<insertion of oneself>
NiteShift said:
Oh,
NiteShift, oh,
Niteshift... to pretend that:
1) An actual list is required
2) You couldn't write the list yourself
3) Peradventure you did write the list, our allies such as Saudi Arabia would actually make the list...
But keep in mind that:
DDuring Operation Desert Storm, the active duty Army had 18 combat divisions. Clinton cut them down to 10.
The number of tactical air wings in the Air Force was cut from 37 at the time of Desert Storm to 20 under Clinton.
The Navy had 568 ships in the late 1980s, was downsized to a fleet of just 276 under Clinton.
All true. And from the perspective of feasibility, idealism is admittedly a weak argument. But that is precisely why the mere concept of nation building is strictly an ideological construction and never a pragmatic one. In fact, picking out a "good guy" in the Middle East (and how conservatives claim to know who the good guys are is a case study in opportunism) is nothing short of mind numbing verbal gymnastics. The syllogism goes something like this:
Kuwait enforces Islamic law.
Saddam attacks Kuwait.
In spite of the fact Kuwait enforces Islamic law, Kuwait deserves protection. Protection marketed under the auspices of freedom. Because, God forbid!, religious fascism should ebb and flow with competition. The only decipherable litmus test that correlates with the policing services proffered is, establishment= forces of good; newbies= downfall of western civilization. And in more dramatic language no less.
Bush's misappropriation of the term 'democracy' is tantamount to calling the KKK populists. Case in point: our (read: his) ally Pakistan.