COMMENTARY

In his televised address to the nation this evening (Wednesday 10 January, 2007), President Bush spoke of the war in Iraq and his plan to commit 20,000+ American troops to the region. The speech also spoke of a restructuring of Iraqi security forces within Baghdad- from what I understand the city will soon be temporarily placed under martial law. US forces are to be embedded with the Iraqi military in the hopes of stemming sectarian violence, rooting out Al-Qaida, and providing stability to a very messy area of the country.

If you're expecting another Bush-bashing blog, then go somewhere else. That's not what I'm here to do. Although I'm no conservative, I'm certainly no liberal either so dump out the Cool-aid. Here are some points I'd like to make about the President's speech for those of you who care to hear from a level-headed guy:

WILL THE TROOP INCREASE REALLY DO ANY GOOD?
We won't know right away. In any armed conflict, our men and women in uniform, as well as our allies from the UK, Australia, Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, and other nations have performed brilliantly. However, freedom, stability, and all those nice-sounding words uttered by our Commander in Chief can only become a reality if the people of Iraq are willing to fight and die for it. In Afghanistan, the folks there were eager to fight and die for their liberty after we helped them kick out the Taliban. That's why that country is much more stable even if we don't know where Osama's bin Hiding. We can round up Al-Qaidas and toss them into Guantanamo Bay all day long until Cuba becomes the most populous muslim nation in the Caribbean. Militarily, we won't lose the war in Iraq. But unless the Iraqis step up and start fighting back against Al-Qaida, sectarian thugs, and invaders from Iran and Syria, we won't win it either.

I'M ANTI-WAR. WHY SHOULD I CARE?
Hey, I don't blame you for dissenting from this war. It's been costly, we haven't found WMDs, Rumsfeld screwed up by overestimating the willingness of the Iraqi civilians to help us, and we're all sick of hearing about Sunnis and Shiites blowing each other up. All of that criticism is legit. But the reality is that WE MUST WIN. Why? If we cut and run, Iraq will descend into chaos and Iran will likely take over as a major influential force in the region. Terrorists will have a sanctuary there, they'll become emboldened, people will start listening to their propoganda, and groups like Al-Qaida, Jemaah-Islamiya, Ansar al-Islam, and other unsavory characters will get plenty of oil money to do the kinds of things that will really hold you up at the airport security checkpoint next Christmas. Tuning them out with episodes of AMERICAN IDOL and DANCING WITH THE STARS will NOT make them go away. If we don't fight them in Iraq now, we'll be fighting them in Midtown Manhattan tomorrow.

IRAN WANTS A NUCLEAR BOMB. WHY SHOULD I CARE? CAN'T WE JUST LET THEM HAVE IT SO THEY'LL LEAVE US ALONE?
No. If Iran gets a nuke, one or more of the three following things is likely to happen:

1. They nuke Israel. They said they wanted to "wipe Israel off the map," remember?
With a nuke they can do just that.
2. They nuke a major city in the US by giving the bomb to the highest paying
terrorist group. If this doesn't bother you, or if you need further elaboration,
then you seriously need to have your head examined.
3. They don't nuke anyone but threaten to do so. This cold-war tactic is an
effective one. Anyone who posseses a nuclear weapon has a major bargaining chip
at the geo-political table. And with access to huge oil reserves, Iran can
blackmail any other oil-rich nation into falling in line with their policies. And
with their pals Russia and China backing them up, a nuclear-armed Iran would be a
MAJOR problem for Uncle Sam and SUV owners everywhere.


I THINK GEORGE BUSH MADE THE TERRORISTS WANT TO KILL US EVEN MORE. IF WE GET OUT OF IRAQ THE TERRORISTS WILL LEAVE US ALONE RIGHT? AND GEORGE BUSH IS RESPONSIBLE FOR GLOBAL WARMING, TAX CUTS FOR THE RICH, AND THE EXTINCTION OF THE DINOSAURS.

In any armed conflict, attacking your enemy will make them want to kill you. Duh. But make no mistake. The Islamic extremists (not the majority of normal muslims, I'm talking about the small percentage of crazies here) want to kill us no matter what. They don't care who the president is and they don't care who John Murtha or Ted Kennedy are either. They want to KILL us simply because of who we are. They want to kill us because we don't have a problem with Jewish holidays and we allow women to vote and hold public office. They hate us the same way the Nazis hated anyone who wasn't a Nazi, and you know what? There isn't anything you, George Bush, Howard Dean, John McCain, or Simon Cowell can do about it.

As for global warming, yes it's a reality and we must deal with it. Is George Bush responsible for it? He's certainly not doing much to address it as far as I can tell. But if you're concerned about pollution the biggest offenders aren't in the US. Take a look at China. They have virtually no emmissions standards on their vehicles and 68% of their energy is produced by coal. And in a country with over a billion people, that's a hell of a lot of coal that's going into the air. You do the math. I don't care if I'm being politically incorrect. I'm blaming the Chinese on this issue before I go after the Republicans. But hey, the environment is important and I encourage you liberals to keep an eye on this one. Just stick with the facts and lay off the conspiracy stuff, okay? To all liberals and conservatives: just be prepared to accept the possibility that the real cause of global warming may not agree with any of your politics.

Tax cuts for the rich? Sounds like another trendy thing to say these days. But let's not forget that the wealthiest Americans pay the most taxes. Rich people also own most businesses, and provide jobs to people like you and me. If their taxes get cut, they'll spend more and put more money into the economy, which puts more money into YOUR pocket. Furthermore, the GAO (General Accounting Office) has reported record tax revenues and a big decrease in the deficit in the face of these so-called tax cuts for the rich. So I hate to break it to you, but the tax cuts have worked. Now if you raise taxes on rich people, they'll spend LESS, put LESS money into the economy, which will put LESS money into YOUR pocket. Also, when taxes go up, rich people will put their monetary assets in offshore bank accounts where Uncle Sam's tax laws don't apply. Remember, increasing taxes is tantamount to punishing someone for working hard. If you work hard and earn lots of money, what right does the government have to take a substantial portion of your cash to use on a wasteful program or to give it to someone who doesn't work as hard?

And finally, I have not come across any credible evidence that suggests George Bush had a hand in causing the extinction of the dinosaurs. But I'm not letting Cheney off the hook. If you look hard enough, I bet you'll find a Haliburton sticker somewhere on that asteroid...