Non-Americans please step in...state your opinions

For the record Brisbane Australia. Already posted.Think Bush Should Go (Hey dont knock Yanks for posting here...I see plenty of us Butting into US centric threads)

Blue collar family Parents WW2 vintage. ex office worker, ex ARes, ex cab driver. Full time unemployed. Self Educated, unless you count what my lGreenie wife has taught me in six years together.

Enough background information? - do I qualify to comment?.

Bush Out Kerry In. PLease find someone better for 2008. And this war regardless of what started it is long term.

People talking about lack of exit strategies and lack of exit time tables, and blaming governments for not having or sticking with them know crap about war whatever their qualifications. They should have bloody learnt from Somalia. You state and stick to such a thing and the locals and the thugs both know when its going to be back to business as normal and make arrangements accordingly. I think if anybody in the Balkans, Middle East, Africa or Asia gets a laugh out of anything nodays, then it must be when they hear commentators and poli- sci graduates spouting this S**t.

Everybody is so busy blaming business and goverment (to a strong degree justly) and ranting all the horror would stop if we "just got out and minded our own business" are so tied to thier idealogy and thier education they don't see anything else.

Now this might see simplistic itself and cliche ridden, but unfortunately I don't know anyway short of writting a thousand page treatise (if I knew how to write one) on it. So here it goes.

Yes the friggin Big Businesses are in it for profit, and yes the governments are in it for the influence, but when you take it all away the Iraqis are still going to have nothing...nothing but a Extremist state that wants to keep them in the dark ages if they are lucky. Makes Iran in 1980 look like a friggin Capitalist paradise. Whats more likely is a Iraqi Mogadishu cirica 1993-?. And if you still think thats fine, don't kid yourself its going to be any safer at home folks. Not Armegedon Not the Madhist Hordes coming from across the sea, but just plain old 9/11 hijackers and Bali Car bombers who arent busy fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan anymore.

Bush Kerry halliburton WTF? It doesnt make any difference, but if you want to go on hanging onto your grad papers or possing your NYU wannabe philosophies about socio ecomomic humanitarianism go right ahead. Right Wing! Left Wing! I dont care. Some how I don't think (IMPO) most Iraqis and Afghanis do either.

Sorry but I just had a WTF moment

26 - Don't like/against Bush policies
1 - Likes Bush because he thinks he'll ruin our ecomomy
1 - Thinks he's just plain funny
4 - Think Bush is fine

Anyone else? Even though the replies are still rather low, I think the point has been made pretty clearly. Bush will be gone. Good riddance!

It still amazes me that Bush is taking credit for Iraq when he started the war in the first place. Sure Saddam was a bad man but he had no links to 9/11 and had no WMD's. Bush didn't like the fact that the sanctions were working. Things like that take time to develop fruit and they apparently have as no WMD's have been found. In Bob Woodward's "Plan of Attack" it shows that Bush was preparing war plans for Iraq in secret before 9/11 and ordered Rummy Rumsfeld and Gen. Tommy Franks to get a plan together for Iraq.

So it's quite obvious Bush had a hard-on to finish his dads war and secure American oil interests with a puppet regime. Let's not forget that his Dad is making a fortune off of this war through the Carlyle Group.

I just don't trust George Bush I think he should be impeached for his actions and should probably face war crime tribunals for his actions against prisoners.

I think a number of people here have it down pat - a lot of foreigners dislike Bush and are critical of him, but don't hate him. I personally think the guy has a lot of "regular-guy" charisma, and had he managed to put that charisma to good use - namely, using the international goodwill after 9/11 to really muster up an international effort to find the root cause of terrorism and eliminate it - he would have gone down in history as a good, strong unifier. Instead, he'll go down in history as a polarizer who divided his country more than ever before, and squandered the goodwill of a number of countries who now happen, as a bonus, to be hated by a part of the American population.

Except for Lyndon Johnson, every President of the United States who used the "manifest destiny" of America to spread democracy did it by reaching out to allies - not by saying "You're with us or you're against us", but by saying "Here's the job we have to do, let's try to build a multilateral coalition so we can do it the best way possible." Woodrow Wilson entered WWI that way, FDR entered WWII that way. I even commend George H.W. Bush for sending James Baker on a tour of foreign capitals to negotiate and secure support for the Gulf War before going in.

With George W. Bush, the countries who objected to the shape and form the U.S. invasion of Iraq, even if we were open to discussing and understanding the principle of it, feel left out and treated unjustly. After supporting America during 9/11 by opening our airfields to all American planes, after sending peacekeeper troops to Afghanistan, I don't feel that Canada deserved to be told it couldn't bid on reconstruction efforts in Iraq, or that the least it could do for living under the "American defense shield" would've been to said "sir yes sir!" and gone along.

This being said... even if I prefer John Kerry over George W. Bush any day, I find it unfortunate that he was chosen as the Democratic candidate this year. He has little charisma, and seems to have decided he'll be a "kinder, gentler Bush". I miss Al Gore - all through 2003 I thought that if he were to run again in '04, he'd be the "avenging angel" come back to take Bush to task over what was promised during the 2000 campaign and how the presidency that could very nearly have been Gore's was handled.

I have to hope 2008 brings better candidates. I'd like to see Colin Powell run (even though he'll be 68 at that point) - I think the international community still has a huge amount of respect for him, they just feel sorry for him for having been humiliated a few times during the past four years (the United Nations slideshow fiasco, among others).

So for those who say I'd root for just about any Democrat out there - I'll say that I'll root for any candidate who I trust will rule inclusively, in the center of the political spectrum, where the business of government is usually done.

Hence, if Hillary were to run against Colin Powell in '08... the first woman President or the first African-American President... my gosh, I'd find it hard to choose.

Hate may have been too strong of a word, I suppose. I don't hate anyone I don't know personally, really. I do however hate his policies. That's more of what I meant to ask. I should've worded it differently. It was, by no means, intended to imply any hatred toward the man himself, but definitely the policies and incompetence of Bush and his regime.

28 - Don't like/against Bush policies
1 - Likes Bush because he thinks he'll ruin our economy
1 - Thinks he's just plain funny
4 - Think Bush is fine

Originally posted by Damned
28 - Don't like/against Bush policies
1 - Likes Bush because he thinks he'll ruin our economy
1 - Thinks he's just plain funny
4 - Think Bush is fine

Well, I'm one of the 28 but the point is moot. None of us can vote in this election.

Well,
Chalk up another non American who does not like Bush and his admin'.

Sanc'.

Originally posted by intrepid

Originally posted by Damned
28 - Don't like/against Bush policies
1 - Likes Bush because he thinks he'll ruin our economy
1 - Thinks he's just plain funny
4 - Think Bush is fine

Well, I'm one of the 28 but the point is moot. None of us can vote in this election.

Americans who vote for Bush are either Rich (take advantage of it) or they are brainwashed by the propaganda of the USA....united we stand hehehe

Ameliaxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Originally posted by intrepid
Well, I'm one of the 28 but the point is moot. None of us can vote in this election.

Yeah, I know. I'm just trying to awaken America to the fact that their neocon leader is pissing most of the world off.

30 - Don't like/against Bush policies
1 - Likes Bush because he thinks he'll ruin our economy
1 - Thinks he's just plain funny
4 - Think Bush is fine

On my way to work this morning, I saw a bunch of older people protesting the war, signs and all. It was bizarre. This wasn't even downtown or anything. I'm pleased to see people concerned about this, and making their stand. More power to them.

Just a quick thought for you all deep in this thread -

I fear that the world will have to survive another term of Bush.....He's certainly not the best president you've ever had and I wish you had a better range of choices.

Now 4 years from now and you will be in for a shock....step forward the Senator for New York......Thats right! If you re-elect Bush then get ready for a woman president in 5 years time.

Time to think about some tactical voting decisions. Unless you elect Kerry this time, Hilary Clinton will be the Democrat candidate next time. And by then you and the world will have had more than enough of "caring conservatism"

BTW - I'm from the UK and believe me when I say Hilary Clinton is NO iron lady.

Does that make you number 31? I'm not clear on that, but it doesn't sound like you'd support Bush?

[edit on 20-10-2004 by Damned]

Originally posted by Damned
26 - Don't like/against Bush policies
1 - Likes Bush because he thinks he'll ruin our ecomomy
1 - Thinks he's just plain funny
4 - Think Bush is fine

I take it Iam the "ruin our economy" vote.... Oh ya, Canadian dollar is up to 82 cents now. Looks like Iam making my US trip soon, PALM SPRINGS HERE I COME!

But really, I dont want your country to collapse since the USA basically runs this world we live in. I just want to be able to go down there for a vacation and not spend 1.5x's the vacation Im getting, you know what I mean? Prolly not...

[edit on 10/20/04 by HumptyDumpty]

Bottom line is, who gives a hoot??? I don't base my vote on what someone in Canada, England, Burma, China, Iraq, Iran or any OTHER country thinks, and anybody who does should reexamine their priorities.

Just as I would never tell someone from another country how to exercise their right to vote, Non-Americans please step out...your opinions don't mean squat...

You should step out and take a breath, we were invited to post here... You could be right but still you are arogant.

Originally posted by Affirmative Reaction
Bottom line is, who gives a hoot??? I don't base my vote on what someone in Canada, England, Burma, China, Iraq, Iran or any OTHER country thinks, and anybody who does should reexamine their priorities.

Just as I would never tell someone from another country how to exercise their right to vote, Non-Americans please step out...your opinions don't mean squat...

Well don't feel bad if you are left alone, you are the kind of american that makes other nations hate americans...u r not doin anything for your country by behaving like that dude....

Ameliaxxx

HaHA, talk about foreigners meddling in the upcoming U.S. election, here is one item that will surely turn voters to Bush.....One thing Americans hate is somebody tellin' 'em what to do, or worse, who to vote for.....

www.reuters.com...

Originally posted by HumptyDumpty
You should step out and take a breath, we were invited to post here... You could be right but still you are arogant.

You're correct, I'm right, and arrogance is in the eye of the beholder. I think it's the epitome of arrogance to assume that you have any say over the free elections of any other nation, regardless of which nation that is. I think it's the epitome of arrogance for a newspaper in another country to start a letter writing campaign, having its readership send letters to individuals to attempt to sway their vote. I think it's the epitome of arrogance to beg for help from a nation, and then slam it when you no longer need assistance, of course, until the NEXT time your butt is in trouble....

You know what you can do with your arrogance.........

Havn't heard of or met any Candians who agree with, or like him.

Except for this one dude, but thats becuase he believes Kerry is part of some prophecy

Originally posted by Amelia


Well don't feel bad if you are left alone, you are the kind of american that makes other nations hate americans...u r not doin anything for your country by behaving like that dude....

Ameliaxxx

My dear, I'm never alone, and you obviously have no idea what I have done for my nation. So your opinion on me means about as much as your opinion on our elections.....


Ask around a little and educate yourself....