[Rhodes22-list] Re: Rhodes22-list Digest, Vol 564, Issue 1

[Steve]

I'm impressed, Raz.  I just wish everyone could reason
like that.  Excellent, simple excellent.  
Steve


--- Razgaitis Richard <raz01 at mac.com> wrote:

> It's hard to be silent on this issue, especially
> with a well-reasoned 
> opinion as the context.  I think I understand the
> feelings expressed, 
> and share some of those frustrations (my son and
> daughter in law lived 
> 4 blocks from the Towers when they collapsed and I
> have a Marine 
> Captian/son-in-law, and father of two my
> grandchildren, about to be 
> deployed overseas).
> 
> The choice, however, is which group of leaders is
> more likely to 
> protect our lives and very civilization in the years
> ahead?
> 
> I think back of the Clinton team who led our
> defense/national security 
> which included:  President Clinton, who had no
> military experience, and 
> as a governor from among the smallest states
> essentially no experience 
> in international matters including defense, Vice
> President Gore who 
> cared/cares deeply about environmental issues
> ("Earth in the Balance" 
> was of course about environmental matters not the
> war against 
> civilization), Secretary of Defense Les Aspin (who
> was later removed 
> from that office by President Clinton and has since
> died was, putting 
> it in the most charitable terms, not a leader in
> defense matters), 
> Secretary of State Madeline Albright (who put a very
> high expectation 
> on peaceful treaty negotiations with North Korea,
> Iran, and the Oil for 
> Food Program with Iraq, all of which we now know
> were frauds because of 
> the deceit of the other party, however well
> intentioned we were for our 
> part), Mr. George Tenet as CIA Director (who was
> reappointed by current 
> President Bush, and on whose watch our inability to
> anticipate mortal 
> conspiracies of our enemies leading to 9/11 and its
> many preceding 
> events and also the now famous mistake of the
> missing weapons of mass 
> destruction), and Mr. Sandy Berger as National
> Security Advisor (whose 
> positions on many of these matters are unknown b/c
> of the sensitive 
> nature of that position as the eyes and ears of the
> President on 
> security matters).
> 
> Looking at national security/defense team put in
> place by President 
> Bush (W. Bush) we have VP Cheeney, Donald Rumsfeld
> at Defense, Colin 
> Powell at State, Tenet carried over at the CIA until
> this past summer, 
> and Dr. Condoleezza Rice as National Security
> Advisor.  Despite some 
> fairly aggressive public demonization of Cheeney and
> Rumsfeld, and 
> uncertainty about Dr. Rice's private counsel to the
> President, the 
> current team, is in my view, outstanding,
> particularly in comparison to 
> its counterparts from 1992-2000.
> 
> We of course do not know who would comprise a
> President Kerry team, 
> other than Mr. John Edwards, whose military/defense
> experience was 
> non-existent beyond what he has learned in the
> course of his 
> campaigning first for himself and how for the
> Democratic ticket.  We do 
> not know Mr. Kerry's calculus in choosing Mr.
> Edwards but it is 
> inconceivable (at least I hope it is inconceivable)
> that such selection 
> was driven by national security priorities.
> 
> The story of Mr. Kerry's  Viet Nam service has
> received massive press 
> mostly by Mr. Kerry's initiative ("I am John Kerry
> reporting for duty," 
> the Swift Boat veterans on the stage for his
> acceptance speech, 
> referencing his service in almost every interview,
> etc.).  For his 
> actions some 35 years ago he has the respect of most
> people (and 
> certainly would have such of all people apart from
> some clouds 
> regarding his propensity for self-promotion in
> becoming so decorated in 
> just 4 months without a day in the hospital).  But
> what matters more 
> now is what did Mr. Kerry think and do during his 20
> year Senate career 
> which was focused, apparently, on military matters,
> and in particular 
> the post President Bush-I period (since 1992). 
> Where was that voice 
> for buttressing our intelligence services?  For a
> new military for a 
> new threat?  For homeland security?  For increased
> defense spending?  
> Although Mr. Kerry should not be held responsible
> for President 
> Clinton's focus and decisions, he was not the voice
> that, for example, 
> Sen. Sam Nunn (D-GA) was during an earlier era.
> 
> It will take a long time to reach a clear conclusion
> on whether the 
> Iraq war was the right decision as it will hinge
> significantly on what 
> happens yet in the future.  Knowing two years ago
> what we know now, a 
> luxury no one ever has, would have lead to different
> implementation 
> decisions and possibly even going to war decisions
> by the incumbent 
> team led by President Bush.  But the question before
> us all now is who 
> is more likely to bring in a leadership team that
> will marshall and 
> lead the forces it will require to prevent our
> defeat by a tiny but 
> extreme and relentless enemy who would be pleased
> with our massive 
> extermination and who are only half a step away from
> making them, 
> finding them, and/or buying them?
> 
> It will be essential for whoever wins what looks
> like a nearly exactly 
> 50:50 divided electorate to be able to lead the
> nation is some very 
> tough decisions and probably difficult
> circumstances.  Elisabeth 
> Kubler-Ross made famous the 5 stages that people
> tend to go through 
> when faced with their own death:  denial ("no it
> cannot be me"), anger 
> ("why me?"), bargaining ("yes, me, ...but..."),
> despair ("yes, me"), 
> and acceptance ("it okay").  I would hope that all
> of us will have 
> avoid a de-validation (denial) of whichever
> candidate is elected, no 
> matter how slender the deciding margin, and the
> demonization (anger) of 
> 'other guy' that now seems to have be national
> characteristic,  threats 
> of moving to Australia or France like the late
> Pierre Salinger after 
> the first President Bush was elected (despair), and
> just move-on 
> (there's a phrase) right to acceptance (and prayer).
> 
> (sorry for the long post)
> 
> raz
> S/V Rocky Rhodes
> 
> 
> 
> On Oct 25, 2004, at 9:28 PM, Loumoore at aol.com wrote:
> 
> > Ok I can't resist a few political comments,
> especially for my friends 
> > in
> > swing states who did not experience the blow of
> 9/11 directly.
> >
> 
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