Joint Chiefs Chairman: Administration Is Pursuing Same Terrorism Policy Bush Trashed In 2004
Joint Chiefs Chairman: Administration Is Pursuing Same Terrorism Policy Bush Trashed In 2004
During the 2004 election, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) likened the war against terrorist networks to fighting crime, suggesting that both could never be fully defeated but their impact on our lives could be drastically reduced:
“We have to get back to the place we were, where terrorists are not the focus of our lives, but they’re a nuisance,” Kerry said. “As a former law-enforcement person, I know we’re never going to end prostitution. We’re never going to end illegal gambling. But we’re going to reduce it, organized crime, to a level where it isn’t on the rise. It isn’t threatening people’s lives every day, and fundamentally, it’s something that you continue to fight, but it’s not threatening the fabric of your life.”
Kerry was mercilessly attacked for his suggestion that we attempt to reduce terrorism to level where it is a “nuisance.” President Bush said:
[T]hat very attitude is what blinded America to the war being waged against us. And by not seeing the war, our government had no comprehensive strategy to fight it.
Vice President Cheney added:
There never can be a time when terrorism is just a nuisance. Our goal is not to reduce terror to some acceptable level. Our goal is to defeat terror, and with George Bush as President, that’s exactly what we will do.
In an interview with MSNBC, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen. Peter Pace, explained that the Bush administration is currently pursuing the same strategy that Kerry advocated in 2004. Watch it:
(HT: DefenseTech)
Transcript:
PACE: Winning to me is simply having each of the nations that we’re trying to help have a secure environment inside of which their government and their people can function. Example: Here in Washington, D.C., there’s crime, but there’s a police force. And the police force keeps the level of crime below the level at which the government can function. That’s really what winning in the war on terrorism is.
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27 Responses to “Joint Chiefs Chairman: Administration Is Pursuing Same Terrorism Policy Bush Trashed In 2004”
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Couldn't this process have started 2 to 4 years ago?
November 13th, 2006 at 12:01 pmThe course with no course, of course.
November 13th, 2006 at 12:01 pmSo Bush was against it before he was for it?
November 13th, 2006 at 12:06 pmLike I said before, after 6 years, now Bush is going to do what works, the adults have taken over.
November 13th, 2006 at 12:09 pmI can see the figurative driver of the Bush Administration Car right now....
"QUICK, turn left!! We've gone too far to the right!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!! Over there! Head towards what the realists are saying!!!!"
November 13th, 2006 at 12:10 pmWhen are people going to see that the GOP has no vision, they have no ideas, they consistently belittle whatever any party or person says and then, as with Murtha, use their Ideas.
If it doesn't involve corruption, dirty tricks, propaganda, cronysim, organized hypocrisy and lies the GOP would do nothing.
November 13th, 2006 at 12:11 pm“...I know we’re never going to end prostitution. We’re never going to end illegal gambling. But we’re going to reduce it, organized crime, to a level where it isn’t on the rise. It isn’t threatening people’s lives every day, and fundamentally, it’s something that you continue to fight, but it’s not threatening the fabric of your life.â€
Likewise, the idiocy of Republicans who put a great amount of energy into deliberately misinterpreting Kerry's words ('Aha! Nuisance! He called terrorism a nuisance!'). We're never going to get rid of them, but we can reduce their influence until they no longer threaten the fabric of our lives. And we're off to a good start on that.
November 13th, 2006 at 12:22 pmU.S. OUT OF IRAQ! BRING OUR TROOPS HOME NOW!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=10
2x2611445
the day before the Election I received an ad about Abscram It pointed out Murtha was involved with it, but failed to say why he was NEVER convicted. The problem was when Murtha was in the room with the FBI agents acting as Arabs, he refused the offer of money and instead asked them to invest the money in his district. He was willing to vote for what the alleged Arabs wanted BUT refused the money. This is typical of Murtha he will do anything for his District. On the other hand Murtha will NOT accept a bribe.
As to abortion, Murtha reflects his District, he will be succeeded by a Anti-abortion Democrat for that is what the Majority of people of his district want. Anyway, are the Democrats promising to expand Abortion? The answer is NO. The Democrats are going to leave Abortion the way it is.
As to the Military, Murtha has connection among the Professionals in the Military, what I mean by the Professionals, I mean the people planning operations and seeing what is needed. These are the people who know how many men and supply we need to hold Iraq, but have been forced to keep quite under Bush. When Murtha said what he said about re-deployment, he was reflecting the views of these professionals. i.e. the Present US Army will be destroyed unless we pull out of Iraq. It is Vietnam II, the destruction of an Army by its deterioration do to fighting an unpopular war. Murtha supported the use of Force to overthrow Saddam, but given a choice between holding onto Iraq and saving the Army, Murtha will save the Army over oil.
What Pelosi wants and need is someone with respect in the Military Corps, and no one has more respect than Murtha. Murtha also knows how to BUY votes with earmarks, i.e. get people to vote for Democrats because the Democrats did something for them. The GOP has been doing the same for the last 14 years, and now Voters who Voted Democratic must be rewarded. Murtha will make sure they are for he is the master of Earmarks. Thus Murtha is a good Choice for Pelosi, for her perceived weakness on Defense and earmarks are compensated by Murtha. This gives the Democrats a Left - Right Punch and can keep the GOP off Balance for the next two years and help elect a Democrat for President.
November 13th, 2006 at 12:24 pmThey are the biggest bunch of lying hypocrites this country has ever seen.
November 13th, 2006 at 12:26 pmThe Bush Regime lies about everything > PERIOD.
November 13th, 2006 at 12:31 pmIt's certainly no shock when the Bush administration says its critics are wrong (to the point of ridiculing them), and then takes the same position (as if it were their idea). It's standard operating procedure.
Examples:
November 13th, 2006 at 12:35 pmcreating the Dept of Homeland Security.
forming the 9/11 Commission.
nation-building.
firing "Brownie".
firing Rumsfeld.
"America is addicted to oil."
Having a 'Democratic' House and Senate does not undo neocons calibrations for a oppositionfree future. Why would somebody give up all the power he assembled in the last years to put into the hands of the opposition? A Democratic president with the same powers as Bush? Dream on.
November 13th, 2006 at 12:52 pmOne can understand Cheney's fear of terrorism. The terrorism may just travel from Iraq to his secret undisclosed bunker, sort of like the murder of that Chilean diplomat in Washington, DC?
November 13th, 2006 at 1:10 pmBush was AGAINST it before he was FOR it
November 13th, 2006 at 1:12 pmVice President Cheney added:
There never can be a time when terrorism is just a nuisance. Our goal is not to reduce terror to some acceptable level. Our goal is to defeat terror, and with George Bush as President, that’s exactly what we will do.
when will this country begin answering these questions????
November 13th, 2006 at 1:20 pm
No Exit Strategy
The contrast between the Iraq Study Group and the group of “Wise Men†who advised President Lyndon Johnson on Vietnam, after the Vietnam Tet offensive in early 1968, could hardly be starker. The Iraq group is touted as “bipartisan,†but this is the kiss of death. To be effective, such a group should be nonpartisan. Such was the group put together by presidential adviser Clark Clifford, at Johnson’s request, when Johnson could no longer avoid the conclusion that he had been badly advised by his generals and his always-up-beat inner circle.
November 13th, 2006 at 1:34 pmThey're taking a page out of Nixon's book of logic - if the Republicans do it, it's OK.
November 13th, 2006 at 1:54 pmSo terrorism can't be compared to crime, but the conflict in Iraq can be compared to a comma...
November 13th, 2006 at 2:46 pm#15 James, Cheaper oil was never the goal, access to oil was. Heck look at what the high price of oils has done for the most loyal of Bush donors...the oil companies. You think they like cheap oil? or Plentiful oil at the current prices? One look at their quarterly financials should give you the answer.
BTW it is we, the consumers who want cheap oil, when has this administration ever gave a damn about regular people?
November 13th, 2006 at 3:09 pmThe comparison between fighting terror and fighting crime is even simpler than than even the typical democrats would state...
Can anybody show me a terrorist who hasn't committed any crimes? Or even a wanna-be terrorist who hasn't committed any crimes?
No? Then maybe we should just ensure that we're properly funding the enforcement of our current laws and terrorism will stop. Instead of, you know, blowing $2B per week in a sand-trap.
Geez, for having England as our dearest ally (oops, I forgot Poland!) you'd think that we were completely ignorant of how they survived the threat of the IRA for so long...
November 13th, 2006 at 3:27 pmwell, i give up. no one wants to discuss fundamentals here anymore... the progressive movement will get sucked into the democratic party of moderation in all things and will not become a sufficient wall against the enemy party. there is no voice of the 'real' opposition to the fundamental tenets of the bush crime family.
until the progressives frame the terms of the debate about key issues and tenets to oppose the basis of the enemy party, we will at best chip away at the edges and gain tiny insignificant victories such as the election is turning out to be.
simple things such as stating what terrorism is and how truly insignificant it is to the people of this country would be a good start, but, no one has the balls or the intellect or the significant stage to do so.
so, we sit here, swat at silly imbred trolls that pop up throughout the day, talk about bush's poll numbers and the lies and deceptions at the perimeter, but, there is no significant depth or outrage, and worse yet, no action is taken...the ball is not pushed forward, and one day goes into the next and the enemy party continues to win, because they go unchallenged...
November 13th, 2006 at 3:55 pmGOP = No vision, No plan, No Conscience, No Credibility!
November 13th, 2006 at 4:28 pmJames
November 13th, 2006 at 4:32 pmI've just read your post and couldn't agree with you more wholeheartedly. Like you, unless we frame the debate around relevant issues to deal with definitions of terrorism, war, winning, victory, etc. the same empty rhetoric will prevail. Unless this new congress has the guts to listen to the mandate of the american people and immediately begin to rectify some of the criminal actions taken by this renegade group of misanthropes, nothing will change. In fact, as I see it, if the Dems quickly do not posture themselves on the side of the voters who elected them to office with the caveat that we will not accept "business as usual" in Washington any longer, they, too, will be out. Perhaps it's now time for that "third party" which never seemed to get off the ground? We will soon know and may, in fact, begin to see the grassroots of a 3rd party (one who will truly represent the majority of americans who demand change) emerge!?!
Cheney quote - "Our goal is to defeat terror"
guy must not dream at night, or maybe he always had pleasant dreams
now that the Dems control Congress, maybe he'll understand terror is an emotion, not a political adversary, as not-so-happy dreams enter his sleep
but he'll never admit it, or that he was wrong in how to define and pursue the fight against militants hiding behind islam
November 13th, 2006 at 8:34 pmWhy do you think the gop ripped the dems as having no ideas and if they did then why didn't they say what they were.
November 13th, 2006 at 11:40 pmBecause they knew the gop would steal them and pass them off as thier own while ripping the dems ideas as stupid.
Because they knew the gop would steal them and pass them off as thier own while ripping the dems ideas as stupid.----Vwcat
Ain't that the truth, stealing ideas seems very common place for them.
November 14th, 2006 at 3:06 amGeorge Allen Steals Durbin Amendment – Calls It His Own
[...] Kerry was also right about the best approach to confronting terrorism in the “war on terror.” [...]
January 10th, 2007 at 9:37 am