Republicans might be abandoning Bush in droves, but leading neocon thinker and Iraq war cheerleader William Kristol thinks Bush’s presidency will be seen as a success.
Really.
In a commentary/fantasy titled “Why Bush Will Be a Winner,” Kristol gamely tries to put a positive spin on Bush’s legacy, arguing that Bush deserves credit for the absence of another al-Qaida attack on our soil since Sept. 11. (Never mind that al-Qaida is back to Sept. 11 strength and actively planning operations.)
He thinks the Iraq war has been a success, since if we hadn’t invaded, Saddam Hussein’s “connections with al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups would be intact or revived and even strengthened.” (What connections?)
Moreover, the Iraq war, despite some setbacks, is still winnable. The surge is “routing al-Qaida in Iraq.” With another year of surge, things could be looking pretty good.
This is the kind of ideological tunnel vision and soft-headed wishful thinking that got us into Iraq in the first place.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
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56 Comments
Kristol is easy and not to mention allowing his narrow minded idiot cells to show.
Bill Kristol, whose father is given credit for being a founding; force in the Neo-Con movement. Well, he is a moron! A total moron! Much like all those who thought that because America had become the last super power meant we could stop acting like America!
These core thinkers from the Project for a New American Century and their total lack of recognizing and taking into account the differences between customs, norms and basic believes of other in the middle East and elsewhere. Have turn out to be like the worm in the apple, the rot has spread and cause a world wide crisis. I guess the only thing left to say about Kristol’s opinion, “What you think he would see the foolishness of Iraq? After all, he is one of the architects of the invasion and occupation plans! Would if you, want to admit to being a founding force of all this?
Bill Kristol is a moron and an idiot like most Bush fans. All you have to to do is watch him on Sunday morning to see that.
Bush will be remembered for a few things. Like the war he could not win and never should have started. Or the fact that he took a fairly professionally ran government and turned it over to a bunch of political religious nutcases from Bob Jones and Liberty “University” (term loosely used). Or the fact that he stopped the border fence program and so cut back on border enforcement that millions of new people are now coming in and we have no idea who they are. Or the fact he tried to sell our ports to Arabs- the very people who already came here legally and attacked us on 9-11-01. Bush will be remembered for lots of things but not much good.
First four posts, use of 1 idiot and 2 morons. Doesn’t speak well about the left does it. :)
My favorite quote of in the referenced article by Kristol.
“Many Americans will recoil from the prospect of being governed by an unchecked triumvirate of Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.”
Randy: I will take Kristol’s opinion over yours.
Particularly in regard to Bush deserving credit for keeping this country safe from additional terrorist attacks, despite the efforts of the left to make it more difficult.
Kansas is once again oblivious to the facts and has to count the number of times idiot or moron was used.
If the shoe fits, then wear it. If idiot and moron encompasses the character of Bush and Gang – then so be it.
And why do you show hatred for the left so much Kansas? Wasn’t it you that was berating me for my ‘hatred’ towards religious people when I merely stated my contempt for the Religious Right’s power grabbing.
For one who preaches to not hate – you sure do banty that word around alot.
Pointing out the use of pejorative words does not equal hatred.
It was a nice try fred, just look at your other post here:http://blogs.kansas.com/weblog/2007/07/why-is-pakistan.html#comment-76765824
that invokes the words, “Dumb and Dumber”, “his own little oil power trip”, “war mongerers.”
What point were you trying to make other than naming calling and finger pointing?
My guess would be none.
Many Americans will recoil from the prospect of being governed by an unchecked triumvirate of Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.”
Posted by: Kansas
You can thank Bush and Gang for the possibility of unchecked Exectuive Branch. It was Bush and Gang that has screwed the Constitution and Bill of Rights into their morphed version of total control by one branch of the government.
Our basic government is made up of 3 branches Bush and Gang has consistently spit in the face of democracy by insisting they have all the power and cannot be challenged.
So if you’re afraid of Hillary, Pelosi or Reid being unchecked – you can only thank Bush and Gang for their part in their twisting of the Constitution.
They are only words – as you have so eloquently pointed out.
But if you truly believe that Bush did not invade Iraq and is not now trying to start a war with Iran, then you deserve what you get from this president.
In my book, that is war mongering. And the hold up in Iraq is the dividing of the oil rights – is that not what Bush has stated previously? So that is his oil power trip.
I’m only calling the horse by the rightful color. If that is wrong, then perhaps you can use your eloquent words to make a sow’s ear into a silk purse?
Actually, I stated the use of pejorative words.
But I’m glad you’ve seem to transition into the use of euphemisms as your methodology.
“This is the kind of ideological tunnel vision and soft-headed wishful thinking that got us into Iraq in the first place.”
We got into Iraq because the U.N. and the rest of the world had a consensus that the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait had to be reversed. We are still there because we only half-fought that war.
I wonder what the columnist was writing back then. Were you one of the soft-headed who put your vote in for Team America:World Police?
THE LATEST WHITE HOUSE WAR STRATEGY – by Jim Hightower
I once belonged to the Book-of the-Month Club, as well as the Beer-of-the-Month Club –- but, I tell you, one thing I can’t subscribe to is George W’s Iraq-Strategy-of-the-Month Club.
The original strategy was to find Weapons of Mass Destruction. That failed. Then there was the Bring-Democracy-to-Iraq strategy, which has also failed in a blitzkrieg of theocracy, sectarian hatred, and civil war. Next came the We’ll-Stand-Down-As-They-Stand-Up strategy, which looked good on paper –- but, alas, the Iraqi troops have not shown up, much less stood up. But wait, cried Mr. Bush, I’ve got another new strategy. We’ll “surge” 20,000 more U.S. troops into Iraq, concentrate them in Baghdad to stop the violence there, and then somehow we’ll “win.” Well, our troops have surged, but even the Pentagon admits that the violence has surged, too. Concentrating on Baghdad only spread the killing to the rest of the country and produced a spike in the killing of American soldiers. And now the violence is rising again in Baghdad.
So, yet another policy shift is presently spinning out of the White House. This latest one is Mr. Bush’s Korean strategy. Instead of hoping for quick results from his old surge, he now says we must settle into Iraq for the long haul, stationing maybe 50,000 troops there more or less permanently, just as we’ve done in South Korea.
Now even Republicans aren’t joining his strategy-of-the-Month Club, and their candidates are fleeing from his war. Rudy Giuliani, the GOP’s presidential frontrunner who’s posing as Mr.-Tough-On-Terrorism, listed the Big 12 issues of his campaign –- and Iraq didn’t even make the list! Asked about this, Rudy-the-Tough-Guy weakly said: “We may be successful in Iraq; we may not be. I don’t know the answer to that. That’s in the hands of other people.”
Yeah –- such other people as voters.
These are all steppingstones to Zionist world domination. Dissecting the particulars makes the big picture go away.
The Zionists need for you to walk on eggs when making references toward them.
And that is what all this is designed to do.
And now we return to the “stay-the-failed-course” strategy as we hope to see “light at the end of the tunnel”
Yes Ben,
As opposed to the surrender strategy of the Democrats.
Can anyone point out something Kristol was actually right about? I wonder why the press gives him any air time. I can understand why Fox Noise does, because they aren’t a news channel, but really, if a weatherman is wrong 100% of the time who would tune in?
Ah Doug,
Still upset that Fox News isn’t your typical brand of liberal station?
You have FDS. Seek Help.
Good job Nathan, I knew you could point out something Kristol was right about. Oh wait, you didn’t. That’s no surprise.
Moving on…
David Corn wrote an excellent rebuttal to Kristol’s column — including some Kristol’s earlier incorrect predictions.
Lots of good points about Iraq, Afghanistan, terrorism, etc — but this was interesting, and likely.
‘Why Bush Is A Loser’http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/17/AR2007071701456.html“If one wants to peer into the future, it could well be that Bush will be judged a failure more for his inaction on global warming than for his action in Iraq.”
In addition to Kristol can anyone give an example when the neo-con fascists on this forum have been correct about anything?
Nathan – tell me again what a good idea it was to abandon the pursuit of OBL and alQuada and go after Bush’s personal nemesis.
Ben,
No one abandoned looking for Bin Laden.
I know it is a Democratic talking point you have to repeat, not true though.
Of course the ruse of all our problems in Iraq is the fact the war in Iraq was ill advised.
Dulce bellium inexpertis – “War is delightful to those who have no experience of it.” Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536)
This was a quote at the beginning of Chapter 13 of the book “We Were Soliders Once…and Young” by Gen. Hal Moore (Ret.) & Joe Galloway.The quote above is certainly true of Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle, Douglas Feith, Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Chaney, and of course George W. Bush. Add Bill Kristol to the list.
There is no such thing as “terror” or “al Qaeda.”
There is only Zionist Greed for world domination and the resistance to it.
Ok Ed…
You don’t support dropping 1000lb bombs (For whatever reason) yet you call killing 3000 people in the World Trade Center “resistance” to zionist greed.
I suppose you should also contact the leaders and members of the terrorist organization known as Al Qaeda and let them know that they do not exist.
Nathan
You are not mature enough to understand what you’re trying to deal with. You can only understand things in their most simplistic forms.
I think that you are a good natured kid, but with a lot to learn and a lot of growing-up to do.
Ed is an idiot.Anyone who thinks Islamic Terrorism does not exist is an idiot.Anyone who thinks Islamic Terrorism will stop when Israel gets nuked is an idiot.
People like Ed think that the Holocaust never happened, but they want to make it happen again.
Screwed up logic, but that is the logic of hate.
Crazy.
Kristol demonstrates how he got the nickname, “Dan Quayle’s brain.”
“Anyone who thinks Islamic Terrorism does not exist is an idiot.Anyone who thinks Islamic Terrorism will stop when Israel gets nuked is an idiot.”
Of course it exist. So does bird flu, HIV, cancer and a host of other things that will kill you. The fact terrorism exist is not in dispute. The fact that the THREAT of it is WAY overblown is the point. Your chances of being killed by a Muslim terrorist is about the same as being killed by lightning if not even lower yet we spend WAY more money, time and effort on “fighting terrorism” than what we do fighting other things that are FAR more likely to result in your early demise.
“Ben,
No one abandoned looking for Bin Laden.
I know it is a Democratic talking point you have to repeat, not true though.”
You are right. The effort to catch Ben Laden was not abandoned. It was NEVER STARTED in the first place because Karl Rove knows that it is better to have Ben Laden around so he can SCARE you and other gullible Americans. If we wanted to catch Ben Laden we would have long ago. We have a CIA that knows what Putin had for breakfast this morning. They know everything about everybody everywhere. We have an NSA that has satellites so powerful that they can read the serial numbers off a dollar bill on the ground at night and in the rain. Some fools might actually believe that crap about not being able to find Ben Laden but I don’t. We know right where he is right now. My guess is that either right before or right after November 2008 we will “find” him.
If you found Bin Laden, it would be even less significance then finding Saddam.
The resistance to Zionism is not affected by these false targets of terrorism, al-Qaeda, etc.
The Zionists have put this world at greater risk then it has ever been. More so than the Cold War.
Cognitive dissonance.
That’s the only thing that explains how the CONs can keep utterly failing and actually believe that failure means success.
The RepubliCON code:
War is peace.Freedom is slavery.Ignorance is strength.
Ben,
LOL, scare me and other gullable Americans?
I am not the one hiding in my basement because I think that Bush is reading my emails, listening to my phone conversations, and reviewing my latest book of the week.
No, it is the Democrats who are the fear mongers here.
That post was for Kev, not Ben.
And now we have ED:
“The Zionists have put this world at greater risk then it has ever been. More so than the Cold War.”
LOL, yeah, we are the fear mongers…
Nathan
Americans are saying that they don’t fear you, but rather just hate your guts. And you Zionists are going down. You ought to reconsider working for the enemy before it’s too late.
Oh yeah Ed,
I must have missed that CBS poll which says Americans hate my guts.
Pulling that out your rear end with the rest of your zionist bigotry.
Well, well, well, it seems as if the shrub regime is trying hard to crack down on dissent by threatening the assets of those who harm the war effort. Perhaps capn caliphate and the other excusers, and enablers of thirdl world, wetback invaders, minority criminals and raghead terrorists just might end up occupying those “camps” that Haliburton/KBR have been busily constructing over the past few years?
Executive Order: Blocking Property of Certain Persons Who Threaten Stabilization Efforts in Iraq
White House News
Message to the Congress of the United States Regarding International Emergency Economic Powers Act
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, as amended (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.)(IEEPA), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.)(NEA), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code,
I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, find that, due to the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States posed by acts of violence threatening the peace and stability of Iraq and undermining efforts to promote economic reconstruction and political reform in Iraq and to provide humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi people, it is in the interests of the United States to take additional steps with respect to the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13303 of May 22, 2003, and expanded in Executive Order 13315 of August 28, 2003, and relied upon for additional steps taken in Executive Order 13350 of July 29, 2004, and Executive Order 13364 of November 29, 2004. I hereby order:
Section 1. (a) Except to the extent provided in section 203(b)(1), (3), and (4) of IEEPA (50 U.S.C. 1702(b)(1), (3), and (4)), or in regulations, orders, directives, or licenses that may be issued pursuant to this order, and notwithstanding any contract entered into or any license or permit granted prior to the date of this order, all property and interests in property of the following persons, that are in the United States, that hereafter come within the United States, or that are or hereafter come within the possession or control of United States persons, are blocked and may not be transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in: any person determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense,
(i) to have committed, or to pose a significant risk of committing, an act or acts of violence that have the purpose or effect of:
(A) threatening the peace or stability of Iraq or the Government of Iraq; or
(B) undermining efforts to promote economic reconstruction and political reform in Iraq or to provide humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi people;
(ii) to have materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, logistical, or technical support for, or goods or services in support of, such an act or acts of violence or any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order; or
(iii) to be owned or controlled by, or to have acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order.
(b) The prohibitions in subsection (a) of this section include, but are not limited to, (i) the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order, and (ii) the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person.
Sec. 2. (a) Any transaction by a United States person or within the United States that evades or avoids, has the purpose of evading or avoiding, or attempts to violate any of the prohibitions set forth in this order is prohibited.
(b) Any conspiracy formed to violate any of the prohibitions set forth in this order is prohibited.
Sec. 3. For purposes of this order:
(a) the term “person” means an individual or entity;
(b) the term “entity” means a partnership, association, trust, joint venture, corporation, group, subgroup, or other organization; and
(c) the term “United States person” means any United States citizen, permanent resident alien, entity organized under the laws of the United States or any jurisdiction within the United States (including foreign branches), or any person in the United States.
Sec. 4. I hereby determine that the making of donations of the type specified in section 203(b)(2) of IEEPA (50 U.S.C. 1702(b)(2)) by, to, or for the benefit of, any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order would seriously impair my ability to deal with the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13303 and expanded in Executive Order 13315, and I hereby prohibit such donations as provided by section 1 of this order.
Sec. 5. For those persons whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order who might have a constitutional presence in the United States, I find that, because of the ability to transfer funds or other assets instantaneously, prior notice to such persons of measures to be taken pursuant to this order would render these measures ineffectual. I therefore determine that for these measures to be effective in addressing the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13303 and expanded in Executive Order 13315, there need be no prior notice of a listing or determination made pursuant to section 1(a) of this order.
Sec. 6. The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense, is hereby authorized to take such actions, including the promulgation of rules and regulations, and to employ all powers granted to the President by IEEPA as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this order. The Secretary of the Treasury may redelegate any of these functions to other officers and agencies of the United States Government, consistent with applicable law. All agencies of the United States Government are hereby directed to take all appropriate measures within their authority to carry out the provisions of this order and, where appropriate, to advise the Secretary of the Treasury in a timely manner of the measures taken.
Sec. 7. Nothing in this order is intended to affect the continued effectiveness of any rules, regulations, orders, licenses, or other forms of administrative action issued, taken, or continued in effect heretofore or hereafter under 31 C.F.R. chapter V, except as expressly terminated, modified, or suspended by or pursuant to this order.
Sec. 8. This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right, benefit, or privilege, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, instrumentalities, or entities, its officers or employees, or any other person.
GEORGE W. BUSH
THE WHITE HOUSE,
July 17, 2007.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/07/20070717-3.html
Sgt Slaughter…
You mean the Democrats might actually have to tell the whole truth now instead of revising history?
:)
Ian–
When the gov’t comes for people, you’re going to be first on their list.
Good thing you’re in Canada.
No attacks on America since 9/11 attributed to Bush’s great leadership skills.
Antecdotal evidence at best the worst evidence to present.
What Sgt. Slaughter posted may very well effect the likes of Halliburton more then Capt America.
Bill Kristol–ack. Can you say, “dustbin of history?”
Amazing that right-wing hacks like Kristol, who have been wrong about everything, continue to have the megaphone.
Probably has something to do with the fact that the media collectively grabbed its ankles for Bush in the run-up to the war, and collectively can’t stand to admit that it let itself be lied to and intimidated into not asking hard questions. So it goes on supporting those who were wrong, in order not to be implicated.
And, as Kristol’s “commentary” shows, the disconnect between reality and the Right Wing reconstruction of reality grows ever wider.
I mean, Bush is practically sitting in his bunker with Eva Braun at this point, and dead-enders like Kristol have to go on arguing that up is down in order to maintain whatever position is left to them.
Eva Braun . . . heh.
I wonder how much of this can be explained by the theory of cognitive dissonance.
The alternative of admitting one was totally wrong is so painful that one continues to make rationalization far beyond the pale of realistic possibility.
See the re-writing of Vietnam into the liberal/media “stab in the back” meme in the last ten years.
Before that, it was Grenada and Gulf War I were finally banishing the “Vietnam syndrome.”
Our experience of getting our ass handed to us in an overseas imperialistic adventure had been reduced to a “disease” that needed to be “cured” by more of the same–more overseas imperialistic adventures . . .
Cap’N,
Indeed. Historical revisionism, the Right Wing specialty of choice (well, that and stealing Presidential elections), enables the losers to (re)write history in keeping with the narrative that favors their interests–the narrative they can’t seem to stop endlessly re-enacting.
Doesn’t Kristol seem eerily similar to “Baghdad Bob”?
Saddam had plenty of Al Queda links:http://www.heritage.org/Press/Commentary/ed042606a.cfm
http://www.weeklystandard.com/content/public/articles/000/000/003/033jgqyi.asp
Besides:
Saddam supported several different terrorists groups.
If we get attacked by someone OTHER THAN Al Queda, is that ok with you liberals?
Besides:
Saddam supported several different terrorists groups.
If we get attacked by someone OTHER THAN Al Queda, is that ok with you liberals?
Ben,
Baghdad Bob was a snappier dresser. :)
A 1000lb bomb under one arm, a Bible under the other and a pocketful of mumbles for justification.
Bill Kristol has that a$$ kissing grin I’d like to wipe off his mug! He makes me cringe everytime I see him on Fox News Sunday! He thinks Bush is the best thing since sliced bread, that Cheney is never wrong, that Bush should have given Libby a full pardon even though he lied under oath! The US was right to go into Iraq and we should stay at all costs! Kristol is a loon!