President Bush may still betray us on the AWB...

[Treylis]

If Bush signed an AWB I would vote for a third party candidate. It should be political suicide no matter which party. If it becomes clear they will be overwhelmingly rejected, maybe even the Democrats will quit grabbin what aint theirs!

Which is why, if it's going to happen, it's going to happen after re-election is no longer a possibility.

Again and again, Bush utterly refuses to take principled stances, or stands on the wrong principles. Doesn't that bother you people?

 

[tulsamal]

Again and again, Bush utterly refuses to take principled stances

I would have to disagree if we are talking about foreign policy. One of the things I actually admire about President Bush is how his administration made the decision that Saddam had to go and then stuck with it. They pursued various options including going to the UN. But when the UN wouldn't go along we still saw Saddam as a threat TO US and so we acted. It would have been a lot easier politically to fight on and on for an international agreement. We would still be trying today and Saddam would still be in power. And terrorists would still be training in that whole area.

It's rare for a President to take the riskier course in foreign policy. Bush did it. Now you can disagree with whether it was a good idea or not but I think he deserves some credit for sticking to his ideas for months before we attacked and then ever since. He's talked about being in this for the long haul. He's talked about US troops being in Iraq for five years or more. All of these are bad ideas politically but they "fit" his foreign policy model.

Victory in Iraq means a functioning democracy that respects human rights and sees the West as a positive force in their development. Anything less than that and we've failed. But if we succeed it will make a VAST difference in the Middle East.

Gregg

 

[auschip]

They are politicians. Politicians don't take principled stances because at best it alienates a portion of the people they want to vote for them.