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2004-01-19 International

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Posted by Cheddarhead 2004-01-19 7:46:57 PM|| || Front Page|| [4 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 cheddarhead - lay off the cheddar

Posted by Dan 2004-1-19 8:00:49 PM|| 2004-1-19 8:00:49 PM|| Front Page Top

#2 It's only in search of a reason if you aren't inclined to look at the big picture.

Posted by Bomb-a-rama 2004-1-19 8:11:45 PM|| 2004-1-19 8:11:45 PM|| Front Page Top

#3 Cheddarhead: In the wake of September 11, public opinion was willing to give the president the benefit of the doubt on an invasion of Iraq. That tolerance may evaporate now that the pillars justifying the invasion and occupation have been weakened one-by-one. The guerrillas can figure out that much. Paul OâNeillâs revelations about a war in search of a reason may have sawed through the last timber.

I can't really read the minds of the Iraqi terrorists as well as Cheddarhead seems to be able to. But it's no surprise Cheddarhead might be able to put himself in their place - he may see them as latter-day Che Guevaras* and get a vicarious thrill from the exploits glamorized by the anti-American press.

The truth about Cheddarhead's impressions is that they are wrong. Just as Che Guevara was better at striking poses than at guerrilla warfare, Iraqi terrorists are better at taking out Iraqi civilians than in confronting American troops. Iraqi terrorists are being taken apart at a rate that beggars the imagination, given the hundreds of millions of dollars (potentially billions)** of equipment and money available to them. Even the Vietcong were not as well-financed, despite the money shoved at them by China and the Soviet Union. And yet despite the suicide bombers and anti-aircraft missiles, Iraqi terrorists are only managing to kill one American every day, compared to 24 a day in Vietnam. The Vietcong also assassinated South Vietnamese officials at the rate of a dozen a day. But all the Iraqi terrorists can do is kill innocent civilians who are not even working for US forces.

Paul O'Neill's revelations about his floundering in the Bush cabinet may have sawed through the last timber of his credibility. He failed miserably in implementing administration policy and was forced to resign instead of doing so voluntarily. He worked with a reporter who is renowned for making up quotes, endorsed the book and then had to disown it because this reporter had once again veered into writing fiction. Given that O'Neill said he would vote again for Bush in 2004, it's simply amazing how such a lousy judge of character (in choosing a reporter specializing in fabricating quotes to write about his experience in the administration) ever became Treasury Secretary.

* Destroyers of what Cheddarhead may feel to be the "Western imperialist order".

** US troops have confiscated a billion dollars from Saddam's organization.

Posted by Zhang Fei 2004-1-19 8:20:40 PM|| 2004-1-19 8:20:40 PM|| Front Page Top

#4 I felt that the reasons Bush gave were good ones, while the criticism was way-off base, Cheddarhead's included.

Posted by Ptah 2004-1-19 8:21:15 PM|| [http://www.crusaderwarcollege.org] 2004-1-19 8:21:15 PM|| Front Page Top

#5 Grrr... I was going to delete this article. Zhang Fei! Stop making comments that are worth more than the original article!

Posted by Fred 2004-1-19 8:24:12 PM|| 2004-1-19 8:24:12 PM|| Front Page Top

#6 lol well Fred you seem to have deleted the comments instead! ;)

Posted by Val 2004-1-19 8:25:54 PM|| 2004-1-19 8:25:54 PM|| Front Page Top

#7 Ah there we go they're back now (maybe it was MY browser or sumthin).

Posted by Val 2004-1-19 8:26:39 PM|| 2004-1-19 8:26:39 PM|| Front Page Top

#8 No way, Fred, we can use the exercise.

Posted by Matt 2004-1-19 8:30:41 PM|| 2004-1-19 8:30:41 PM|| Front Page Top

#9 Aw, ferchrissakes, Chowderhead - GROW UP!

Posted by Barbara Skolaut 2004-1-19 8:42:01 PM|| 2004-1-19 8:42:01 PM|| Front Page Top

#10 One point rarely gets discussed now when we are talking about the "legitimacy" of going to war against Saddam rather than Iraq.

Imagine 9/11 would never have happened, how long could the world have looked at Iraq without doing anything. Oil for food until when? How long could we have allowed Saddam to plunder the country and torture his people? If there was a quagmire, it was before the U.S. went to cut the Gordian knot.

12 years of sanctions didn't work, probably 24 years wouldn't have worked either. Let's assume (I say "assume") that Saddam really destroyed all his WMD in 1991 and was just to "proud" to prove it, his regime would still have been inacceptable. One thing I really hold against the UN is that it felt rather comfortable with the status quo that held Iraqi people in one of the most brutal dictatorships of the second half of the 20th century. Saddam's regime defied any of the ideal the UN was founded upon.

To quote a famous Roman philosopher, Cicero: "Quo usque tandem abutere, Saddam, patientia nostra"? ("How long are you going to abuse our patience, Saddam?)

12 more sanction years = how many more murdered, starved, tortured Iraqis?

Posted by True German Ally 2004-1-19 9:45:23 PM|| 2004-1-19 9:45:23 PM|| Front Page Top

#11 If anyone starts in on me, all I'm going to ask them if they believe after sanctions were lifted (and it was coming time to) if Iraq would be knee-deep in the stuff he has plans, money and people for.

Posted by Anonymous2U 2004-1-19 11:39:38 PM|| 2004-1-19 11:39:38 PM|| Front Page Top

09:47 B
08:42 B
00:23 Bomb-a-rama
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23:46 Fred
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