The US, The UN and Iraq

Thy is not, thou is not, Bush will!

Inevitably. c.i.

indubitably

Geesh! These thousand dollar words are exhausting me! c.i.

"I don't care what the Polls say. I don't. I'm doing what I think what's wrong."

George W. Bush
March 15, 2000
The presidential candidate refering to his proposed economic plan - as reported in the New York Times.

TW

Other countries have proposed other solutions over Iraq. But only the US and UK are pressing for invasion now. Even the French have not ruled out military action, they just believe as I do that force should be the last resort, and that the inspection process is not yet exhausted. As for embarrassment well I agree Bush will not be too troubled if he doesn't get a second resolution on Iraq, but Blair has staked everything on it! He has got the reluctant support of his own party only by virtually promising UN endorsement of military action. If he doesnt get it and goes with the US regardless, he will be more than embarrassed, he will be dead in the water (some say). There would be such a large rebellion in the Labour party that he could only win a vote in the House by relying on the conservative opposition, who have pledged their support on this issue. Its a nightmare scenario and a terrible platform from which to launch a war.

Vive Chirac Vive la France! (Oh and vive Tony Blair as well, its just you got it wrong on this one mate)

[Thinking that beer, vine, spirits and Diesel are up to 50% cheaper in France than in Britain, I even would sing the Marsellaise non-stop!]

Piling one speculation on another isn't good news, but that is probably where they both stop. Allow at least another twelve years of debate before one NATO ally attacks and you have an established fact.

Walter, France is doing many things right. Our gas prices are now over $2.00 gallon; the fifth highest level we've experienced. c.i.

BTW, Energy cost is also higher. The poor folks in the north east are seeing big increases in their fuel costs for heating. c.i.

c.i.

I paid today 0.92 Euro cent/ltr Diesel! (Petrol: normal: 1.10 Euro, super : 1.13) Highest prices ever!

roger, let's hope not - Of course my wishes are always for it to stop here - but we all know what would happen is wishes were fishes.............

BillW -- You got that autistic thing from me, didn't you!! In any event, I've been posting that for two years and no one seems to agree. But I think there's real substance in the theory, seriously.

Dyslexia's got that rhetoric discussion wrapped up. Pretty much. I'd just add that the American definition of rhetoric is any language my opponent uses which seems pedantic and which I disagree with. We have some ace American-style rhetoricians in this discussion, I think.

"I wouldn't be surprised if the announcement of the capture of bin Laden's no.2 was a tactical diversion to draw attention away from the Turkey debacle." True, Steve. I was looking at photo of that guy on tv at the gym today. There is a horrible trait of our government/media -- using racism as a tool. They publish a rough picture of the captured who will tend to be described, either anglos or those heavily influenced by anglo physical standards, as "ugly" and "swarthy" and "shifty-eyed" and "dark-skinned." At noon today at the gym, the forty-year-old anglo marine footballers had congregated in a row of Precors right in front of Fox News, trying to outdo each other in strides per minute. They whooped and hollered in merry disgust at that dark designated terrorist when he showed up on the screen. Aren't our enemies almost always darker or yellower than we are? Guillermo Gomez Pena, a Mexican writer, has noticed this and says plaintively and humorously, "But they all look like my uncles!"

I guess Tres isn't as embarrassed by America as I am. Embarrassed defined as ashamed. It's not just that we're being autocratic and unilateralist, its that we're being loudly STUPID at the same time. Really dumb. Long term dumb. Stunningly self-destructive. What the right wing may not realize about itself is that it doesn't just hate the opposition, it hates all of us and itself as well. Armageddon is pretty comprehensive. And what is war but an expression of anger, frustration, and failure initiated by the angry, frustrated, and failed.

Actually, it was a spur of the moment - but, what can I say - two great minds looking into one that is unquestionably out to sea!

When independent research comes up with similar findings, it lends more credence to the conclusions!

Tartar, This administration likes to use a bulldozer when a hand shovel will suffice. c.i.

Here's an interesting article on "Trickle Down Barbarism" by the democrats on GWBush's tax plan. http://www.democraticunderground.com/articles/01/05/02_trickle.html
c.i.

So, sure. They knew where he was all along, and just kind of kept him on ice till they needed a good diversion. There's just no limit what some people will buy into, or more to the point, what they will sell themselves.

Please share a few with us.

Are you not all stricken by what is happening?

I asked my husband tonight (he's a investment advisor) what would be the effect of a war on the stock market. He shrugged and said, My God, who knows.

I turn on the radio or the TV (seldom) and wait to hear the words we all fear: We are now at war.

I hear the reasonable voices on this forum and think, There is time left. But I know that is not true. We read and report voices from around the world. They have no effect on our government, and the inexorable drums of war continue, as if there is nothing or no one to halt the action.

I thought for some weeks that the fervor around the world, against a war, might have some effect on our administration. This has not happened. I think that we, the US, do not want to lead the world in the wisdom of: There will never be another war. We will lead the world out of violence. We will find ways out of conflict, ways that do not kill people.

I am losing hope.

For those who posit that there are only two solutions - war, or to do nothing, I wish they would try to understand the likely consequences of the war as much as they try to grasp the justification for war in the first place. If we could all make that dilemma our focus, we might even help our president find a way out -- or else unify the rest of the world behind him.