Re: Just to show you folks...I WON'T drink the party koolaide -- Albany MSNBC Refugees Forum

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Date Posted: Saturday, May 21, 05:22:32pm
Author: Bear
Subject: Re: Just to show you folks...I WON'T drink the party koolaide
In reply to: Brassman 's message, "Just to show you folks...I WON'T drink the party koolaide" on Thursday, May 19, 11:11:43pm

Right on Brassman, absolutely right on. I may e-mail this to my friends (with proper acknowledgement of course).

>1,346 Days
>
>
>This coming Thursday, May 19, 2005, will be the
>1,346th day since the attacks of 9/11. That is the
>same length of time from the attack on Pearl Harbor to
>the end of WWII on V-J Day. (Dec 7, 1941 to Aug 24,
>1945)
>
>Most comparisons between WWII and the Global War on
>Terror (GWOT) have been preposterous: Saddam Hussein
>was no Adlof Hitler; the "Axis of Evil" was no WWII
>Axis Powers; the far right even went so far as to
>compare Colin Powell to Neville Chamberlain.
>
>But this milestone does provide the opportunity to
>compare the effectiveness of America's responses to
>both crises. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, America
>came together, and with determination, shared
>sacrifice, and the effective and focused leadership of
>FDR, George C. Marshall, and many others, America and
>her allies were victorious.
>
>After the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and
>the Pentagon, America once again came together.
>However, within months of 9/11, the Bush
>Administration lost focus and never clearly defined a
>winnable GWOT. Monty Python comedian Terry Jones
>quipped: "With most wars, you can say you've won when
>the other side is either all dead or surrenders. But
>how is terrorism going to surrender? It's hard for
>abstract nouns to surrender."
>
>A more serious critique came from Dr. Jeffrey Record,
>of the U.S. Army's War College who wrote: " ... most
>of the GWOT's declared objectives ... are unrealistic
>and condemn the United States to a hopeless quest for
>absolute security. As such, the GWOT's goals are also
>politically, fiscally, and militarily unsustainable
>... The GWOT as it has so far been defined and
>conducted is strategically unfocused, promises much
>more than it can deliver, and threatens to dissipate
>scarce U.S. military and other means over too many
>ends. It violates the fundamental strategic principles
>of discrimination and concentration."
>
>It should not be surprising that a poorly defined
>mission has led to poor results. Iraq is a mess and
>many Americans have concluded that the invasion of
>Iraq was unrelated to the GWOT. The situtation in
>Afghanistan is not much better. Worldwide terrorism is
>still on the rise and America is now deeply divided.
>
>The economic consequences of this "war" have been
>significant and are growing. The most obvious are the
>war expenditures: over $250 Billion already spent and
>Congress has just passed another spending bill for an
>additional $82 Billion. Even before the ink dried,
>Congress is discussing the need for another $50
>Billion later this year. All of these expenditures are
>"off-budget" and are not included in the Bush
>Administration's reported budget deficits. CORRECTION:
>The GWOT expenditures are excluded from the
>"on-budget" projections, but they are included in
>prior year on-budget deficits. Sorry for any
>confusion, CR.
>
>Additionally, according to the Financial Times,
>America "is losing billions of dollars as
>international tourists are deterred from visiting the
>US because of a tarnished image overseas and more
>bureaucratic visa policies." This weakness in the
>tourist trade is occurring even with a favorable
>dollar exchange rate. And there are concerns that "the
>long-term impact for American brands Coca-Cola,
>General Motors, McDonald's could be very damaging".
>
>And the most deleterious impact may come from the
>growing lack of confidence in America's leadership. In
>the event of an international or economic crisis, I
>have no confidence that the Bush Administration will
>respond appropriately.
>
>It took 1,346 days to win WWII. 1,346 days after 9/11,
>what have we accomplished?

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