Our President

[TevashSzat]

Well, I'm not one of them.

I felt that invading Afghanistan, although counter to what I would have wished, was at least somewhat justifiable and the US did not mess it up THAT bad there. Iraq, however, was just another story. The WMD story is just BS

[Lemur]

Tristrem, I think it's important to have respect for the office of President, if not for a particular occupant. And certainly as President qua President, George W. Bush deserves respect.

But that's as far as I'm willing to go. His policies are generally the polar opposite of what I consider to be wise and prudent.

[Tristrem]

I'm glad to see someone respects the man in office. It's hard to do sometimes, because you think he is crazy and do not understand his decisions, but when push comes to shove, he is our leader, and deserves our respect. (I mean come on we voted him in twice?)

[Marshal Murat]

I think it's like the Obama support.

It's 'cool' to dislike Bush because everyone dislikes him, not because you can name his policies. Sure, you can say 'Iraq War' or 'deficit', but that's like supporting Obama because he likes 'universal healthcare' or 'new hope' message. Just saying those as reasons doesn't mean you understand the reasons. Now, while I'm not insulting anyone here on the forum, no sir, it's just that an average American dislikes Bush because everyone else does. Not because they know why, but because everyone else is doing it.

My humble opinion.

[Lemur]

Sure, you can say 'Iraq War' or 'deficit' ...

And those are small issues? Those are throwaways? As Jar-Jar Binks would say, exqwueeeze me?

[Marshal Murat]

It's a no-win situation, and Bush gets blamed for it. While I'm not absolving him of his guilt, I'm saying that Bush can either stay in and be punished, or withdraw and maybe get punished for allowing a 'civil war'. It's the better of two options, for Bush at least, and maybe for the world at large.

The deficit, well, I misspoke. I meant to say recession, deficit slipped in, and I got depressed. I meant to have everyone complain about Bush failing to handle the economy and the recession. I'll agree that the deficit is Bush's fault, but the economy is an entirely separate matter.

My base argument, however, is that anyone who hates Bush can throw around 'Iraq War' and get away with it, rather than having to explain what aspects were particularly unsavory, and what the best course of action should be, were you President.

[Lemur]

And I would counter that people almost always speak in shorthand of some sort. If you want to see how ugly it gets when everybody has to define their terms in detail, go to a philosopher's convention. It gets ugly.

I dunno, your argument seems to be that the main reason Bush is unpopular is that Bush is unpopular. You see the tautology there? You seem to be saying there is no cause for the effect.