Syria

[MaC]

the hot topic (at least as of last week) in the news was Bush telling Syria to pull their troops from Lebanon.  I have to wonder how Ralph Nader would react to this, as of now or if he really were president, considering he is the son of Lebanese immigrants

[opebo]

It was hypocritical of Bush to tell Syria to pull its troops out of Lebanon while he is oppressing Iraq in a similar but somewhat worse fashion.

[dazzleman]

It was hypocritical of Bush to tell Syria to pull its troops out of Lebanon while he is oppressing Iraq in a similar but somewhat worse fashion.

right.....keep smoking that opium.....

[opebo]

It was hypocritical of Bush to tell Syria to pull its troops out of Lebanon while he is oppressing Iraq in a similar but somewhat worse fashion.

right.....keep smoking that opium.....

What is the difference, in your opinion, between the two occupations?

[dazzleman]

It was hypocritical of Bush to tell Syria to pull its troops out of Lebanon while he is oppressing Iraq in a similar but somewhat worse fashion.

right.....keep smoking that opium.....

What is the difference, in your opinion, between the two occupations?

The US occupation of Iraq removed a tyrant hated by most of the people, who inflicted horrible cruelty on the country.  The US has engineered free elections, and plans to leave at a relatively early date.

The Syrian occupation of Lebanon was intended for long-term control of the country, and was never intended to end.  The Syrian regime is a cruel dictatorship that simply wants to use Lebanon for its own ends.

I don't say the US is perfect.  I don't want to give the impression of attacking you personally; that's not what I intend.  It just seems that you are reading from a playbook, and much of what you say seems to have little relationship with the facts of the situation.  I think there is room for disagreement among reasonable people, but your views seem to be based on an alternate reality.

[MaC]

It was hypocritical of Bush to tell Syria to pull its troops out of Lebanon while he is oppressing Iraq in a similar but somewhat worse fashion.

yeah especially when Bush has far more US troops in Iraq than Syria has in Lebanon

[opebo]

It was hypocritical of Bush to tell Syria to pull its troops out of Lebanon while he is oppressing Iraq in a similar but somewhat worse fashion.

What is the difference, in your opinion, between the two occupations?

The US occupation of Iraq removed a tyrant hated by most of the people, who inflicted horrible cruelty on the country.  The US has engineered free elections, and plans to leave at a relatively early date.

Hah!  'Plans to Leave'?  I'm sure that's what the Germans told the French.  As for a tyrant, perhaps - that is certainly the view we have been presented with by American propaganda, but to a patriot is a tyrant worse than a foreign oppressor?  Besides, what business is it of ours whether someone else has a tyrant?

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You speak of 'intentions' as if they were something we could know.  Are you a mind reader?

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Yes, an alternate reality in which American actions are judged by the same standards as Syrian actions.  Or anyone's actions.  You have your nationalistic blinders on, dazzleman.

[dazzleman]

No, the Germans never told the French they planned to leave.  They said the French would be their b**ches for all eternity!

As far as Syrian intentions go, they are pretty clear, as they have occupied Lebanon since 1976.  There's no need for speculation on their intentions.  There are 29 years of actual behavior to look at.

You are one with blinders on.  I think you should renounce your citizenship, give all your money to the poor, whom you claim to care so much about, and go live as a pauper in a 3rd world country.  That lifestyle would match your politics perfectly.  Otherwise, you're a total hypocrite.

[opebo]

Well, we'll see how quickly the US vacates its latest puppet state, dazzleman.

[Hitchabrut]

Bring back the Israeli troops!

[Jake]

Well, we'll see how quickly the US vacates its latest puppet state, dazzleman.

Care to put a wager on that opebo?

[TexasPatriot2024]

Well, we'll see how quickly the US vacates its latest puppet state, dazzleman.

Care to put a wager on that opebo?

Ohh i want in on this bet too!

[dazzleman]

Well, we'll see how quickly the US vacates its latest puppet state, dazzleman.

Yes, we'll see.  But I'll bet it will be less than 29 years.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Syria should just leave and quit oppressing the Christians there. Hopefully most of the Shiites leave with them.

[phk]

The Bush administration is moronic enough to oblige bin Laden. In a recent 24-hour period, the Bush administration made the following mistakes:

The Bush administration blamed Syria for the recent assassination of a former Lebanese prime minister, recalled the U.S. ambassador to Syria, and demanded that Syria withdraw its troops from Lebanon. In public statements, administration officials have accused Iran of being close to producing nuclear weapons despite all evidence to the contrary. Vice President Cheney suggested that Israel bomb Iran's nuclear installations, and President Bush said Israel had the right to preemptive attack and the U.S. would support Israel.

There is no evidence that Syria is responsible for the assassination. The International Atomic Energy Agency conducts regular inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities and reports that there are no weapons violations. France, Germany, and Russia have reached the same conclusion. Yet once again the U.S. misrepresents the facts in order to deceive the American people and create a climate for expanding Bush's war in the Middle East.

Despite the disaster they have caused, those who hold power in the Bush administration. They have made their agenda clear: war throughout the Middle East. Their orchestrated invasion of Iraq was merely a stepping stone to their wider aim.

The neocons seize every opportunity to use provocative accusations, bellicose threats, and propaganda to stir up ever more American enemies in the Middle East. Their goal is to provoke a "Pearl Harbor," as Christopher Manion terms it, that can be used to bring back the military draft.

This policy plays directly into bin Laden's hands. Osama has succeeded Bush in tricking America into spending $300 billion in an unsuccessful act of revenge that has ruined America's reputation while recruiting tens of thousands of soldiers for bin Laden.

It does not serve America for Bush to impose Ariel Sharon's agenda on the Middle East. Bush's insane policy is producing rising anger that endangers Israel and America's puppet governments in Egypt, Jordan, and Pakistan along with the Saudi regime. Ironically, this is recognized by Egypt's Mubarak and Jordan's King Abdullah, who was unable to refrain from pointing out that Bush has managed to create a Shi'ite crescent from Iran to Lebanon.

What, King Abdullah wonders, will be the next unintended consequence of the moronic administration that the American people in their superior wisdom and virtue have seen fit to empower in Washington?

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Syria should leave Lebanon, but I don't see how that involves Bush.