Yah, I wonder who we will put in as the leader, since our last choice seemed to turn out to be a failure. I think they should bring in some new scouts to do their recruiting, like Bill Walsh. Hes a scouting genius. We seem to have bad luck with the leaders we put into power… See Saddam, Osama, Castro…
ZEB, I mentioned in my second post that I didnt think Saddam was a good guy. Nobody does, get over it.
Um, Sacko, we didn’t put Saddam in power. When Iraq fought Iran, at that time it was deemed that Iran was the greatest threat to our security.
Therefore, we sold Iraq weapons to help them defeat Iran.
Not like we, you know, loved the guy or anything.
Yeah Mike Mann…and Saddam was shaking hands with Rumsfield…but…he changed his tune and wouldnt work with us when he wanted to invade Kuwait and fired missles at Isreal…our ally. Turning from friend to ally is not uncommon. Just read the Bible. The history of Israel is rife with these types of things…
jeez Brian - 'twas a joke.
That said, concerning brutal regimes the US (along with other nations too) has supported we need only to take a gander at recent Saudi history.
If the basis of this administration’s foreign policy is to secure economic interests, then “installing” democracies (“imposing a democracy” is an oxymoron is it not?) would not be the most efficient policy.
Perhaps why up to this point the US has supported whatever dictatorship or fundamentalist govmt (Pakistan, Yemen, Saudis, Taliban in the 90’s etc…) is willing to play ball on industrial activities.
Now that they have Saddam, maybe they can ask him where the weapons of MASS destruction are. It’s hard to believe they found Saddam before the weapons of MASS destruction. Did the soldiers look good enough in that 6x8 hole for any weapons or do they consider the pistol a weapon of MASS destruction?
Sack,
I see yet another negative comment on your most recent post: “I wonder who we will put in as a leader since our last choice seemed to be a failure.”
You just cannot stand the fact that the United States under George W. Bush has captured Saddam. Why don’t you be more statesman like? Neither party is perfect. Bush has made mistakes, but your constant negative drone wears pretty thin!
barrister,
i dont think democrats let these psychos in their tent. i think they just get lumped there by conservatives. just as the kkk is often lumped together with the right-wing in the eyes of leftists.
…
if any dem candidate is gonna hurt the most it is dean, because of his anti-war stance. very few of the other candidates ever said that they were opposed the war. kerry lieberman, gephardt voted for the iraq resolution and clark is clark. i dont like dean and i wish he does lose the nomination. he is unelectable.
…
i think the capture of saddam is going to put bush in an awkward position if he cant point to the WMD. there you have the guy that was supposed to push the button for the 45-minutes-to-destruction machine and he doesn’t respond to our interrogation techniques?..
Don’t worry T we’ll get the WMD out of him. He’ll tell us. I can’t imagine what he’s going through now. I bet the troops are tourturing the hell out of him. Not physiclly but maybe chemically. Remeber he’s under military law now. It won’t be until a year till the Iraqies get him and put him to his death.
mike, the economy doesn’t suck and does suck at the same time. last quarter GDP was way over expectations and unemployment declined (not joblessness though). recent unemployment numbers kinda turned around and some analysts think we’ve probably already “recovered” as much as we can. the basic economic conditiions that triggered the recession a couple of years ago (fiscal uncertaintly, weak demand for prodcuts, digital divide, etc.) are still there and will probably be there when voters go to the polls in nov. i think we’re in for another close election, the deciding issue will be what happens with the weapons of mass destruction.
Sorry, Kuri, I took you too literally. You wrote:
“Perhaps why up to this point the US has supported whatever dictatorship or fundamentalist govmt (Pakistan, Yemen, Saudis, Taliban in the 90’s etc…) is willing to play ball on industrial activities.”
I think that’s a little strong. We support countries with worse-than-mediocre records for a variety of reasons. For example, right now, we support Pakistan to the extent its PM hands over terrorists to us. Also, we TRY to enter relationships with countries that are likely to develop toward more elements of democracy and human rights. Unfortunately when the Soviets were a threat, we made some ugly compromises in Central America that shame our nation today.
Currently, being a Christian in Saudi Arabia is not fun to say the least. But what bothers me is that there are some who would criticize the U.S. for maintaining this relationship, but would decry any effort to pressure Saudia Arabia as ethnocentrism, American arrogance and an irresponsible move that will “destabilize” the region.
Actually, a better example is China. We countenance what China does in Tibet! But right now we need China to stop the threat of North Korea.
Here’s a list of American corporations who helped Saddam throughout his career & also how they helped him:
AT&T
AL HADDAD ENTERPRISES, INC.
ALCOLAC INTERNATIONAL
AMERICAN TYPE CULTURE COLLECTION
ASSOCIATED INSTRUMENTS DISTRIBUTORS, INC.
AXEL ELECTRONICS
BANCA NAZIONALE DEL LAVORO
BECHTEL GROUP
BREEZEVALE, INC.
CANBERRA INDUSTRIES
CARL SCHENCK AG
CARL ZEISS
CATERPILLAR, INC.
COMTEC INTERNATIONAL, INC.
CONSARC
COPELAND INTERNATIONAL, INC.
DATA GENERAL CORP
DEKTOR COUNTERINTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY, INC.
DOW CHEMICAL
DRESSER CONSTRUCTION AND EQUIPMENT
DUPONT
E G & G PRINCETON APPLIED RESEARCH
EASTMAN KODAK CO.
ELECTRONICS ASSOCIATES, INC.
ENTRADE INTERNATIONAL, LTD.
EVAPCO
FINNIGAN MAT US
FOXBORO COMPANY
GERBER SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY
GORMAN-RUPP
HARDINGE BROTHERS
HEWLETT-PACKARD
HIPOTRONICS
HONEYWELL
HUGHES HELICOPTER
IBM
INTERNATIONAL IMAGING SYSTEMS
INTERNATIONAL SIGNAL AND CONTROL
IONICS
KENNAMETAL, INC.
LEYBOLD VACUUM SYSTEMS
LINCOLN ELECTRIC CO.
LITTON INDUSTRIES
LUMMUS CREST, INC.
MBB HELICOPTER CORP.
MACK TRUCKS, INC.
MAHO AG
MATRIX CHURCHILL CORP.
McNEIL AKRON, INC.
MEMPHIS INTERNATIONAL, INC.
MILLER ELECTRIC
MOUSE MASTER
NCR CORPORATION
NRM CORP.
NORWALK CO.
NU KRAFT MERCANTILE CORP.
PERKIN-ELMER CORP.
PHILLIPS EXPORT
POSI SEAL, INC.
PRESRAY CORP.
PURE AIRE
REDLAKE IMAGING CORP.
REXON TECHNOLOGY CORP.
ROCKWELL INTERNATIONAL CORP.
ROTEC INDUSTRIES, INC.
SACKMAN ASSOCIATES
SCIENTIFIC ATLANTA
SCIENTIFIC DESIGN CO., INC.
SEMETEX
SERVAAS, INC.
SIEMENS CORP.
SIP CORP.
SPECTRAL DATA CORP.
SPECTRA PHYSICS
SPERRY CORP.
SULLAIRE CORP.
SWISSCO MANAGEMENT GROUP, INC.
TECHNICAL COMMUNICATIONS CORP.
TEKTRONIX
TELEDYNE WAH CHANG
THERMO JARRELL ASH CORP.
TI COATING
TRADING AND INVESTMENT CORP.
UNION CARBIDE
UNISYS CORP.
VEECO INSTRUMENTS, INC.
WILD MAGNAVOX SATELLITE SURVEY
WILTRON
XYZ OPTIONS, INC.
YORK INTERNATIONAL CORP.
ZETA LABORATORIES
Index of U.S. Government Agencies:
CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
DEPARTMENT OF STATE
NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
U.S. NUCLEAR WEAPONS LABORATORIES
get all the details here:
http://www.laweekly.com/ink/03/23/news-crogan.php
I’m sure it’s too embarrassing for all the “good guys” to even check it out. Oh well. & the United States helped BOTH sides during the Iran-Iraq war. The foreign policy of the USA in the Middle East has revolved around oil & to make sure that a country indigenous to the region doesn’t get significant control over its oil resources. That’s also why Bremer allowed 100% foreign ownership of Iraq’s resources.
According to “U.S. Chemical and Biological Warfare-Related Dual Use Exports to Iraq and Their Possible Impact on the Health Consequences of the Persian Gulf War” (May 25, 1994), the United States supplied Iraq with the following materials, which often produce slow and agonizing deaths:
Now take the children out of the room. I’ve got something nice to say about Saddam. Except when sanctions or US bombing made it infeasible, the Iraqis enjoyed the following privileges: universal health care, universal post-secondary (even all the way through med school & other professional schools), the best women’s rights in the Arab world, a much-needed refuge for Palestinians, free food baskets for those in need, religious tolerance for Christians & other non-Muslims. I also couldn’t help notice that the United States government gave Saddam a free medical exam AND a free dental exam! That’s something the American doesn’t even provide to its own people! Must be nice being a former dictator, that must have been the USAs retirement gift to Saddam after the many years of service.
If the sources above (like that senate report) still aren’t good enough, just check out what declassified documents have to say at the good ol National Security Archive have to say.
“The U.S. was concerned with its ability to project military force in the Middle East, and to keep the oil flowing.”
MQ is so correct. Saddam is a saint, and all the deaths in Iraq were obviously caused by America. And not the great and wonderful Saint Saddam.
It is so obvious with all the companies that were obviously helping Saddam, like AT&T which helped another company, Huawei, improve their product, which means that with AT&T’s psychic powers it was supposed to know what they were doing, so obviously AT&T killed so many people by association, not Saddam.
Then obviously the second company run by an Iraqi who was naturalized, and got in major trouble for his dealings with Iraq, had to do with him becoming a naturalized citizen. Damn that America.
Now the real question is why MQ likes Saddam Hussein? You will never get a straight answer from him because it is easier to ignore what is going on now and try to find everything and anything from history to change the subject.
How any person can support this NAZI just shows peoples blind devotion to their political position. Saddam’s hero was Hitler. (This is not a joke.)
You know who else helped Saddam? The French, a sizeable majority of his weapons/tanks/etc were French made.
Additionally, the French, Russian, and German oil companies were exploiting the oppressed Iraqi people for oil profits. Why do you think Iraq owes them so much money?
“MQ is so correct. Saddam is a saint, and all the deaths in Iraq were obviously caused by America. And not the great and wonderful Saint Saddam.”
Well I am correct, but can’t you respond in any way except to make something up?
funny that that’s the only part of the post mq reponds to lol.
hey guys! i can give you info that PROVES that helmets during war cause more injuries. what do you “good guys” have to say to that??? huh???
posted by Sean W “the French, Russian, and German oil companies were exploiting the oppressed Iraqi people for oil profits.”
Yeah, lord knows an American corporation would never do that…
oh, whats that about Halliburton building facilities for the Iranian Gvmt?
Corporations will go where they can maximize profits,often irrespective of human rights issues.
Disclaimer: The views brought forth by mq do not necessarily reflect those shared by all Canadians.
From countryT: Saddam’s a bad guy, he’s not gonna be doing bad stuff (at least the same bad stuff) anymore… yay
well, i still don’t feel safe. howard dean doesn’t think we’re any safer now that sadam is captured.
Mage, I believe that Stalin was Saddams hero. He sure did try to emulate him, living in luxury while his people were scrabbling a meager exsistence, maintaining power through terror, and making sure that the elite in his country owed that status to him.