I think Powell is truly concerned with finding a way to AVOID unneccesary conflict. There is no upside to that. If you disagree with this, then we just have to agree to disagree. War should be avoided at all costs at all times. There is no military man that would argue this. Not from the civilized world. Rumsfeld being a "general" and a "war hawk" going "hand in hand" is almost comical if it weren't such a dangerous concept. I suggest you rent the movie "Dr. Strangelove" if you have never seen it. Very possibly the greatest anti-war movie ever made, and also IMHO one of, if not the best movie of any kind ever! (and I am not alone in this opinion by any means). As far as Cheney being the brains, well I have to admit that he is obviously a bright guy. A little scary, but bright. However there are few in government that would not look like intellectual giants in the company of Dubya. Other than lineage, what single qualification does this man have to be president? As for Cheney being another Kissinger. Well I think Bryan Roberts said it all. Peace, rs7
sorry rs7, but i was laughing at the esteem with which dotslash holds Kissinger. Kissinger should be in a prison cell for the rest of his life. (but i really don't want to go into details about that right now)
did you see your boy Ron Paul's latest legislation he is introducing? He is truly an American patriot without peer!!!!! i'm getty a little misty eyed just thinking about it.
I am not surprised. I didn't figure you to give Kissinger much credit. You took me off guard. I am not a fan of his, but he accomplished quite a bit. By the way, he was Stanley Kubrick's model for Dr. Strangelove. rs7
Harper's Magazine Feb, 2001 THE CASE AGAINST HENRY KISSINGER. Christopher Hitchens [excerpt] No, I have confined myself to the identifiable crimes that can and should be placed on a proper bill of indictment, whether the actions taken were in line with general "policy" or not. These include, in this installment, the deliberate mass killing of civilian populations in Indochina and the personal suborning and planning of murder of a senior constitutional officer in a democratic nation--Chile--with which the United States was not at war. In a second installment we will see that this criminal habit of mind extends to Bangladesh, Cyprus, East Timor, and even to Washington, D.C. ============== http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m1111/1809_302/69839383/print.jhtml http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/features/feature_kissinger.shtml http://www.trialofhenrykissinger.org/interviews.html
Sounds like Christopher Hitchins isn't much of a fan of Kissinger's either. Fact is, I worked for the guy (Kissinger, not Hitchins). He was a brutal egotistical megalomaniac. But he was also a brilliant politician. His accomplishments were vast enough to include what Hitchins concludes as crimes against humanity as well as war crimes. But other accomplishments included his famous "shuttle diplomacy" in the middle east and his efforts with the Paris Peace Talks (both positive and counter-productive). Some of his efforts were worthy, many were in the pursuit of power (or the retention of it, obviously). I don't know what to believe as far as Hitchins allegations. I do know that I would not be surprised by anything. Kissinger also must be placed in context. The period of time that he was Secretary of State for Nixon was a tumultuous time. A time of government corruption, corrupted idealism worldwide, and a time of war. A very unpopular and IMO unjust war. A time of an emotionally unbalanced President and a time of enormous social upheaval both domestically and internationally. I don't know what to think of Hitchins' allegations. I am sure there is more than a bit of truth to most of them. I am also willing to guess there is a bit of exaggeration to a few, and some are outright distortions. However, having actually worked for the guy, I can say without a doubt that he was in a position in which he could not avoid "lose lose" circumstances on almost a daily basis. Again, I am no fan of his. I disliked his politics, and I disliked him personally. Fortunately, my dealings with him were short in duration. I met him face to face only once for any significant time, and several times just in passing (although he was technically my superior). He put me in harms way, as he did so many. What he was capable of accomplishing in a different era would make for interesting conjecture. But he was certainly an integral part of a sad chapter in our history. How much of the blame can be put on him is something I guess history will sort out. It will interest me greatly to see if Hitchins allegations bear out. If they are swept under the rug or brought to the full light of day. So far, it seems all very speculative. The fact of the matter is that Kissinger has to live in the light of eminent domain. So Hitchins and anyone else can say whatever they please. Kissinger can't sue for libel, or slander. (Not implying he has grounds...I don't know). But that just makes it interesting. But not necessarily factual. Time will tell. In any event, thanks for the links. Interesting reading! Peace at virtually all costs; Rs7
If you are honest with yourselves, you will admit that Kissinger and Cheney are brilliant. You have to seperate your feelings from your logic, which I realize is not the strong suit of democrats. Bryan Roberts, "LOL" doesn't count as an argument ( except maybe if you are a democrat ). RS7, previously you said that war must be avoided at all costs....That is a basic philosophical difference between us. Do you believe that we should have avoided WWII at all costs? Surely not. What about the wars that Israel has fought? Same thing. A country that loses its nerve to fight wars goes into decline. Even during the pre-WWII days there were pacifists, but then Pearl Harbor happened. More people died in the 9/11 attacks than died in Pearl Harbor, and the world is just waiting to see if we will wimp out.
Just to avoid any confusion here are my ACTUAL opinions: I am no follower of Ron Paul, he is a bit whacked if you ask me. Somebody posted an article by him with lot of points and a lot of them were pure nonsense. I am a conservative when it comes to foreighn policy because I believe that the rest of the world would like to see us go down. We are the current king of the Hill, and there are many millions of people that hate us for that very reason, its just human nature. We are lucky that nobody can really take us down except OURSELVES. If america drops down to the level of europe an becomes just another member of the U.N. , it will be our own fault.
Lucifer is brilliant. How about Mao Tse Tung, Lenin, Karl Marx, Ceasar, Nixon, Stalin, Hitler, Clinton, Genghis Kahn....etc. Do you worship these folks because of their brilliancy? What does brilliance have to do with necessarily acting in a manner that is moral, right, compassionate or ethical? All of the above "brilliant" folks, along with Cheney and Kissinger were true believers in the end justifying the means.... PHOTOJOURNALIST "Why ? Why would a nice guy like you wanna kill a genius ? You know that the man really likes you. He likes you, he really likes you. He's got something in mind for you. Aren't you curious about that ? I'm curious, I'm very curious. You curious ?There's something happening out there, man. You know something, man, I know something that you don't know. That's right, jack. The man is clear in his mind, but his soul is mad. Oh yeah. He's dying, I think. He hates all this, he hates it! But ... the man's ... uh ... he reads poetry out loud, alright? ... And a voice! A voice. ... He likes you because you're still alive. He's got plans for you. Nah, nah, I'm not going to help you, you're going to help him, man. You're going to help him. I mean, what are they going to say, man, when he's gone, huh? Because he dies, when it dies, man, when it dies, he dies. What are they going to say about him? What, are they going to say, he was a kind man, he was a wise man, he had plans, he had wisdom? Bullsh-t, man! Am I going to be the one, that's going to set them straight? Look at me: wrong! ... You!"