‘If I Had to Do It Over Again’

I find it extremely disconcerting that the leaders of our government apparently did not understand the culture of Irag prior to our invasion o their land. History would make obvious the importance of the tribal culture and conflict in the area. I am appalled that people who are supposed to be guiding the U.S. in world affairs, relationships, and conflict show such a lack of prior knowledge of the world and a lack of willingness to learn about it prior to taking action that impacts our own soldiers adn the lives of men, women, and children in Irag and other neighboring countries. I don't know which is more abhorrent....the lack of knowledge or the blindsightedness in insisting that "Mission Accomplished" was true. It seems a bit late in the process to be just now uinderstanding the importance of the culture.

It's no wonder Newsweek has had to cut its circulation by 500,000 (16%) and has lost revenue (18 %), on a 13 percent decline in advertising. If the posters here are any indication, the majority of Newsweek's shrinking readership is Democrats??? ill with Bush Derangement Syndrome. No wonder why Newsweek is losing readers, it panders to you guys (and gals). How you do love to spout off in your little elite echo chambers.

Spew what poison you will at this administration, but you cannot argue the fact that the United States homeland has not suffered another attack. No matter what way you slice it, this is no small feat and historians will recognize it even as you will not.

As for Iraq - What if Iraq succeeds?? What if rather than descending into sectarian civil war, the Iraq people of all sects manage to come together to form a prosperous Muslim nation, if not democratic, at least unsympathetic to terrorist? All of the mistakes of this administration will not matter one whit. What will matter is that the man you love to hate George W, will have served his country very well indeed.

It's no wonder Newsweek has had to cut its circulation by 500,000 (16%) and has lost revenue (18 %), on a 13 percent decline in advertising. If the posters here are any indication, the majority of Newsweek's shrinking readership is Democrats??? ill with Bush Derangement Syndrome. No wonder why Newsweek is losing readers, it panders to you guys (and gals). How you do love to spout off in your little elite echo chambers.

Spew what poison you will at this administration, but you cannot argue the fact that the United States homeland has not suffered another attack. No matter what way you slice it, this is no small feat and historians will recognize it even as you will not.

As for Iraq - What if Iraq succeeds?? What if rather than descending into sectarian civil war, the Iraq people of all sects manage to come together to form a prosperous Muslim nation, if not democratic, at least unsympathetic to terrorist? All of the mistakes of this administration will not matter one whit. What will matter is that the man you love to hate George W, will have served his country very well indeed.

It's nice to see Ms. Rice admit to a mistake. Now if she would only admit that it was a mistake to ignore the bi-partisan Hart-Rudman report that warned of the 9/11 attack, perhaps she might have some credibility. But since she continues to refer to that report as "an historical document" I'd say whoever was in charge of National Security on 9/11 failed miserably.

"Incompetent" applies to some of this administration's decisions, not to others. When Bush was still running in 2000, as Governor of Texas, he told the ghost writer of his autobiography that both Reagan and Bush I had achieved quick and easy military victories (Grenada and the Gulf War) that boosted their popularity, which he called "political capital", but had then failed to use that capital to ram through their domestic agendas. Iraq, a military shell, was to be Bush's quick and easy road to political capital, which he would spend to establish a kind of Stalinism in reverse, a redistribution of wealth from the poor and middle class to the ultra-wealthy. Iraq did not turn out to be his quick and easy victory, but with the springboard provided by 9/11 ( an answered prayer if there ever was one) he did manage to make a substantial dent in the traditional internal flow of wealth and in civil rights. It will take a generation at least to recover from the damage.

"Incompetent" applies to some of this administration's decisions, not to others. When Bush was still running in 2000, as Governor of Texas, he told the ghost writer of his autobiography that both Reagan and Bush I had achieved quick and easy military victories (Grenada and the Gulf War) that boosted their popularity, which he called "political capital", but had then failed to use that capital to ram through their domestic agendas. Iraq, a military shell, was to be Bush's quick and easy road to political capital, which he would spend to establish a kind of Stalinism in reverse, a redistribution of wealth from the poor and middle class to the ultra-wealthy. Iraq did not turn out to be his quick and easy victory, but with the springboard provided by 9/11 ( an answered prayer if there ever was one) he did manage to make a substantial dent in the traditional internal flow of wealth and in civil rights. It will take a generation at least to recover from the damage.

Thank you Dogssoldier. At the risk of Mr. Limbaugh labeling you a "phony soldier" you have spoken the ugly truth. Incompetent dosen't even began to describe the Bush Administration.

The real truth of the matter is that all this talk about "incompetence" is what will get us into further trouble. This White House and it's staffing are anything but incompetent, they are shrewd coldly calculating plotters with an agenda that goes back decades. They found a social, personable slightly arrogant dim bulb who had the pedigree they needed as a front man and then backed him with a mercenary political hatchett -man and surrounded the duo with reasonable sounding easily lead operatives that would make the american public beleive the lies they spun. Sayw what you will about the results, they got exactly what they wanted- war in an oil rich country which provided them the slight of hand distraction to pass off money to the top 1% of the country while the middle class and the programs for impoverished americansd was destroyed. They are not incompetent, they are treasonously self promoting and careless of true threats to this country as long as they get what they want

Those who would argue that water boarding (aka torture) is justified because the enemies we face would do the same to us are morally bankrupt. The United States (prior to the Bush Administration) was held to the highest moral standards and code of conduct ever on earth. We held a light to the world, a light of freedom, the promise of democracy, the promise of justice; all based on adhering to a very highest of moral and ethical standards. We believed in the Geneva Convention. We did not condone torture. We lead the world. We now face those of us who would abandon those high standards, who say ???so what, use torture, use what ever means it takes to arrive at the desired ends???, and in doing so defeat their very own muddled goals. The Bush Administration has destroyed the moral authority and credibility of the United States and done deep and lasting damage to the very foundation of American values and to all Americans. If you are not outraged by the conduct of the Bush Administration, you are brain dead. This travesty of governance must be stopped, if not by Congress then by the People of the United States of America through their voices, peaceful demonstration, and expression of their will at the ballot box. Do not allow the destruction of the very essence of what it is to be American to be further degraded by the Bush Administration.

I led a CA team assigned to the 1st squadron of the 2nd Cav in eastern Baghdad that was doing these very things that were so "new" to secretary Rice from March 2003 to March 2004. Our problem was not one of a lack of knowledge. it was a lack of funding, commitment from the CPA and the U. S. Dept of Defense. I don't know if we had had the support we asked for if this disater could ahve been averted, but not having it ensured our ultimate failure. It was unnecessary and do to this adminstration's pigheadedness and incompetence, not a lack of knowledge or understanding

Little tip...Not a wise move to vote for Guiliani, Thompson, or HIllary at present..all seem to espouse the same ridiculous plight the Bush administration has put us in. Call them Bush light. You want outta Iraq, don't vote for them. You want outta Iraq, there are many other choices on both sides of the aisle..I lean towards Edwards at the moment..but if I thought that Biden or Kucinich had a snowballs chance in hell of winning the election, I'd be voting for them..UFO or no UFO.

The Iraqis that are "going home" are in fact refugee's that are no longer being welcomed into Saudi Arabia and other middle eastern countries. The outflow of refugees has become an incredible humanitarian problem in the countries bordering Iraq, and most of those countries are now turning them around and sendign them back..For the claims that Iraq is now safer than ever is just plain ridiculous. This year has been the bloodiest fo the US soldier to date, as well as for the Iraqi civilians. The Faux news report that the Iraqi's are returning fails to mention that its not of their own free will, they are actually being deported back to iraq.

Ms. Rice is just a propaganda mouthpiece for this evil administration. The question remains: Why does anyone listen to her?

All one has to do, is see who the donors are to those currently in office...this will tell you right away, who wanted the war..and why...easily enough solved..if you take the time to go and find these things out. Bush was non-to bright to begin with, and then surrounded himself with many that were even less enlightened..Only the neo cons could diss people with education for offering solutions and advice, which they continously ignored. makes me sick that people still aactually support them. It also shows quite clearly, how many americans really know what the hell is goin on in the world today..and what history has to say about it. Bush? god down in history as a good president??? very very doubtful..right now..worst administration ever..bar none.

An abundance of information existed prior to the Iraq invasion that it would be disastrous. The neo-cons and their allies were bound and determined to disregard massive information mitigating against this venture.

Meglomaniacs throughout human history cause misery. It is in their mentalities. Grandiose schemes and sheer stupidity catapults them into unconscionable destruction. Intelligent beings, including mental health profilers, must speak up before lunatics come to power. It is invariably too late to stop their lunacies once they engage deception machines and trumpet the call to arms. We can end our complacency and pay attention or end society as we know it.

An abundance of information existed prior to the Iraq invasion that it would be disastrous. The neo-cons and their allies were bound and determined to disregard massive information mitigating against this venture.

Meglomaniacs throughout human history cause misery. It is in their mentalities. Grandiose schemes and sheer stupidity catapults them into unconscionable destruction. Intelligent beings, including mental health profilers, must speak up before lunatics come to power. It is invariably too late to stop their lunacies once they engage deception machines and trumpet the call to arms. We can end our complacency and pay attention or end society as we know it.

No, notaknowitall, it's that Bush and Co. gave the American people the IMPRESSION that things were going to be all neat and tidy. They have since the beginning of this fiasco with all this nonsense talk of being greeted as liberators, "sweets and flowers," and the unforgettable "Mission Accomplished." That's not a "mis-calculation" as you put it. That's outright misdirection and incompetence, something that history will always hallmark as trademarks of the Bush administration. This entire war was an ill-conceived plot to go into that nation under false pretenses, use our honorable and well-intentioned troops as tools because they had the courage to go forth as ordered, and use companies like Halliburton, KBR, and Blackwater to plunder Iraq's resources, while using weapons of mass destruction as a centerpiece to create a foundation for their lies. Those who spoke against them were branded as unpatriotic and even traitors, but now that things have begun to come to light, Condoleeza Rice wants to act like a light bulb just went on in the collective head of the Administration. Kinda like her OTHER blatant lie that she told in front of the American media when she insisted that "no one could have known that Al-Qaeda intended to fly planes into buildings." Yeah, right. At least Nixon had the courage to resign.

No, notaknowitall, it's that Bush and Co. gave the American people the IMPRESSION that things were going to be all neat and tidy. They have since the beginning of this fiasco with all this nonsense talk of being greeted as liberators, "sweets and flowers," and the unforgettable "Mission Accomplished." That's not a "mis-calculation" as you put it. That's outright misdirection and incompetence, something that history will always hallmark as trademarks of the Bush administration. This entire war was an ill-conceived plot to go into that nation under false pretenses, use our honorable and well-intentioned troops as tools because they had the courage to go forth as ordered, and use companies like Halliburton, KBR, and Blackwater to plunder Iraq's resources, while using weapons of mass destruction as a centerpiece to create a foundation for their lies. Those who spoke against them were branded as unpatriotic and even traitors, but now that things have begun to come to light, Condoleeza Rice wants to act like a light bulb just went on in the collective head of the Administration. Kinda like her OTHER blatant lie that she told in front of the American media when she insisted that "no one could have known that Al-Qaeda intended to fly planes into buildings." Yeah, right. At least Nixon had the courage to resign.