Do you remember that time during the 2000 presidential campaign, when George W. Bush made clear to the American people that if he became the next President of the United States, he would take the country to war with Iraq -- a war that would kill 4,484 Americans, "wound" 22,490, give hundreds of thousands of Americans head injuries and post-traumatic stress, not to mention killing hundreds of thousands of Iraqis?
You don't remember that? Me neither.
Shouldn't the fact that the Iraq war was a consequence of George W. Bush becoming president, although that consequence was not apparent in 2000, inform how we judge the likely consequences of Mitt Romney becoming president?
No one can say that a war with Iran would be a certain consequence of Mitt Romney becoming president. Some of Romney's war-mongering could be campaign bluster. President Bush engaged in a lot of saber-rattling towards Iran, but he never attacked Iran. Maybe a President Romney would be the same.
Who wants to roll the dice?
Here are some things we know about Mitt Romney. He has promised a more confrontational military policy towards Iran. His advisers include people who have been cheerleaders for war with Iran, and were cheerleaders for the Iraq war. He has pledged to increase the military budget. His advisers include people directly affiliated with military contractors who stand to profit if there were a new war and the military budget were increased. Furthermore, he opposes withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan, and he opposes the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, although the Iraq withdrawal is supported by eight in ten Americans, including the majority of Republicans.
Here's another thing we know about Romney: he is a "chickenhawk", someone who loves war so much that he never served when he had the opportunity to do so, but wants to send other people's children off to die and be maimed.
No one can say that a war with Iran would be a certain consequence of Mitt Romney becoming president. But, knowing what we know now about the consequences of the 2000 election, about Romney's own statements, and about his advisers, is it not reasonable to infer that if Mitt Romney became the next President of the United States, the probability of war with Iran would significantly increase?
If that is true, would that not be reason enough to take whatever reasonable actions are within our power to stop Mitt Romney from becoming President?
Should there not be a Super Pac explicitly devoted to educating Americans about the danger that Mitt Romney becoming President will lead to more war? Shouldn't such a Super Pac be formed now? Why wait until September to start educating and mobilizing Americans against this? Might that not be too late? Why wait to defend the city until the barbarians are at the city gates? Shouldn't we try to stop the barbarians from reaching the city gates?
Aren't there a lot of Americans who don't want another war? Wouldn't some of them contribute money to such a Super Pac?
Wouldn't such a Super Pac make compelling 30 second TV ads attacking Romney for his war advocacy? Wouldn't those ads get a lot of press coverage?
Wouldn't those ads, and the attendant press coverage, have the additional benefits of educating a lot of Americans about the danger of a new war, and fortifying them against it?
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Romney is very like Bush- a stealth candidate who has no fixed foreign policy agenda for public consumption. Follow the massive contractor money, note the exclusive club of neo-conmen in his foreign policy team.
Do not trust Romney, who will shift to the middle after he has secured the nomination from the ultra-right wing Republican party. There is a high probability that, by a number of avenues, Romney will go to war with Iran or retrench in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Seems like a declaration of war to me.
How else can he PROMISE that they will all have jobs waiting for them once they remove their caps and gowns???
MIC, Defense contracts and deployments are the only way he can keep this promise.
President Obama did not initiate any of the acts of aggression he was responsible for managing.
But you knew that.
The President has responsibly, maturely and prudently waged the wars he inherited.
He also BUDGETED for those wars, which his predecessor chose not to do.
Based on Obama's Neville Chamberlain like moves concerning missile defense to appease Putin and now showing an ace and leaving Iraq it is Obama who is more likely to lead us into war.
With a WEAK economy, budget cuts to gut our military and "reset button" pushing with copious apologizing Obam is in NO position to play hardball if the need arises........ and every despot in the world knows it................ much like FDR in the 1930's.
The only way that can happen is with a war.
It is no big deal with them when their own children will never serve. If we go to war their family should be the first to go, every one that vote for war. And thinking you can vote for the president to do what ever it takes to do something and then claim you didn't vote for war like they did with Bush