So the best thing for Iraq's democracy might be the worst thing for ours?

[9119495]

If you believe the media, GWB is invincible next year. I don't think so because I remember his dad. That said, which candidates are most hurt by the capture of Saddam Hussein? My guess would be Bush. If Hussein (no fan of the Bush family) begins to cooperate adn tell all about how
1. he used to do business with the Bush family
2. Cheney and he did business
3. he had no weapons of mass destrcution
4. he had no nuclear program

AND if the media actually reports this, Bush will have to answer for the hundreds of dead coalition soldiers. Whadaya think?

[bryant69]

1. THey will be careful not to ask those questions

Instead the enormity of the amount of deaths that Hussein caused will be the new focus of the war on Iraq. We had to eliminate this horrible monster.

Saddam might want to embarrass the Bush family and so is still a wild card. Plus the administration with their puppet regime in Iraq (that may one day be a free government, but isn't now) will have to decide what venue to try Saddam in. Open forum where the administration and the Iraqi people might get the benefit of lots and lots of info on what a bad man he was, but where he might be able to use the trial to hurt the Bush administration?

Closed forum where events can be more tightly controlled, but which would be seen as one more example of President Bush's love of secrecy and lack of respect for the people of the world.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[The Backlash Cometh]

2. nation building and dead American soldiers will be Bush's achille's heel.

His father was smart enough to know that going into Baghdad would have committed us to nation building. So don't expect everyone to enjoy the economic recovery because our tax dollars are committed to fixing Bush's mess. That also means that social programs will need to be cut back further. So say goodbye to support from the seniors. Meanwhile, the death toll on soldiers will take its toll on military mothers. So say good-bye to support from the military.

If we had to attack anyone, it would be the media for creating a false news bubble.

[demnan]

3. Sorry, I wish it were so but

I think the media will milk this for Bush's benefit as much as they can. The foreign policy issues are dead from this. Why do I think this? Because most people will view the capture of Saddam in an emotional way as a victory for Bush. They will feel that one of the villains of 9/11 has finally been captured. Bush's speech yesterday was the kind of Bushit that will reinforce this attitude. The only issues that work for the Democrats are the economic ones, and if Rove and pursuade Greenspan to keep interest rates low, etc., we might as well resign ourselves to 4 more years of the idiot.

Sorry to feel hopeless this morning, but that's how I feel.

[9119495]

4. Remember that the media

need stories. This will only be interesting for a while, then they will need to focus on propping up a Dem (whoever it is) so they have something to talk about leading up to the election. I'm cynical about the media too, but I believe they are SO bad, they will help us next year just to get a story.

That said, I did listen to C-Span's call-in segment yesterday and I was surprised at the number of people who felt this was a victory in the war on terror and vengence for the victims of 9-11--but it was on the support the war line though.

[forgethell]

5. In the short term

there is no way this is anything but a HUGE gain for Bush. Now, the glow may wear off. The economy may once again take 1st place in the debate. But people do do business with the people in power, so I don't see this as an issue that will resonate with the american people, who, after all, are about business.

Furthermore, we are assuming that Saddam had no WMDs. That may be so, but "absence of proof is not proof of absence". They may still show up.

Besides all that, Osama/a capture is scheduled for the Repyblican convention, or during the debates, or possibly the week before the election. You heard it here first.

So we have our work cut out for us.

Merry Christmas, or whatever.