other then through its cia/kgb equivelant, called, i seem to recall, savak, is just about nil.

* How do you see the relationship with Russia? Do you see them as a competitor? Do you see them as an enemy? Do you see them as a potential partner?

russia, russia has been messed up historically, going from one form of fanatacism to another. from the mad monk to lenin and then stalin, and now u.s. influence and u.s. missles in their georga, just like when kruchev put russian missles in cuba.

i think russia needs a real chance to sort things out, to be allowed to come up with its own real solutions without being crippled as they are, by u.s. dominated negative influences.

* What do you think the likelihood is that there would be another 9/11-type attack on the continental United States?

well there are a lot of despirate people in this world, a lot of them with completely legitimate reasons to be, a lot of those reasons 'western' powers, our economic sphere, and arbitrary use of military force, which really the bottom line of that means murdering, having murdered people, for the misfortune of having been born in the way between economic interests and the 'blood wine', so the possibility is always there of someone wanting to knock down a building or blow up a bus or something, but i think we need to look at this in proportion too. you know that 9-11 thing was really exploited all to hell, even if it wasn't a 'false flag' operation, and i've seen nothing to really convince me that it wasn't.

what i mean by looking at it in proportion though is this, how many busses or buildings are there? lots of them, right? and how many people? the same. now how many, what percentage of people are actually going to be in one particular building or on one bus?

i think looked at in perspective, perspective of anything other then human emotion, how much of a real threat to anything, other then the few people in that one building or on that one buss?

i mean even if we didn't have this big shock scare thing about terrorism, really just another excuse to shred the constitution as far as i can see, sure there've ALWAYS been someone wanting to blow up a building or something, and every once in a while someone does.

i think its insane to use this as an excuse to think we have to take over the rest of the world, or even that if we did, this would somehow prevent these sorts of things from happining.

using them as an excuse to over react, and play with our fancy military toys, is just an excuse too, to remove civil right, the security and happiness of real places and thing, to take that off of center stage so people can more easily be manipulated into going along with makiavellianism that doesn't actually bennifit them, or anybody.

* Where do you stand on the financial recovery plan?

I don't think it's right, and I don't think its enough. While the government is partially to blame, the lion's share of this crisis falls squarely on the shoulders of business officers who willingly allowed, and perpetrated, the dangerous business practices that are one of the key reasons for this recession in the name of turning a bigger profit. The effects of this crisis are being felt worldwide, and now the people who are effected the most, the average citizen, has to take the majority of the burden that has been placed on us all. I would hold the CEOs and Executives who have made millions while everyone else suffers more responsible than they are being held, and a substantive portion of the money to bail out these companies should come from their own assets.

* What are you going to have to give up, in terms of the priorities that you would bring as president of the United States, as a result of having to pay for the financial rescue plan?

I think congress is overdue for a big fat pay cut, so is the president, and the supreme court. What they do should not be about financial gain, it should be out of a desire to see this nation succeed. Sadly, many other important programs will feel the hit; things will get worse before they get better.

* What do you see as the lessons of Iraq?

Iraq has taught us many things; some of these lessons we should have learned long before. But it has not seemed to teach us the most valuable lesson we could have learned; responsibility. As a world superpower we have a responsibility, not only to ourselves, but to the rest of the world as well. We have a responsibility to provide leadership, and an example that other nations should be proud to follow, we owe this not only to our allies, but to any nation who wants to see a better and brighter tomorrow for the world. We have a responsibility to Iraq, and to Afghanistan to allow them to run themselves, we treat these nations like puppets, no better than the soviet block treated their member states. In short, the United States owes a responsibility to the whole world if we truly wish to see all mankind prosper.

* Do you think more troops -- more U.S. troops should be sent to Afghanistan, how many, and when?

We need all the troops we can get in Afghanistan at this time, we need troops in Pakistan at this time. We have more troops than we need in Iraq, the Iraqis are ready to take on more responsibility, there is no need for the amount of soldiers we have stationed in that area. We should be moving troops from Iraq to Afghanistan, and strike a deal with Pakistan that will allow us to send troops to their nation as well.

* What is your reading on the threat to Iran right now to the security of the United States?

Iran is not a threat, they are a developing nation looking to modernize their energy production. Why must we threaten them? We have a highly developed nuclear power system here in the US, if we were to assist them in building reactors we will not only be making sure they do not develop atomic weapons, but we may earn a new supporter on the world stage.

* How do you see the relationship with Russia? Do you see them as a competitor? Do you see them as an enemy? Do you see them as a potential partner?

Russia is no longer a competitor with the United States. They are a nation who feels disgraced and are searching for their place in the world. We need to foster better relationships and try to make Russia a partner with the United States and stop treating each other like enemies. Russia's current behavior is to prove to the world they are still a force to be reckoned with, at least on a regional level.

* What do you think the likelihood is that there would be another 9/11-type attack on the continental United States?

Nothing is certain, all we can do is try and be prepared to prevent another disaster like the WTC attacks, and be ready to respond should another one happen.

I hate it when I kill threads....