Quote:
Originally Posted by Beemnseven
Would you agree that Barack Obama won the presidency chiefly because of voter discontent over the war? There were a number of factors that led to his victory, no doubt. But in my mind, at the top of the list was Iraq. Polls were running heavily against the war by the 2008 election -- and the Republican response? Nominate a man who suggested we might be there "a hundred" more years.
|
Agreed here. The GOP and the Bush Admin didn't effectively communicate on Iraq, the American people don't have the patience for a conflict like this, and McCain was certainly a less than stellar candidate.
Quote:
|
As defiant as conservatives accuse the democrats of being with regard to health care, the GOP was just as defiant in the face of public opinion about the war in Iraq.
|
The difference here is that once the decision to go to Iraq was made, it was a requirement to win. No going back until Iraq was stabilized. The GOP had to be defiant and complete the job or it would've been disaster for our foreign policy and the safety of U.S. citizens long-term. Regardless of the politcal consequences.
The Dems hadn't completed the Obaminationcare bill, they could've pulled back, made concessions, etc. I even did the math, in a post earlier in this thread I believe, just giving a tax credit or voucher for the uninusred would've been dramatically more cost effective and kept the fed control out of the system. But to your post below, and I agree 100% this isn't about health care, it's about the left in this country making a larger voting block more dependent on gov't and solidifying themselves as the Politboru
Quote:
|
Assuming everything comes up roses in Iraq -- and that's an awfully big "if" -- would it be worth it if the price we had to pay was a Marxist in the White House who paved the way for nationalized health care?
|
Knowing what we know now, considering the devestating effect this Admin & Congress are having on the National Debt and the economy, considering the long-term damage to our foreign policy, and the erosion of personal liberty & freedoms with the HC law just the beginning (if the GOP doesn't regain control of at least the House or Senate in Nov.) then the answer is absolutely not.
Bush should've made a top priority to rebuild the HUMINT component of our intel services in the Middle East and use covert ops to keep Saddam under wraps until hard evidence of WMDs or nukes was uncovered.