George W. Bush--The First 30 Months

7-1-2003 | Justshe

[justshe]

The Summer of Our Discontent with George W. Bush

The amount of discontent being expressed toward President George W. Bush on Free Republic seems to be increasing exponentially. 

For the purpose of discussion, I have attempted to to draw up 2 lists.  The first list is of accomplishments or 'directions' this administration is going.  The second list, is for those items or behaviors many would like to see addressed or changed.  I have made every attempt to list as many items as I could recall....or find by perusing MANY threads.  I am sure I have missed some items.

Obviously, some of you will think some items on each list are not correct,  that they should either NOT be listed, or are listed on the wrong list.   Either way, it IS a start. 

I have gleaned these items from multiple threads and posts going back over two years on Free Republic.  These are NOT listed in any 'time-line' order.

If you have individual ping lists.....please use them to facilitate the widest possible discussion.  

Presidency of George W. Bush    --the first 30 months                                            

Killed the Kyoto Global Warming Treaty.

Killed U.S. involvement in the International Criminal Court.

Killed the U.S. - CCCP ABM Treaty that was preventing the U.S. from deploying our ABM defenses.

Reversed Clinton's move to strike Reagan's anti-abortion Mexico Policy.

Killed Clinton's CO2 rules that were choking off all of the electricity surplus to California.

Killed Clinton's "ergonomic" rules that OSHA was about to implement; rules that would have shut down every home business in America.

Passed 2 tax cuts----1 of which was the largest tax-Dollar value tax cut in history

Pushed through TWO raises for our military.

Increased Defense Dept funding which had deteriorated during the previous 8 years

Signed TWO bills into law that arm our pilots with handguns in the cockpit

Currently pushing for full immunity from lawsuits for our national gun manufacturers.

Ordered Attorney-General Ashcroft to formally notify the Supreme Court that the OFFICIAL U.S. government position on the 2nd Amendment is that it supports INDIVIDUAL rights to own firearms, NOT a leftist-imagined "collective" right.

Successfully executed 2 wars:  Afghanistan and Iraq.   50 million people who had lived under tyrannical regimes  now live in freedom.

Changed the tone in the White House, restoring HONOR and DIGNITY to the Presidency

Reorganized bureaucracy...after 9/11, condensed 20+ overlapping agencies and their intelligence sectors into one agency:  the Department of Homeland Security.

Initiated discussion on Social security and individual investment accounts.

Improving govt. efficiency with .8 million jobs put up for bid...weakening unions and cutting undeserved pay raises. Wants merit based promotions/raises only.

Executed a WAR ON TERROR by getting world-wide cooperation to track funds/terrorists (has cut off much of the terrorist's funding and captured or killed many key leaders of the al Qaeda network) 

Stopped foreign aid that would be used to fund abortions.

Ended abortions on military bases

Signed E.O. reversing Clinton policy of not requiring parental consent under the Medical Privacy Act

Told the United Nations we weren't interested in their plans for gun control.

Set to sign Partial Birth Abortion Ban

Orchestrated Republican control of the White House, the House AND the Senate.

Killed the liberal ABA's role in vetting federal judges for Congress.

GWB signed an executive order enforcing the Supreme Court's Beck decision (re: union dues being used for political campaigns against individual's wishes)

Brought back our EP-3 intel plane and crew from China without any bribes or bloodshed

Started withdrawing our troops from Bosnia and has announced withdrawal of our troops from Germany and the Korean DMZ.

Signed the LARGEST nuclear arms reduction in world history with Russia

Initiated comprehensive review of our military, which was completed just prior to 9/11/01, accurately reported that ASYMMETRICAL WARFARE was critical.

Has CONSTRUCTION in process on the first ten ABM silos in Alaska, so that America will have a defense against North Korean nukes

Turning around an inherited economy in recession.

Passed tough new laws to hold corporate criminals to account as a result of corporate scandals.

Reduced taxes on dividends and capital gains

In process of eliminating IRS marriage penalty.

Increased small business incentives to expand and to hire new people

Signed into law the CFR legislation (under dark of night)

Signed into law the No Child Left Behind legislation delivering the most dramatic education reforms in a generation (challenging the soft bigotry of low expectations)

Reorganized the INS in an attempt to safeguard the borders and ports of America and to eliminate bureaucratic redundancies and lack of accountability.

Signed trade promotion authority

Committed US funds to purchase medicine for millions of men and women and children now suffering with AIDS in Africa

Urging Medicare Reform

Urging federal liability reform to eliminate frivolous lawsuits

Supports class action reform bill which limits lawyer fees so that more settlement money goes to victims

Submitted comprehensive energy plan--awaits Congressional action. ( works to develop cleaner technology,  produce more natural gas here at home, make America less dependent on foreign sources of energy)

Endorses and promotes The Responsibility Era ("In a compassionate society, people respect one another and take responsibility for the decisions they make in life. My hope is to change the culture from one that has said, if it feels good, do it; if you've got a problem, blame somebody else -- to one in which every single American understands that he or she are responsible for the decisions that you make; you're responsible for loving your children with all your heart and all your soul; you're responsible for being involved with the quality of the education of your children; you're responsible for making sure the community in which you live is safe; you're responsible for loving your neighbor, just like you would like to be loved yourself. "   -----this quote was too good to leave out)

Started the USA Freedom Corps

Pushing for passage of Prescription Drug Benefit package for Seniors which will have 'means' testing with a goal towards privatization of Medicare and CHOICES based on current Federal Employee Health benefits program.

Initiated review of all federal agencies with a goal to eliminate federal jobs (review to be done by September 2003) in an effort to reduce the size of federal gov while increasing private sector jobs.

Part of coalition (Russia, Israel, Palestine, USA)  for Israeli/Palestinian  "Roadmap to Peace"

Challenged the United Nations to live up to their responsibilities and not become The League of Nations ( in other words, completely irrelevant)

Nominated strong, conservative judges to the judiciary.

Changed parts of the Forestry Management Act to allow necessary clean-up of the national forests in order to reduce fire danger. 

As part of the national forests clean-up,  the President restricted judicial challenges (based on the Endangered Species Act and other challenges)  and removed the need for an EIS (Enivironmental Impact Statement) before removing fuels/logging to reduce fire danger.

Significantly eased field-testing controls of genetically engineered crops.

Cut federal spending on libraries by $39 million.

Cut $35 million in funding for doctors to get advanced pediatric training.

Cut funding for research into renewable energy sources by 50%.

Revoked rules that reduced the acceptable levels of arsenic in drinking water.

Blocked rules that would require federal agencies to offer bilingual assistance to non-English speaking persons

Proposed to eliminate new marine protections for the Channel Islands and the coral reefs of northwest Hawaii

Cut funding for research into cleaner, more efficient cars and trucks by 28%

Suspended rules that would have strengthened the government's ability to deny contracts to companies that violated workplace safety, environmental and other federal laws.

Approved the sending of letters by Interior Department appointee Gale Norton to state officials soliciting suggestions for opening up national monuments for oil and gas drilling, coal mining, and foresting.

Appointed John Negroponte -- an unindicted high-level Iran Contra figure to the post of United Nations Ambassador.

Abandoned a campaign pledge to invest $100 million for rainforest conservation.

Reduced by 86% the Community Access Program for public hospitals, clinics and providers of care for people without insurance.

Rescinded a proposal to increase public access to information about the potential consequences resulting from chemical plant accidents.

Suspended rules that would require hardrock miners to clean up sites on public lands.

 Cut $60 million from a Boy's and Girl's Clubs of America program for public housing.

Proposed to eliminate a federal program, designed and successfully used in Seattle, to help communities prepare for natural disasters

Eliminated funding for the Wetlands Reserve Program, which encourages farmers to maintain wetlands habitat on their property.

Cut program to provide childcare to low-income families as they move from welfare to work.

Cut a program that provided prescription contraceptive coverage to federal employees (though it still pays for Viagra).

Cut $700 million in capital funds for repairs in public housing

Appointed Otto Reich -- an un-indicted high-level Iran Contra figure -- to Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs.

Cut the budget of the Environmental Protection Agency by $500 million.

Proposed to curtail the ability of groups to sue in order to get an animal placed on the Endangered Species List

Rescinded the rule that mandated increased energy-saving efficiency regulations for central air conditioners and heat pumps.

Abandoned campaign pledge to regulate carbon dioxide, the waste gas that contributes to global warming.

Gutted the White House AIDS Office.

Renegotiated a free trade agreement with Jordan to eliminate workers's rights and safeguards for the environment.

Cut the Community Oriented Policing Services program

Allowed Interior Secretary Gale Norton to shelve citizen-led grizzly bear re-introduction plan scheduled for Idaho and Montana wilderness

Continues to hold up federal funding for stem cell research projects

Makes sure convicted misdemeanor drug users cannot get financial aid for college, though convicted murderers can

Refused to fund continued cleanup of uranium-slag heap in Utah

Refused to fund continued litigation of the government's tobacco company lawsuit.

Signed a bill making it harder for poor and middle-class Americans to file for bankruptcy, even in the case of daunting medical bills

Cut $15.7 million earmarked for states to investigate cases of child abuse and neglect

Helped kill a law designed to make it tougher for teenagers to get credit cards

Canceled 2004 deadline for automakers to develop prototype high mileage cars.

Earmarked $4 million in new federal grant money for HIV and drug abuse prevention programs to go only to religious groups and not secular equivalents

Reduced the Low Income Home Assistance Program by 40%; it aided low-income individuals who need assistance paying energy bills

Told U.N. "NO" re: global tax

Items still to be accomplished and/or addressed

Allow sunsetting of AWB

Fix illegal immigration issues and border control

Limit/eliminate  federal entitlement programs

Cut size of federal budget

Shrink federal government job force

Hate all Dems and do not treat them civilly

Don't appoint any homosexuals to public office

Don't meet with Grover Norquist--or Muslims--or Homosexuals

Kill all terrorists in Israel

Drop the idea of a Palestinian state

"Eliminate"  all Palestinians

Need means testing on Senior Rx legislation

Get the United States out of the United Nations

Banish the United Nations from U.S. soil.

Stop all foreign aid.

Stop all foreign aid to the Palestinians

Eliminate  Steel and Wood tarrifs

Talk non-stop, at every opportunity, about judicial nominees and lack of Senate vote.

Push Frist out.....bring back Trent Lott

Fire Karl Rove

Fire Colin Powell

 

 

 

 

 

[dirtboy]

That's the problem I have with most Bush bashers. They can't think of anyone else who could step up to the plate and do the job!

Say what? He's the friggin' president at the moment, and will stay the president until at least January 2005. Asking us for an alternative to Bush at the moment is ridiculous. Bush is accountable for his actions NOW.

[justshe]

Interesting.....re: that list. Oh...and BTW....your tagline is GREAT!!!

[Deb]

First of all, the Medicare bill hasn't even gone to committee yet and the Republicans still have a chance to add the elements that will move it toward privitization or stall it completely in committee.

Every time you say the "antics of the GOP", you lose the argument, because there are lots of factions in the members. The conservatives are constantly battling the "moderates" and I never see any of you screamers on the threads where the conservatives win those battles.

And I don't say "Elect more Republicans". I say, "Elect more Conservatives". I don't want Republicans like Lincoln Chaffey, Olympia Snowe or Houghton anymore than you do. But left-wing states elect left-wing Republicans. That's a political reality and has nothing to do with the whole party.

[Marysecretary]

I'm not talking about NOW, dirtboy. I'm talking about another election.

[Marysecretary]

She's my kind of student, thinks on her feet! Good for her.

[dirtboy]

First of all, the Medicare bill hasn't even gone to committee yet and the Republicans still have a chance to add the elements that will move it toward privitization or stall it completely in committee.

The bill should never have gotten out of either the House or the Senate in its current forms, and Bush should veto it if it reaches his desk. We simply do not need another senior entitlement, and we need someone to stand up to the senior lobby, excercise leadership and say what needs to be said. We can't afford this entitlement, entitlements almost never shrink once you create them, and it takes more money away from working families and gives it to people who, for the most part, can pay for medicine themselves. And the child tax credit to people who don't pay taxes is nothing more than welfare in another form. These are NOT conservative values, and it's hardly being a conservative purist to decry these actions.

Every time you say the "antics of the GOP", you lose the argument, because there are lots of factions in the members.

There were about 20 GOP congressmen trying to block passage of the bill. That's less than ten percent. I think that 90+ percent of the GOP Congress, plus the Senate, plus the President, is a pretty good indication of what the GOP is doing.

[dirtboy]

I'm not talking about NOW, dirtboy. I'm talking about another election.

Then don't use that as a point to decry critics of what Bush is doing now.

[hchutch]

That's the whole thing a lot of people are not realizing. The privatization will emerge out of the conference committee - it has to have that in order for the House to pass it, you see. And guess who will end up with a political Hobson's choice?

The Democrats, particularly the ones in the Senate.

You see, if they kill the package, they will lose a lot of votes. but at the same time voting for something with privatization will tick off their base, which either gives Howard Dean the nomination OR it creates a Green Party insurgency.

Newt Gingrich TALKED about privatization. George W. Bush and the GOP of 2003 are in the process of making it happen - achieving the results. Personally, I'll take results over talk.

[Southack]

"Newt Gingrich TALKED about privatization. George W. Bush and the GOP of 2003 are in the process of making it happen - achieving the results. Personally, I'll take results over talk."

That's why (getting results) you see such shrill attacks against **everything** that Bush does from both the Far-Left as well as from the extreme-Right.

Bush is actually getting things done, rather than simply talking the talk and muddling through with business as usual.

Well, it's not business as usual, and the extremists on both sides don't know how to adapt to this new game.

To wit: one loner with a single handheld RPG can fire at a U.S. Hummer in Iraq, and both the far-Right as well as the far-Left will characterize such an event as a "massive insurgency", "quagmire", and a host of other slams against Bush ("How long will we be there", "The Iraqis don't want us", "The Arab Street will get angry at us", et al).

In short, the far-Left and the far-Right are displaying their hysterics because they are befuddled, bedazzled, and bewildered. They simply don't know how to handle a successful American politician who displays personal integrity and stands by his convictions.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, these extremists are so anti-Bush that GWB could cure Cancer tomorrow and yet they would complain that he hadn't spent enough time curing AIDS.

Their current strategy is simple: whatever Bush does is WRONG and must be criticized at all costs and from all angles. No credit must be permitted to be given to Bush, and at every chance they must ATTACK, ATTACK, ATTACK!

So they are making quite a bit of noise. Perhaps that noise will be some small consolation to them all when Bush cleans their clocks with a landslide re-election victory in 2004.

[hchutch]

The other thing is, they have pretty much risked everything on one thing: Bush is defeated in 2004.

The haters, particularly those on the extreme Right, MUST succeed in that endeavour. Why? Because it will force the Republicans to address their issues.

If Bush is re-elected DESPITE a concerted stay-at-home/write-in/third-party effort by these folks, be it over prescription drugs, immigration or any other issue they re unhappy about (take your pick), then they will have consigned themselves to political oblivion.

They don't realize the rules have changed. I guess they will have to find out the hard way, just as Saddam Hussein did earlier this year. :)

[SUSSA]

Can you provide a link showing where George the Elder, Bill Clinton or any other sitting president called for a Palestinian state? I'd like to see it.

When Hillary called for one the Clintons went out of their way to say that wasn't Bill's position. I've looked and can't find any time George the Elder called for one.

If you can show me I'm wrong, please do.

[PhiKapMom]

Very well stated! I will take action over talk as well! This is going to be fun to watch between the House and Senate. I hope one of my Senators from OK is on the Conference Committee because theyw ill side with the House!

[Brian_Baldwin]

Well my friend, in fact myself, and so many others, warned of the pending 9-11 to come over and over again, not only in posts to F.R. but many sites on the internet, to Republican Forums, faxes to talk show hosts, etc.. Searching F.R., I could only find posts going back to 2001, I believe they do not have posts earlier than this available to the search engine. I kept many of my older writings on a second computer, and myself and many others not only posted such concerns on F.R., but all over the internet ... however, just scanning my current computer, here is an example from 8/21/1998, this one to Michael Savage of which he read in part live on the air:

Michael,

THE PAKISTAN-CHINA LINK AND USAMA BIN LADEN THREAT

US presence in the Middle East and Arab Gulf is quite menacing to the enemies of America. For example, we currently have many US 5th Fleet ships in the Arabian Gulf. 7 of these fighters have Tomahawk cruise-missile capability, and can destroy any target in the Arab world to within 10cm of any specific target. New advanced Global Positioning System satellite navigation capabilities are in place, more advanced than those used in the 1990-91 Gulf War and it carries a more effective titanium warhead to destroy hardened targets such as underground facilities. Unfortunately, similar technology was turned over to the Chinese military through the Commerce Department under Clinton.

A Pakistani defector implicated China in bomb development, that China helped Pakistan create a plutonium products, with funds provided by "another country", according to Dr Iftikhar Chaudhary Khan who has defected from Pakistan to the USA. The "other country" is probably Germany. He claims to have personal knowledge of "Chinese material, including heavy water and weapons-grade uranium which has been transported from China to Pakistan for use in the nuclear weapons programme. We also already know, as in previous fax, the connection to the North Korean nuclear bomb experiments – some at Janes Defence have pretty good evidence that N.K. already has, effectively, the nuclear bomb and no one is listening to these warnings.

The man directly linked with the bombings of the Embassy in Nairobi is a Pakistani trained by the Laden terrorist groups. Michael, you have to watch the Usama bin Laden issue. Our borders are wide, wide open, as you know, and there is no doubt that terrorists have already used our porous border and have entered the country – they are already here. The Islamic extremist movement is in fact a Fascist based movement, and is the biggest threat to our country right now next to the Clinton Administration and this Administration’s garage sale of our military and computer technologies to Communist China. The Islamic terrorist network, of which Usama is probably the primary spokesman and propagandist, bombed the World Trade Center in New York in 1993 under Clinton Administration, and there is likely a link to the Nazi groups involved in the 1995 OK City bombing, definitely elements of US based neo-Nazi groups which McVeigh visited have links to Usama propaganda (exact Usama quotes in their Nazi literature have been found), and the link is almost too obvious of a possibility in that both visibly hate the Jews and share in this agenda. There has been a long standing link between Middle East groups and US based Jew hating groups such as Liberty Lobby. Links to neo-Nazi groups are hidden by them, but they can only hide so much. By the way, there are also links between leftist groups, Communist groups, to Islamic terrorists as well, especially Castro type groups – they cooperate for the same reasons, which is hatred of America. America is in extreme danger. They will use chemical weapons, disease, bombs, they will try to take over trains and then wreak them, suicide attacks, they will board and hijack planes to use them as suicide bombs on cities, they will definitely try to assassinate the President of the United States – they already tired to assassinate the Pope, and in fact they likely also tried to do the same to US President(s) present or former and US political representatives. Clinton is not minding the warnings that many are making regarding the Islamic threat and Usama bin. They are involved in many terrorist attacks against Americans, both abroad and domestic, and having bombed a major facility in New York, they will do it again, they will even bomb the very same building again. Pakistan is a breeding ground of Islamic terrorist groups, the difference between operations out Pakistan is the heavy funding from Saudi connections such as Laden, as well as connections to Islamic millionaires resident in the Kingdom of Brunei and linked to the past bombings in India in Bombay's high-priced 5 Star tourist hotel sector. The operatives traveled from Afghanistan to Nairobi some time ago, prepared the bomb and flew to Karachi just before the bombing, carrying passports from various countries. Howaida was detained because his passport photo did not resemble him, while the other six accomplices slipped away. The Pakistani sources describe Howaida, 34, as a Palestinian engineer who was born in Jordan and speaks English. Engineers are involved, and the billionaires out of Saudi and Brunei are transferring technology that can be used in terrorist acts from Pakistan. The route is from China to Pakistan and to other countries. The China – Pakistan link that is, in fact, feeding the terrorist food chain, is a problem that the US must face, and the true link to it is Multinational Corporations (MNC's) and their global economic greed and lack of loyalty to America. The Islamic terrorists have a playing field that is wide open in our fruited plains of America because of our political correctness and open borders – we are in grave danger, and something very, very bad is going to happen soon.

Brian of Bishop Ranch

[Deb]

I take it from a quote of Ariel Sharon's and one of his spokesmen, that Sharon and all the leaders of Israel and the US have agreed on an eventual two-state policy. The difference being, the Palestinians want a state carved out of Israel and the US and Israelis want the Palestinian state carved out of Jordan.

I'm sure it's a question of semantics...calling for a Palestinian state vs. recognizing two states.

Where Hillary stepped in it was that she used the Palestinian wording. A huge no-no.

Didn't the Clinton Wye agreement call for an eventual Palestinian state, after conditions?

Bush always outwits these people because he always appears to give them exactly what they want...except the conditions (like the AIDS money, education bill etc.) make the outcome impossible without the offenders' total capitulation.

I will see if I can find the Sharon quote and ping you.

[inquest]

Bush always outwits these people because he always appears to give them exactly what they want...except the conditions (like the AIDS money, education bill etc.) make the outcome impossible without the offenders' total capitulation.

Sounds like a great description of the way he treats conservatives.

[SUSSA]

No the Wye agreement specifically avoided mention of a separate state. It called only for “home rule”, which is a much different thing. (Chicago is a home rule city.)

To be honest, I thought Clinton called for a separate state until Hillary shot off her mouth and everyone went wild about what gave her the right to change a long standing American policy. Until then, I was blaming Clinton for one of the few things he didn’t do.

The reason I remember it so well is, I was so sure that Clinton had said it; I spent about six nights searching for a quote. I never found one because the press was right, he never advocated a Palestinian State.

This President Bush is the one who changed the American policy. I don’t think it is a good idea.

[ArneFufkin]

A Palestinian State is a fait accompli. That's not even a relevant debate anymore, it is the accepted final outcome among the most ardent and patriotic within Israel.

There is no other option.

The Roadmap is predicated on one central realization: that Palestinians of courage and honor are the only hope to locate and eradicate the terrorist animals among them. There are 1500 Hamas thugs reigning terror not only on Israeli citizens, but within the PA itself. The IDF can't locate this vile gang among tens of thousands of non-violent Palestinian residents and remove them. They can't, just as we Americans could never have located 42 of the 55 Iraqi Cardmembers without support from the locals. The locals need to step up and help themselves.

That's all this plan entails. It's a challenge for Palestinians to initiate a civil war to rid themselves of thugs who menace Palestinians. Palestinians tired of squalor, death and stateless despair have to act for themselves. A nation of their own is within reach. The PA has 60,000 policemen, they can find and kill the cancer within their midst given the right men courageously leading their people to a righteous future.

That's the only option. There is no Palestinian state with a functioning Hamas. Hamas, and all other vipers of terror, must be destroyed by Palestinians.

This stuff that George W. Bush is working the legendary lion Ariel Sharon like a puppet on a string is absurd. This is an Israeli offer, an Israeli investment, and an Israeli destiny.

American resolve and success in Afghanistan and Iraq has set the table for Palestinians of courage and history to step up against the brutish 10% who terrorize those within and without the Islamic world.

The inconquerable Hussein, the indomitable Iraq ... are vanquished. The cult deity Bin Laden has disappeared. The Mullahs of Iran are soon gone. The sponsors of Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad are being eradicated. Arafat has been disempowered. Hamas leaders have shown cowardice in the face of battle.

The Arab world is in disarray, and if this bold gamble for peace is successful, Ariel Sharon WILL be the greatest Israeli patriot ever. The time has never been better.

[ArneFufkin]

I never questioned the necessity or justification for the Iraqi operation. They were good as gone the moment Bush listed the "Axis of Evil". Iran and North Korea are going down too. Bush didn't single them out in a State of the Union speech frivilously.

Iraq was the icon of Arab strength and resistance against the sinning and God-angering imperialists of the West. He backed mighty America down in 1991. He threw the infidels of the United Nations out of his Muslim land without rebuke. The entire delusion of these ignorant and oppressed Muslim populations was that America, the West, were comprised of immoral, cowardly and dishonorable hedonists who could never prevail over the Godly and righteous Muslim warrior. They were right about their partners in Old Europe. They thought Americans and Brits harbored the same weakness and greed.

Oh oh! The four week disembowelment of the Islamic World's most prideful military force turned their every rationale justifying their dismal lives upside down. Americans ARE prosperous .. AND brave, honorable and relentless warriors. When the Brits decided to take Basra ... they took Basra and killed Udays notorious and feared Fedayeen hit-men wit' a lightning quick lethal purpose.

A working strategy, from time immemorial, is that if confronted in an outnumbered, menacing way by a group of adversaries, you strike at the biggest and baddest one first. The removal of top toughguy's aura of invincibility is devestating to the rest of the gang. That's what we did in Iraq, and this smackdown is going to reverberate throughout the Muslim world. Already, Musharraf is emboldened to openly be seen with our Cowboy at Camp David; the Saudi Lolita fornicators are finding bad bomb-blasting guys in their midst; KSM and the other stalwarts from the Al Qaida glee club are starting to remember some guy measuring the Brooklyn Bridge and this little bungalow in mountainous West Pakistan that was always hopping with jihad glitterati on the weekends.

We've had 23 KIAs in 60 days patroling and securing a ridiculously militarized population of 25 million adversarial Shiites, Sunnis and jazzed Kurds who just saw the implemention of a sweeping change in Upper Management. There is NO guerilla war underway. Iran stopped sending troublemakers to Shiite strongholds and the Clerics are working with us, the Kurds are restraining themselves from payback time in Sunni-ville as well as behaving themselves vis a vis Turkey. The Iraqi campaign validated the real-world plausibility and awesome flexibility of Rumsfeld's 21st century transformational American military model. The rush on Baghdad was unparalleled in speed and precision targeting. The most entrenched, militaristic police state and totalitarian regime in the world was overrun and deposed in 5 weeks with its infrastrcture intact and its citizens largely peril free. What an unbelievable employment of precise and powerful military projection.

If this Israeli-Palestinian peace process prevails, it will be the fall of Iraq that opened the door. Which is the exact opposite of the order that Kofi, Eurotrash leaders, and our State Department whiz kids demanded. That was a seminal moment in our history, good or bad. Bush went after the terror masters, not a completed peace plan, first. He didn't accept the premise that the terror monkees had a legitimate grievence against Israel's management of Palestinian squatters.

I'll bet stupid ol' Chimpy George W. Bush is a hellacious chess player. He understands the value of game pieces that move multidirectionally. He understands the correct order of stick and carrot offerings. He understands the dynamics of fear and power, especially in the Arab Muslim psyche.

Look at the New MidEast dynamic: Afghanistan is a buffer between Pakistani Islamists and Iran. Iraq is a physical and economic buffer between Irani sponsors and Syrian Hizbollah cells. The black market oil motherlode of the "Oil for Food" fraud is dry, Syria is broke. Hizbollah is going to need a Bake Sale. North Korean and Chinese weapon merchants lost their biggest customers.

By the way ... one would think the initiation of this Roadmap process would elicit some "rally the martyrs" rah rah message from the still alive and going-concerns Usama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein. It would really be a morale booster for the urine-stenched hovels of Americas most vile enemies: Dennis Kucinich's DC apartment and Dan Rather's dressing room. I hope Osama and Saddam are okay, it's not like them to be so quiet.

I'm also thinking our ambitious and costly campaign to deliver our medicine, doctors, educators and support systems to Africans ravaged by AIDS was not only a humaitarian response, but additionally an inroad to gain influence and ground intelligence in the poor countries and their corrupt regimes that are perfect grounds for terrorist operations.

What a friggin' quagmire we're in. He's just like his Dad, y'know.

[ArneFufkin]

Correctly listed, the costly Prescription Drug Benefit is about to be accomplished and incorrectly listed, the Medicare privatization has yet to be accomplished

No, if the House Conferees make a path to an alternative, privately administered Medical Savings vehicle a requisite part of any final bill emerging from Conference, there will be no prescription drug benefit. Any movement to privatization would blow up the Senate compromise. One lefty Democrat will filibuster any mandate toward a Privately Administered personal Medical investment vehicle. They cannot permit their stranglehold on our Health Care delivery to be threatened. That's the Golden Goose of the Nanny State.

So, the last two guys who enabled the House Bill to pass may have killed the bloated scheme completely. If the House bill didn't pass by one vote, the Senate bill would have been offered with total Senate language and it would have been politically impossible for most politicians to vote a Prescription gift for the greedy geezers down flat.

The Democrats need to justify killing the drug benefit in order to deny young Americans an alternative, privately delivered annuity account for late life Medical care. They'll kill the House bill in Committee rather than accept some compromise on the privatization that would spark a filibuster by one of the goats like Kennedy, Schumer, Byrd or Leahy.

Every Freeper should contact their House representative, Chairman Thomas, Speaker Hastert and Bwana DeLay and DEMAND that they make the privatization module sacrosanct in Committee. It's a rather timid start anyway, and it is to be guarded like their children. The Senate bill is unacceptable as written. If the House GOP conferees capitulate on this part of their bill ... I'll be the first on this forum to join the chorus of contempt and outrage. They can't pull a "Frenchie" like they did on vouchers in last years Education Bill.

[SUSSA]

Whether or not you are correct in your assessment, it isn't what was being discussed. Some poseters said I was wrong when I stated that Bush is the first President to call for a Palistinian state. I simply asked that they provide a quote and a link showing that I was in error.

Your statement is different. It makes a case for supporting the creation of a Palistinian state. That is a different discussion.