***Rumsfield Stepping Down***

[David H.]

Your grasping for straws, David... the evidence is there, both concerning the WMD and Saddams connections with AlQaeda. You just don't want to see it. I could find dozens more articles to confirm and substantiate what has already been shown to you, but it is clear you just don't want to be honest with yourself and see it.

My Web Blog

If the evidence were there and were credible, you can be CERTAIN that all of those Republicans who were just voted out of office would have been trumpeting it every day. It is the "evidence" that is speculative and grasping at straws. Republicans would not run from using solid evidence that they were right. It isn't there.

Frankly, I WISH it was. I hoped president Bush would be right, since I voted for him. I hoped when Colin Powell presented the presidents evidence to the U.N. I would be blown away because I have a lot of respect for Powell and still do. As I sat and watched it, I grew sadder and sadder. When the Iraqi ambassador said at the end, "I had to laugh." I said out loud, "Sadly, so do I." It was the biggest dog-and-pony show I ever saw. I could see right through all the "evidence" to the flaws that were there. Right off, I was asking, "How many days were there between the exit of those chemical clean-up trucks and the arrival of the UNSCOM vehicles? How do you know those ventilation pipes that run way out into the dessert are to exhaust possible gas leaks from chemicals used for weapons? Gas leaks from chemicals used for commercial insecticides are just as deadly and just as important to exhaust far from people. How do you know those chemical trucks weren't there to clean up an chemical leak in an insecticide plant? There were so many questions that JUST WERE NOT ANSWERED by Powell or anyone. The "evidence" was as full of holes a Swiss Cheese. And I WANTED to believe it. I was glued to the tube in hopes of seeing that Bush had good evidence for what he was about to do. I WANTED to believe we would only go to war for the right reasons. From that day on, I began seriously questioning where the administration was going.

So, I see evidence very clearly and poor evidence for what it is. Bush saw what he WANTED to see in the evidence, and that was increasingly apparent to me as Powell continued speaking. That was a sad day for me.

--David

[David H.]

Hi David:

I respect your opinions, but I will just have to disagree with you.

My Web Blog

I'm content to leave it there.

Blessings,

David

[ted]

I don't think we are that far apart, David. You bring up some great points, and I agree with much you bring to the table.

Thanks for the discussion and for remaining civil. I hope I have left the same impression with you.

One question I have concerning the failure of some countries to follow through with us in Iraq is the motivation behind their decisions.

Would you think it fair to say that many countries, such as Russia, China, Germany, and France stood to gain a lot of money in exclusive contracts with Iraq once to santions were lifted, but we messed it up by going in and that's why they rejected a plan to go in?

In fact, were thay not already enjoying some kick backs at the time of the invasion, but lost out when we went in? I think that has a big part in their decision not to back us when we decided to enforce the UN's own resolutions, rather that any moral conflict these four countries, along with the UN, might have had.

Here's a hint: Check out the weaponry Iraq had. Not many American made products in their arsenal, but I see a lot of Chinese and Russian made tanks and weapons.

Gotta get ready for work, though. I'll be back tonight.

t.

[chapmac]

I wasn\'t implying a dishonorable discharge on your part. People can honorably leave the military when their commitment is up.

I also respect your sacrifice and I hope you are not permanently disabled.

If God decides to call me home while honorably serving my country, then so be it. God will call me home on His time not mine.

But, when looking at the alternative to President Bush, and our former Legislation, it\'s even more frightening.

like most people i get a bit defensive of my opinions and apologies for sounding so harsh myself

like i said god keeps me around for a reason and i am so grateful to the father for whatefver his reasons

recently its become a lot harder to type and no disresepct is meant to the father or anyone here somedays are better than others so i do what i can

someone once told me it was a lot more polite than using all caps and screaming all the time

if you want me to yell i will though lol

may the father keep you out of harms way and safe along with so many others in this evil war

accept that change happens for a reson and look for the good in everything it makes living much easier

to answer your question gates will do a fair job i feel and will move forward in doing whats best for the future of america regarding iraq

we can pray for the resolutiuon that the father wishes

[JustinM]

quote chapmac: "like most people i get a bit defensive of my opinions and apologies for sounding so harsh myself

like i said god keeps me around for a reason and i am so grateful to the father for whatefver his reasons"

Don't I know, I've had several close calls with death and walked away uninjured. The most recent being a 35 mph collision with the front driver's side fender of a car with my motorcycle. (This person cut me off and I had not time to stop, my last thought before the accident was "This may hurt. . ." I didn't have time to finish the rest of the sentence . . .a little bit."

I flipped over my handlebars and landed on my back 20 ft away. I was wearing a lot of safety gear and had a backpack on my back that was full of jackets and liners that cushioned my impact. Which happened to be in the opposing lane, I thank God that no cars were coming my way during that time, I would've been crushed, no question about it. I was also fortunate that I didn't ram the A-frame of the car, because I am sure every bone above my hips would've been broken. If you look in my profile you will see the bike I was riding, the blue one. The moped belongs to my wife. Anyway the blue one is totaled and I won't be getting a new one anytime soon, the insurance company isn't giving me enough money to replace it, it's just barely getting paid off. I will be getting over 600.00 to replace the equipment I was wearing. That and my health are the only consolations.

I played the accident out in my head and what saved me was the fact that I identified an out (swerving left towards the opposing lane) because there were no cars coming in my direction. Had I swerved right, lights out.

Anyway, to get back on the subject, change is good, if we know what changes we have coming. The scary thing about democrats controlling congress is that they have not defined a clear plan for border security, national security or any viable solutions to Iraq, which most of us fear is a full retreat.

Minimum wage is good, but heavily taxing the wealthy will have a drastic effect on the unwealthy. I don't know about you, but the Bush tax cuts gave me a fatter wallet than what I had before and I have felt no negative effects with the wealthy having more money. It doesn't matter to me, I just want to live a comfortable, moderate and secure life.

[chapmac]

the father was looking over you justin

celebrate this second chance with a pure and open heart as surely the lord celebrates your life

[David H.]

I thought you would be interested in this David. Here's more proof that AlQaeda has been in Iraq

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,228636,00.html

Al Qaeda Claims to Have 12,000 Fighters in Iraq

Friday, November 10, 2006

Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, also known as Abu Ayyub al-Masri.

CAIRO, Egypt

[David H.]

I thought you would be interested in this David. Here's more proof that AlQaeda has been in Iraq

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,228636,00.html

Al Qaeda Claims to Have 12,000 Fighters in Iraq

Friday, November 10, 2006

Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, also known as Abu Ayyub al-Masri.

CAIRO, Egypt

[ted]

I think David pretty much hits it here. There was no real significant Al-Qaida presence in Iraq before we went in.

Part of me believes, though, that we knew they would come in once we were there and it was a secondary plan to draw them there as a means to pool them and concentrate them in one area as a means to better fight them.

Just my own theory though.....

We didn't hit Iraq because Al-Qaida was there. We went in to enforce (finally) several UN resolutions which Saddam had been violating on a regular basis. This was seen as an important step in the war on terror.

It was also true that we felt that his nuclear weapons and WMD programs were more advanced that what we found them to be so far. Hundreds of incidents of Saddam's playing with UN weapons inspectors raised this issue.

Everyone: The Dems, France, Russia, China, All of them, thought this was the case.

Nobody really bucked until they saw we were serious about going in this time. Once tey figured out that it wasn't going to be yet another case of puffing our chests, they bolted.

Another reason they bucked against an invasion is simply that they were going to lose out on billions of dollars worth of exclusive, illegally procured contracts with the Iraqi Government if Saddam was deposed.

So, in a way, you could say that the war was, in part, about oil.

But it wasn't due to Al-Qaida being there.

t.

[JustinM]

Better to unite them in one geographic location, than to let them disperse and form 1000 different cells plotting death and destruction all over the world and in our backyards.

The repeated and deliberate violations of UN sanctions against Iraq seems to be the point the dems conveniently overlook. No doubt about it, suddenly the war in Iraq will become "a better" situation than what it was now that the dems are "running" it. I wonder how much positive news about Iraq we will start to receive next year. The dems have lied, slandered, libeled, deceived, undermined, misrepresented, etc., our presidency with every decision he has made, tax cuts, border security, homeland security, war in Iraq, war on terrorism, their sole purpose was to make everything about the current government and presidency as negative as they could paint it, in order to win this election. They do not care about WOT, IF, BS, HS, low taxes, etc. They are a power hungry, greedy, corrupt party and it won't take them long to convince the conservatives, that voted them in office, of that. They are desperate and deceitful and now this is the party that is running America for the next 2 years.

Just watch and see, before we know it Iraq will be painted as a field of roses, with rainbows and birds chirping. Ask the American soldiers how it really is in Iraq and they will tell you that it is a far different place than what the world has been led to believe. But, don't take their word for it, I am sure a reporter with an agenda has a "better" idea of what's going on than the soldiers who have no agenda and have first hand experience with what's going on there.