I'm sorry, but I've gotten used to hearing the liberal mantra from the democratic party mouthpieces, which is then regurgitated verbatim by their sheeply followers, it is a pleasant surprise to discover that the person that you're arguing with actually has substantially more brain cells than your average sheep (and I'm not directing that as a slight on you; there are equally as many conservatives bowing at the altar of Rush Limbough who spout their party rhetoric just as religiously).<br><br>Unfortunately the liberal mouthpieces give the impression that they believe that the world can return to the state it was pre 9/11 if we just stop attacking the fanatics, and sit down with them at a table and try to figure out what it will take for them to stop trying to kill us. Unfortunately, we are breathing and we're not muslim - that's excuse enough and either one or the other state needs to be eliminated for them to live with us peacefully.<br><br>We've learnt from history that military plans rarely survive first contact because the other guy isn't playing to your play book. That doesn't mean that the military leader is incompetent (though the losing general usually gets convicted of such, if he's not killed in the action) it just means that the other guy was more successful at messing with your guys play book, than your guy was at messing with his. It's really great being able to sit here with 20-20 hindsight and say - hey he did that wrong, or could have done that better.<br><br>What we do have is a few truck loads of unknowns. So the Kerry campaign and the media are filling in the facts with speculation - and all of a sudden we're all in mortal jeopardy, but Kerry will save us (incidently as reprehensible an action as the Bush Campaign claiming we'll all be nuked if we vote Kerry - though the media derides the Bush campaign, and goes brass band and fireworks behind Kerry). But back to point - what is Kerry and the media expecting if he is voted in? That the explosives will magically reappear at Al Qaqaa? That the fanatics will drive up in a truck convoy and say we're really sorry, here's the explosives? Or maybe we should just have a bi-partisan congressional commission investigate?<br><br>But further to my previous point, a terrorist doesn't need access to high grade explosives to go about his business. Heck most of them probably wouldn't even know how to prepare or detonate the stuff. We're painfully aware what they can do with small amounts of improvised explosives, and that given time and planning, they can make use of pretty much anything to kill vast numbers of people.<br><br>What new things can be achieved with 380 tons of high grade explosives, that cannot already be achieved with varying quantities of standard explosives, large airplanes or any other IED? The homeland security mission remains the same. The risk to our troops remains the same. Like a ninja from the shadows these people will strike, whether you're prepared for it or not.<br><br>

I'm replying to myself because I'm not trying to single anyone out, and I don't know how important this argument (the timeline) really is, but I thought it was worth posting this Yahoo article from this morning.<br><br>Maybe you don't believe the article, maybe you don't believe Iraqi scientists or their so-called "certified statements" to back it up, but one thing is clear: Would our puppet government please stop criticizing and correcting us? Its so embarrassing! <br><br><br>Iraq says 'impossible' explosives taken before regime fall.<br><br>"It is impossible that these materials could have been taken from this site before the regime's fall," said Mohammed al-Sharaa, who heads the science ministry's site monitoring department and previously worked with UN weapons inspectors under Saddam.<br><br>"The officials that were inside this facility (Al-Qaqaa) beforehand confirm that not even a shred of paper left it before the fall and I spoke to them about it and they even issued certified statements to this effect which the US-led coalition was aware of."<br><br>

<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr><p>Maybe you don't believe the article<p><hr></blockquote><p>hell no . . . anything that makes my man look bad with 6 days to go must be lie. <br><br><br>--<br>one of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors. -Plato

This is a good piece of information and I know this will sound like nitpicking but what date is he referring to when he says "regime's fall"?<br>March 20th - Beginning of bombing campaign and troop invasion?<br>April 9th - Fall of Bagdad<br>Or some other date?<br><br>Seriously, we need a specific date to put this in context.<br><br><br><br>No sig right now, waiting for the next Kerry flip-flop. .

Iraqi Govenment says something Pro-Bush, leftie response: PUPPET GOVERNMENT - Bush ECHO CHAMBER!<br><br>Iraqi Govement says something anti-Bush, leftie reponse: Wow! These guys know how to speak the truth! They are the best, full of integrity and independence.<br><br>No sig right now, waiting for the next Kerry flip-flop. .

i think the world recognizes them as a puppet gov't. this makes their admission all the more surprising given how much of an echo we heard when the interim president visited D.C. perhaps they are trying to get some distance from the hated US? with elections on the horizon, this seems entirely plausible, does it not? then again, the gov't official who released this document might have done so prematurely before the puppet part of the gov't kicked in.<br><br><br>--<br>one of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors. -Plato

Maybe it was...<br><br>May 1st - Mission Accomplished? <br><br>

bold emphasis mine:<br><blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr><p>This 380 tons of high explosivees which we knew existed because inspetor seals were on it and we screwed up royally not taking control of it must have been "used up" somehow.<br>Sadly, this stuff is likely being used to attack our forces today and may come to haunt us in the future.<br><br>Inspections were working.<p><hr></blockquote><p>380 tons because the IAEA told us...<br>Inspections were working...<br><br>Now, where did I put that post about the real incompetence was the IAEA and the UN?<br><br>Discrepancy found in explosive amounts<br><br>No sig right now, waiting for the next Kerry flip-flop. .

"<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr><p>Unfortunately the liberal mouthpieces give the impression that they believe that the world can return to the state it was pre 9/11 if we just stop attacking the fanatics, and sit down with them at a table and try to figure out what it will take for them to stop trying to kill us."<p><hr></blockquote><p><br>What part of Kerry's "I will hunt down the terrorists and we will kill them" isn't clear?<br><br>Bill O'Reily said tonight ending his show that 'ideology makes people hear only what they want to hear". True dat.<br><br>

Well that's the problem. That is what he says but just about everything he has said before and all his actions before don't support this.<br><br>I believe that in response to 9/11 he would have tried to "hunt down" OBL but that's all he would have done. Tried to capture that one man. Then he would have worked on only internal stuff like a terrorism cabinet position or raising taxes so we could inspect 9% of cargo containers.<br><br>No sig right now, waiting for the next Kerry flip-flop. .