Mission Accomplished

[disneyfan67]

This little gem come from ABC News.com.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=4773315

Friday's request fills in the details of the $70 billion placeholder that the White House asked for when it sent its budget to Congress in February. The money is for the budget year that begins Oct. 1.

Congressional analysts say Bush's request would bring the total spending since Sept. 11, 2001, to fight terrorism and conduct the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to $875 billion.

The request comes as Democrats on Capitol Hill are struggling to move Bush's pending $108 billion request for the current year. Democratic leaders say they're likely to add the $70 billion for next year to that measure, which would allow them to avoid a politically painful vote on war funding in the heat of campaigning for the November elections.

875 Billion dollars spent so far with neither a clear victory in sight. No UBL captured, Afghanistan is quite the mess, and Iraq is no Disneyland either. Americas borders and ports are still open and not secure as they should be in a post 911 world. America has a huge deficit over this war and our dollar has been weakened by it. We have a military that's stretched thin and needs to be refurbished, countless number of troops maimed for life and will need care til the day they die, and we're better off than we were 5 years ago????

We as a nation were told the Iraq war would be under 60 Billion and all would be well. Greeted as liberators, Iraqis would pay for the own reconstruction, etc, etc. I lost count on how much that was told to us by the current POTUS and his staff, that turned out to be false. How can anyone with a straight face say we're better off than we were 5 years ago, is beyond me. Then when I think it can't get any worse, I see this little ditty below.

"Its easy to blame the person at the helm"

If I can't blame the person in command for the decisions he and his staff made, then who can I blame? Isn't the POTUS the CEO of the country and in his own words, "The Chief decider". I'm sorry if I sound mad, but that bolded statement above is ridiculous.

 

[Disney Von Drake]

Operatives of the USA need to capture or kill Usama bin Laden as quickly as possible. It’s rather intriguing that the full force and power of the U.S. government (including law enforcement and the military both overt and covert) has been unable to find this man.

Usama bin Laden has a $50 million bounty on his head, yet he has not been indicted for the 9/11 attacks. He has been indicted for two U.S. embassy bombings in 1998.

President Bush is asking Congress for $70 billion to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for another year.

I’m proud to be an American.

http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/topten/fugitives/laden.htm

 

[duckfan78]

Yes - but this is a very different war.

How so.



Everyone does realize that the group calling themselves al Qaida in Iraq is a different group than attacked us on 9/11, right?



Can you define "defeat" for a neboulous group like al Qaida in Iraq?



How? If folks are going to say "they will follow us home" they really need to explain what they mean by that. If they have the abilility to come the US and attack, they will do so. Having our troops involved in the Civil War in Iraq isn't stopping them from coming to the US.

Our troops have accomplished their mission in Iraq. Now we are just spending billions and seeing troops die.... for what? Time to start coming home.

Instead of everyone bashing the president, talking bad about our military and that they kill innocent people. For the democrats to smear our military commander in Iraq during hearings at the capital. For everyone in the news media to keep saying..the war is lost. the war is lost. For the majority leader to say the war is lost. Don't you think this adds fuel to the fire for the ones who are attacking our soldiers in Iraq and makes them feel like they are accomplishing something?

It does not matter what they call themselves...they are terrorists in a nation which that is trying to start a democracy of their own. Just because they were not there to begin with does not mean that we just leave the problem. That is like me saying to my wife...well you know, when we first moved into our house, there were no termites...now 5 years later there are...oh well...we should just let them be since they were not here when we moved in.

Websters dictionary sites the word defeat as-to win victory over. It doesn't matter who the enemy is. If you can't believe we can "defeat" them...what do you think we should do?

What more is there to explain? Instead of them using their resources to fight us in Iraq, they bomb our embassies, they bomb our shopping malls, our homes, our busses...right here in the US, as they have up to and including today, have not been able to do.

 

[duckfan78]

This little gem come from ABC News.com.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=4773315




875 Billion dollars spent so far with neither a clear victory in sight. No UBL captured, Afghanistan is quite the mess, and Iraq is no Disneyland either. Americas borders and ports are still open and not secure as they should be in a post 911 world. America has a huge deficit over this war and our dollar has been weakened by it. We have a military that's stretched thin and needs to be refurbished, countless number of troops maimed for life and will need care til the day they die, and we're better off than we were 5 years ago????

We as a nation were told the Iraq war would be under 60 Billion and all would be well. Greeted as liberators, Iraqis would pay for the own reconstruction, etc, etc. I lost count on how much that was told to us by the current POTUS and his staff, that turned out to be false. How can anyone with a straight face say we're better off than we were 5 years ago, is beyond me. Then when I think it can't get any worse, I see this little ditty below.

"Its easy to blame the person at the helm"

If I can't blame the person in command for the decisions he and his staff made, then who can I blame? Isn't the POTUS the CEO of the country and in his own words, "The Chief decider". I'm sorry if I sound mad, but that bolded statement above is ridiculous.

Didn't anyone ever think to blame the insurgents in Iraq, to blame Iran for arming and trainging them? If there was no insurgency, we would have been out of Iraq along time ago.....so then would you applaude the president?

I am just saying it is easy to blame him, why not? everyone else is doing it. I continue to support the president and our military and am proud to be an american, no matter what.

 

[ChrisFL]

Didn't anyone ever think to blame the insurgents in Iraq, to blame Iran for arming and trainging them? If there was no insurgency, we would have been out of Iraq along time ago.....so then would you applaude the president?

I am just saying it is easy to blame him, why not? everyone else is doing it. I continue to support the president and our military and am proud to be an american, no matter what.

I support the military, I cannot support the president for going into a situation that many experts knew could end in chaos. There is a reason why Bush Sr. didn't go all the way to overthrow Saddam, and now we're seeing it all. Why couldn't GWB be halfway as intelligent as his father?

Insurgency in Iraq would have been a possibility that should have been expected...Bush barely understood that there were different groups that didn't want each other to exist.

 

[profdsny]

Instead of everyone bashing the president, talking bad about our military and that they kill innocent people. For the democrats to smear our military commander in Iraq during hearings at the capital. For everyone in the news media to keep saying..the war is lost. the war is lost. For the majority leader to say the war is lost. Don't you think this adds fuel to the fire for the ones who are attacking our soldiers in Iraq and makes them feel like they are accomplishing something?

It does not matter what they call themselves...they are terrorists in a nation which that is trying to start a democracy of their own. Just because they were not there to begin with does not mean that we just leave the problem. That is like me saying to my wife...well you know, when we first moved into our house, there were no termites...now 5 years later there are...oh well...we should just let them be since they were not here when we moved in.

Websters dictionary sites the word defeat as-to win victory over. It doesn't matter who the enemy is. If you can't believe we can "defeat" them...what do you think we should do?

What more is there to explain? Instead of them using their resources to fight us in Iraq, they bomb our embassies, they bomb our shopping malls, our homes, our busses...right here in the US, as they have up to and including today, have not been able to do.

Nothing you say makes the least amount of common sense, but the last paragraph is pure fantasy. You want to support the president along with 30% of the population, fine. You are entitled to your own opinion. You are not entitled to your own set of facts. Which US shopping malls, homes and buses, up to today have been bombed?

 

[lyeag]

Just curious. What are your metrics for "bettter off?"

I have a more comfortable life, more money in the bank, and more money put aside for retirement. I also have more money for things like vacations. Dh and I started out with low paying jobs, and we have worked our way up to a better lifestyle.

BTW Dh is a military officer and I am a teacher. We also have 3 kids.

 

[profdsny]

Honestly? Yes, we are WAY better off than we were 5 years ago. My husband is in the military, and he is getting ready to leave us again in the near future.

Sorry, but how are things better when your husband is getting ready to leave you to report back to Iraq, again?

Updated. You partially just answered my question while I was typing. But, then, according to you, war is the best thing that's happened to you? Did you see the story the other day about the LtCol who was killed? It isn't just the E2s and 3s that are dying. This war then is great because it allows you to save for retirement. You only have to risk your husband to do so.

 

[lyeag]

Sorry, but how are things better when your husband is getting ready to leave you to report back to Iraq, again?

Is it WONDERFUL? No, it is his job. It is a job he is happy to do if he thinks it may keep his son from having to do it someday. It isn't our first separation, nor will it be our last. It is a way of life for us. You don't see me whining on the boards about it very often, unless a major appliance breaks at the wrong time! LOL

We have learned to appreciate the time we have together when we have it. He was in S. Korea for a year, various TDY assignments and one 6 month deployment to Iraq. Our marriage is made stronger. You may think it is the end of the world ,and so may some others, but we get through.

Believe it or not, although he is anxious about his family while he is gone, he isn't upset he is going.

 

[DawnCt1]

Sorry, but how are things better when your husband is getting ready to leave you to report back to Iraq, again?

Updated. You partially just answered my question while I was typing. But, then, according to you, war is the best thing that's happened to you? Did you see the story the other day about the LtCol who was killed? It isn't just the E2s and 3s that are dying. This war then is great because it allows you to save for retirement. You only have to risk your husband to do so.

What an incredibly rude, insensitive and mean thing to say. I am stunned. As a military wife and sister myself, I can assure you that she and myself, and every other family member who loves someone who is deployed is aware of the risks and the benefits. The benefits are knowing that your spouse, brother, etc. is doing something that they believe in and that benefits the country, even if there are segments of the population that just "don't get it".

 

[transparant]

Is it WONDERFUL? No, it is his job. It is a job he is happy to do if he thinks it may keep his son from having to do it someday. It isn't our first separation, nor will it be our last. It is a way of life for us. You don't see me whining on the boards about it very often, unless a major appliance breaks at the wrong time! LOL

We have learned to appreciate the time we have together when we have it. He was in S. Korea for a year, various TDY assignments and one 6 month deployment to Iraq. Our marriage is made stronger. You may think it is the end of the world ,and so may some others, but we get through.

Believe it or not, although he is anxious about his family while he is gone, he isn't upset he is going.

Words can't express how grateful I am lyeag!

 

[lyeag]

Sorry, but how are things better when your husband is getting ready to leave you to report back to Iraq, again?

Updated. You partially just answered my question while I was typing. But, then, according to you, war is the best thing that's happened to you? Did you see the story the other day about the LtCol who was killed? It isn't just the E2s and 3s that are dying. This war then is great because it allows you to save for retirement. You only have to risk your husband to do so.

Yes, I know officers get killed. No, the war isn't the best thing that has happened to us, what an interesting thing to ask. It is his job. He gets paid in times of peace just as he does in war.

I became a widow at the age of 23, and I had a very young child. I know what I am risking, as does my husband. He knows very well the risks he takes. He was prior enlisted, did NG and became an officer, and then volunteered to come back to active service after 9/11. We have no illusions about what he does. What we do have is a great deal of PRIDE.

BTW, I don't ask my husband to risk himself. It has always been his choice. I have no desire to go through the incredible pain of losing a husband again.

 

[transparant]

What an incredibly rude, insensitive and mean thing to say. I am stunned. As a military wife and sister myself, I can assure you that she and myself, and every other family member who loves someone who is deployed is aware of the risks and the benefits. The benefits are knowing that your spouse, brother, etc. is doing something that they believe in and that benefits the country, even if there are segments of the population that just "don't get it".

Dawn - I couldn't agree with you more. I can't believe how rude and insensitive that post is. Our loved one's do believe in what they are doing and that it benefits the country.

That post really hit a nerve with me after spending the weekend with a family that is very close to me who lost their son one year ago in Iraq. He truly believed he was making a difference and so did his family.

 

[transparant]

Yes, I know officers get killed. No, the war isn't the best thing that has happened to us, what an interesting thing to ask. It is his job. He gets paid in times of peace just as he does in war.

I became a widow at the age of 23, and I had a very young child. I know what I am risking, as does my husband. He knows very well the risks he takes. He was prior enlisted, did NG and became an officer, and then volunteered to come back to active service after 9/11. We have no illusions about what he does. What we do have is a great deal of PRIDE.

BTW, I don't ask my husband to risk himself. It has always been his choice. I have no desire to go through the incredible pain of losing a husband again.

You should be proud! Very, very proud.

 

[lyeag]

You should be proud! Very, very proud.

I am very proud of him. Thanks, Heather. BTW, thank you for everything you do.

 

[salmoneous]

That is like me saying to my wife...well you know, when we first moved into our house, there were no termites...now 5 years later there are...oh well...we should just let them be since they were not here when we moved in.

It's like saying 5 years ago there weren't really any termites in a house, but we thought there might be. So we starting doing something we thought would get rid of the termites. Instead, our actions backfired - now the house is crawling with termites. At that point - you STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND TRY SOMETHING ELSE. Invading Iraq didn't get rid of terrorism, it increased it. To deal with that increased terrorism, we shouldn't keep doing the thing that caused it in the first place.

If you can't believe we can "defeat" them...what do you think we should do?

There are certain thing that will never be "defeated". As long as there are evil people, there will be crime and terrorism.

We don't ever talk about "defeating" crime - we try to reduce it, restrict it, lessen the impact etc. We car reduce terrorism, restrict it, lessen it's power, make life difficult for the terrorists, but we can never "defeat" terrorism.

Our troops have done what they can in Iraq. It's time for them to come home. Instead, President Bush insists we keep them there until we have a "victory" that we can never, ever have. Someday we will have leaders that realize this who will take our troops out. How many US Soldiers will be killed, how many will be maimed between now and that day?

Instead of them using their resources to fight us in Iraq, they bomb our embassies, they bomb our shopping malls, our homes, our busses..

So you really think the folks in Iraq have the desire and ability to come to the US and kills us, but are *choosing* not to do so because they would rather fight in Iraq?

they have up to and including today, have not been able to do.

There are lots of things keeping foreign terrorist from executing a major attack on the US. The war in Iraq isn't one of them.

 

[tink_n_pooh]

What an incredibly rude, insensitive and mean thing to say. I am stunned. As a military wife and sister myself, I can assure you that she and myself, and every other family member who loves someone who is deployed is aware of the risks and the benefits. The benefits are knowing that your spouse, brother, etc. is doing something that they believe in and that benefits the country, even if there are segments of the population that just "don't get it".

Thank you Dawn! I can not believe that I read that, wow how incredibly rude

 

[tink_n_pooh]

Nothing you say makes the least amount of common sense, but the last paragraph is pure fantasy. You want to support the president along with 30% of the population, fine. You are entitled to your own opinion. You are not entitled to your own set of facts. Which US shopping malls, homes and buses, up to today have been bombed?

I think you missed the word "not"


The point is that we as Americans need to continue to fight terrorism and to whomever it was that said that we should try to "lessen" all of these terrible things WTH you want to lessen the poison rather than abolish it? Treat the symptoms rather than the disease, weird.

So many things need to change in America and IMHO I think it needs to start with our attitudes and expectations. Everyone is worried about the price of the dollar (rightfully so) but I don't see anyone doing much about it. We have virtually no manufacturing left in this country, why? Because it's cheaper to have it made in China, forget that it's probably full of lead and supporting who knows what they we would never except here... Why is it so expensive to make anything here? Let's start with healthcare, who can afford that? And why is it so expensive - my first in line of fire would be the drug companies and CEO's behind them

I could go on all day about this. Be proud to be an American, I know I am.

 

[ChrisFL]

So you really think the folks in Iraq have the desire and ability to come to the US and kills us, but are *choosing* not to do so because they would rather fight in Iraq?

Haven't you heard? Despite the fact that Al Quaeda is a widely-based organization of highly trained terrorists who have operations all over the world, they've decided to cease all of that and fight in Iraq.

the bombings in other countries can be ignored!

 

[duckfan78]

It's like saying 5 years ago there weren't really any termites in a house, but we thought there might be. So we starting doing something we thought would get rid of the termites. Instead, our actions backfired - now the house is crawling with termites. At that point - you STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND TRY SOMETHING ELSE. Invading Iraq didn't get rid of terrorism, it increased it. To deal with that increased terrorism, we shouldn't keep doing the thing that caused it in the first place.

UMMM..no. It would be the reason we went to Iraq was to defeat Hussien and bring a democracy. /just like we bought the house to live a nice life. HOWEVER....when a problem arises, we must do what we have to do no matter how it happened to fix the problem.

There are certain thing that will never be "defeated". As long as there are evil people, there will be crime and terrorism.

We don't ever talk about "defeating" crime - we try to reduce it, restrict it, lessen the impact etc. We car reduce terrorism, restrict it, lessen it's power, make life difficult for the terrorists, but we can never "defeat" terrorism.

Since I have my degree in Criminal Justice, I tend to take offense to this comment. Everyone who works in the criminal justice system, including police officers, DA's, the military, and others, work to END crime, not to reduce it. We all know its hard to do that, but we do try.


Our troops have done what they can in Iraq. It's time for them to come home. Instead, President Bush insists we keep them there until we have a "victory" that we can never, ever have. Someday we will have leaders that realize this who will take our troops out. How many US Soldiers will be killed, how many will be maimed between now and that day?

Don't you think we should be responsible and make sure that the people of Iraq have a good place to live, without terrorism. I really could care less what people in other countries think of us and our credibility. The last time I checked I was an american. Why cut and run?
So you really think the folks in Iraq have the desire and ability to come to the US and kills us, but are *choosing* not to do so because they would rather fight in Iraq?

I don't think "folks" in Iraq want to come kill us, terrorists there do!

There are lots of things keeping foreign terrorist from executing a major attack on the US. The war in Iraq isn't one of them.

There are lots of things...with that I agree....do you give GWB any credit for the other things?

.