[Marxism] Bush on "war on terror": 'I don't think you can win it.'

["Fred Feldman" <ffeldman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I assume the remaining enthusiastic Kerry supporters will be insisting
that their man will "win" the "war on terror" the same way he killed
commies from the glorious Swift Boats.  Yesterday's demo of 250.000 to
500,000 (after a couple hundred I lose track, so don't look to me for a
better estimate) will certainly not help the declining morale of the
Bush administration.

But we can be sure that Kerry will help them to hang in there, as he has
been doing throughout his campaign.It is worth noting for all of  us who
have been concerned about the bad effects of ABB that the anti-Vietnam
War movement never managed to get even a tiny fraction of this kind of
antiwar mobilization in the heat of a presidential campaign.  Not only
that, the protest was not only directed at the current president and the
war he administers, but at the war policy of the candidate whom the
overwhelming majority of the demonstrators support (although they
certainly weren't very fired up about it yesterday).

The election apparently will depend on whether the decay of the Bush
administration will outstrip the declining enthusiasm for Kerry or vice
versa. Its neck and neck at the moment.

In his introduction to this item, Mark Jensen commented: "Two days
before before the opening of the Republican National Convention, George
W. Bush said to NBC News in an interview, speaking of the war on terror:
'I don't think you can win it.'  --

" In the past, however, he has often promised victory.  For example, on
Sept. 10, 2003, speaking of the 'war on terror,' he told the FBI Academy
in Quantico, Virginia:  'We will win this war,'
(http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/09/20030910-6.html) and
urged:  'The House and the Senate have a responsibility to act quickly
on these matters; untie the hands of our law enforcement officials so
they can fight and win the war against terror.'"
Fred Feldman

BUSH SEES WAR AGAINST TERROR THAT NEVER ENDS

** In NBC interview, president also talks about economy **

MSNBC August 30, 2004

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5865710/

As he prepared to accept his party's nomination for a second term in
office this week, President Bush said the war against terrorism must be
fought but that it's not likely to ever end.

"I don't think you can win it," the president said, when asked if the
war on terrorism can be won.  "But I think you can create conditions so
that those who use terror as a tool are less acceptable in parts of the
world.

"I have a two-pronged strategy," he said.  "On the one hand is to find
them before they hurt us. . . . The long-term strategy is to spread
freedom and liberty.

He added later, "You cannot show weakness in this world today because
the enemy will exploit that weakness.  It will embolden them and make
the world a more dangerous place.

ECONOMIC PLAN

Interviewed by NBC's Matt Lauer for the "Today" show while on the
campaign trail in Ohio on Saturday, the president was also asked if he
felt most Americans would say they are better off today than four years
ago.  "I think over 50 percent will," he said, referring to what's
needed to win re-election in November.

On the federal deficit, Bush was asked if he'd consider raising taxes if
it isn't halved in a second term as he envisions.

"There's no need to answer a hypothetical," he said, "because it is
going to
(be halved).  That's what we've got in place and that's what we've got
in mind.  And I think raising taxes now would be a disaster.

Bush said the major difference between him and Democratic candidate,
Sen. John Kerry, came down to a philosophy of governing.

"There's a philosophical difference, which is that if you look at my
policies they're all aimed at empowering people to make their own
decisions," he said.

--The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This email was cleaned by emailStripper, available for free from
http://www.papercut.biz/emailStripper.htm


_______________________________________________
Marxism mailing list
Marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism