Magatsu,
While I'm a Bush supporter, I can't say that that I disagree with you. You bring up some good points in your post (and other posts as well). I do disagree with a lot of Bush's foreign policy. Other 'Bushies' on this board will probably agree that there are some domestic or foreign policies that are bad. It can be said about any president or politician. There are also some good points brought up by Kerry during his campaign.
Anyhow, a couple of things to note about George Bush.
Terrorism was here before President Bush came into office. I've heard people say that Bill Clintons foreign policy was remarkable. If that is the case, why were there terrorist attacks against the U.S. I consider it silly to say that George Bush is the root behind it all.
The best analogy I can think of is a bees nest in your back yard in a tree. If you leave the bees nest alone, chances are they will leave you alone except for the occasional bee sting. But what happens when you get stung a few times and you can no longer enter your back yard? Bees are doing what they do, they see you as a threat and will sting you until you are completely gone (in the case of terrorism, until you are wiped off the face of the earth).
At some point, you are going to have to call an exterminator to go in and wipe the problem once and for all. I believe terrorism is the same way. We can give in to their demands and
hope they don't attack us. That is what terrorism is all about.
Another example would be what happens to good citizens in the US who live in bad neighborhoods. They fear leaving their house because they don't want to give into demands and threats from thugs.
Changing the US foreign policy will do nothing stop terrorism against the US and its citizens. If Israel laid down its arms, do you think the Palestine would do the same? Do you think that if the US pulled its military out of every country, it would make the world a safer place?
These are the things that I believe in, and not some media hype. I personally believe that the world is a better place without Saddam Hussein. I honestly believe that there were in fact WMD in Iraq. I can also show you the pictures of children laying in the streets who were victims of these WMD that 'don't exist'. I will spare this board as those pics are rather graphic, but I can tell you that they were taken after the first gulf war while the so called UN sanctions were in place. I personally believe that the failure was with the United Nations and not the United States.
There are stories floating around from families of service members who disagree with the war in Iraq. War is never popular, and it shouldn't be. I have a lot of dealings with military personnel, and most will say the same thing. They know why we are in Afghanistan and why we are in Iraq. Perhaps they have been brainwashed by the George Bush, but most tell me they believe they are doing the right thing.
For those that say the US should mind its own business and stay out of the middle east, I am certainly glad you are not my neighbors. It would not be your business if someone were breaking into my house and causing me and my family harm, but would you call the police? Would you make an effort to assist me and my family if I were to be injured by an intruder. I certainly hope you would not close your blinds and say 'This is not my problem'. Why is this 'local' situation any different from a global situation. Should we assist those that need it or should we turn our backs to them and say 'It isn't our problem'.
This is one of the many reasons I support George Bush. I believe he is seeing the big picture and is thinking long term. What happens in the middle east today will effect our children and our childrens children. We can leave the world behind and say screw them and not worry about what happens in the middle east. Lets let the dictators do whatever is they want to do, and kill whoever they want to. Lets let Palistine kill off every jew, after all, it isn't are problem, right? Lets turn our backs on the world. Then fast forward to 50 or 100 years from now and tell me what the world will be like.
My opinions will probably not be very popular, as I tend to see more Kerry fans here than 'Bushies'. I may be very wrong about some of the things above. My opinions are not set in concrete either. While I'm a registered republican, had Kerry given any indication of what he was going to do and I thought it was the right thing, I certainly would have voted for him. The problem I had with Kerry is that I could never get a clear answer as to what he was aiming for. I have recorded videos of him (prior to the war) that going into Iraq would be a good thing and he supported the ouster of Saddam Hussein. Now he feels differently and that the Iraq war was a disaster caused by George Bush.
He wants every single american to have government paid healthcare. Thats good in theory and I would love free healthcare, but when it came time to discuss how that would be paid for, there was no sensible answer. He would pay for everyone to have healthcare, but couldn't raise the revenue to pay for it. Those are just a few examples of why I could not vote for Kerry in good faith. Even if I disagree with some of George Bush' policies, at least I had an indication of what direction he was heading in, and I agree with more policies than I'm against.
Anyhow, I'm finished my rant and I know you'll disagree. I just ask that my opinion is respected and I promise to do the same in return. Its 4:30 am here and I guess I'm in one of those late night moods
