JPhillips
02-20-2004, 07:51 AM
This really has been a bad 2004 for Bush so far. James Webb, Reagan's Sec. of the Navy, wrote this in USA Today.
Bush arguably has committed the greatest strategic blunder in modern memory. To put it bluntly, he attacked the wrong target. While he boasts of removing Saddam Hussein from power, he did far more than that. He decapitated the government of a country that was not directly threatening the United States and, in so doing, bogged down a huge percentage of our military in a region that never has known peace. Our military is being forced to trade away its maneuverability in the wider war against terrorism while being placed on the defensive in a single country that never will fully accept its presence.
There is no historical precedent for taking such action when our country was not being directly threatened. The reckless course that Bush and his advisers have set will affect the economic and military energy of our nation for decades. It is only the tactical competence of our military that, to this point, has protected him from the harsh judgment that he deserves.
Now to be fair he takes some shots at Kerry as well, and the article is focused on who vets should vote for. But this is about as harsh a criticism of Bush as I have seen from either side of the aisle. I can imagine the outrage if this would have been said by Daschle or Byrd. The whole thing is an interesting read if you're inclined.
Who Should Veterans Vote For? (http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2004-02-18-veterans-edit_x.htm)
Bush arguably has committed the greatest strategic blunder in modern memory. To put it bluntly, he attacked the wrong target. While he boasts of removing Saddam Hussein from power, he did far more than that. He decapitated the government of a country that was not directly threatening the United States and, in so doing, bogged down a huge percentage of our military in a region that never has known peace. Our military is being forced to trade away its maneuverability in the wider war against terrorism while being placed on the defensive in a single country that never will fully accept its presence.
There is no historical precedent for taking such action when our country was not being directly threatened. The reckless course that Bush and his advisers have set will affect the economic and military energy of our nation for decades. It is only the tactical competence of our military that, to this point, has protected him from the harsh judgment that he deserves.
Now to be fair he takes some shots at Kerry as well, and the article is focused on who vets should vote for. But this is about as harsh a criticism of Bush as I have seen from either side of the aisle. I can imagine the outrage if this would have been said by Daschle or Byrd. The whole thing is an interesting read if you're inclined.
Who Should Veterans Vote For? (http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2004-02-18-veterans-edit_x.htm)