Comments on: Bush And Democracy: Talk But Little Action

Weekly Standard: President's Words About Promoting Democracy Haven't Been Backed By Deeds

[katg21]

How ironic that a neocon response foresees Hillary as a threat to freedom, but doesn't mention the hundreds of traditional civil liberties that have gone into the Bush/Cheney trashcan in the past seven years. Phone tapping of any american, library book tracking, government endorsed torture, and a slew of other actions that have all been dressed down by a conservative Supreme Court.
Posted by marcodele at 10:25 AM : Jun 15, 2007

Oh, are you worried that our government is listening in on your phone calls and is interested in what books YOU check out at the library...(laughs). Oh and torture... yeah that rock music is really killin' them. Thanks for the laugh.

[rushlimpdrug]

I do recall embedded reporters storming into Iraq reporting on bringing freedom to a country hungry for democracy.

Reporters are some of the biggest sellouts.
A free ride with the military in Iraq on the front steps of democracy.
A picture of a statue of a terrible dictator being toppled.
Thanks for the memories . . .

"And of course, now we have the problem of Iraq, a war that began for security reasons, turned into an attempt to create a democracy, and now seems primarily intended to avert civil war, genocide, or the triumph of a religiously inspired terrorist ideology."

This is precisely the problem and not just in Iraq. Bush foreign policy has been consistently incoherent and opportunist, ready to rewrite the reasons for doing anything at the drop of a hat. Why? Because the reasons are mere rhetoric and returnable anytime without notice.

What has driven our actions in the world since 9/11/01 has been the sheer petulant impulses of one man without reference to any genuine understanding of the very real dangers to the United States, and the very real consequences [such as the unchecked Iranian nuclear program] of military action in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and for no particular reason at all, save for the "reasons" high-sounding rhetoric may suggest.

[katg21]

Whatcha gonna tell us now (for the millionth time)???? katg221??? its all the main stream media's fault???? or maybe you can dig down real deep to neocon no-accountability excuse #3...your own activist judges or US attorneys.

Posted by ainttaken at 10:12 AM : Jun 15, 2007

Clinton covered his steps; Admiral Boorda, Chief of Naval Operations, who spilled the beans on Clinton voluntarily handing over classified secrets to China "committed suicide". I'm so sick of you dems portraying your leaders as such saints. OPEN YOUR EYES. Four more years of Clinton is not the answer.
Had we been at war when Clinton was in office there wouldn't have been the surplus you speak of. Anyway the deficit is a small percentage of our gross national product. You never hear about how our deficit has been reduced significantly and in a record amount of time, not to mention our great economy and low interest rates in spite of 9/11, wars in Iraq and afgan., Katrina, etc.. I'd love to have seen how Clinton would have handled it. Good time Charlie wouldn't have done anything I'm sure of it.

[marcodele]

How ironic that a neocon response foresees Hillary as a threat to freedom, but doesn't mention the hundreds of traditional civil liberties that have gone into the Bush/Cheney trashcan in the past seven years. Phone tapping of any american, library book tracking, government endorsed torture, and a slew of other actions that have all been dressed down by a conservative Supreme Court.

The best line in this article is "Bush must "close the gap between what he says and believes and what the machinery of our government actually does.""

As referenced earlier in the article, there have been many critics going "gotcha" and pointing to Bush hypocrisy.

Professing to do one thing and doing the exact opposite is exactly how this bunch of partison oil thugs got into office. And the sad fact is there are enough unthinking American voters who swallow hook, line and sinker every Karl Rove spin phrase ever fed into Junior's ear microphone
to come out of his hypocritical mouth. They watch FoxNews, they listen to Rush. They are "educated and informed in a fair and balanced manner."

Stop tyranny? Yes, in November of 2008.

[taddles-2009]

Bush and Democracry?!?!? Now THAT's a contradiction in terms. You want Democracy? get rid of Bush and his fascist cronies and you might get some.

[katg21]

You can't forcefeed democracy to people who don't have a clue what it is and don't want it. Let's face it. Most of the world doesn't want our style of government.
Posted by grumpas at 09:16 AM : Jun 15, 2007

You believe that most of the world doesn't want freedom? Funny. Radical extremest groups and communists don't want our "style of government"; that's why they fight us. Don't you think the world would be a better place if we could all share in the benefits of freedom? Of course you don't; you're voting for socialism's greatest fan, Hillary. Get ready to lose your freedoms my friend.

[grumpas]

Bush doesn't have a clue what Democracy is all about!!!! As far as he is concerned it's about the rich having everything and everyone else being poor and struggling. That's his idea of democracy! So, how does he or anyone else imagine he is going to promote it around the world. This was another one of his grandeous ideas when he mentioned it. It sounds nobel but anyone with a brain in their head knows it won't work. You can't forcefeed democracy to people who don't have a clue what it is and don't want it. Let's face it. Most of the world doesn't want our style of government.

[drinuk]

The People of America and England will be paying the price of the Bush Blair partnership for many decades. They are now "Spinning" the excuse here in the UK that the Iraq intelligence was a Mistake, whilst in truth it was a blatant, contrived and deliberate deception. They even conspired to kill a arms inspector because they feared he would expose them. Sadly both regimes have caused untold harm to thier people and I for one hope they all rot in hell.

Spare a thought today for yet another five families whose bitter sadness we share.

[katg21]

What has been sold out (mostly to Red china...
Posted by ainttaken at 08:48 AM : Jun 15, 2007

Thank you Bill Clinton

[toldyouso21]

I am sure the founding fathers of this country was worried about thier enemy's rights when they were fighting for our freedom. We cannot win our peace of mind when people like Mr. Lindberg is more concerned about being PC and not upsetting the rights of our enemies.
Posted by xzavierbrown at 07:13 PM : Jun 14, 2007


You make an important point--our founding fathers were fighting for their freedom. They came up with the idea, wanted it, fought for it and prevailed. It might have been a different story if instead of fighting our oppressor, we had say, Spain imposing themselves on us to supposedly free us. Then, we might have put our freedom on hold, while we fought the interloper that dared to get in our business and tried to force us to be free on their terms.

Maybe..if Spain had started the war, we'd still be a colony of England--not because we liked being ruled from afar--but because we would be d@mned if we would accept another country getting our business, killing us, and demanding how we should be. Odds are, if that had happend England and Americans would have joined forces against the outsider who tried to bully us.

Nobody likes outsiders coming in, killing and tryingto tell everyone what to do. Freedom imposed is not freedom, no matter how we spin it. Our founding fathers would have realized that--DO YOU?

[toldyouso21]

Posted by guysdigdirt at 02:14 PM : Jun 14, 2007


Why do you think when someone makes a decision, that they cannot change their mind? Who taught you that?

Survival does not go to the fittest or the strongest. Evolution teaches survival goes to the one who can adapt. That means to bend. To compromise. The tree that cannot bend in the storm is snapped like a twig, the building that cannot sway and move with an earthquake crumbles.

To not bend or change only appears like strength to those ignorant of the laws of survival. Those who cannot bend (like Bush) are eventually broken. It is a law of nature.

[toldyouso21]

America can topple anybody it wants. we have the means and the belief that we and only we, know what is good and right for everyone else and we'll even kill to make others see the light.

The only problems with that, and it is the reasons for our failures in Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan, etc are:

1. Leaders are not countries. People are countries. People have their own ideas and sentiments about what a government should be and indeed how THEY should be governed and they will trend toward their own ideas.

2. We think people want to be like us--almost no one in the world wants to be like us--they just want what we have and they want aspects of our lives--but on the whole, the world has a lot of contempt for America and Americans, (even Europe)

3. We think we are the model to emulate. Unfortunately, after we bomb, maim and destroy a culture--they are not likely to want to be like us, it would be self flagellation or masochism to do so--sort of like an abused child wanting to grow up and planning to be an abuser too.

4. Bullies win the day and even have temporary allies--but in the end--the actions of a bully means it cannot win. NO one really likes a bully. Not really. Not even a bully's lackeys.

Forced Democracy? Think about it.

[bluestardad]

Not a bad article for the Pro-Israeli Magazine. It does out line the fact that we have No actionable intelligence in the State Department and a one size fits all Democratic approach does not work in the real world.

The bottom line is that bush is a liar and has killed thousands.

[sjc_1]

Bush talks democracy and then supports the military dictator in Pakistan because he has to. Pakistan would have never allowed fly overs to Afghanistan in 2002 if he was not promised something.

The State Department's threats to "bomb them back to the stone age" not withstanding, they probably promised to support his military dictatorship in exchange. Some cheer leading on democracy, more a rally for hypocrisy.

[katg21]

I'm Sorry.
I once voted for Bush.
I apologize to everyone for me ever doing that.
I just hope we can all survive long enough for his term to run out, since Congress wouldn't impeach him for "just" lying to the country, getting us in a war under false pretense, and for not enfocing the laws about illegal aliens. Not to mention many human rights violations against our own citizens.
I'm sorry.

Posted by bill1fj at 07:46 PM : Jun 14, 2007

Sell out

[bill1fj]

I'm Sorry.
I once voted for Bush.
I apologize to everyone for me ever doing that.
I just hope we can all survive long enough for his term to run out, since Congress wouldn't impeach him for "just" lying to the country, getting us in a war under false pretense, and for not enfocing the laws about illegal aliens. Not to mention many human rights violations against our own citizens.
I'm sorry.

[bm6005]

The man's a lying sack of S.h.i.t.!!!

[xzavierbrown]

I am sure the founding fathers of this country was worried about thier enemy's rights when they were fighting for our freedom. We cannot win our peace of mind when people like Mr. Lindberg is more concerned about being PC and not upsetting the rights of our enemies.

[katg21]

Keep in mind; he didn%u2019t actually win the election either time. But he did get close enough for the neo-cons to steal it. This of course makes the idea of Bush promoting democracy so ironic.

Posted by sparks224 at 03:30 PM : Jun 14, 2007

How'd we steal it? Stop crying about it already, dems will get their chance to screw things up soon enough.