Joe wrote:
> Michael Johnson > wrote in
> :
>
>> Joe wrote:
>>> Michael Johnson > wrote in
>>> :
>>>
>>>> Joe wrote:
>>>>> Michael Johnson > wrote in
>>>>> :
>>>>>
>>>>> <major snippage>
>>>>>
>>>>>> It is going to take some MAJOR breakdown in our way of life before
>>>>>> the population gets off its collective ass and makes real change
>>>>>> happen. By then the Democrats and, to a lesser extent, the
>>>>>> Republicans may have us screwed so bad there are no alternatives
>>>>>> left. Either way we are getting EXACTLY what we deserve for being
>>>>>> so apathetic for decades. I wouldn't blame the younger people if
>>>>>> they just told all the Baby Boomers that when they retire they
>>>>>> will be euthanized since they squandered all the money that was to
>>>>>> go toward their retirement costs.
>>>>> Saw an interview with Andrew J. Bacevich last night on Bill Moyers'
>>>>> Journal on PBS. Absolutely riveting, and that's not an
>>>>> exaggeration.
>>>>>
>>>>> Bacevich is highly accredited and tells the real story - he is
>>>>> right on the money IMO.
>>>>>
>>>>> Here's a preview of what he's all about:
>>>>> http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/08152008/profile.html
>>>> It sounds interesting. I agree that our biggest threats come from
>>>> within our own borders and I'll go even further and say they come
>>>> from the very politicians we elect to solve our problems. It
>>>> wouldn't take them more than a year to pass all the legislation
>>>> needed to right the ship. It will take years to actually make it
>>>> happen but to set the framework for it would be easy. I think there
>>>> needs to be a fundamental change in our political structure and it
>>>> needs to start with term limits. I think career politicians are
>>>> killing this country.
>>> Bacevich knows what he's talking about. Here's a brief bio on him:
>>> http://www.bu.edu/ir/faculty/bacevich.html
>>>
>>> Here's an interesting article he wrote last month for the Boston
>>> Globe:
>>>
> http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ed.../articles/2008
>>> /07/01/what_bush_hath_wrought/
>> I don't agree with all his assessments in this article. I'm not a
>> water carrier for Bush these days but some of the things he bashes
>> Bush on in that article are yet to be determined. As time passes the
>> real benefit or folly of the Iraq war will be known. A talking head
>> just can't say whether it was, or wasn't, worth the expense at this
>> point in time. I don't know much about this guy but reading that
>> article didn't do must to impress me with his insight on foreign
>> affairs. He seems a little too biased. He made too many statements
>> of fact when all the facts aren't known at this juncture.
>>
>> Iraq could very well turn out like Vietnam. When one looks at Vietnam
>> in and of itself it wasn't a war worth fighting. When put into
>> context with the overall goal of stopping the expansion of communism,
>> opinions as to its worth change. Had the USSR been allowed to expand
>> their influence unchecked we might have a very different world. The
>> same can be applied to the radical Islamics today. If they are
>> allowed to run unchecked we might be facing a dire situation 25, 50 or
>> 100 years from now. No one, and I repeat NO ONE, knows whether the
>> decision to invade and transform Iraq to a more Western political
>> ideology was a worthwhile endeavor. It is way too early to tell.
>> When I read this guy stating unequivocally that the Iraq war was a
>> mistake it makes me think he has too high an opinion of his mental
>> prowess.
>>
>>> To date, nobody else has professed more sobering ideas than Bacevich
>>> IMO. Unfortunately, it will take a radical mindset change in America
>>> before we see real change such as he describes.
>> The guy has some good ideas from a domestic standpoint but like most
>> talking heads, he is far from having all the answers to our problems.
>> Thanks for the heads-up on him though. It never hurts to get all
>> sides of the argument.
>
> After watching the piece 60 minutes did tonight on Valerie Plame, I'm
> more convinced than ever that the Bush administration should and will be
> thought of as one of the more corrupt and irresponsible administrations
> in history. If nothing else, it proves that politics in the 21st
> century is most definitely out of control, and the current
> administration is right at the forefront.

IMO, the Plame case was them looking for their 15 minutes of fame. They
tried to do everything possible to stay in the spotlight. There was
probably a money angle in it for them. The Plame investigation was the
Democrats version of the Kenneth Star investigation except it never got
as much traction. The only thing that came from it was Scooter Libby's
perjury conviction that had nothing to do with the original
investigation. Plus, I don't look to CBS, ABC, NBC etc. to provide
unbiased news or reporting.

I have no doubt that Bush sold the war to the public, Congress and the
world, in general. Then again all wars have to be sold in this country.
IMO, what we have today is a bunch of Monday morning quarterbacks
whining about being duped and/or using this issue to score political
hits. The reality is the overwhelming majority of people whining now
bought into it and went right along with Bush. Then when things got
dicey they bailed and started revising history to make themselves look
like prophets. Now that Iraq is stabilizing they are running back the
other way. We won't know if the Iraq war was worthwhile for another two
decades, if not longer.

> Bacevich certainly has an ax to grind; his son was killed in Iraq.

This explains his tone. It also requires a footnote be placed on his
statements. Things like this cloud people's judgment and can skew their
thought process.

> However, all his ideas are based on factual history. He's certainly one
> of the most respected and knowledgable people that have spoken on these
> issues, and what he says makes the most sense to me out of anybody I've
> heard to date.

From what little I have read I respect his domestic ideas more than his
geopolitical ones.