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If Bush gets a 2nd term, America will be invading more than Iraq

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RainDog Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-07-04 07:20 PM
Original message
If Bush gets a 2nd term, America will be invading more than Iraq
I'm all for impeaching and charging him and his junta with war crimes right now.

But just in case there was ever any doubt...with the Christian Fundamentalist and Jewish necons who took power in the soft coup of 2000...if they steal or win another election, do not be surprised when we have all out hot World War 3, the loss of the separation of church and state, and, most likely, a virtual military dictatorship led by people who never had to fight a day in their lives, but are all too willing to send your child and mine off to the slaughter in the innocent's crusade.

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0407-12.htm  

Musings about a second Bush term typically assume another four years of the same right-wing policies we've had to date. But it'd likely be far worse. So far, the Bush administration has had to govern with the expectation of facing American voters again in 2004. But suppose George W. Bush wins a second term. The constraint of a re-election contest will be gone. Knowing that voters can no longer turn them out, and that this will be their last shot at remaking America, the radical conservatives will be unleashed.

A friend who specializes in foreign policy and hobnobs with subcabinet officials in the Defense and State departments told me that the only thing that's stopped the Bushies from storming into Iran and North Korea is the upcoming election. If Bush is re-elected, " Cheney and Rumsfeld are out of the box," he said. "They'll take Bush's re-election as a mandate to wage the 'war on terror' everywhere and anywhere."

The second term's defense team will be even harder line than the current one. Colin Powell will go. Condoleezza Rice will take over at the State Department. Rumsfeld will consolidate power as the president's national-security adviser. Paul Wolfowitz will run the Defense Department.

Domestic policy will swing further right. A re-election would strengthen the White House's hand on issues that even many congressional Republicans have a hard time accepting, such as the assault on civil liberties. Bush will seek to push "Patriot II" through Congress, giving the Justice Department and the FBI powers to inspect mail, eavesdrop on phone conversations and e-mail, and examine personal medical records, insurance claims, and bank accounts.

Right-wing evangelicals will solidify their control over the departments of Justice, Education, and Health and Human Services -- curtailing abortions, putting federal funds into the hands of private religious groups, pushing prayer in the public schools, and promoting creationism.

http://www.thornwalker.com/ditch/blythe.htm

In the October 29 issue of The Weekly Standard, a leading neoconservative magazine, William Kristol and Robert Kagan write that "when all is said and done, the conflict in Afghanistan will be to the war on terrorism what the North Africa campaign was to World War II: an essential beginning on the path to victory." After what they call "but an opening battle," they predict a war that will "spread and engulf a number of countries" and that "could well require the use of American military power in multiple places simultaneously."

In the turmoil that would follow, Kristol and Kagan think it likely that Israel could reoccupy the West Bank and depose Yasser Arafat; that several moderate Arab governments could be overthrown; and that America's war against terrorism could "resemble the clash of civilizations that everyone has hoped to avoid." They add that in a conflict of such scale, some countries might use biological or chemical weapons. Though they do not say so explicitly, they are telling us to prepare for World War III.
What is most remarkable about the essay is its unruffled tone. The authors could be offering advice on brands of toothpaste rather than urging us into a war that could cause incalculable destruction. How many people do they think we should be prepared to kill? Five thousand? Five hundred thousand? A million?

Not even small wars end predictably. War on the scale Kristol and Kagan envision, in an age of weapons of mass destruction, could have catastrophic consequences, but they tell us that such a war is necessary in defense of "the West."

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boobooday Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-07-04 07:24 PM
Response to Original message
1. Lock up these very frightening people!
Their vision of the world is sick and twisted.

I hate them so I can hardly stand it, and I am filled with dread that they are going to pull MORE CRAP right before the election and/or try to cancel it.

BUT OH MY GOD.

It just can't be.

We cannot allow them to steal this election.

http://www.wgoeshome.com
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swag Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-07-04 07:25 PM
Response to Original message
2. delete
Edited on Wed Apr-07-04 07:33 PM by swag
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swag Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-07-04 07:25 PM
Response to Original message
3. If Bush &/or Co. get Term 2 . . .
. . . years will be taken off the lives of most of us and of most of our family members.

Vote like it's for your loved one's life this time.


Because it is. Literallly and Completely.

Do you love anybody? Vote for them? Do you prefer being alive? Vote for yourself.
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RainDog Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-07-04 07:28 PM
Response to Original message
4. The June 30th "handover" in Iraq is also a joke
Edited on Wed Apr-07-04 07:29 PM by RainDog
It's another election year photo op, like "Mission Accomplished," because these are the terms for Iraqi "democracy."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3600813.stm

* security after 30 June will remain in the hands of a four-star American general who will command all military forces, foreign and Iraqi.

* the format of the interim government is far from agreed. There is likely to be a prime minister under a revolving three-person presidency. The prime minister will have to have the approval of the United States.

* the interim government will administer but it will not rule. It will have very little power. Many of its ministers will probably be the same as those now running the Iraqi Governing Council.

* financial decisions will largely remain with the US since $8bn of reconstruction aid will be flowing in. The new US embassy will be the power in the land.

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HFishbine Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-07-04 07:29 PM
Response to Original message
5. Bummer
That would be a real drag.
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RainDog Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-07-04 07:38 PM
Response to Reply #5
6. Don't get so overworked..
:)

if anyone wants to know a reason for LIHOP, this is it, all laid out right here by Kristol (I also remember him saying, "Peace is unnatural...") and by Robert Reich.

The Bush League is all about the raw exercise of power, both here and across the world.

Yeah, World War 3 in a nuclear and bio weapons age... that would be a real drag.
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HFishbine Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-07-04 07:50 PM
Response to Reply #6
7. I abhore Kristol
Edited on Wed Apr-07-04 07:51 PM by HFishbine
Have you seen the totalitarian, facist manefesto he's endorsing with the Poject for the New American Century?

Here's one of my favs, a letter to the president nine days after 9/11:

September 20, 2001

The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States
Washington, DC

Dear Mr. President,

We write to endorse your admirable commitment to “lead the world to victory” in the war against terrorism. We fully support your call for “a broad and sustained campaign” against the “terrorist organizations and those who harbor and support them.” We agree with Secretary of State Powell that the United States must find and punish the perpetrators of the horrific attack of September 11, and we must, as he said, “go after terrorism wherever we find it in the world” and “get it by its branch and root.” We agree with the Secretary of State that U.S. policy must aim not only at finding the people responsible for this incident, but must also target those “other groups out there that mean us no good” and “that have conducted attacks previously against U.S. personnel, U.S. interests and our allies.”

In order to carry out this “first war of the 21st century” successfully, and in order, as you have said, to do future “generations a favor by coming together and whipping terrorism,” we believe the following steps are necessary parts of a comprehensive strategy.

Osama bin Laden

We agree that a key goal, but by no means the only goal, of the current war on terrorism should be to capture or kill Osama bin Laden, and to destroy his network of associates. To this end, we support the necessary military action in Afghanistan and the provision of substantial financial and military assistance to the anti-Taliban forces in that country.

Iraq

Wagree with Secretary of State Powell’s recent statement that Saddam Hussein “is one of the leading terrorists on the face of the Earth….” It may be that the Iraqi government provided assistance in some form to the recent attack on the United States. But even if evidence does not link Iraq directly to the attack, any strategy aiming at the eradication of terrorism and its sponsors must include a determined effort to remove Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq. Failure to undertake such an effort will constitute an early and perhaps decisive surrender in the war on international terrorism. The United States must therefore provide full military and financial support to the Iraqi opposition. American military force should be used to provide a “safe zone” in Iraq from which the opposition can operate. And American forces must be prepared to back up our commitment to the Iraqi opposition by all necessary means.

Hezbollah

Hezbollah is one of the leading terrorist organizations in the world. It is suspected of having been involved in the 1998 bombings of the American embassies in Africa, and implicated in the bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983. Hezbollah clearly falls in the category cited by Secretary Powell of groups “that mean us no good” and “that have conducted attacks previously against U.S. personnel, U.S. interests and our allies.” Therefore, any war against terrorism must target Hezbollah. We believe the administration should demand that Iran and Syria immediately cease all military, financial, and political support for Hezbollah and its operations. Should Iran and Syria refuse to comply, the administration should consider appropriate measures of retaliation against these known state sponsors of terrorism.

Israel and the Palestinian Authority

Israel has been and remains America’s staunchest ally against international terrorism, especially in the Middle East. The United States should fully support our fellow democracy in its fight against terrorism. We should insist that the Palestinian Authority put a stop to terrorism emanating from territories under its control and imprison those planning terrorist attacks against Israel. Until the Palestinian Authority moves against terror, the United States should provide it no further assistance.

U.S. Defense Budget

A serious and victorious war on terrorism will require a large increase in defense spending. Fighting this war may well require the United States to engage a well-armed foe, and will also require that we remain capable of defending our interests elsewhere in the world. We urge that there be no hesitation in requesting whatever funds for defense are needed to allow us to win this war.

There is, of course, much more that will have to be done. Diplomatic efforts will be required to enlist other nations’ aid in this war on terrorism. Economic and financial tools at our disposal will have to be used. There are other actions of a military nature that may well be needed. However, in our judgement the steps outlined above constitute the minimum necessary if this war is to be fought effectively and brought to a successful conclusion. Our purpose in writing is to assure you of our support as you do what must be done to lead the nation to victory in this fight.


Sincerely,

William Kristol

Richard V. Allen Gary Bauer Jeffrey Bell William J. Bennett

Rudy Boshwitz Jeffrey Bergner Eliot Cohen Seth Cropsey

Midge Decter Thomas Donnelly Nicholas Eberstadt Hillel Fradkin

Aaron Friedberg Francis Fukuyama Frank Gaffney Jeffrey Gedmin

Reuel Marc Gerecht Charles Hill Bruce P. Jackson Eli S. Jacobs

Michael Joyce Donald Kagan Robert Kagan Jeane Kirkpatrick

Charles Krauthammer John Lehman Clifford May Martin Peretz

Richard Perle Norman Podhoretz Stephen P. Rosen Randy Scheunemann

Gary Schmitt William Schneider, Jr. Richard H. Shultz Henry Sokolski

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RainDog Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-07-04 08:15 PM
Response to Reply #7
11. funny what gets mentioned and what doesn't...
"American military force should be used to provide a “safe zone” in Iraq from which the opposition can operate. And American forces must be prepared to back up our commitment to the Iraqi opposition by all necessary means."

This is in keeping with the fake democracy they are claiming they are bringing to Iraq as a sop to the American public.

Iraq is really a staging ground for future attacks...which they note here.

Also, funny how they don't think that Israel needs to stop killing Palestinians, or go back to their pre-1967 borders...nor do they note that we are the one nation which has the power to bring Israel to the negotiating table to stop the root cause of so much terrorism around the world.

Thanks for posting this letter. I hadn't seen it, but of course, it is a distillation of their manifesto.

I also think the PNAC document is interesting because it talks about the desire to create bio-genocidal weapons.

If that's not fascism, what is?

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Kool Kitty Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-07-04 09:34 PM
Response to Reply #6
17. Your last line reminds me of that quote-
(from Einstein, I think) "I don't know what they'll use to fight World War 3, but to fight World War 4, they'll use rocks and sticks."
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ConcernedCanuk Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-07-04 08:05 PM
Response to Original message
8. "BushCo - The Vikings of the 21st Century"
.
.
.

Sorta has a ring to it!

Oh, and in a blurry eyed moment after 16 hours on the web this morning

A quick glance at "Vigilant Resolve" looked like

"Vigilante Resolve"

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RC Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-07-04 08:08 PM
Response to Original message
9. When is the rest of the world
Edited on Wed Apr-07-04 08:10 PM by RC
going to get tired of us, US dictating policy to them and we get invaded?

I can see the United States going down the tubes just like the Soviet Union did.
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Kanary Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-07-04 08:10 PM
Response to Original message
10. They'll also be invading inner cities, and other poor areas
and killing there by cuts.

Will that be noticed?

Of course, there's certainly no guarantee the very same cuts won't come from the Dems.

Kanary
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RainDog Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-07-04 08:19 PM
Response to Reply #10
12. That's where they will get their "volunteers"
the army is already a way out of poverty.

when they cut funding for education and college becomes unaffordable to both the poor and the lower middle class,

ta-dah!

Instant army.

I think Bush will probably re-instate the draft, as well, but just like Vietnam, those with more resources will be able to get out of it.

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leesa Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-07-04 08:39 PM
Response to Original message
13. Of course he will want to, but just how much can be done
The military is in a shambles. Their is no National Guard to force participation. They have fully looted the treasury so there is no money for any more warring. What. Are the CEOs going to finance the endless wars? To what capital gain? I think they have shot themselves in the foot.
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RainDog Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-07-04 08:47 PM
Response to Reply #13
14. they are ideologues
and Congress, if you forgot, btw, authorized Bush, via the "Bush Doctrine" to invade any other country at will AND to use nuclear weapons.

According to reports, Draft boards have been quietly retooling.

I get adverts in the mail every week for my 16 year old son to check out the guard or the marines, etc. etc.

they do not care about massive deficits, they have already shown.

the military-industrial complex, including Daddy Bush's Carlyle Group, and Halliburton, are getting rich off this occupation.

if they have all out war, they will employ people making weapons, too...just as shit wages.

War is big business.
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DivinBreuvage Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-07-04 08:50 PM
Response to Original message
15. I believe neocon/theocon militarism can no longer be stopped
until it suffers an utter, shattering, and final defeat along the lines of the wreck of the Confederacy or the fall of Berlin -- which of course will drag all the rest of us down with it.

The United States, despite its real and genuine accomplishments in creating and sustaining a democratic government and promoting civil and human rights, has had a substantial conservative/right wing strain ever since the Puritan fathers stepped ashore on Plymouth Rock. I believe that strain, which has always been in us, is again today in the ascendant as it was in the 1850s and 1930s; only we are a global power now, and wealth is measured in much bigger units now, so the riches to be gained by completing the enslavement and impoverishment of the American nation only are no longer a sufficient prize for today's Jefferson Davises and J.P. Morgans. The whole world must be the prize.
The eruption of a state's ruling class into wars of conquest and greed is a cyclical occurence both in our own history and in the history of other nations. It is never subdued of its own accord; it has to have its teeth kicked down its throat.
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RainDog Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-07-04 09:27 PM
Response to Reply #15
16. I think it can be stopped
but it will take some courageous people in positions of power who are willing to put aside their ambitions for the sake of our very democracy.

it will take courageous people in positions of access who are willing to risk prison to release documents to show the American people what they are facing.

and it will take those of us who see what is happening to continue to work to register voters and help them get to the polls, and people like Bev who are trying to keep elections real.

there is no guarantee, but I still believe there are enough sane people in Washington that the neocons can be stopped...as long as they are taken at their words.

it's easier to deny the possibility that people would actual think a pre-emptive nuclear strike, or a genocidal bioweapon are good for anyone, even them.

But they have plainly stated these very things.

I hope you're not right, because if they are not stopped, yes, they will destroy our nation, at a minimum.
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