Right, oil, and that's why Iraq's oil production is lower than before the war began, and why people are complaining about gasoline being so freaking expensive? Seriously, if you're going to pick a reason, at least do some research and stop buying the damned soundbites! Oil is not the reason, I don't care how many times people try to make the connection it just isn't there. It's a nice cover for what may be some other underhanded agenda, but results speak for themselves. The oil isn't flowing, so look elsewhere for the real explanation.
mecha: Actually I'm in agreement with you on a lot of what you said. I was aghast at the proposed base closings. To me it's suicidal behavior. You do not win wars by shipping your entire military overseas, engaging them in a long, drawn out, and apparently endless conflict, and then cutting back on your available forces while engaged in a war that will take "as long as it takes". What's the difference if you lose troops through casualties or budget cuts? Losses are still losses, and small armies, historically, have a much poorer chance of winning than larger ones. Sure, a smaller, well-equipped and well-trained force can beat a larger one, but recent events don't give me much faith in the command staff at the Pentagon right now. This is as bad as McNamara's "Whiz Kids". There are too many damned theory boys and not enough experienced veteran soldiers in charge. This whole situation is a recipe for disaster. Either somebody in the Pentagon is really, really stupid, or this is a deliberate set-up to weaken the US military.
Yes, Bush is running up a good tab, but I don't care about the $80 billion to fund the war. I'm more peeved about the $400 billion Medicare prescription drug bill that nobody wanted, nobody really needs, and is going to cost 100 times that much in the long run. You want to talk about wasteful spending? This was the stupidest idea to come across in a long time, and for what? To appease Ted Kennedy? I don't think putting Clinton back in the White House is any good idea either. Anyone forget the base closings under him? Anyone forget what a dismal failure Bosnia was? How about Mogadishu? How about Albright giving the North Koreans a nuclear reactor on a silver platter? Oh look, now they have nuclear weapons, oh boo hoo! They didn't play nice like they said they would![/sarcasm] Don't allow dislike for the current administration to blind you to the mistakes and poor judgement of previous ones. Remember that Clinton is out for one person and one person only - Clinton. The same is true for Hillary. Forget this at your own peril in 2008.
You want to talk about regime change? Just throw all of them out. I've seen enough of politicians on every side, and I'm quite content in the conclusion that humans attempting to govern themselves with politicians is the most failed and idiotic concept of all time. All they do is mess everything up and point fingers at each other for it. Bah, they're all guilty! Out with the lot of them says I.
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