My answer to Lieberman on "If Dean had been in office..."

[loudnclear]

500 American soldiers and 10,000 Iraqis would still be alive and Saddam might not still be in office. A real negotiation over sancitons might have had Saddam hand over power to the same kind of group now trying to run Iraq. However, any behind the scenes attempts were scuttled when our fearless leader said to the American public and the rest of the world that he definitely would not negotiate with Saddam. If Bush is elected you count on that same kind of arrogance, non-statesmanship, and stupidy to lead us into another confrontation with either Syria, Iran, or N. Korea. If anyone thinks that our invasion of Iraq makes everyone on earth fear us we are mistaken. They will just out wait us and out smart us.

[cirej2000]

1. Dean's my man and all that, but...

I'm just glad that he wasn't in office during 9/11. Now that the framework is in place for fighting terrorism...I think that he can take over and lead this country domestically.

We still do need to have a strong message to the terrorists and N. Korea. If we don't, then we're in trouble. The right-wing Islamists will attack again if they get a chance. I think Mr. Dean is aware of that...he's gotta put the message out that he's not gonna take it.

It'll be nice to have more job security than the guys standing in the lobby of the office building. And that's what Dean will give us. Be nice to have reasonable healthcare again too (unions!)!

[toddzilla]

2. short sighted..

You fail to realize that all this terrorist hoopla is a DIRECT RESULT of people like bush being in office and manipulating that portion of the world for profit. They hate us because we deserve it.

[coloradodem2005]

4. True.

Terrorist organizations have always hated us and many of the middle east messes result from things that Reagan and Bush I did while in office.

[olacan]

5. The attack

would have happened no matter who was in office (IMHO) we have been attacked for years. The attacks were mostly off shore so most Americans were not that upset by them. Read One Thousand Years for Revenge.

[cirej2000]

8. Whatever!

Believe what you wish...Bill Clinton himself tried to kill Osama Bin Laden in 98 (or 96) after the bombings in Africa.

9/11 was probably in the planning stages for over a year so it was going to happen.

By blaming everything on * we blind ourselves to the challenges that we have to overcome.

[magnolia]

7. OH PLEASE!

I want a president who would have just once said "why do they hate us" and tried to do something about...which is a better way of fighting terrorism than to simply continue the chain of violence and death!

[TLM]

9. If Dean had been in office since 2000 there would have been no 9-11

because he would have listen tot he intel reports and he wouldn't have ignore the heart rudman report or the gore report on airport safety.

[Racenut20]

10. You are saying he would be a poor leader during crisis????

Has to have the situation prepared for him???
Hmmmmmm. I don't think I would vote for someone like that.

[chaumont58]

12. ? What has Bush done that is so special?

What would Kerry, Gephardt, Lieberman, Clark done that Dean could not or would not do? I am a Dean supporter, and I think he would have done a better job than Bush whatever the task. A sockpuppet can do a better job than Bush.
The whole issue of national defense and security consists mostly of bullshit. This administration created a cabinet level Department of Homeland Security, when banging some heads at the FBI and the CIA would have sufficed just as well. 9/11 was an intelligence failure, not a system failure. How many chances did the FBI blow to catch on to flight training by the bombers? They created this humongous Homeland Security Department, rearranging the deck chairs on the Queen Mary and expecting it to win back America's Cup.
I saw the adulation of Rudy after 9/11, shaking my head. He did what a competent person does. Period.
Kerry, Gephardt, Clark and Holy Joe are bashing Dean because of Dean's refusal to say the world is a safer place, now that bearded Saddam is in custody. This is another head shaker. The four Dean bashers will come to regret their comments.

[magnolia]

3. Exactly!

No one can say Saddam would still be in power as if it were a fact. He could have had a heart attack...he could have been killed by one of his own people...besides being ousted by diplomacy. (Which would have only happened if we had a President Gore!) The loss of civilian and military lives...the loss of limbs...the loss of tax payer dollars...those are FACTS.

Stupid Lieberman thinks he's talking to Republicans who take any statement that sounds logical as truth because they don't want to tax their puny little brains to actually think about it. We are democrats...WE THINK!

[Hep]

6. Lieberman is out.

Who do you think is moving the D party more to the left? Lieberman pushing or Kucinich pulling?

[Dr.Phool]

11. Good question

Duuhh, He Joe yer right, Saddaam would probably still be in power, because nobody else except President Rumsfeld, and VP Wolfowitz would have started a war.

President Dean or President Gore could have probably negotiated for him to move to Saudi Arabia a'la butcher Idi Amin. But we wouldn't have been able to steal the oil like that.:wtf:

:nuke:

[GobGoober]

13. I've said it before and I'll say it again

If Lieberman is the Democratic nominee, I'll have to vote for Bush.

I have no say in the any primary, but I will have a say in the General Election. Why vote for the guy that wants to be like Bush when the real deal is on the ballot too?