Reagan was a real leader. He clearly defined great goals, and met them.
Yes he was. A Charismatic leader. But a charismatic leader is not always a good leader. (see: Bill Clinton)
(My favorite Reagan quote: "What is my strategy for defeating the Soviet Union? We win and they lose.")
Except, we stand at the brink of facing the Soviet Union again. So, defeat may have been only temporary. (which in no way compromises Reagan's accomplishment)
W is a puppet.
A puppet of whom? Could you be specific? The only master I have seen President Bush bend knee to is God.
He not only has never articulated great goals (what is the war on "terror"? "Terrorism" is a warfighting strategy, not an opponent), but I doubt he could spell the word.
At the beginning of this conflict over Iraq, after 9/11, I believe the President made public his goals, plans, which are a matter of public record.
When we gave up chasing the Taliban and Osama, turned left, and seized oil fields, I didn't need to be told anything else.
What makes you think we have given up? Where are these seized oil fields? Military protection is not the same as seizure, and the Iraqi's have taken over much of the guardianship police and military-wise in the past two months. As far as the Taliban, you are speaking of a label. When the criminals change labels, you would do well to ignore the labels and follow the crimes. The criminals are using priestly frocks to hide behind, and don't really much care about the label they are under. Baath, Taliban, Al Queda, Al Quida, Red Dawn.
There are over (IIRC) 300 REGISTERED terrorist groups worldwide.
Osama has very little value to his supporters right now. He may very well be dead.
Thanks for letting me respond to your litany.
I have three questions. You implied President Bush could not spell Terrorism.
How many degrees do you have, for instance?
How many degrees do you think President Bush has?
Do you have any recorded instance of him mis-spelling any words?
I meant to go home, but I feel I owe you a partial reply, at least.
W is a product of the televison set, just as was Clinton. (I'm not comparing the two--I have nothing against W the same way I think Clinton was morally destructive to our society and was a traitor to boot). All we know about him is what we see on television, and his leadership can only be measured by its effects on our daily lives. We don't know W personally--you don't even know if he is truly religious, other than whatever you heard him read off a teleprompter. (Even Clinton went to church EVERY Sunday. See what I mean?)
I'm not implying that W isn't religious. I'm saying implicitly (did I spell that right?) that all we know about him is what we see on television. And television lies.
I think he's a puppet of those with money, as is any politician (or has been). That's why the borders are still open (business makes gobs of money suppressing everyone's wages by importing cheap, illegal labor--it's been done before with black slaves and Irish immigrants). He does what they want because they fund election ads on television.
We continue to go into debt as a nation because all the Federal government pays homage to the banks, who buy past debt and, through a variety of means, fund election ads on television.
Is there a pattern here? You bet.
Osama's organization launched 9/11--not Saddam. The direct perpetrators of that crime were sheltered in Afghanistan and Pakistan--that's where they should have been chased down and killed. Instead, the military took a hard left turn to pursue the oil fields because, face it, W and his cabinet are knee-deep in the oil industry. It's obvious.
I'll accept the realpolitik argument of seizing the oilfields before the Chinese got there. That still doesn't make the invasion of Iraq legal--though it WAS moral. A Saddam in a cage is better than a Saddam running loose.
I'm really tired, and want to call it a day. This is just a few elements of why I don't consider W two steps from Jesus, as my daddy says scoffingly. I have other reasons, a dozen or more, but it's time to call it a day.
Thank you for being reasonable.