Some say that a majority of Americans were unhappy that President Bush, a Republican, took us into war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Critics say neither country had attacked the USA and anti-war zealots point out that more than 4,000 Americans died in combat. I'm not one of George Bush's most ardent fans, but his first year in office saw a cowardly attack by Islamic terrorists that killed nearly 3,000 innocent people in NYC on this day in 2001.
The assault debilitated our economy and usurped many of our freedoms. Our travel and our privacy will never be the same because of these pusillanimous idiots. With election rhetoric already in full swing for 2014 and even 2016, take a hard look at a century of war and under whose watch the wars took place:
- President Wilson, a Democrat who ran as an anti-war candidate, led us into World War I in 1917. Germany had not attacked us and even took out ads in the NY Times warning of shipping explosives and armament to England. The Lusitania was loaded with contraband and sunk by a U-boat in what most think was a planned event to turn American public opinion in favor of going to war. 117,000 Americans were killed in less than two years.
- President Roosevelt, a Democrat, skillfully guided us into World War II and asked Congress to declare war on Germany which had not attacked us. Japan did attack us and there is evidence that politicians who wanted us in the European war delayed critical warnings that could have prevented Pearl Harbor which turned public opinion in favor of war. From 1941 to 1945, 450,000 American lives were lost.
- President Truman, a Democrat, took us into the Korean War. North Korea had not attacked us. Drastic budget cuts after WWII resulted in troops in the brutal Korean winter of '50 -'51 not even having foul weather gear. Most only had field jackets. From 1950 to 1953, 55,000 American lives were lost. Political interference with military leaders and collaboration with the United Nations caused the shameful loss of that war.
- President Kennedy, a Democrat, put 12,000 "advisory" troops into Vietnam in 1962 kicking off that war. North Vietnam had not attacked us. He also approved the invasion of Cuba, which did not attack us, and it failed when he withdrew support for the Bay of Pigs fiasco. This resulted in the death of many thousands of Cuban patriots.
- President Johnson, a Democrat, turned the Vietnam war into a quagmire of political interference. From 1965 to 1975, 58,000 American lives were lost. The entertainment industry with programs like M*A*S*H 4077 (actually it was about Korea but was openly anti-war) joined a biased media in swaying public opinion against the war. The nightly news, Hollywood and people like "Hanoi Jane" Fonda shared in the responsibility for humiliating defeat in that war.
- President Carter, a Democrat, allowed 52 U. S. Citizens to be held hostage for 444 days in our Embassy in Tehran, Iran. His anti-war administration also made serious cuts to military budgets. Then his ill-equipped and under-funded military failed in his futile and politically motivated attempt to rescue them. In recent years, Carter has been traveling around the world telling everyone who will listen about America's failings, a subject in which he is an expert.
- President Clinton, a Democrat, went to war in Bosnia. Bosnia never attacked us. After the first attack on the World Trade Center in '93, Clinton was offered Osama bin Laden three times by Sudan and did nothing. He sent military to Somalia that never attacked us. Remember Black Hawk Down? Clinton is famous for bombing a pharmaceutical plant in retaliation. Osama bin Laden got even on 9/11/01.
Do you see a trend here? The current mess in the Middle East is ripe for an anti-war Democratic president to get us into a war that may eventually result in the use of nuclear weapons. The only thing we have going in our favor is that this president is usually late for everything. He may miss the opportunity.
Wars solve all kinds of financial crises and we certainly have a big one right now. For example, the Cruise Missiles cost a million dollars each and they're talking about two or three hundred of them. Whoever makes those things has got to be loving it.
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