I'll try to address some of your points and return to others later.
For the last time on this issue... though Bush supporters seem incapable of understanding this... Iraq did not hit us at all. Neither were they in an imminent threat position (even according to those who believed it posed a general threat).
As it turns out, the arguments made by European nations against an invasion of Iraq at the time Bush wanted to, turned out to all be corrrect. Our rationale turned out to be fallacious at best, fabricated at worst.
Again, your view is predicated on the debatable point that 9/11 should be viewed in isolation, and counterattacking the perpetrators of it is sufficient.
Iraq, as I have said, could be seen as a front on a more general war on fascist and fundamentalist Islamic elements throughout the Middle East. The objective not being simply the elimination of the Hussein regime, but drawing other terrorist elements into combat on terms tactically advantageous to coalition forces, and forcing Iran, Syria etc to expend resources supporting the proxy conflict. In addition, establishing a model of a functioning democracy in the Arab world.
A loose analogy is the "soft underbelly strategy" of Western Allied forcers in WW2 of invading Vichy French territories and Italy before
the main push on occupied France and Germany.
Whether this is a sound strategy, is certainly subject to debate. Your wholesale rejection of it needs to be warranted by much further evidence. I'm unprepared to accept it as received opinion, as you invite me to.
I didn't say this. I happen to believe we are entering a new Dark Age but it began years ago and has nothing to do with Bush.
So I guess you should try and keep track of who you are addressing.
I know. This particular comment was more general, directed at some of the more heated posters. Possibly I should have split posts. My apologies for the confusion.
Snicker snicker snicker. So what exactly is your plan to deal with China and India?
As these societies are increasingly vibrant free market socities, and the US has immigrants from both, I expect US foreign policy will evolve toward engaging China and India as partners on many economic and cultural issues, as well as Latin America, while in turn de-emphasizing Western Europe.
Face it, eventually at some point in history, the US and "American" will no longer exist except in history books.
No doubt. But this day is much further off, given present demographic trends ,than what looks like an imminent decline of Western Europe (again I should have been more specific...I see Poland as potentially a nation on the rise).
I think its safe to say that even Kerry and Edwards were commited to free markets and a foreign policy of strength.
Granted neither was an out and out socialist, but otherwise debatable. Edwards in particular advanced a protectionist agenda, and IMO, Kerry simply could not escape a 30-year record of weakness on defense and intelligence issues.
Has democracy ended Xian fundamentalist efforts?
Where are the Jerry Falwell Martyr Brigades ? Has Pat Robertson been issuing fatwas ? Do you worry that the tract-handling "let me tell you about Jesus" types are wearing suicide belts ? Has Fred Phelps graduated to kidnapping and beheading ?
Christian fundamentalist terror is limited to a few very small fringe groups like the Eric Rudolph types, manageable by conventional law enforcement.
Being a Catholic who accepts evolution, I certainly have issues for instance, with trying to get YEC taught in public schools. And so do millions like me, which is why I reject another poster's analogy of the US as being like Khomeini's Iran simply because Bush was re-elected. I hope this is hyperbole born of emotion.
Parting thought: If Kerry had done a Sister Souljah type speech denouncing the Michael Moore wing of the party, he might have won. But it was politically impossible for him to have done so and win the nomination. Look what happened to Gephardt and Lieberman.
AS it is, the Democratic Party IMO is going to have to become more centrist, or be out of power for a generation. YMMV.
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