Russian military leaders have expressed concern about US plans
for a national missile defense system. Will defense technology be
limited by possibilities for a strategic imbalance? Is this just SDI
all over again?
He's losing his grip on Japan, as well. And relations aren't what
they were with India --- and some Austrialians, I hear, are losing
respect for the United States. The guy has confidence, and some like
his smile. People tend to follow a leader leaving it to the
leader to make decisions and trusing them unless there are
real reasons to re-evaluate.
Only problem is that, most times, especially in foreign policy,
this guy gets it wrong.
I don't think it is stupidity -- I think only corruption explains
the pattens we are seeing.
An essentially treasonous disregard for the welfare of the United
States seems to lie behind many of G.W. Bush's most essential
actions.
Combined with something close to total disregard for the
interests of other people in the world.
* * * * * *
But perhaps I'm misunderstanding something. Perhaps Bush is
acting in the real national interest. Perhaps someone, (Safire
perhaps) might enlighten me about Bush's good faith?
cookiess0
- 01:16pm Apr 30, 2001 EST (#2808
of 2818)
rshowalter - 01:12pm Apr 30, 2001 EST (#2807 of 2807)
History indicates that weapons only become banned when a new and
more powerfull weapon is created. History shows the persuit of
banning nuclear weapons is not a very realistic option.
rshowalter
- 01:23pm Apr 30, 2001 EST (#2809
of 2818) 
Robert Showalter
showalte@macc.wisc.edu
April 30, 2001, Op.Ed. ESSAY Syndrome Returns by
WILLIAM SAFIRE http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/30/opinion/30SAFI.html
" Partly to avoid late-hitting charges of
individual brutalization and atrocity, military planners are
banishing close combat in favor of long-range missiles and smart
bombs from 15,000 feet. War by remote control means that more
civilians may die but less guilt will be felt."
What does this say about the value the US military places on the
death of people who are not Americans?
One can also point out that our long range missiles and smart
bombs aren't so "smart" - and aren't much smarter than they were in
the Iraq war -- for fundamental reasons. When you look at the
performance our weapons actually have, the fantasy-fraud of StarWars
becomes evident.
Safire goes on:
" Some Vietnam heroes in the Senate condemn
that conflict even as they forgive Kerrey and his team any
possible transgression in the fog of war. Are there no
voices left, after that costly loss of human life, to reject the
Syndrome's humiliating accusation of national arrogance — and to
recall a noble motive? ( emphasis added)
I'll acknowledge the "noble motive" - from one perspective -- but
not forget the 2 million N. Korean civilians killed by fire bombing,
the millions dead in Vietnam, and our agressive threat behavior with
respect to nuclear weapons -- which continues to this day.
As I've said before, I've been known to vote Republican, and if
McCain or Powell had been running last time, I would have voted
Republican in preference to Gore. But our nuclear policy, in this
administration, has much to be said against it.
And the missile defense initiative is a fraud -- looking at it
carefully, Menken's phrase
"as devoid of merit as a herringfish is of fur"
seems to apply.
guytarget
- 01:24pm Apr 30, 2001 EST (#2810
of 2818)
Emmit Fitzhume? Austin Millbarge? Has anyone seen "Spies Like
Us"? President Bush is a moron, and I think we can all agree on
that. I just hope after all this when we have to play the Russians
in Trivial Pursuit to save the world he's not the one who's
answering the questions.
cookiess0
- 01:26pm Apr 30, 2001 EST (#2811
of 2818)
He's losing his grip on Japan, as well. And " Rrosh,
Is "HE" really?
I think not. While the president has a high degree of power, it
is highly focused power. You would be hard pressed to maintain that
Bush in his limited time in office created such events (and I myself
dislike bush). America is a period of flux due to the transition
from bipolarity to mulitpolarity. In short the circles of power are
expanding. This is a natural chain of events. Power ebbs and flows.
The short period of bipolycentrism is now entering into
mulitpolarity (some as myself argue multipolarity has been around
since Nov 1990-but hey-the russians were a nation in decline-with
influence so bipolycentrism can be also said to start then-and end
soon thereafter
withington2
- 01:27pm Apr 30, 2001 EST (#2812
of 2818)
In all of the seemingly eloquent arguments for or against Missile
defense I hear nothing of the obvious reasons that Dubya is pursuing
this avenue. It has become painfully obvious to almost every other
country in the world that This man has set out from his first day in
office to revive industries closely tied to his Father and His
political careers. He has set out to ignore things such as
reductions in Nuclear Arsenals in exchange for giving billions of
taxpayer dollars to political doner companies. He has also ignored
environmental issues that the rest of the world is working on in
favor of lining the pockets of his cronies. Dwbya also is attempting
to appoint as Ambassador to the UN John D. Negroponte who was one of
the men responsible for misinforming and lying to Congress about
American involvement in Central America during the early eighties.
Negroponte was chastised by the UN for his propaganda and denial of
the existence of death squads in Central America which allowed these
Death Squads to function unchecked for years resulting in the deaths
of thousands of civilians, not to mention a few priests and nun's
Wake up people!!!!
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