Wolfie
 

If we knew that, intervention would have been even more appropriate.

through the looking glass
 

Look, I don't fucking care about Stonecipher. He's fucking rich as hell and doesn't need to work any more. Let's get down to what's important to me.

I'm self-employed. Does that mean I can't oss one off at all, any more? Or just that I can't do it at the office?

Wolfie
 

No one said that, but as usual you would prefer to argue with straw men, so don't let me stop you.

through the looking glass
 

Just don't email yourself, describing in excruciating detail how you're going to beat it.

Wolfie
 

Isn't that exactly the thrust of what you and Weed are saying? "Stop crowing about it - it wasn't Bush!" How does that differ, aside from degrees?

Wolfie
 

Damn that liberal media !

As to Central America, I don't think Reagan apologists should want to rehash the whole Contra thing.

As to South America - cite, please.

Wolfie
 

When he brags about bringing democracy to MA and VT, I'll be even more impressed.

Wolfie
 

If Rich Lowry found a couple words in them to quote, they must be fully on board with his entire argument. Sure, that follows.

As you may know, there is much debate going on right now about the extent to which Bush can take credit for what's happening in Lebanon. I've already posted here about what I think. I respect many of the people with whom I disagree, but only because they seem to have thought about the issue and can try to explain what we've done that might be influencing events there. I don't think the fact that Iraq held elections influenced Lebanon much at all, and I haven't seen any reporting from Lebanon suggesting otherwise. Instead, most of the people asserting that the good things happening in Lebanon are the direct result of our Iraq policy don't speak Arabic or French, don't seem to know much about Lebanon, and probably couldn't have told you much about the country before Newsweek et al. started running photos of pretty Lebanese chicks. IMHO, Ukraine and Arabic TV were more significant influences.

Equating Lebanon and Iraq requires that you ignore that most of the Arab world disapproves of our occupation of Iraq in the same way that they disapprove of Syria's occupation of Lebanon. Perhaps it took hubris (something he's not short of) for Bush to say that the Syrian troops had to leave Lebanon for there to be free elections, but more likely it was a lack of self-awareness.

Yes, as a matter of fact Democrats did stand up to communism in Central America and around the world. The military build-up in the 1980s started under Carter, for example. Obviously there were things that Reagan did with which Democrats disagreed, but you are off in La La Land if you want to pretend that Democrats didn't give a shit about the Cold War. Don't bring that shit here, 'cause Ironweed or someone will do a Ben Wallace on it.

Wolfie
 

So there are only two causes for anything that happens in the world: Bush and happenstance? Oh, and Satan makes three.

If nothing else, I like this new kind of war where the various sides fight to display the best-looking women they can find up on their shoulders. Following all the anti-Syrian cuties yesterday, now we're seeing the pro-Syrian ones:

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com...ria_bei118.jpg

Wolfie
 

"Degrees". Remember how I included that word?

Am I saying here that the entire set of changes and happenings are directly to the credit of Bush? That there's a direct correlation? That everything good that's happening is his doings alone?

Nope. I'm saying that what he has accomplished has, obviously, directly changed Iraq and Afghanistan, and the tone that's now being set across the ME and Europe and maybe the world seems to be fostering a movement towards things that we like.

Remember a month or so ago, me saying that I was optimistic that Iraq elections would actually be held, successfully, and that that event would presage a sea change throughout places that needed a sea change? Well, I'm a whole lot more optimistic now than I was then. At that time, you indicated that you would like to believe that that would happen, but were still pessimistic. Have you seen any reason to change that? Can you see your way to give Bush ANY of the credit for what's going on? If so, I sure haven't seen it. So, if someone here is holding an absolute position, I doubt it's me.

(P.S.. "Satan"? Choke that shotgun, son.)

Wolfie
 

Turn in your Republican Party membership card, you traitor. Why, oh why do you people hate freedom so much?

I'm not that sure that much of anything is going on that wasn't going on before. The Lebanese protests in Martyr's Square are the response to perceived Syrian involvement in the assassination of a well-liked political figure, and were dwarfed today by the counterprotest called on a day's notice. The Syrian announcement that they would withdraw to the Beka Valley was accompanied by a little-noticed qualifier that they would do so only as long as it took to establish a new government in Beirut. Given the virtually unanimous hatred of Bush in the ME, it's hard to see why anyone there would be motivated to follow his guidance in much of anything.

Wolfie
 

Didn't its President change some stuff just recently?

through the looking glass
 

You know what- just email me my copy of my returns. I don't need a hard copy after all.

Wolfie
 

See, e.g, Charlie Wilson.

ETA: "Wilson claims he once convinced the Afghan fighters that, 'Kill the Commie Cocksuckers' was the famous Texas battle cry from the Alamo." Molly Ivins

Incidently, I love being from Texas.