Your war, not mine!

Townhall ^ | May 10, 2007 | Victor David Hanson

[YouGoTexasGirl]

Congress, State Lawmakers and down to city lawmakers on both the Republican and Democrat parties have given America away to special interest groups. The war and immigration legislation are two top issues that they do not want to solve as it benefits their special interest lobbyists versus what America used to stand for. We are a safe haven for lawbreakers now, not a safe haven for morals and ethics.

[RedEyeJack]

This is a “blinding flash of insight”...

If any of the Democrats is elected our Al Queda enemies will have his (or her) measure. A demonstrated lack of will and a willingness to retreat in the face of minor adversity (made major by a hyperbolic press) will be what they see. Three thousand warfighter deaths over four years from a population of 300 million is minor by any historical perspective. If a democrat showing this lack of will and resolve is elected we will face attacks everywhere we are resented... stand by

[Jack Hammer]

Stop fighting terrorists in Iraq and we’ll be fighting them in the streets of New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles.

[Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit]

They knew he used his petrodollars to acquire dangerous weapons

Here is the key to real long-term strategy. America needs to stop buying oil from its enemies. A combination of drilling in the short-term and alternatives / efficiency standards as part of a crash long-term program would seem like a very reasonable thing to do.

Sure glad that that was the main thrust of Dick Cheney's energy strategy . . . oh wait. (Insert picture of W. kissing Saudi)

[Kaslin]

Stop fighting terrorists in Iraq and we’ll be fighting them in the streets of New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles.

There are many of the leftwing lunatics, who actually think we should fight the terrorists here

[Jack Hammer]

As long as THEY don’t have to do any of the fighting, and as long as none of THEIR family members or loved ones are hurt or killed.

[John Valentine]

America needs to stop buying oil from its enemies.

And just who will we buy oil from then? The sad fact is the we buy oil from Russia, various middle east satrapies, Venezuela and Norway.

Can we survive on North Sea oil?

[John Valentine]

Oh, and this. It worse than that.

Because oil is fungible, it doesn’t matter if your buy it from your friends. It just the same as if you buy it from your enemies. The customers just shift around.

In these circumstances, you don’t just stop buying oil from your enemies, you stop buying oil period.

And you know what the chances are of that happening.

[Kaslin]

We buy our oil actually most from Canada

[bvw]

This is so like the American Indian Wars -- 1650 or so to 1880 or so. 250 years. The People's resolve came and went. Those directly exposed to the horrors, randomness and barbarity of Indian raids usually came to hate Indians generally, to want them dead. However that group was always small, and it would take a series of horrific raids, or one great raid to fire up a public into the resolve needed to fight.

What the Indians needed, as we now can see, is to be regularized under the Law -- to toss off their ancient habits of quick barbaric raids of slaughter, destruction and kidnap.

In order to do that it took 250 years. Iraq is better, though. They already know the Law, they already have some regular system of justice -- and up until 1930 or so they were an orderly country. That's only a few generations of bad work to undo.

Still, five years ain't enough. Might need twenty.

[Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit]

The United States produces about 7 million barrels a day and is #2 in production behind the Saudis. America also has some very significant reserves that have been kept off-limits.

A plan to massively increase efficiency, liquefy coal, use bio-based resources to the greatest extent possible and tap all of the nuclear, wind and solar power available. Since that will take time, the US should tap into these final reserves as an “investment” policy to increase supply enough to make life tough for those regimes from whom we currently import oil. If the price dropped enough, many would collapse. And yes, America would have to tax gasoline to counter the demand affects of a lower price. My suggestion is for a income tax rebate at the end of the year. So the tax is paid at the pump, but given back at the end. Because you really cannot trust politicians with more money.

Yeah, its more complicated than that, but it is not impossible. Going to the moon was impossible before someone decided to challenge America to do it.

[Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit]

As John pointed out in post 9 Oil is fungible.

The only way to affect the price is to increase supply or reduce demand.

I am suggesting both - but that would require government meddling with the American market through a tax scheme.

It is neither unprecedented nor problematic if total revenue does not actually increase.

I will repeat my suggestion for a gas tax that can be written off from income taxes at year’s end. This way small businesses are not hurt and consumers can still decide for themselves. However the actual price at the pump would lead most to choose to burn less fuel i.e. fund fewer Russiand and Iranians.

[thelastvirgil]

If you think the mess we are in now is bad, just wait until the inevitable do-over.

[Tolik]

NRO title for this article: Whose War Is It Anyway?
The Democrats' excuse-making just doesn’t cut it.

    Victor Davis Hanson Ping ! 

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[ClaireSolt]

Most right wing commentators take their lad from left wing news sources. We need a paradigm shift on Iraq. If instead of buying into the Shinseki argument for 300,000 troops we saw the fault of devolution into insurgency in the state of Iraq after Sadaam, that would be a start. Then give the enemy some credit, instead of blaming Bush. It is a mistake to underestimate enemies as we consistently do

And, if we had the courage to actually think of the benefits to America of a reconstructed Iraq a la S Korea or Japan, that would be more appealing than dire predictions of a regional civil war if we left.

[StarCMC]

They may think it's not their war, but had GWB stood around and hemmed and hawed like Clintoon and then bombed an aspirin factory so he would look tough, the battle would have continued here, on our soil. The terrorists WANT the battle here, on our soil. What, exactly, the Dems would do about that, I don't know. But I sure as heck don't want to have to find out. The bottom line is that Iraqi citizens are much better off without Saddam. Period. And if one or two or fifty or thousands of Iraqi children grow up with the knowledge that the United States righted a wrong in their lives and gave them a chance to live in freedom, then I believe we have done something right. The fact that the Dems are so willing to belittle the sacrifices of our troops and their families to make a little political hay makes me want to vomit.

/rant

[Citizen Tom Paine]

The United States has a large pool of skilled personnel, and we have access to skilled personnel throughout the world. There are several steps which could be taken.
1. Shift our electric power production to nuclear as far as possible.
2. Build plants to convert coal into petroleum and/or petroleum products.
3. Send out geophysical exploration teams throughout North America, the continental shelf, and the deep ocean to look for petroleum and natural gas deposits. Begin to exploit those which are commercially feasible at this time.
4. Begin to use other noncommercial sources of petroleum, e.g., oil shale rocks in the west, extracting more oil from existing oil fields, and the oil in clay deposits in the southeastern United States.
5. Begin the testing and use of biofuels and innovative technologies to produce them. (There is a lot of good, basic biological research required in this area.)
6. Develop feasible fission power plants.
7. Exploit the natural resources within our borders and offshore and where feasible those of the deep ocean.
8. Encourage real conservation measures. I always personally felt that motorcycles commuting should be encouraged as an example.
9. Consider using limestone (calcium carbonate) as a carbon source.
10. Turn loose some of our best and brightest minds on the problems - think the Manhattan project.
11. Pray as required.

[maica]

I think the Bush admin has been so fearful of the charge of “Imperialism” that they have not used the argument that a stable democratic Iraq will be of great benefit to the region. Since our only ally in the Middle East is a country with a name that is not even used by its surrounding countries, it is a real tightrope for us to proclaim that we want to create another ally.

[Chgogal]

FYI! Strategic Commodity ((((Ping))))!