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Feb. 25, 2003
Bush losing support abroad and at home
According to The Washington Post, President Bush has been facing increasing opposition to the war in Iraq both at home and abroad.
There have been coordinated protests across the United States and the world during the last few months but Bush said that he will not be influenced by the protestors. According to the Post, White House communications director Dan Bartlett said, “There is always going to be a faction of people that don’t agree. But I think anybody who gives a fair look at history on this will see that this president and this administration is acting responsibly and is attempting in every way possible to resolve this issue peacefully."
Public opinion around the world was that Bush is a bigger threat to world peace than Saddam Hussein. In America, polls have shown that there will be more U.S support for the war if there is international support, which at the moment the war does not have. The Bush administration did not forsee strong opposition to the war when they started publicizing their intentions in September and has acknowledged that they need to deal with it. One ambassador, representing an allied nation, said that Bush has become the enemy.
According to CNN, Hussein challenged Bush to a debate during an interview with Dan Rather for 60 Minutes II. CBS released some of the quotes from the interview which will air Wednesday Feb. 26. Hussein was reportedly very serious and said that he was not joking about having a debate but that the White House is not taking him seriously. "This is something proposed in earnest, out of my respect for the people of the United States and my respect for the people of Iraq and the people of the world. I call for this because war is not a joke," Hussein said.
The Post reported that the director of the Non-Proliferation Project at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Joseph Cirincione, said that the U.S allies were turned off when Bush said that he no longer supported continued inspections. He said that U.S action against Iraq now looks like “an elaborate con job" and that “other leaders feel manipulated and deceived."
Bush sent Secretary of State Colin Powell to make media appearances and to push the war in Germany, France, Russia, and the Middle East. Powell said that he understands the reluctance to go to war. “We know there is great anxiety, that there are many, many people who do not want to see war."
There have been coordinated protests across the United States and the world during the last few months but Bush said that he will not be influenced by the protestors. According to the Post, White House communications director Dan Bartlett said, “There is always going to be a faction of people that don’t agree. But I think anybody who gives a fair look at history on this will see that this president and this administration is acting responsibly and is attempting in every way possible to resolve this issue peacefully."
Public opinion around the world was that Bush is a bigger threat to world peace than Saddam Hussein. In America, polls have shown that there will be more U.S support for the war if there is international support, which at the moment the war does not have. The Bush administration did not forsee strong opposition to the war when they started publicizing their intentions in September and has acknowledged that they need to deal with it. One ambassador, representing an allied nation, said that Bush has become the enemy.
According to CNN, Hussein challenged Bush to a debate during an interview with Dan Rather for 60 Minutes II. CBS released some of the quotes from the interview which will air Wednesday Feb. 26. Hussein was reportedly very serious and said that he was not joking about having a debate but that the White House is not taking him seriously. "This is something proposed in earnest, out of my respect for the people of the United States and my respect for the people of Iraq and the people of the world. I call for this because war is not a joke," Hussein said.
The Post reported that the director of the Non-Proliferation Project at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Joseph Cirincione, said that the U.S allies were turned off when Bush said that he no longer supported continued inspections. He said that U.S action against Iraq now looks like “an elaborate con job" and that “other leaders feel manipulated and deceived."
Bush sent Secretary of State Colin Powell to make media appearances and to push the war in Germany, France, Russia, and the Middle East. Powell said that he understands the reluctance to go to war. “We know there is great anxiety, that there are many, many people who do not want to see war."
Discuss this Article
The media needs to stop focusing on the issues that will boost their ratings. I am tired of hearing about unpatriotic defecting hippies who think all the problems of the world can be solved with good intentions and hope. If you don't like our country, get out.
Most importantly, ignore everything you hear about the war from anyone. Find information for yourself and develop your own ideas. Any information that is delivered to your doorstep is either trying to corrupt your mind or your wallet. Don't be a puppet.
do you think president bush
is fighting for oil or war aganist IRAQ?
can you please get back to me.
"If you don't like our country, get out."
That statement alone cost you any respect I may have had for your opinions on this discussion board. It's the most arrogant, ignorant statement I've heard people make regarding politics. I'm starting to lean pro-war in this issue, so don't go accusing me of being "anti-american", "unpatriotic", "liberal hippie" or whatever else. Now onto my point.
I've heard many people in the past use the argument that "if you don't like it, leave it", or "protesters are unpatriotic". There's a reason I've been hearing it less and less, and that's because it's hypocritical and flat out wrong. Let's clear one thing up:
Criticizing the government and/or its' policies is NOT unpatriotic or anti-American.
This country was founded on the premise of freedom of speech, among other things. It is patriotic to exercise the rights that are guaranteed to you by the constitution. It is unpatriotic to attempt to restrict or restrain the rights of other citizens. The whole point of democracy is that if you don't like how the government is functioning, you try to CHANGE it, you don't just give up and leave.
Where would be now if everyone used the same distorted logic as you? Consider when slavery was abolished, what if none of the anti-slavery people had stood up for changes in government to get rid of the corruption of slavery? Are you saying that if they didn't like how the country was running, they should have just given up and left?
I have a feeling Independent and/or other people will take offense at the fact that I used slavery in my analogy, but I don't really care. I am NOT in any way shape or form equating slavery with the war on Iraq. I am merely showing the importance of standing up for what you believe in.
Criticizing the government is the entire point of being an American. The reason we have Democracy is so that people can voice their opinions and try to change the way the system works. If you don't like something, don't just drop the issue or ignore or accept it. Try to vocalize your thoughts and change it.
The statement "If you don't like our country, get out." goes against the fundamental values of America and indeed all Democratic societies. It is political hate-mongering and is illogical, hypocritical and destroys the structure of American politics, which were created with the intent of allowing people to dissent and voice their opinions, whether they agree with the majority or not.
anyway what are we fighting for?
Are we fighting because of the oil,
or because Bush wants to?
Well I will always support our
troops thats gone to fight this war,
butall I want to know is why are we
fighting this war?Why?