No Future for the GOP?
- Thread starter vimothy
- Start date
craner
Beast of Burden
I think Mr. Cheney is a formidable character. I think that Bush 43 has a good sense of humour. History will judge them. My opinion of Condoleeza Rice has fallen dramatically - in way above her head. I think the second administration missed a certain Mr. Wolfowitz.
Bulgarian wine? Jesus...
Bulgarian wine? Jesus...
crackerjack
Well-known member
2000, very (no Iraq), 2004, not much (unless you live in NO) is my guess.
swears
preppy-kei
I actually saw an interview with Clinton saying he would have gone into Iraq, but after giving the UN weapons inspectors another six months. I'm not sure how different Gore's decision would have been to that. So who knows?
crackerjack
Well-known member
clinton supported the decision at the time, as did his wife and virtually all of the Senate Dems. But they were all worried about being out-patrioticised ((c) me) and didn't have the guts to speak up against it. It would've been a very different thing to have made the decision to invade themselves.
Clinton famously rejected the PNAC when they pushed him to invade in 98(?). The links between AQ and Iraq were of course entirely fabricated to suit the neo-cons, so I can't see any reason why Clinton or Gore would've gone in, if it was left up to them.
craner
Beast of Burden
Doesn't seem likely that Gore would've actually invaded Iraq. The question probably wouldn't have even come up to the extent that it did and the containment/smart sanctions Colin Powell doctrine would've certainly remained, for better or worse (I'd say worse). I mean, it was touch or go with Bush for a while. Until about mid-02, after the stunning success in Afghanistan had fully sunk in. August 2002 is generally seen as the point war became a certainty: this is when Cheney started making agressive public pronouncements and the rhetoric started to get silly and extreme: the apex being, of course, that wonderful line, "we don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud." (You what?)
Civilians at DOD pushed the war, but once the decision was made, the whole machine cranked into action behind it. Attendance at the Senate debates was minimal though and the idea that Democratic Senators enthusiastically supported the war is nonsense. There's a pretty good passage on this in the Thomas E. Ricks book, incidentally.
Civilians at DOD pushed the war, but once the decision was made, the whole machine cranked into action behind it. Attendance at the Senate debates was minimal though and the idea that Democratic Senators enthusiastically supported the war is nonsense. There's a pretty good passage on this in the Thomas E. Ricks book, incidentally.
scottdisco
rip this joint please
more Bulgarian wine graphs please
scottdisco
rip this joint please
good lord.
craner
Beast of Burden
Dear Richard absolves himself.
sufi
lala
I wonder - and may the powers of the NWO not butt in at this dearly moment - if we (the US) experiences another terrorist attack that we'll see, once again, the rise of the G.O.P, which, despite the barreling inaccuracy, holds the public's attention as being the part of Defense and Protection. It's worth a thought.
swears
preppy-kei
I was thinking that there are four main scenarios with regard to the American economy and the GOP that could play out by 2012:
a) Stimulus package doesn't work, people blame Obama/Dems, throw 'em out.
b) Stimulus package doesn't work, but economy recovers a bit, Obama does a little "Morning in America" act and gets back in on his charm, Reagan '84 style.
c) Stimulus package doesn't work, but Dems sell themselves as the only people able to deal with this crisis, much like GOP did in '04 with the "war on terror" scare tactics, basically.
d) Stimulus works/economy recovers anyway, Dem landslide, GOP on the ropes for years.
a) Stimulus package doesn't work, people blame Obama/Dems, throw 'em out.
b) Stimulus package doesn't work, but economy recovers a bit, Obama does a little "Morning in America" act and gets back in on his charm, Reagan '84 style.
c) Stimulus package doesn't work, but Dems sell themselves as the only people able to deal with this crisis, much like GOP did in '04 with the "war on terror" scare tactics, basically.
d) Stimulus works/economy recovers anyway, Dem landslide, GOP on the ropes for years.