while I'm finding other photo's of his....he has often told me that he is PROUD of what he is doing there and that he WOULD do it again!!!!
He has a 5 year old son and is married.......I have talked to his son and his son is EXTREMELY PROUD of his dad.....His little boy understands what his dad is doing......
My buddy Shaun is proud to be a soldier and would do it all over again because he understands the FREEDOM is not FREE...and that sometimes even if its shitty that he needs to be one of those that needs to stand up for others that can't stand up for themselves.........
(better man then me....is one reason I respect him and look up to him as a person)(even if I disagree with him not being around for his kid....but he knows his FAMILY is there for his wife and kid).
The Michael Moores and MoveOns and Al Frankens of the world would still have you believe that nothing good has happened in Iraq, that it is a quagmire, Vietnam, blah blah blah.
it is people like you calling Iraq a quagmire that is encouraging the insurgents.
yea...that's it...the insurgents don't care about the army in Iraq, they care about some guy on the internet saying that Bush is fucking up...if we all just start saying that everything is going peachy keen over there (regardless of what is actually happening over there), the insurgents will give up.
I said people like him, that includes you crabs. The attitude of people like you are encouraging the terrorists to kill more people. Some of the blood is on your hands.
No. Horseshit is just about every thought you post.
Bush is encouraging the terrorists.
See, like I said you post horseshit.
That's what happens when you invade sovereign countries and say "bring it on!
It was dictatorship and the UN had deemed them in violation of the sanctions. Like I said all you post is horseshit. You are fool. This is a war and it had to be fought.
first of all, you would have to explain exactly what terrorists you are refering to, since I doubt all terrorist consider the same things.
O.K fine, the insurgents in Iraq. Specifically the followers of Muhtada Al Sadr and Zarchawi. Do you think they monitor press and public opinions?
You aren't going to get the answers you want until you learn how to ask an intelligent question.
No, that was a very intelligent question. And it's perfectly legit to ask if they monitor our media and perception. It's your response and lack thereof that's not only ignorant and evasive because you cannot answer honestly.
Do you think Americans follow the weather patterns of southern Italy?
Oh, now there's an intelligent question. Well Crabs, do we have plans to kill a bunch of Italians? Do we have a plan to fly planes into the tower of Pisa?
We need to turn the page and make a fresh start in Iraq.
First, the President has to get the promised international support so our men and women in uniform don’t have to go it alone. It is late; the President must respond by moving this week to gain and regain international support.
 Last spring, after too many months of resistance and delay, the President finally went back to the U.N. which passed Resolution 1546. It was the right thing to do – but it was late.
That resolution calls on U.N. members to help in Iraq by providing troops... trainers for Iraq’s security forces... a special brigade to protect the U.N. mission... more financial assistance... and real debt relief.ÂÂ
Three months later, not a single country has answered that call. And the president acts as if it doesn’t matter.
And of the $13 billion previously pledged to Iraq by other countries, only $1.2 billion has been delivered.
The President should convene a summit meeting of the world’s major powers and Iraq’s neighbors, this week, in New York, where many leaders will attend the U.N. General Assembly. He should insist that they make good on that U.N. resolution. He should offer potential troop contributors specific, but critical roles, in training Iraqi security personnel and securing Iraq’s borders. He should give other countries a stake in Iraq’s future by encouraging them to help develop Iraq’s oil resources and by letting them bid on contracts instead of locking them out of the reconstruction process.
This will be difficult.  I and others have repeatedly recommended this from the very beginning. Delay has made only made it harder. After insulting allies and shredding alliances, this President may not have the trust and confidence to bring others to our side in Iraq. But we cannot hope to succeed unless we rebuild and lead strong alliances so that other nations share the burden with us.  That is the only way to succeed.
Second, the President must get serious about training Iraqi security forces. ÂÂ
Last February, Secretary Rumsfeld claimed that more than 210,000 Iraqis were in uniform. Two weeks ago, he admitted that claim was exaggerated by more than 50 percent. Iraq, he said, now has 95,000 trained security forces.
But guess what? Neither number bears any relationship to the truth. For example, just 5,000 Iraqi soldiers have been fully trained, by the administration’s own minimal standards. And of the 35,000 police now in uniform, not one has completed a 24-week field-training program. Is it any wonder that Iraqi security forces can’t stop the insurgency or provide basic law and order?
The President should urgently expand the security forces training program inside and outside Iraq. He should strengthen the vetting of recruits, double classroom training time, and require follow-on field training. He should recruit thousands of qualified trainers from our allies, especially those who have no troops in Iraq. He should press our NATO allies to open training centers in their countries. And he should stop misleading the American people with phony, inflated numbers.  ÂÂ
Third, the President must carry out a reconstruction plan that finally brings tangible benefits to the Iraqi people.
Last week, the administration admitted that its plan was a failure when it asked Congress for permission to radically revise spending priorities in Iraq. It took 17 months for them to understand that security is a priority ... 17 months to figure out that boosting oil production is critical ... 17 months to conclude that an Iraqi with a job is less likely to shoot at our soldiers.
One year ago, the administration asked for and received $18 billion to help the Iraqis and relieve the conditions that contribute to the insurgency. Today, less than a $1 billion of those funds have actually been spent. I said at the time that we had to rethink our policies and set standards of accountability. Now we’re paying the price.
Now, the President should look at the whole reconstruction package...draw up a list of high visibility, quick impact projects... and cut through the red tape.  He should use more Iraqi contractors and workers, instead of big corporations like Halliburton. He should stop paying companies under investigation for fraud or corruption. And he should fire the civilians in the Pentagon responsible for mismanaging the reconstruction effort.
Fourth, the President must take immediate, urgent, essential steps to guarantee the promised elections can be held next year.
Credible elections are key to producing an Iraqi government that enjoys the support of the Iraqi people and an assembly to write a Constitution that yields a viable power sharing arrangement.ÂÂ
Because Iraqis have no experience holding free and fair elections, the President agreed six months ago that the U.N. must play a central role. Yet today, just four months before Iraqis are supposed to go to the polls, the U.N. Secretary General and administration officials themselves say the elections are in grave doubt. Because the security situation is so bad... and because not a single country has offered troops to protect the U.N. elections mission... the U.N. has less than 25 percent of the staff it needs in Iraq to get the job done.
The President should recruit troops from our friends and allies for a U.N. protection force. This won’t be easy. But even countries that refused to put boots on the ground in Iraq should still help protect the U.N.  We should also intensify the training of Iraqis to manage and guard the polling places that need to be opened. Otherwise, U.S forces would end up bearing those burdens alone.
If the President would move in this direction ... if he would bring in more help from other countries to provide resources and forces ... train the Iraqis to provide their own security ...develop a reconstruction plan that brings real benefits to the Iraqi people ... and take the steps necessary to hold credible elections next year ... we could begin to withdraw U.S. forces starting next summer and realistically aim to bring all our troops home within the next four years.
This is what has to be done. This is what I would do as President today. But we cannot afford to wait until January. President Bush owes it to the American people to tell the truth and put Iraq on the right track. Even more, he owes it to our troops and their families, whose sacrifice is a testament to the best of America.
"football" with the Iraqi's
Nice bike huh???
Â
while I'm finding other photo's of his....he has often told me that he is PROUD of what he is doing there and that he WOULD do it again!!!!
He has a 5 year old son and is married.......I have talked to his son and his son is EXTREMELY PROUD of his dad.....His little boy understands what his dad is doing......
My buddy Shaun is proud to be a soldier and would do it all over again because he understands the FREEDOM is not FREE...and that sometimes even if its shitty that he needs to be one of those that needs to stand up for others that can't stand up for themselves.........
(better man then me....is one reason I respect him and look up to him as a person)(even if I disagree with him not being around for his kid....but he knows his FAMILY is there for his wife and kid).
I know your ticked off that kids are dying and that it does suck because its taking so long........
but....I don't ever recall "bush" saying this would be easy and simple.....
The Michael Moores and MoveOns and Al Frankens of the world would still have you believe that nothing good has happened in Iraq, that it is a quagmire, Vietnam, blah blah blah.
Where's my frick'in prize? Getting put on ignore by Fold 3 times deserves something.
fold, it is people like you calling Iraq a quagmire that is encouraging the insurgents.
yea...that's it...the insurgents don't care about the army in Iraq, they care about some guy on the internet saying that Bush is fucking up...if we all just start saying that everything is going peachy keen over there (regardless of what is actually happening over there), the insurgents will give up.
my god, do you even listen to what you say?
I said people like him, that includes you crabs. The attitude of people like you are encouraging the terrorists to kill more people. Some of the blood is on your hands.
[Edited by on Sep 21, 2004 at 09:35am.]
Bush is fucking up...
You wouldn't know being filled with all that hate. You have zero credibility. Only terrorists would take you seriously.
what complete and utter horseshit.
Bush is encouraging the terrorists.
That's what happens when you invade sovereign countries and say "bring it on!"
what complete and utter horseshit.
No. Horseshit is just about every thought you post.
Bush is encouraging the terrorists.
See, like I said you post horseshit.
That's what happens when you invade sovereign countries and say "bring it on!
It was dictatorship and the UN had deemed them in violation of the sanctions. Like I said all you post is horseshit. You are fool. This is a war and it had to be fought.
"it is people like you calling Iraq a quagmire that is encouraging the insurgents."
We can't have any questioning, it breeds cynicism and suspicion.
that you think terrorists give a shit about what liberal americans think of their government is to laugh at.
Crabs,
Do you think the terrorist leaders don't read the American media?
Do you think they don't follow public opinions and perceptions?
Â
I think Americans don't have a clue about world opinion or world perceptions.
That's what happens when you invade sovereign countries and say "bring it on!"
What exactly do you mean by Sovereign? They were self governing only in the fact that Saddam was a dictator.
We can't have any questioning, it breeds cynicism and suspicion.
I don't mind questioning, but some people were calling Iraq a quagmire from the get go.
that's funny, GW doesn't know either.
I asked you a question, Crabby.
Do you consider dictatorships as sovereign nations?Â
[Edited by on Sep 21, 2004 at 11:26am.]
I think Americans don't have a clue about world opinion or world perceptions.
That wasn't the question.
that wasn't the answer you wanted, no.
first of all, you would have to explain exactly what terrorists you are refering to, since I doubt all terrorist consider the same things.
You aren't going to get the answers you want until you learn how to ask an intelligent question.
Do you think Americans follow the weather patterns of southern Italy?
I'm sure that some do, but really this question doesn't have a yes or no answer any more than your "what do terrorist leaders read?" nonsense.
Learn to ask a proper question.
It's not a matter of opinion, buy a dictionary for crying out loud.
The answer was "you don't have a clue as to what terrorists think or how they percieve us".
I know this isn't the answer you wanted, but unfortunately, it's the answer you get.
And it is indeed an answer.
Why can't you answer my questions?
FWIW Crabby. You can't have sovereignty in a dictatorship.
[Edited by on Sep 21, 2004 at 11:53am.]
I dont think that's true.
Don't you need autonomy to be sovereign?
What is autonomy, but self directed government.
You can't have autonomy if you're a dictatorship.
Doesn't matter. Even if I'm to consider Iraq as sovereign, it wouldn't change my feelings that Saddam needed to be taken out.
What are monarchies? They could be considered dictatorships, but they're entirely sovereign.
Lee Kwan Yew in Singapore was a benevolent dictator. His word was law. Singapore survived, even thrived. No one would doubt the nation's sovereignty.
Sometimes a people choose to be ruled.
[Edited 2 times. Most recently by on Sep 21, 2004 at 12:18pm.]
Come on people. Do you really expect crabhole to answer a question straight up?
that wasn't the answer you wanted, no.
No, that wasn't even an attempt to answer.
first of all, you would have to explain exactly what terrorists you are refering to, since I doubt all terrorist consider the same things.
O.K fine, the insurgents in Iraq. Specifically the followers of Muhtada Al Sadr and Zarchawi. Do you think they monitor press and public opinions?
You aren't going to get the answers you want until you learn how to ask an intelligent question.
No, that was a very intelligent question. And it's perfectly legit to ask if they monitor our media and perception. It's your response and lack thereof that's not only ignorant and evasive because you cannot answer honestly.
Do you think Americans follow the weather patterns of southern Italy?
Oh, now there's an intelligent question. Well Crabs, do we have plans to kill a bunch of Italians? Do we have a plan to fly planes into the tower of Pisa?
Learn to ask a proper question.
Learn to not dodge slippery C.
Do you think they monitor press and public opinions?
I read an article in NYT about a week ago, about a guy that was kidnapped in Iraq, but was let go because of lack of interest by the press.
They even asked the guy "Why aren't they covering this", and the guy was like "I don't know".
[Edited by on Sep 21, 2004 at 12:54pm.]
Sometimes a people choose to be ruled.
In modern society, if they truly chose, I would consider it a sovereign nation. I don't think that was the case in Iraq.
"Liberal Complainers like me are outnumbered 2 to 1"
That's makes it about an even fight in my estimation. The day I can't go toe to toe with twice as many conservatives is the day I pack it in.
[Edited by on Sep 22, 2004 at 05:44am.]
LOL
Someone's dating himself.
[Edited by on Sep 22, 2004 at 06:17am.]
Â
Â
Â
[Edited by on Sep 22, 2004 at 06:35am.]
Kitch, That's the most profound post you've ever made.
It really touched me like nothing has ever touched me before.
did you see what it said???
I just had to remove it....
"Someone's dating himself."
Naah, I just have a lot of faith in the strength of the ideas.
a dictionary, try one.
or you can just go with Bush's definition...
uh...huh?
 ÂÂ
Naah, I just have a lot of faith in the strength of the ideas.
Please share with us these brilliant ideas.
If you aren't familiar with Democratic ideals by now, what can I add?
Besides, this is the War Thread.
If you aren't familiar with Democratic ideals by now, what can I add?
You can share what you think their ideals are. I don't think you understand that their ideals aren't what they used to be.
Besides, this is the War Thread.
Then maybe you can share with us what Kerry will do about the war, and please be specific.  Maybe he's shared his super secret plan with you?
I don't know what he'll do.
He doesn't either.
And that's why I think he'll lose the election.
I'm not saying that to be smug. I just think the American people want to know what to expect.
Â
How do you know what to expect when you don't know how events are going to unfold?
Then he should tell us what he'd do today.
The best predictor of tomorrow is today.
He laid out a four-point plan just a couple days ago at NYU
I don't see it, Rick.
Please point out these "Four Points".
Good Grief:
We need to turn the page and make a fresh start in Iraq.
First, the President has to get the promised international support so our men and women in uniform don’t have to go it alone. It is late; the President must respond by moving this week to gain and regain international support.
 Last spring, after too many months of resistance and delay, the President finally went back to the U.N. which passed Resolution 1546. It was the right thing to do – but it was late.
That resolution calls on U.N. members to help in Iraq by providing troops... trainers for Iraq’s security forces... a special brigade to protect the U.N. mission... more financial assistance... and real debt relief.ÂÂ
Three months later, not a single country has answered that call. And the president acts as if it doesn’t matter.
And of the $13 billion previously pledged to Iraq by other countries, only $1.2 billion has been delivered.
The President should convene a summit meeting of the world’s major powers and Iraq’s neighbors, this week, in New York, where many leaders will attend the U.N. General Assembly. He should insist that they make good on that U.N. resolution. He should offer potential troop contributors specific, but critical roles, in training Iraqi security personnel and securing Iraq’s borders. He should give other countries a stake in Iraq’s future by encouraging them to help develop Iraq’s oil resources and by letting them bid on contracts instead of locking them out of the reconstruction process.
This will be difficult.  I and others have repeatedly recommended this from the very beginning. Delay has made only made it harder. After insulting allies and shredding alliances, this President may not have the trust and confidence to bring others to our side in Iraq. But we cannot hope to succeed unless we rebuild and lead strong alliances so that other nations share the burden with us.  That is the only way to succeed.
Second, the President must get serious about training Iraqi security forces. ÂÂ
Last February, Secretary Rumsfeld claimed that more than 210,000 Iraqis were in uniform. Two weeks ago, he admitted that claim was exaggerated by more than 50 percent. Iraq, he said, now has 95,000 trained security forces.
But guess what? Neither number bears any relationship to the truth. For example, just 5,000 Iraqi soldiers have been fully trained, by the administration’s own minimal standards. And of the 35,000 police now in uniform, not one has completed a 24-week field-training program. Is it any wonder that Iraqi security forces can’t stop the insurgency or provide basic law and order?
The President should urgently expand the security forces training program inside and outside Iraq. He should strengthen the vetting of recruits, double classroom training time, and require follow-on field training. He should recruit thousands of qualified trainers from our allies, especially those who have no troops in Iraq. He should press our NATO allies to open training centers in their countries. And he should stop misleading the American people with phony, inflated numbers.  ÂÂ
Third, the President must carry out a reconstruction plan that finally brings tangible benefits to the Iraqi people.
Last week, the administration admitted that its plan was a failure when it asked Congress for permission to radically revise spending priorities in Iraq. It took 17 months for them to understand that security is a priority ... 17 months to figure out that boosting oil production is critical ... 17 months to conclude that an Iraqi with a job is less likely to shoot at our soldiers.
One year ago, the administration asked for and received $18 billion to help the Iraqis and relieve the conditions that contribute to the insurgency. Today, less than a $1 billion of those funds have actually been spent. I said at the time that we had to rethink our policies and set standards of accountability. Now we’re paying the price.
Now, the President should look at the whole reconstruction package...draw up a list of high visibility, quick impact projects... and cut through the red tape.  He should use more Iraqi contractors and workers, instead of big corporations like Halliburton. He should stop paying companies under investigation for fraud or corruption. And he should fire the civilians in the Pentagon responsible for mismanaging the reconstruction effort.
Fourth, the President must take immediate, urgent, essential steps to guarantee the promised elections can be held next year.
Credible elections are key to producing an Iraqi government that enjoys the support of the Iraqi people and an assembly to write a Constitution that yields a viable power sharing arrangement.ÂÂ
Because Iraqis have no experience holding free and fair elections, the President agreed six months ago that the U.N. must play a central role. Yet today, just four months before Iraqis are supposed to go to the polls, the U.N. Secretary General and administration officials themselves say the elections are in grave doubt. Because the security situation is so bad... and because not a single country has offered troops to protect the U.N. elections mission... the U.N. has less than 25 percent of the staff it needs in Iraq to get the job done.
The President should recruit troops from our friends and allies for a U.N. protection force. This won’t be easy. But even countries that refused to put boots on the ground in Iraq should still help protect the U.N.  We should also intensify the training of Iraqis to manage and guard the polling places that need to be opened. Otherwise, U.S forces would end up bearing those burdens alone.
If the President would move in this direction ... if he would bring in more help from other countries to provide resources and forces ... train the Iraqis to provide their own security ...develop a reconstruction plan that brings real benefits to the Iraqi people ... and take the steps necessary to hold credible elections next year ... we could begin to withdraw U.S. forces starting next summer and realistically aim to bring all our troops home within the next four years.
This is what has to be done. This is what I would do as President today. But we cannot afford to wait until January. President Bush owes it to the American people to tell the truth and put Iraq on the right track. Even more, he owes it to our troops and their families, whose sacrifice is a testament to the best of America.