Comments on: War Presidents: Bush and Kerry Redux

By: Gautam Vallabha

Gautam Vallabha — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

"who do you think Iran, North Korea, Syria, al Qaâedaâs Saudi paymasters and the rogue elements in Pakistanâs ISI would prefer to see elected this November?"

The answer to this is by no means evident.
Who do you think Hezbollah and Hamas would
prefer to see elected in an Israeli General
Election -- Sharon or someone more left-wing?
I suspect the answer is Sharon, because his
policies help their cause (their "cause" here
is not helping the Palestinian people, but
to continue their apocalyptic all-or-nothing
struggle).

Let me put this another way. Let us say the
choice in November is between Bush and an
extremist who proposes to invade Saudi
Arabia and destroy Mecca. Which of these
two would Iran, Syria, Al-Quaeda et al.
prefer?

By: Jane

Jane — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

If Kerry voted against Gulf 1, with a coalition of the willing, an actual invasion, and UN blessing, what would it take for this guy to mobalize the military as commander in chief?

By: McGehee

McGehee — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

I'm pretty sure at this point al-Qaeda would prefer a little breathing space. Dubya ain't gonna give it to 'em, but it sure sounds like Kerry would.

By: Kate

Kate — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

The effect of having combat experience may be the exact opposite of what Sen. Kerry implies: in his case, it seems to have made him afraid to pull the trigger. As Jane correctly points out, he didn't support Gulf I - about as clear a case as could be made for intervention.

He voted to authorize the use of force this time around only because it was politically expedient after 9/11. He then voted against the reconstruction package after accusing the adminstration of a "cut-and-run" strategy (what, exactly, Mr. Kerry's strategy was in the absence of funds for reconstruction of Iraq remains a mystery).

At best, combat experience may suggest a leader has the mettle to lead in time of war. Dubya has already shown that. He doesn't need to have combat experience - no President does.

---