1993: 6 American civilians killed
1998: 12 American civilians killed
This equals 18 non-combat Americans killed compared to 3000 in 2001 under President Bush. Don't go there buddy. We can bicker back and forth on who is responsible for 9/11, but that is irrelevant to the situation.
Please give some evidence proving Al Gore would have acted differently concerning Afghanistan following the 9/11 attacks. He has stated that he would have essentually done the same thing in regards to Afghanistan, except with more force. So the whole "weak on terror" argument seems to be pretty mute.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MadMonk
You mention foreign policy and that we are no longer as respected as we once were. True, there are certain countries like France that can't fathom actually doing something about terrorism vs. simply talking about it, but I'm not too concerned about that. Our legitimacy as the world's only superpower is in no way tarnished, except for those who believe that there is nothing worth fighting for. In addition, it's not Bush's doctrine that has emboldened our enemies, but rather the constant high-profile bickering and infighting among our political parties that seem to put politics above common national interests.
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Who was one of the first nations to back us in 2001 when we went after Afghanistan? France. If our legitimacy as a nation has not been tarnished, how do you explain the rest of the world refusing to work with us on barely anything? Our political parties' bickering has
nothing at all to do with emboldening our enemies. It is the job of the legislative branch not to allow the president to use more power he or she has been given by the Constitution and to constantly question the question the Commander in Chief makes. We have a federal, not a parliamentary system of government. If the three branches of government do not fulfill their duty of constantly questioning one another, in the system of checks and balances, what is the purpose of not having an all-powerful leader, a dictator?
Bickering between the parties does not embolden our enemies. We must remember that just because it is an American idea or an American fight, that doesn't necessarily make it right. The Bush doctrine has given our enemies an easy out. Look at North Korea and Iran. Both nations, have directly gone against the wishes of the United States and the rest of the world and have pursued true weapons of mass destruction. If our troops were not bogged down in Iraq and we had the worldwide support behind us still, as we did throughout the Afghanistan campaign, do you really think North Korea or Iran would seriously be jerking our chains this much? Bush's approval is at 21% when it comes to his handling of Iraq (CBS 12/11/06). I think the American people have agreed that "stay the course" is the wrong choice and it is time to start listening to rest of the world.