I think that if Obama wins, Bush will do something shortly after the election to remove some of these problems.

I don’t think he’ll do it. But if he did the left’s head would explode.

and your war loving hearts would grow 3 times bigger.

For some reason, you believe what you hear coming from this White House?
Why?
How many lies would it take to convince you that this administration isn’t trustworthy?

“and your war loving hearts would grow 3 times bigger.”
Not really, ar. I don’t love war at all and it’s a typical of you to say so.
“How many lies would it take to convince you that this administration isn’t trustworthy?”
What exactly are you accusing Bush of lying about now? That we shouldn’t negotiate with terrorists? I think that’s obvious? That Obama is vain? Again, obvious.

Michelle, I don’t know how you maintain civility while responding to commenters. It speaks to your Christian commitment, and I applaud your patience and polity.
As to the comments themselves. I, as I believe you do, HATE war. It is a horrible wasteful enterprise, both in loss of life and property. It is our fallen nature that perverts the human condition to make it necessary, IMO.
However, when there is a group of people who have no such aversion to the taking of innocent life, they need to be contained and punished. When they are invited to a nation to be supported and trained in their murderous goals, that nation is to be confronted, and, if verbal and political pressure proves ineffectual, military pressure may be justifiably used.
Fair-minded people may disagree whether or not that point was reached in Iraq. I think it was. I believe Hussein was willing to work with Al-Quida or any other terrorist group that would impact the ability of the US to contain him. And I find the evidence that he did so compeling.
What I do not find compelling is the level of invective from those who disagree. If you disagree with Bush’s opponents, you are called vile names and attacked as evil. Michelle, I’ve read as your authenticity as a Christian has been questioned; you’ve been attacked by people who lack the ability to make an argument beyond “Bush is evil, and if you agree with him, you’re evil, too.” You’ve even been attacked for Susan’s posts! (okay, that one was funny!)
Sorry if I’m babbling, but the personal attacks on you disturb me and leave me wondering why you bother spending the time. But I’m glad you do.

What Bush said:
“Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along,” Bush said.
“We have heard this foolish delusion before. As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: ‘Lord, if only I could have talked to Hitler, all of this might have been avoided.’ We have an obligation to call this what it is — the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history.”
My first thought as I watched the coverage on television was “oh, the old ‘appeasement’ chestnut.” But, the thing is, I agree with much of the substance of what Bush said, especially the “…we should negotiate with terrorists…as if some ingenious argument will persuade them.”
The quote from the U.S. senator was sad and hilarious, but I think Bush weakened his case by bringing up Hitler and the Nazis.
Obama’s promise to talk to people like Ahmadinejad (sic) without preconditions strikes me as naive because it assumes that any critic of America should automatically be treated as well-intentioned.
There are, in general, only two kinds of criticism. One kind is well-intentioned, and has the best interests of the nation or person being criticized at heart. The other is the kind that is ill-intentioned. Giving aid and comfort to ill-intentioned enemies by assuming they are well-intentioned is, well, naive and foolish. That doesn’t make us exempt from criticism, but it does mean we should be very careful who we allow to have power over us, and who we approach “with hat in hand.”

Dale,they probably only attacked Michele because I post so infrequently that they just *assumed* it was her.
I’ll be honest here,one of the reasons I post so infrequently is exactly because of the invective comments. I thought I was the only one who noticed how abusive the comments were. Glad to know I’m not.
Thanks for the encouragement. And thanks to you too Michele for remaining steadfast.

There is a valley between negotiation and appeasement. And as Joe Biden correctly points out, George W. Bush’s own secretaries of defense and state have called for negotiation.

Heh
John McCain approved of “appeasing” Hamas just two years ago.
I love it.

“Sorry if I’m babbling, but the personal attacks on you disturb me and leave me wondering why you bother spending the time. But I’m glad you do.”
Thanks, Dale. I’m not sure why I do it either
“What I do not find compelling is the level of invective from those who disagree. If you disagree with Bush’s opponents, you are called vile names and attacked as evil. Michelle, I’ve read as your authenticity as a Christian has been questioned; you’ve been attacked by people who lack the ability to make an argument beyond “Bush is evil, and if you agree with him, you’re evil, too.” You’ve even been attacked for Susan’s posts! (okay, that one was funny!)”
The last one was actually true I think that when you post something that is critical of the left’s positions or their politicians, they look at it as a personal attack and think that an ad hominem attack is called for. I’m not sure they get the distinction and if they do they don’t really care and will justify it.
BTW, it’s funny that you should say this because I’ve been writing a post in my head over the issue of my Christianity. I’ve decided to address it in a way that will probably be lost on many of my critics. Oh well, what else is new
“The quote from the U.S. senator was sad and hilarious, but I think Bush weakened his case by bringing up Hitler and the Nazis.”
Actually I thought he strengthened it because quoting the Senator really speaks to the arrogance of those who think that they can talk to each side and end a dispute that’s been going on for years.
I actually think that Bush had Carter in mind not Obama.

I agree with you about the quote from the Senator, Michele. But, whenever anyone is compared to Hitler, or their political positions are compared to appeasing the Nazis, it seems the conversation automatically degenerates into a case of “gotcha” and “how dare you sink to that level of comparing X to the Nazis?”
Bush might well have had Carter in mind. What worries me is the inability of some folk, whom I believe are, for the most part, well-intentioned, to refuse to take seriously what groups like Hamas say. They suggest that “Hamas” or Mahmoud Ahmadenijad (I know I’m mispelling his name) really couldn’t mean what they say, or that they are justified in their anger by their status as perpetual victims, but wouldn’t really carry out their threats.
The inability to take what groups like Hamas say at face value is what I think is truly dangerous.

But, Alica it’s not about the Nazis, it’s really about the Senator who thought he could have changed the mind of a man who was determined to dominate Europe. That’s the level of arrogance of those who think that we can win them to be our friends if you just sit down and talk to them.

I see your point, Michele. I agree completely that the Senator was not only arrogant and naive, but ridiculously so.
It’s just that I think as soon as Hitler is brought into it, a lot of people stop listening, even to the most well-reasoned statements. I’m neither a Bush nor a Carter fan, but I wish Bush, in his remarks, had found another way to introduce this senator’s remarks.
I realize that a lot of people don’t listen to Bush anymore, either. The problem to me is that they stop listening to him even when he says something true. I laugh at “Great Moments in Presidential Speeches” on Letterman as much as the next person, but that doesn’t mean Bush doesn’t occasionally get something right.

That’s the level of arrogance of those who think that we can win them to be our friends if you just sit down and talk to them.
Like in the ecumenical movement?
Can we agree once again, as before, to spare Susan? Michele can take it, we all know. Those of us praying for her know.
For the record, if Hitler was the last time we got duped at the negotiating table, then we must be doing something right.
I support Israel – we share a birthday … but we aren’t twins! There’s a 20 year difference and I’ll let you guess whose younger. You know, I really, really want to go to Israel again next year … hey, michele, you wanna come along? Late May … there, I beat Dale in asking you out! Whew.

It sure is a good thing we never talked to those evil Soviets who sponsored proxy wars against us that led to tens of thousands of American deaths, and who pointed thousands of newkewlur missiles at us.
And what a commie loving wimp that Dick Nixon was fortalking to the Communist Chinese. He sure didn’t know anything about soud forigne policy. Not like the current President who has won us such universal respect around the world.

“I think that when you post something that is critical of the left’s positions or their politicians, they look at it as a personal attack and think that an ad hominem attack is called for. I’m not sure they get the distinction and if they do they don’t really care and will justify it.”
i think that when someone throws a provocative post in your face and says “hey, look at these” and then she seems surprised that she gets responses is stupid. if you ever thought that the derogatory tone of your blog goes unnoticed, be assured that it doesn’t.
when you attack our positions, you attack our beliefs. fair is fair.
your christianity is at times called into question because you at times act in a way that is not at all christian-like. but hey, you question other’s christianity too, so i don’t see why you think you deserve to be treated any better.
your “facts” are often questioned, because they’re often wrong. and by the way, ad hominems fly both directions, and i for one have no problem trading barbs with michele or donny, or zz, or any others who care to participate in that behavior.
and if you are wrong or just incompetent of the facts, we don’t hesitate to point it out for you. that goes for susan, too. consider it a public service.