[quote author="IrvineCommuter" date=1255388909][quote author="Minimorty" date=1255387645][quote author="bltserv" date=1255341457]I love you guys. God forbid but weapons are not the only answer.
Why must we place our weapons and our men on other foreign soils to show our strength ?
We were wrong in Viet Nam. We were wrong in Iraq. And we are about to be wrong again in Afghanistan.
Benjamin Franklin said it best.
"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results"
Edit:
I am watching 60 Minutes this evening.
70% of Afghans are Iliterate
80% dont have Electricity.
So its up to us to give them these modern objects.
You dont use our precious military forces for these objectives ?
Go Obama. Stop the war. Bring our troops home.</blockquote>
If Obama stops the war overseas, our enemies will only grow stronger. They will train their troops. They will make devastating weapons. And they will bring the war to our soil. You dont get it, do you? There are people and organizations out there whose sole purpose is to see the demise of the United States. They will not rest until they have succeeded.
Say whatever you want about Bush. One thing is undeniable. Since 9/11, he has kept us safe.</blockquote>
Bush? He is the one that moved us away from Afghanistan (where the people who really attack us were) to Iraq (where nothing was happening) and allowed the warlords and the Taliban to reassert themselves. The past 8 eight years, Iraq has taken up the bulk of the U.S.'s attention while Afghanistan becomes the wild wild west where heroin and marijuana trades became key elements of the economy. Not only has the situation in Afghanistan not gotten better since the U.S. went in, it has gotten worse! Oh yeah, Bush was also the one that allow Bin Laden to get away...thanks a lot for keeping us safe.
As for the Nobel prize, I find it laughable that the GOP/right is attacking Obama for it. He did not ask, lobbying, or request to even get nominated (let alone win it). I can see why people think the award is premature but it's not Obama's fault (then again, what isn't Obama's fault?).
As for the whether Obama deserves the award, I look at it a couple different ways.
One, the award was given as a "Thank goodness, we don't have Bush anymore" award. There is no such thing as a the Nobel prize for anti-peace or else I am sure Bush would have gotten a couple.
Second, the award should be seen as been given to the American people for choosing a different route in dealing with the world...Obama was given the award as the figurehead of the American people.
Third, Obama's change in rhetoric toward the international community, the Middle East, and belligerent nations (i.e. Iran) shows a complete shift in American diplomacy. The U.S. is still the biggest kid on the block and no other nation can has as much influence/effect on world peace then the U.S. The shift in American diplomacy to actually talking/listening (rather than bombing everyone) is a tremendous boost to the idea of world peace.</blockquote>
Bin Laden is old, nearly dead, and on the run in the mountains of Pakistan (apparently). The Taliban is not in power, so he has no government to hide behind. He has been forced to communicate through relayed messages on foot. Bush completely disrupted Al Qaida's terror network. I felt completely and utterly safe as an american until Obama was elected.
No, Obama did not ask to be nominated for the award. But he <em></em>accepted<em></em> the award, knowing full well that there were at least ten people/organizations more deserving of the award.
Obama is one of the biggest celebrities in the world. Nothing more.