the war is not going great. i agree but bush is still doing the right thing.this would be a just as tough of a job for a dem also.its tough to win when people are bombing citizens.we fight them now or we wait til they get nuclear weapons.you choose,if you choose to wait then we loose millions in a nuclear bomb.i dont understand people against the war.they act like we should take iran and n.korea word that they will dismantle.the dems will not pull out of iraq. they are "playing" the dem voters just to get elected and when they do they will stay in iraq. wouldn't that piss you leftys off big time. ha!ha!ha!

The Dems will pull us out of Iraq; if they won't then we'll elect Dems who will.

Your argument about the nuclear bomb is pretty stupid on its face. Iraq never had WMD; they weren't anywhere near having WMD; and we knew it (well, those of us who were paying attention knew it) at the time.

While we have been stuck in Iraq, TWO countries have made leaps and bounds toward acquiring the bomb. Bush did NOTHING to stop this, and it probably wouldn't have happened had he not shown such an open disdain for diplomacy, international affairs, and focusing on real, actual threats. Unfortunately, thanks to Bush's war of choice in Iraq, we have no resources - military strength, political or financial capital, or goodwill - left to combat the proliferation of weapons.

Why on earth do you think that allowing more young men and women to die in Iraq will do anything to solve the proliferation problem? I'm really asking.

As for Aaron's actualy post - Wolfowitz' latest stunt is just one example in the overall pattern of corruption in the Bush culture. Say what y'all want about "Republicrats" - this Republican is worse than we've seen since Ulysses S. Grant. It's no wonder we have a whole new generation of robber barons.

matt- we will wait and see dont hold your breath. the dems promised all kinds of things they were going to get done within the first 100 days. nothing yet!! the dems dont have a plan.saddam killed thousands with his yellow cake and most people with half a brain know what was left was shipped to syria.wakeup !!palosi is your big leader.she made a fool out of herself in syria. clinton gave in to n. korea in the 90's by giving them millions of dollars. n.korea then laughed all the way to the bank.your just a braindead lefty acting like you care about the solders. so what ever - all you people against the war,we will just let them have nuclear bombs and if you think 3100 solders is something to whine about we will have millions dead in a nuclear war. the dems are struggleing allready!! ha!,ha! you guys are waisting your vote on the war issue w/ the dems.

side note-- what do we have here. schumer a democrat wants to take tax paper dollars and help people that bit off more than they could chew w/ arms mortgages.most dont know how to manage money and that is why they are in the spot they are in today. great leaders-- instead of teaching people how to manage money they make them worse off by handing them money. morons!!

cary,

Tell me something: how is the war fixing anything? You act like success in the war in Iraq will end the nuclear arms race. Well what happens when the kids in Iraq whose parents have been killed by U.S. troops grow up and seek retaliation? This is to say nothing about the able-bodied Iraqis who can take action today. How is the U.S. doing anything but adding fuel to the anti-American fire? Aren't the U.S. government's interventionist, empire-building policies what got us into this mess in the first place?

neal, you guys dont get it!! even hillary is back and forth. she just wants your vote. you guys say you will vote out the dems for another dem. that will be to late because everyone will be sick of dems and we will go back to a republican or even better a independent.get out there and tell the dems to get something done.like some of there promises.they control the house and senate and they still do not want to pass anything.this is what your vote got u!!

cary,

Hate to burst your bubble, but I'm not going to be voting for any dems in the 2008 election nor did I vote for any dems in this past election. What's the point? Dems and 'pubs are but two sides of the same coin. I put faith in neither.

You say I "don't get it", but you didn't answer a single question I posed. Quit trying to change the subject. Explain the reasoning behind your beliefs.

Cary,

Did you really just cite the yellow cake to me??? The yellow cake thing was a total lie - that's been proven and re-proven. It was the exposure of the yellow cake lies that led Dick Cheney and his ilk to expose Valerie Plame - as retaliation against the guy who said it was a lie!

How on earth will keeping soldiers in Iraq solve nuclear proliferation??

The Dems did a lot in the first 100 hours, but the most significant thing they've done is the withdrawal timetables. Bush will probably veto it, but that's okay. Everyone knows who stands where.

The rest of your invective just sounds like hysterical party line crap to me. Half of it's been dis-proved; the other half just sounds incoherent.

Cary, your arguments are so off base as to be non-sensical.

The greatest factor in nuclear proliferation in the past 50 years was the ring of A.Q. Khan, a Pakistani scientist, who distributed nuclear technology to North Korea among others.

But since Pakistan is our ally (for now), when Musharaff did nothing but pardon Khan and put him under house arrest, we did nothing.

The U.S.'s approach to nuclear non-proliferation, if genuine, is so hypocritical and inneffectual as to be a complete joke.

Strategically speaking, I think it is obvious what we're really doing over there is attempting to control the flow and supply of oil, and keep the dollarzone covering as much of the globe as possible.

Besides, with the rates of depletion in oil that are going on now, the Middle East actually does need nuclear power. But there's nothing they (e.g. Iran) can do to "convince" the Bush regime that they plan to use it peacefully.

And by the way we have recently moved to increase India's ability to produce military-grade nuclear byproducts, un-monitored, hence accelerating the nuclear arms race between them and Pakistan. Non-proliferation indeed...

we fight them now or we wait til they get nuclear weapons.you choose,if you choose to wait then we loose millions in a nuclear bomb.

In the history of nuclear warfare, which country has actually detonated a nuke? Twice?

they act like we should take iran and n.korea word that they will dismantle.the dems will not pull out of iraq.

Can any other country take the USA at it's word that it won't invade them?

I don't know about you, but I don't think we are hearing the WHOLE story. There has got to be more to it than what is being reported. It's just too simple for the huge world wide UN linked bureaucracy involved. The World Bank is notorious for it's corruption; this would be a comparative minor infraction to some of the other stuff that goes on there. WSJ has an interesting article in the opinion area, but I don't necessarily believe them either. For some reason I just don't trust the media... or the govt.

i dont have enough time to comment to all you guys but i think as soon as iran get the bomb they will use it against isreal. neal, the war is not fixing anything.we will have to fight them sooner or later.you guys act like going around and begging n. kor. and iran not to build nukes is the answer.everyone here needs to explain to me what should be done.you guys know what to do.now i want to hear.dont blabber on now give me some real answers. matthaus--- saddam killed his own people up north right. the kurds. what did he kill them with?

neal, i think if the iraqs wanted us to leave they would have told us so. the kurds are doing good up north. what should we do leave and let the kill each other. neal, the us has done a pretty good jod at keeping your ass alive. what more do you want.

hey js290, if we left all the dictators to do what they want do you think would happen? you act like usa likes going around dropping nukes. tell me pleeaassee what you would do if you were prez when 911 happened.

aaron, ok so the iran prez said israel needed to be wiped off the face of the earth.i dont think he said bomb in the same sentence but i think everyone knew what he thought. what do you think he will use a pack of fire crackers? you guys cry about our problems but what are your ideas about solveing the worlds problems? what have the dems done in the past? clinton paid off n.korea and theyed laughed all the way to the bank.i am not sticking up for the repubs, i think they are no better than the dems. i say the usa should leave the middle east and if any middle east country wants us to stay they come out and say on tv for the world to see. then i think isreal'e should leave israel and give the land back the who ever it belongs to. then we let them solve thier own problems.

aarone, i understand this is your blog but can u make it more fair and balanced w/ the stuff you post. admitt it the dems are not perfect. they screw up and we should be commenting on thier mistakes also. just think you guys if you did not have me you would be spewing negs to each other.everyone is entitled to thier own opinion incuding me and you.i dont like wars and i think one soldier killed is to many but what do we do. explain to me how you would solve the problems.

js290, i need you to explain how we solve the worlds problems? please

just so everyone knows, i dont need anyone on "my side". i can handle all you guys its just a lot of typeing.

matthaus, what are the dates set by the dems for the troop pullouts? what else did they do? did they raise the min. wage . thats good i like to see people make money but it will create inflation,then more rate hikes,then a recession. we are heading for stagflation now so i feel sorry for the dems should they get elected.

Cary,

Boy, it's hard to figure out to begin with you, there are so many possibilities.

I'll just say that I find your assumption the US should "fix the world's problems" to be ridiculous. If even we could exercise such power competently (and I think the record shows we cannot), what makes you even think we can afford it?

Are you aware that we have more than $11 trillion dollars of public debt in this country, more than half of which was added in the past 5-6 years? Are you aware that the continuance of this relies on a bunch of "enemies" being nice and recycling deficit dollars back into our economy?

No, you probably aren't, because to you it is just "someone else's money".

This kind of thinking brought us Vietnam and then one or two decades of inflation and other assorted financial misery. People like you are why we're doing a "two-fer".

aaron, you are a bush hater thats all.tell me what you think bush or/and the future dems should do. what would you do if you were prez. if you cannot reply then you then you truely are a bush hater. i am not saying the usa should fix the worlds problems. i now the debt is over 11 tril. and i dont like it.i dont like the fact that buch is spending this kind of when we should it to rebuild our own country. and i know that the dollar is not worth the paper its printed on.the politictions are moving towards the "amero" and the dollar will be a memory.there is no gold standard so they just print.who is our enemy china? they are buying our debt just to keep the currency low for the trade advantage. what is the answer aaron? how do we keep the world from killing each other and at the same time not gett involved.

Cary, in as best order as I can manage:

Saddam gassed the Kurds with nerve gas that the U.S. sold him. Fewer people died per day under Hussein than are dying per day now.

Iran and North Korea accelerated their nuclear tests because they say how whimsically the U.S. was willing to go to war. And when you say "fighting THEM over there" you're acting as though a) "them" refers to this monolithic group of people and b) we're doing anything other than strengthening their resolve. All we're doing is recruiting more America haters over there. No amount of violence is going to solve that problem.

Additionally, if we weren't stuck in a quagmire, and if we hadn't pissed away every ounce of goodwill and political capital for the next ten years, we might have had something to use against N. Korea and Iran. As it is, all we can do is sit helplessly while George Bush allows more states to go nuclear, and while he creates more and more incentive for the Middle East finally to unite against us.

The minimum wage may cause some inflation, but it still gives the lowest paid workers more buying power. The wage increases faster than the inflation it causes. Your theory assumes that because the minimum wage increases by 5% (or whatever), inflation does too. But other costs remain fixed at their pre-hike levels; so while the minimum wage may cause some inflation, it's still a net gain of buying power. Plus, I'm just tired of the Republicans treating working families like they don't matter. If the Republicans really want to get control over inflation, maybe they should re-regulate the banks so that they don't get caught in this sub-prime lending debacle again.

matthaus saddam was pretty much allie to the usa but when he turned into a dictator he used it on his own people.i am still waiting for you to explain what you would do to solve the worlds problems. no comment means you just want to whine and spew negs. if businesss are paying out more for wages they will add it in on the other end.bush wanted to rewrite the tax code so people on the lower end dont even pay any taxes which would be great. they could not even get that done.whether it was the dems or the repubs fauld i dont know but both parties dont want to see each other get credit for anything so nothing gets done. on top of reregulating the banks they should force them to rewrite the bad loans at the banks expense. not the taxpayer!! next!!

aaron, you are a bush hater thats all.

Seems like you are taking this pretty personally.

Yes, I am a Bush hater, but I don't see how that is a direct response to any of the points I made.

I hate Bush because he's a fraud and a failure. He earned my hate.

tell me what you think bush or/and the future dems should do. what would you do if you were prez. if you cannot reply then you then you truely are a bush hater.

First of all I'm not a Democrat nor do I support them in particular so I don't give much of a rat's ass what they do. I wish Bush and more or less the entire current regime of politicians from both parties would get lost, post-haste. They'll never install any rationally-based solutions; they're too entrenched in a dysfunctional system that actually selects for the craven and depraved.

Now, did you think you were going to call my bluff with a "challenge" like this? Without going into an entire political platform in a single discussion post, I think that (near-term) the US should abolish the Fed, repeal anything that conflicts with the Constitution and Bill of Rights, dramatically scale back the military (and de-Federalize the national guard) including requiring declarations of war from congress, outlaw direct taxes, abolish the department of education and most financial regulatory bodies (which do more damage than benefit), and eliminate all forms of welfare (both corporate and individual).

Read Harry Browne's "Why Government Doesn't Work" for more, and as many Ron Paul essays as you can. I'm not going to duplicate their arguments in full to the ignorant.

i am not saying the usa should fix the worlds problems. i now the debt is over 11 tril. and i dont like it.i dont like the fact that buch is spending this kind of when we should it to rebuild our own country.

So you know about it, but you don't see the connection to funding all these grand global and domestic social engineering schemes...

how do we keep the world from killing each other and at the same time not gett involved.

We could start by not adding our own violent force and intervention to the mix. How often do you actually go out of your way to harm someone that never did any violence to you? Not often, at least not compared to seeking retribution against those who have.

Every example you bring up of where we should "intervene" can be traced to recent-past foolhardy intervention by our government. Don't you see the pattern here?

I would love to know what your suggestion is regarding Iran. Should we invade them? If so, with what troops?

Should we bomb them? If so, what do you think will happen to our economy when they embargo oil (and output falls) and it hits $200/barrel?

The US is simply not capable of re-making the world, by force, into the image it (meaning the ruling regime, and certain citizens) wants.

I don't have to convince you. You'll learn that lesson the hard way.

if we left all the dictators to do what they want do you think would happen?

They probably start invading countries that threatened their currency.

i need you to explain how we solve the worlds problems?

The govt solves the "worlds" problems just like the mob...

"aaron, you are a bush hater thats all."

I'm still amazed that there are otherwise intelligent people running around thinking that the only reason anybody criticizes the Bush administration, is because they personally hate George Bush.

This in a thread about Wolfowitz involved in a corruption scandal that he does not even have the moral compass to realize is corruption.

Whatever.

You're actually going to sit there with a straight face and tell me I can't criticize Bush for being an idiot until I come up with a way to solve the world's problems?

How about we start with not making existing problems worse. Occupying a Middle Eastern country who posed very little threat to U.S. security (no WMD; no allies; no money), while pissing away every ounce of strength the country USED to have vis-a-vis the REAL threats (Iran, N. Korea), was a fantastically stupid move that only the most zealous Bush apologists (to wit, you) could defend.

Cary, please tell me one example of Iran or North Korea cooperating MORE on nonproliferation as a result of our occupation of Iraq.

And don't get me started on Bush's tax schemes. The tax plan you're referring to would have benefited only a few hundred poor families while simultaneously stripping away Medicare and granting even bigger tax cuts to the wealthy. That would bankrupt public schools, etc. No one takes Bush seriously when he talks about protecting the poor.

On a final note, your "come on I can take all of you" nonsense is getting really annoying. Everyone's given you a pass so far on your apparent inability to string together a gramatically correct sentence, and I promise we'll continue to do so as long as you stop being so smarmy.

aarone, you say you are not a dem but i never see any blogs when the dems screw up.when i see it i will believe and take my word back. i dont have anything aganst you.like i said ,everyones entitled to thier own opinion.on iran i think we should not do any trade what so ever w/ them. we should not invade them. iraq would be a success if they could all get along.i agree, if they cant get along its time to get out and let them deal w/ thier own problems. hope for the best thats all.i agree w/ most stuff you would like to see done in the world but we need some welfare. some people truely need help while many are to lazy and want a hand out.

js290, thats not a good enough reply. i know you have a few good ideas.i am not totalally agaist everything you say. you just might teach me something. really!!

matthaus, you can call bush what ever you want to but at least give a reason and explain what you would do if you were in his shoes. i think hes made mistakes but hes been handed some big challenges.he was only prez for a short time when 911 happened.911 is just a carry over from the first bombing in i think 1993. clinton was around then. clinton failed at solving the problems so we ended up w/911. we will be fighting w/ the middle until isreals leave isreal and give the land back to who ever it belongs to. iran and n. kor. are not cooperating on nukes.maybe n.k. a little now but i still think both are buying time just to build thier bombs.what does n.k. need big bombs for. china is their allie. if bushs tax schemes
where a scheme then its the dems fault for not
explaining it to the people the good and bad parts
including a solution.even with my bad spelling i make more sense than you.

Cary, I've answered that question ad nauseum, but just to make it plain: either we should have never threatened Iraq with invasion, or we should have called off the invasion once Iraq opened its doors to UN inspectors, which they did the week before the invasion commenced. There was some argument for Bush threatening to invade Iraq because it was not complying with UN agreements; but once they did, there was no rationale for invading.

But we did; we found nothing; and all we can do now is watch while scores of Iraqis and Americans are killed every day in the chaos that Bush and Rumsfeld created. Al-Qaeda's response? Absolute glee. According to Reuters, Al-Qaeda now uses destabilized Iraq as a training ground. In their words, George Bush has created for them a "university of terror." http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSL1744453120070417