State of the Union

[Nash]

"Wasn't a lot of this just malarkey?"

- Chris Matthews, to his guest panel

[StSanta]

People keep talking about a piss poor economy. I'm sorry but I just don't see it.

You ain't in the IT business eh?

DK has a remarkably resiliant, constant economy. When there's an upswing, the tax payers hardly notice. When it's going downhill, we get some less money, but it's not bad. Employment rate swings of course, but it doesn't seem like Danes are that concerned.

But the IT business, of which I am now a part, have seen unemployment rise from 2% to 9% in 10 months. I've had interviews at some of the few companies that have managed to cut costs and then grow, but fore the one yesterday, there was 65 applicants. The employers can pick and choose.

Locally, an economy might be doing good. Globally, it's badly suffering. Stocks drive the economy, not goods (oddly enough), and stocks are low.

[Eagler]

Originally posted by john9001
i missed it , did hillary look bored, yawn, roll her eyes , stick out her tongue ??

the new "leader" of the dems was caught laughing and shaking her head when the tax cuts were mentioned. they quickly cut away from the CA airhead .. too bad.

[Krusher]

Originally posted by NUKE
I liked it when Bush said:

 "Jobs are created when the economy grows; the economy grows when Americans have more money to spend and invest; and the best and fairest way to make sure Americans have that money is not to tax it away in the first place. "

And all the Dems sat down while Republicans stood and cheered. That is the core Dem attitude on display...... more taxes. They looked pretty stupid sitting down.

You know I was thinking the same thing. That clip would make a great political ad.

[Thrawn]

Few economists outside Bush's inner circle think the tax cut is going to do anythink to stimulate the economy.  It will be on hugely expense mistake if it doesn't work.

[Eagler]

Originally posted by Thrawn
Few economists outside Bush's inner circle think the tax cut is going to do anythink to stimulate the economy.  It will be on hugely expense mistake if it doesn't work.

yeah, we'll just follow canada's great example when it comes to taxes

[Krusher]

Originally posted by Eagler
yeah, we'll just follow canada's great example when it comes to taxes

80 percent of their exports and 50 percent of their jobs are directly related to the US.

He (thrawn) better hope like hell he is wrong about taxes.

[Gunthr]

Good speech. He seemed to have that whole thing memorized.


Bush did well connecting Iraq to Homeland Security. Looking forward to Sec of State Powell's address to the UN on Feb. 05... should be some declassified matierial presented.

If I were Saddam Hussain, I would be packing up my toejam right now.

I think Bush did a good job addressing some of the domestic issues.

I loved it when bashed trial lawyers - saying that environmental problems will be solved by technology, not endless lawsuits.

 I actually got chills when he talked about spending money on R+D for hydrogen powered cars, with the goal of having them in the showrooms in 16 years. That's some exciting stuff.

I think he connected with a lot of Americans when he spoke about problems of addiction and education. I believe a lot of jaws dropped when he said he wanted to do something for aids victims on the African continent - that was totally unexpected.

All in all, pretty good for a guy who the rabid left characterizes as "stupid", "dumb" etc.

[SLO]

for your information.....the best country to live in IS Canada


damn was watchin tv last night....many many channels had a stupid lookin monkey talkin about stuff he doesn't even understand



here you all are talking about the speech someone wrote for him:p

that monkey(your leader)had 0.....thats ZERO experiance in international affairs...and there he is telling you to make WAR on foreign soil.....

[Cabby44]

Quote:

""Wasn't a lot of this just malarkey?"

- Chris Matthews, to his guest panel"

Chris Matthews'  show just got booted out of it's 8PM Primetime slot due to low ratings.    Now MSNBC is looking to Sam Donaldson to "rev-up" their dismal ratings and stop the beating they are taking from Fox and Larry King.

No "malarkey".

And more thrashing-about by the Losing Left.......

SLO:

Come in from the cold, SLO.  You haven't a clue to what you are talking about...........

Cabby

[hblair]

Originally posted by Udie
People keep talking about a piss poor economy.  I'm sorry but I just don't see it.   The economy has slowed but it's not bad at all.  

2002 was the best year ever for our business.

[Saurdaukar]

Excellent rc51...

Although its really sad to think what a great man like Patton would be in this day and age... child killer, murderer, hell... they'd probably call him a Nazi... hows that for irony?  How low we've sunk.  

[Dowding]

Blair says there is NO link between Sept. 11th and Iraq. He says they are not sure as to the link between Al Queda and Iraq generally.

So, Gunthr, I am *very* interested in how Bush links Iraq to 'Homeland Security'.

And if anyone wants to make comments regarding the relevance of what Britain does or its leadership thinks, just remember who you are dragging into this thing with you. I for one don't want my country involved in a war alongside a country that is so disdainful of her allies.

This next six months is going to be very interesting.

As for Bush's comparison of Saddam to Hitler. I just don't see it, apart from superficially. Within 6 years of gaining control of the reigns of absolute rule in Germany, Hitler had plunged the country into a war of global domination and conquest.

Hussein has been in a similar position for decades, yet has shown no moves to become a major player on the world stage. He's a contained tyrant.

Hitler was not a direct creation of the major world powers. He was a product of circumstance and an opportunist. Hussein was groomed and supported as any good puppet ever was - he was placed in the position he has found himself.

Blair and Bush have a long way to go to convince the majority of the British public that this war is worthwhile. Most are against it at this time.

I don't like some of the decisions that have been made in recent months that have sneaked past public and parliamentary scrutiny because of the ongoing crisis in Iraq. Son of Star Wars, for example.

[AKIron]

It was a good speech overall, better than I expected. And his tongue didn't grow too thick 'till towards the end.

He made some good points about Iraq disarming. Basically he said that we know Iraq has thousands of pounds of biological and chemical weapons. We know this from their own past records. And they've given us no evidence of the disposal of these weapons nor have they offered them up. It isn't the job of the inspectors to play hide and seek or to find a smoking gun but rather to confirm that Iraq is abiding by it's agreement.

Lest some forget, Iraq surrendered unconditionally in '91. Conditions were then placed upon them which they have refused to meet.

Personally, I'm tired of being the world's policeman. But that doesn't mean just not participating in unpopular wars. It also means not intervening in situations similar to that of Somalia in '93. As long as we exert our substantial influence beyond our borders we're going to hated and our motives questioned, no matter how benevolent our intentions. Still, maybe it's more important to do the right thing than to be popular.

[Gunthr]

So, Gunthr, I am *very* interested in how Bush links Iraq to 'Homeland Security'. - Dowding

Hi Dowding. I'm not sure if you saw the State of the Union address, or read the text, but Bush took some pains to connect the dots. Here is an excerpt:

Twelve years ago, Saddam Hussein faced the prospect of being the last casualty in a war he had started and lost. To spare himself, he agreed to disarm of all weapons of mass destruction. For the next 12 years, he systematically violated that agreement. He pursued chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons even while inspectors were in his country. Nothing to date has restrained him from his pursuit of these weapons — not economic sanctions, not isolation from the civilized world, not even cruise missile strikes on his military facilities. Almost three months ago, the United Nations Security Council gave Saddam Hussein his final chance to disarm. He has shown instead his utter contempt for the United Nations, and for the opinion of the world.

The 108 UN weapons inspectors were not sent to conduct a scavenger hunt for hidden materials across a country the size of California. The job of the inspectors is to verify that Iraq's regime is disarming. It is up to Iraq to show exactly where it is hiding its banned weapons … lay those weapons out for the world to see … and destroy them as directed. Nothing like this has happened.

The United Nations concluded in 1999 that Saddam Hussein had biological weapons materials sufficient to produce over 25,000 liters of anthrax — enough doses to kill several million people. He has not accounted for that material. He has given no evidence that he has destroyed it.

The United Nations concluded that Saddam Hussein had materials sufficient to produce more than 38,000 liters of botulinum toxin — enough to subject millions of people to death by respiratory failure. He has not accounted for that material. He has given no evidence that he has destroyed it.

Our intelligence officials estimate that Saddam Hussein had the materials to produce as much as 500 tons of sarin, mustard, and VX nerve agent. In such quantities, these chemical agents also could kill untold thousands. He has not accounted for these materials. He has given no evidence that he has destroyed them.

U.S. intelligence indicates that Saddam Hussein had upwards of 30,000 munitions capable of delivering chemical agents. Inspectors recently turned up 16 of them, despite Iraq's recent declaration denying their existence. Saddam Hussein has not accounted for the remaining 29,984 of these prohibited munitions. He has given no evidence that he has destroyed them.

From three Iraqi defectors we know that Iraq, in the late 1990s, had several mobile biological weapons labs. These are designed to produce germ warfare agents, and can be moved from place to place to evade inspectors. Saddam Hussein has not disclosed these facilities. He has given no evidence that he has destroyed them.

The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed in the 1990s that Saddam Hussein had an advanced nuclear weapons development program, had a design for a nuclear weapon, and was working on five different methods of enriching uranium for a bomb. The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa. Our intelligence sources tell us that he has attempted to purchase high strength aluminum tubes suitable for nuclear weapons production. Saddam Hussein has not credibly explained these activities. He clearly has much to hide.

The dictator of Iraq is not disarming. To the contrary, he is deceiving. From intelligence sources, we know, for instance, that thousands of Iraqi security personnel are at work hiding documents and materials from the UN inspectors — sanitizing inspection sites, and monitoring the inspectors themselves. Iraqi officials accompany the inspectors in order to intimidate witnesses. Iraq is blocking U-2 surveillance flights requested by the United Nations. Iraqi intelligence officers are posing as the scientists inspectors are supposed to interview. Real scientists have been coached by Iraqi officials on what to say. And intelligence sources indicate that Saddam Hussein has ordered that scientists who cooperate with UN inspectors in disarming Iraq will be killed, along with their families.

Year after year, Saddam Hussein has gone to elaborate lengths, spent enormous sums, taken great risks, to build and keep weapons of mass destruction — but why? The only possible explanation, the only possible use he could have for those weapons, is to dominate, intimidate, or attack. With nuclear arms or a full arsenal of chemical and biological weapons, Saddam Hussein could resume his ambitions of conquest in the Middle East, and create deadly havoc in the region. And this Congress and the American people must recognize another threat. Evidence from intelligence sources, secret communications, and statements by people now in custody, reveal that Saddam Hussein aids and protects terrorists, including members of Al Qaeda. Secretly, and without fingerprints, he could provide one of his hidden weapons to terrorists, or help them develop their own.

Before September 11, 2001, many in the world believed that Saddam Hussein could be contained. But chemical agents and lethal viruses and shadowy terrorist networks are not easily contained. Imagine those 19 hijackers with other weapons, and other plans — this time armed by Saddam Hussein. It would take just one vial, one canister, one crate slipped into this country to bring a day of horror like none we have ever known. We will do everything in our power to make sure that day never comes.

Some have said we must not act until the threat is imminent. Since when have terrorists and tyrants announced their intentions, politely putting us on notice before they strike? If this threat is permitted to fully and suddenly emerge, all actions, all words, and all recriminations would come too late. Trusting in the sanity and restraint of Saddam Hussein is not a strategy, and it is not an option.

This dictator, who is assembling the world's most dangerous weapons, has already used them on whole villages — leaving thousands of his own citizens dead, blind, or disfigured. Iraqi refugees tell us how forced confessions are obtained — by torturing children while their parents are made to watch. International human rights groups have catalogued other methods used in the torture chambers of Iraq: electric shock, burning with hot irons, dripping acid on the skin, mutilation with electric drills, cutting out tongues, and rape.

If this is not evil, then evil has no meaning. And tonight I have a message for the brave and oppressed people of Iraq: Your enemy is not surrounding your country — your enemy is ruling your country. And the day he and his regime are removed from power will be the day of your liberation.

The world has waited 12 years for Iraq to disarm. America will not accept a serious and mounting threat to our country, our friends, and our allies. The United States will ask the UN Security Council to convene on February 5th to consider the facts of Iraq's ongoing defiance of the world. Secretary of State Powell will present information and intelligence about Iraq's illegal weapons programs; its attempts to hide those weapons from inspectors; and its links to terrorist groups. We will consult, but let there be no misunderstanding: If Saddam Hussein does not fully disarm, for the safety of our people, and for the peace of the world, we will lead a coalition to disarm him.