From: JDG [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] >The difference between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party is >this - the Republicans overwhelming believe in the merits of the Iraq War, >and the Iraq War would never have happened under the Democrats. If you >believe, as I do, that Iraq is the central front in the War on Islamic >Terror, this is a tremendous difference between the two parties.
>Moreover, I believe that a President Kerry would be under extraordinary >pressures - both from his Party and from his own deeply rooted >anti-casualty inclinations - to bring the troops home as quickly as >possible. I believe that Kerry would attempt to do so, even if it means >"not finishing the job" in Iraq, and permitting some new form of >totalitarianism to rise to power there. I think that such a move will be >read in the Arab World as tantamount to surrender - similar to Bill >Clinton's pull-out from Somalia. I tend to agree, I think the Coalition has a duty to stay and make the best of it. I did not support going there, but running out for expedient political reasons would not be moral, and yes, would send a bad message. I think handing over power asap, and staying to support the new government is important. Our opposition wanted to pull our troops out, and it was not an idea I supported. When you make a mess, its your duty to clean it up, and I have never questioned the value of having a stable democratic Iraq, just the methods used to try to establish one. >Furthermore, I believe that an election of President Kerry would be forever >interpreted by history as a repudiation of the Iraq War. I believe that >this verdict of repudiation would affect US Presidents and their >willingness to use force to spread the cause of freedom for at least a >generation. Do you think so? Could it be a protest at perceived incompetence in carrying out the war, and a whole lot of domestic issues. From where I sit, the Kerry campaign does not seem to be really anti-war, just using what part of the mistakes made for political advantage. It would sure be a shame to see America retreat into an Isolationist stance once again. The world needs a strong America, involved and intergrated into world affairs. We just differ how best that power be used. Andrew
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