[Bouncer]

Even before the instantly-cremated ashes of the World Trade Center victims had settled to the ground, they were all over these sites like vultures circling over the dead, screeching, "Blame Bush! Blame Bush!"

See previous 2 million posts by Freepers re: Ruby Ridge, Waco, etc. screaming "Blame Clinton! Blame Clinton!" for the textbook on this process.
And you thought the lefties weren't paying attention!

[Bryan]

Bouncer, I know the Lefties are paying attention. In fact, we are the center of attention as far as you and your left-wing cronies are concerned. Within minutes after posting on this site, anything that might possibly be spin-doctored and distorted to smear the conservative cause is plastered all over five or six left-wing hate sites: FreeDem, Salon, Democratic Underground, Smirking Chimp and Bartcop. There's also "Eye on the Right," which is not so much a discussion board as an "I hate conservatives" billboard.

Left-wing fringe dwellers have been coming to this site for four years, trying to stir up trouble and make us look bad. We call them disruptors. You don't appear to be one. But they take many guises and use many different tactics. If you'd like to discuss that, I'm more than willing. But let's talk about Middle East policy for now since that is the topic of this thread, shall we?

Yes, the twelve-year Reagan-Bush administration did arm and train the mujahedeen to fight the Soviet Army. At the time, we believed the Soviets were a greater threat to world peace and stability. Kind of like that Democratic president who sent billions of dollars worth of military aid to the Soviets because he thought the Nazis were a greater threat to world peace and stability.

You mention Iraq as another problem caused by Bush Sr. failing to see it through. That was a UN operation and the UN decided to slam on the brakes before our ground forces reached Baghdad. The coalition would have abandoned us and there was a danger that we would suddenly be perceived as the new aggressors in the region.

Ruby Ridge and Waco are reflections of the fact that the Clinton Administration focused its anti-terrorist efforts principally on domestic terrorism. So is the World Trade Center. Clinton evidently believed that a few militiamen with shotguns that had barrels 1/4" too short were a greater threat than Osama bin Laden. (But you can make Reno the "fall guy" if you prefer. That should serve her well in her campaign against Jeb Bush in Florida.)

On other threads, a news story is developing regarding the 1996 FAA commission on airline safety, whose findings were watered down by Al Gore at the urging of airline industry lobbyists. Within weeks, $500,000 had poured into DNC coffers from the airlines to help Clinton/Gore defeat Bob Dole. Clinton and Gore evidently believed that Dole was a greater threat than terrorists on our passenger planes.

Let's talk, shall we?