[rightwing2]

I don't know if avenge is the right word (do you avenge a living person, a dead person, or doesn't it matter?), but it has clearly gotten personal. The President's statement that "this is the guy who tried to kill my dad," kind of worried me.

Well, I am very happy to see that someone else was taken aback by the President's increasing personalization of this feud with Saddam. While everyone agrees that Iraq is a threat and that it is time for Saddam to go, when the President of the United States suggests that one of the reason's he's sending hundreds of thousands of US troops into harms way is because he wants to kill Saddam as payback for his alleged attempt to kill his father, you have to think twice about the President's true motivations for launching this war against Iraq.

[Gunrunner2]

I would caution against using the word "avenge."

In the context provided---your posting---you list only one reason for Bush’s possible action against Iraq, and that is to avenge a foiled assassination attempt against his father. (“I think war is certain because President Bush is set on invasion to avenge his father.”)

That certainly cannot be your heart-felt belief, as this would say that Bush, as good and great a man that he is, is willing to have American warriors die to avenge an unsuccessful assassination attempt against his father. Clinton may be capable of such selfishness and cruelty, but not Bush.

However, you do say in a subsequent posting, “. . .when the President of the United States suggests that ONE of the reason's he's sending hundreds of thousands of US troops into harms way is because he wants to kill Saddam as payback for his alleged attempt to kill his father, you have to think twice about the President's true motivations for launching this war against Iraq.” This is an improvement, but again, I suggest, you are not representing Bush’s motivation accurately.

You see, his use of the word was less than politic, I grant you that, but it was understandable. You see, Bush Sr IS his father, and it is a fact that Saddam did try and assassinate Bush Sr during a visit to Kuwait. You can also be certain that Bush views his father as "dad," not as "Mr. President." Therefore, I can forgive Bush for the slip, as I recognize it was nothing more than an innocent reference to his father and not to be sole justification for any action against Iraq.

Bush's statement was not in any way meant to be "I'm gonna get you because you tried to kill my father," rather in context, it is best understood as "I am coming to get you, you are a bad man, and evil man, and heck, you even tried to assassinate a President of the United States."

You may be "troubled" by his use of the word "father," I am not as I am not reading anything into it.

I think we should refrain from jumping onto the left-wing loony bandwagon that alleges Bush is immature and a simpleton and cares not a whit about American lives, or that he thinks an attack on his “dad” would be enough to launch an attack. Indeed, I think an assassination attempt against the president of the United States is justification alone for an attack, and Bush Sr. is not my father.

With best regards.