“You have to join the side you’re on.”
Midge Decter
The EU
Google says the EU requires a notice of cookie use (by Google) and says they have posted a notice. I don't see it. If cookies bother you, go elsewhere. If the EU bothers you, emigrate. If you live outside the EU, don't go there.
Do we believe Bush said it or do we believe that what he said was in fact truth?
My response is a clear "yes" on both counts. Pre-campaign preening aside, the core truths in his position statement then are true today, and yet, we continue to try to police the world with no national goal in mind.
As one pundit put it, the Department of Defense is misnamed and thus, the mission mis-defined. We have defended America in years. Instead, we have used the American military as a power projection tool and with that in mind, were we to be honest with ourselves...and the American taxpayer.....it should be the Department of Offense...but then...."Offense" is so..well..."offensive."
I noted with extreme interest in this weeks Air and Space Review that we have been training Afghan aircrews to fly Soviet Hind helicopters...and that soon their training will be finished and we will send the crews and the TWO Hinds to Afghanistan so that they can fight the war more efficiently. TWO??? The entire point of the story is ludicrous and laughable. When you count rotations and extra-theater support, we have hundreds of aircraft and over 100,000 American military personnel involved in Afghanistan....and we are giving them TWO helicopters. Isn't this a bit disingenuous...and more than akin to sending a flea up an elephant's leg with sex on its mind?
I believe it, but obviously don't have an ounce of faith that anyone in America's political officer structure share that faith.
Whether or not Bush said it is beside the point. Actions speak louder than words and, in my opinion, Bush's actions were never his own. Not prior to the election (this statement reflected here was a crafted opinion for him) and certainly not after 9-11 (when Cheney and gang took over).
But we all know what is said about opinions.......
I agree with Ron's assessment. AND, as we know, what a candidate says, and what a President does are two different things. Cheney was/is the dark force in the Bush Presidency, and that is most evident in the post-Presidency years when Bush went back to the ranch and was essentially not heard from again, while Cheney stayed in his beloved Beltway and won't shut up.
Political philosophy aside, both Cheney and Obama have massive insatiable egos and do not suffer disagreement with them. Cheney has a long reputation for making people go away for not going with him.
4 comments:
Do we believe Bush said it or do we believe that what he said was in fact truth?
My response is a clear "yes" on both counts. Pre-campaign preening aside, the core truths in his position statement then are true today, and yet, we continue to try to police the world with no national goal in mind.
As one pundit put it, the Department of Defense is misnamed and thus, the mission mis-defined. We have defended America in years. Instead, we have used the American military as a power projection tool and with that in mind, were we to be honest with ourselves...and the American taxpayer.....it should be the Department of Offense...but then...."Offense" is so..well..."offensive."
I noted with extreme interest in this weeks Air and Space Review that we have been training Afghan aircrews to fly Soviet Hind helicopters...and that soon their training will be finished and we will send the crews and the TWO Hinds to Afghanistan so that they can fight the war more efficiently. TWO??? The entire point of the story is ludicrous and laughable. When you count rotations and extra-theater support, we have hundreds of aircraft and over 100,000 American military personnel involved in Afghanistan....and we are giving them TWO helicopters. Isn't this a bit disingenuous...and more than akin to sending a flea up an elephant's leg with sex on its mind?
I believe it, but obviously don't have an ounce of faith that anyone in America's political officer structure share that faith.
Yup, we're a power projection tool and also a humanitarian/democracy development/nation-building tool.
Admiral Mullen was just making that point this weekend -- let's not pretend that the military is 100% all about closing with and engaging the enemy.
That's still the core of what combat arms is all about, but being a member of today's armed services goes WAY beyond that.
It's diplomacy, it's airlift, it's logistics, it's humanitarian aid, it's advising foreign armies, and yes, it's also kinetic at times.
Whether or not Bush said it is beside the point. Actions speak louder than words and, in my opinion, Bush's actions were never his own. Not prior to the election (this statement reflected here was a crafted opinion for him) and certainly not after 9-11 (when Cheney and gang took over).
But we all know what is said about opinions.......
I agree with Ron's assessment. AND, as we know, what a candidate says, and what a President does are two different things. Cheney was/is the dark force in the Bush Presidency, and that is most evident in the post-Presidency years when Bush went back to the ranch and was essentially not heard from again, while Cheney stayed in his beloved Beltway and won't shut up.
Political philosophy aside, both Cheney and Obama have massive insatiable egos and do not suffer disagreement with them. Cheney has a long reputation for making people go away for not going with him.
Post a Comment