Hi, I know it has been a long time, I just haven't felt like blogging, although many things have bothered me. Help me to determine if there is a common thread.
A thought a few days ago. I think someone said that they seriously thought the world was a better place without Saddam Hussein in power. I am sure I am not the first to say this, and it may not be an original thought, but didn't the speed at which his regime fell during the war indicate he was not anywhere near the threat the Bush administration said he was? So this expenditure of money and people was a true waste, and that is the most difficult thing.
Today's irksome thing. Bush meets Karzai, the Afghan President. A person that should not have to be fighting Taliban resurgence right now and should be presiding over a peaceful country if Bush hadn't needed to avenege or top his daddy by taking out Hussein.
I wonder if Bush has bin Laden hiden somewhere and will release him at the most opportune moment somewhere in the US to have people find him.
Back to Afghanistan, from CNN.com
Karzai had said in advance of his visit to Camp David that Iran is a partner in the fight against terrorism and narcotics. "So far, Iran has been a helper," he said over the weekend.
Asked about Karzai's comments last week that Iran has proven to be a stabilizing force in Afghanistan, Bush didn't appear persuaded. "It is up to Iran to prove to the world that they are a stabilizing force as opposed to a destabilizing force," he said. "After all, its government proclaimed its desire to build nuclear weapons."
Iran has said its nuclear program is intended solely for peaceful purposes, but Bush accused the country of appearing "to be willing to thumb its nose at the international community."
Bush added, "I'm willing to listen, but from my perspective, the burden of proof is on the Iranian government to prove to us that they are a positive force."
He said the current leadership of the country, which he once described as being part of an "axis of evil," is "a big disappointment to the people of Iran."
And Bush vowed to "continue to work to isolate it. They are not a force for good, as far as we can see."
Seriously, that is his reasoning? He can't accept that maybe Iran likes to talk big and can't accept new information from the person actually running the country in Karzai. This would go against his Axis of Evil stupid statement. I think I trust the local President much more than what Bush might have to add.
Bush said the leaders spent "more than a fair amount of time" talking about the
fact that Afghanistan now accounts for 95 percent of the world's poppy
production used to make heroin.
Profits from the drug trade are aiding the Taliban. Aggressive counter-drug proposals by some U.S. officials -- including tying development aid to benchmarks such as mandatory poppy field destruction --have met fierce resistance.
"He knows full well that the United States is
watching, measuring and trying to help," the president said of Karzai.
For his part, Karzai said his government in Kabul is "committed to fighting it
because this evil is first hurting us."
Wait, I thought benchmarks were bad. Hey, here's an idea, you want to stop terrorists from using drug trade to fund their operations? Legalize and tax - Legalization takes away all the profits and practice of being a tough guy drug dealer to be a terrorist. The War on Drugs hasn't worked in any meaningful way. Never mind, another several posts.
Other things in other posts. Later.
