Thank you, Rose, for your thoughtful response.
Post by a***@anonymous.comPost by a***@anonymous.comDoes it matter that Bush snorted Cocaine at Camp David, or Clinton
had an affair in the White House? Does it affect their ability to lead
by example? Do their momentary weaknesses hinder their leadership?
In Clinton's case, it wasn't having an affair that mattered. It was lying
under oath about it. Being a skank is legal. Perjury, not so much.
The thing that has always irked me about that is the question he was asked
would never have been allowed in a courtroom as it did not pertain to the
case. Quite frankly, I don't care who he slept with or didn't sleep with;
that's between his wife and him! I seem to remember he was elected
president when we all knew he was a chaser which was brought out during
the campaign, complete with photos.
And with all the money dear ol' Ken spent, we still had a surplus before
the G.O.P. took control again. Considering on how hard they tried to get
dirt on Clinton, it's really quite remarkable they couldn't come up with
anything better than what Kennedy had done as well as Eisenhower (and
don't forget Roosevelt). They certainly spent enough trying.
Momentary weaknesses . . . I don't consider Bush deliberating avoiding
going where my classmates had no choice but to go as a momentary weakness
especially when it's followed 35+ years later with sending other people's
sons (and daughters) to war and keeping them there past their return-home
dates. As far as I can remember, this is the first time the National
Guard has been used like this . . . too bad they didn't send Bush to Viet
Nam when he was "in the Guard." Suppose his take on all of this would be
a bit different if he saw it first hand and was in the middle of the
bullets flying, and all else that goes on in the horror of war? My
thoughts is that he has seen way too many old westerns and imagines
himself as some sort of old west character; at the end of the movie, they
pack up the camera and lights and go home. This is real life, not a movie,
people are dying.
All of his talk about protecting life . . . has he looked at the execution
rate in his home state of Texas, especially as compared to the rest of the
states which allow capital punishment? Protecting life? Yeah, right.
That he, while governor without even reviewing the case, turned his back
on someone asking her life be spared speaks very loudly. Kill a woman but
don't allow a woman to have an abortion, regardless of what the reason
might be . . . to my way of thinking, that is not consistent. I think he
calls it flip-flopping when he talks about others.
As for all the fuss about Kerry protesting the Viet Nam war, no one has a
better right than someone who has been there and seen his buddies
injured/killed and was in harm's way himself. Perhaps, I feel more
strongly than some about it because it was my peer group that were the
first sent over when Johnson decided to send troops to support our
"advisors" not telling the public they had already sent over troops rather
quietly before that. It just didn't hit the headlines until the summer of
1964. Do we ever get the truth from anyone?!
If I ever had any respect for Bush, it was lost when he did not come out
against those who attacked Kerry's war record. Bush, of all people,
should have said loudly to cease it and that he did not approve. He did,
of course, get his Viet Nam era metal in his teeth at the dentist, while
Kerry got his in his body from combat. I would think someone who sends
other people's kids to war would not want any of that dredged up,
especially since this war is not any more popular than that one was,
especially now that the 9-11 commission reported.
If anyone is foolish enough to think that draft is not coming back if he
manages to remain president (notice, I did *not* say get elected), they
are living in la-la land. We simply do not have the troops to do what he
is doing the way he is doing it, and there is not going to be a stampede
to enlist when troops are kept past their time and not given proper
training or equipment. Today's reports of the 18/19 who refused to take
fuel because of lack of protection, trucks not running properly. and not
enough armor are very believable to me because of much else that has
drifted back through those who have been there.
Aside from all that, I'm am so very sick of all this negative campaigning
that goes on and seems to get worse every year. I don't want to know
someone's misguided and very biased opinion of the other guy; I want to
know what he/she is going to do and how he/she is going to do it! I
really don't care about their opinions of their opponents.
Just sign me:
Glad when November 3rd gets here!
10/20/2004 8:49:2