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Dimensional Door - Freeople Thread 18
today | Me

Posted on 09/19/2004 9:25:02 PM PDT by Mo1



TOPICS: Dimensional Doorway; Freeoples
KEYWORDS: relaxingatmosphere
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To: operation clinton cleanup

gasp ... gasp ...


7,761 posted on 11/04/2004 4:29:42 PM PST by catpuppy (John Kerry: He said he'd bring us together and he did. Thanks from the red states.)
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To: lodwick; grannie9; westmex; Borax Queen; Darksheare

7,762 posted on 11/04/2004 4:31:56 PM PST by restornu (By faith Bush subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, and worked miracles.)
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To: catpuppy; Letitring; Servant of the 9; sweetliberty; Mo1; celtic gal; Canadian Outrage; lodwick; ...
Finally, an reasonable article about the election from our friends "across the pond".
No power on Earth can intimidate a free nation
04 November 2004

In the end, it wasn't even close. George W Bush won a decisive endorsement from the American people for the most radical presidency of modern times. It was a vindication of his own idiosyncratic kind of conservatism: folksy, evangelical, optimistic, unapologetic and, when necessary, martial. The triumph of this Churchillian conservatism will delight the President's friends and confound his critics, but it will also strike fear into all enemies of America and the West.

For those enemies understand very well what the re-election of Mr Bush really signifies. Following hard on the heels of John Howard's triumph in Australia, it demonstrates that the leaders of the war on terror, at least in the English-speaking nations, have enough support to persevere in their task, and that our democracies are sufficiently robust to withstand attempts by the terrorists to influence elections. The President would have won even without Osama bin Laden's sinister re-emergence in the last week of the campaign, but it is heartening to know that the margin of victory was almost certainly widened by al-Qa'eda's intervention. Americans voted in record numbers to return to the White House a president who had been more reviled, at home and abroad, than ever before. They have demonstrated once and for all that no power on Earth can intimidate a free nation. This now takes its place among those truths which Americans hold to be self-evident.

Not the least impressive aspect of the Bush victory was its unambiguous rejection of the argument that carried so much weight on this side of the Atlantic: that only a new president would be able to heal the wounds left by the liberation of Iraq. Mr Bush has now been given the tools to finish the job of helping the Iraqi people to create the first genuine democracy in the Arab world.

He obtained his mandate without making irresponsible promises to withdraw US troops by a certain date or to hand over the burden to others, such as the UN, without the means to protect this fragile plant. Afghanistan's first free election has established a precedent that Iraq, with Britain's help, can hope to follow. Slowly but surely the tide may be turning in Iraq, as the jihadis holed up in Fallujah will soon discover.

The result has brought those in Europe who dreamt of a Kerry victory down to earth. It ought to be a wake-up call for those European states - above all Germany and France -which have held aloof not only from the liberation, but also from the reconstruction of Iraq. There is no point in hoping that the French and Germans will change their minds about Mr Bush, or vice versa, but self-interest dictates that both sides should draw a line under the past.

European leaders should not wait till next January to embrace the new, democratic Iraq. Mr Bush, for his part, is also likely to adopt a more conciliatory style in his second term - aware that his Administration's public diplomacy has hitherto been its Achilles' heel. The President will want to banish the unjust accusation of unilateralism, but, as the leader of the free world, he needs to retain the flexibility to act speedily and decisively. Pre-emptive military force is a last resort, but a necessary one.

This raises the two issues that are likely to test the Atlantic partnership over the next year: Iran and Israel. Teheran's imminent acquisition of a nuclear capability and its role in the Iraqi insurgency make Iran the most urgent item in Mr Bush's in-tray. He cannot ignore this threat, but neither can he afford another Iraq on a bigger scale. Britain, France and Germany have tried and failed to appease Iran. Regime change is the only long-term solution, but Mr Bush is likely to rely on backing the internal opposition, rather than military options, to help bring this about.

Europeans should not repeat the mistake they made over Iraq, supporting the insupportable and then crying foul when America kicked away the last props. This time, Europe itself could provide the model for regime change: in Iran, the ayatollahs are as unpopular as the communists were in eastern Europe before 1989. Mr Bush should follow Reagan's example, appealing to the Iranians over the heads of their leaders. If he does, Europe should back him.

On Israel, there is a widespread expectation (voiced yesterday in the Commons) that the President will now bully Ariel Sharon into giving the Palestinians what they have failed to extort by terrorism. That is not what Mr Bush believes, nor what he was elected to do. But he is uniquely placed to reassure the Israeli public that a withdrawal from Gaza, and ultimately most of the West Bank, could make Israel and Palestine more rather than less secure. If Mr Bush can broker a two-state solution that even Mr Sharon can live with, then there is a chance that it might happen - especially if Yasser Arafat is no longer able to sabotage it.

What does the second Bush term mean for the United States? The economy is in urgent need of rather more attention than the President has been able to give it since September 11, 2001. The ballooning budget deficit requires cuts in public spending; Arnold Schwarzenegger has shown what can be done in California. Tax cuts are still the unique selling point of Bush's brand of politics, but priority should now go to the taxpayers of middle America rather than the corporate interests of Wall Street. During his first term, "compassionate conservatism" was just a slogan; now Mr Bush can make it happen.

This was not merely a vote for the status quo, but for an idealistic vision of America as the land of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Terrorism threatens all three, and the electorate chose the candidate whom it judged to be the best guardian of that patriotic archetype. Americans do not expect their president to run their lives for them, but to let them pursue their own, infinitely various, ways of life. Yet they knew exactly what Mr Bush stands for. His opposition to same-sex marriages, for example, was endorsed by constitutional amendments in 11 states.

His attitude to embryonic stem cell research and abortion was equally clear. Second-term presidents are often less radical, and it may be that Mr Bush will appoint less abrasive colleagues in order to ameliorate America's image abroad. But the country he leads is diverging from Europe: it is younger, more self-confident, more prosperous, more devout, more diligent, more democratic and, in short, more conservative. Europe must come to terms, not only with Mr Bush, but with the nation that has elected him. This is a president who really can speak for America.

Link


7,763 posted on 11/04/2004 4:49:41 PM PST by Darlin' ("I will not forget this wound to my country." President George W Bush, 20 Sept 2001)
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To: Servant of the 9

I know.... dontcha just feel positively.... pure ? LOL :)


7,764 posted on 11/04/2004 4:51:03 PM PST by Darlin' ("I will not forget this wound to my country." President George W Bush, 20 Sept 2001)
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To: .38sw; celtic gal
If he keeps this up, your governor may soon become known as America's Governor. LOL
Schwarzenegger Calls Calif. Dems 'Losers'

Two days after the Democrats took at drubbing at the polls across the country, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger referred to leaders of the state's majority party as "losers."

At a Thursday news conference, the Republican governor who branded Democrats "girlie men" during a budget fight last year was asked whether he would listen to tax-increase proposals from Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata or other Democratic leaders.

"Why would I listen to losers?" Schwarzenegger asked. "Let's be honest."

Link

7,765 posted on 11/04/2004 5:04:03 PM PST by Darlin' ("I will not forget this wound to my country." President George W Bush, 20 Sept 2001)
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To: Conservababe
"Most of us stayed up all night and HE went to bed."

A heavy dose of drugs, no doubt.

7,766 posted on 11/04/2004 5:27:30 PM PST by sweetliberty (Proud member of the Pajama Posse!)
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To: restornu

Never had kitties with that much restraint.


7,767 posted on 11/04/2004 5:31:31 PM PST by lodwick
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To: restornu

Never had kitties with that much restraint.


7,768 posted on 11/04/2004 5:31:56 PM PST by lodwick
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To: Borax Queen
"Did you see her stumbling around the podium after Kerry did his speech yesterday?"

She's probably thinking, "d*mn; I'm glad that's over. Now I can let my hair down and quit worrying about trying to appear refined." That's not to say she did a very good job of it.

7,769 posted on 11/04/2004 5:33:23 PM PST by sweetliberty (Proud member of the Pajama Posse!)
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To: null and void
"At least our product demo at USC Med center was a winner"

Congratulations, Nully.

7,770 posted on 11/04/2004 5:35:16 PM PST by sweetliberty (Proud member of the Pajama Posse!)
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To: Darksheare
"Probably due to my cat trampling me over the weekend because she felt that I slept too comfortably"

Yes, they hate that.

7,771 posted on 11/04/2004 5:37:46 PM PST by sweetliberty (Proud member of the Pajama Posse!)
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To: Darksheare

And looking rather proud of the effort.


7,772 posted on 11/04/2004 5:38:31 PM PST by sweetliberty (Proud member of the Pajama Posse!)
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To: Borax Queen
"Did somebody say 'rat'?"

7,773 posted on 11/04/2004 5:46:55 PM PST by sweetliberty (Proud member of the Pajama Posse!)
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To: Borax Queen

That is SO cute. I just love kitty pictures.


7,774 posted on 11/04/2004 5:51:17 PM PST by sweetliberty (Proud member of the Pajama Posse!)
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To: sweetliberty

SICK rat! LOL!


7,775 posted on 11/04/2004 5:53:03 PM PST by Borax Queen (America the Beautiful!)
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To: sweetliberty
trying to appear refined

LOL! Gosh and I'm sorry, but one of the daughter's skirts was split ALL the way up to her rear end. Geez. And, I don't think I'll be wearing my shawls/scarves for awhile either since all three Kerry women had theirs on.

7,776 posted on 11/04/2004 5:56:33 PM PST by Borax Queen (America the Beautiful!)
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To: Lakeshark
"Too many blue thingies......."

I've earned my blue thingies! ......slurp.

7,777 posted on 11/04/2004 5:57:40 PM PST by sweetliberty (Proud member of the Pajama Posse!)
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To: ValerieUSA
"I merely smiled A LOT,"

.


7,778 posted on 11/04/2004 6:00:57 PM PST by sweetliberty (Proud member of the Pajama Posse!)
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To: restornu

CUTE!


7,779 posted on 11/04/2004 6:03:40 PM PST by sweetliberty (Proud member of the Pajama Posse!)
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To: Darlin'
"We're all familiar with the theory that eating chocolate triggers the release of endorphins, natural opiates in the brain that reduce pain."

Well, I guess that explains why I couldn't stop munching on chocolate on election day.....and 2 days prior, although I have not been eating much chocolate at all for a couple of years, not because I don't want to, mind you.

7,780 posted on 11/04/2004 6:08:15 PM PST by sweetliberty (Proud member of the Pajama Posse!)
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