Slate : The Bush Doctrine: War without anyone’s permission. By Michael Kinsley
[…] Bush is asserting the right of the United States to attack any country that may be a threat to it in five years. And the right of the United States to evaluate that risk and respond in its sole discretion. And the right of the president to make that decision on behalf of the United States in his sole discretion. In short, the president can start a war against anyone at any time, and no one has the right to stop him. And presumably other nations and future presidents have that same right. […]
Is it not the decision of the Commander in Chief of the U.S. Armed Forces to determine when they go to war or not?
Certainly you have not allowed yourself to be overcome so much by anti-bush emotion that you actually forgot that he was the Commander in Chief.
The real war being waged now is one of ideas. Your post is a casualty of this war.
– Todd
It is the decision of the C in C when to go to war.
However international law still applies.
cough__war crimes__cough
good good and good
-> Happy nourooz <-
Bye ,,,
Actually. The President can mobilize troops and launch an attack (like we did in 1991) without the permission of Congress. However, we can only go 90 days until Congress must actually declare war.
In the UK they had a vote in the House of Commons, and here in Norway we had a vote in the parliment before deciding we would not support actions outside of the UN mandate.
I guess you can feel proud for your american democracy where ONE man can decide if you go to war or not.
Doesn’t sound healthy to me.
the best comment on the page:
*cough* war crimes *cough*
I think ‘dubya’ should be held accountable for HIS actions. Soldiers have died in a war that as far as the UN is concerned should not have happened. Why is HE not guilty? I guess being a flippin puppet is a good enough excuse eh?
George W Bush is as great a terror in the world as Saddam, as far as I can see. He is playing the role of a dictator yet he does not have the right to be. He has stripped Americans of their right to democracy.
When will America get back her democracy? After this it may be never. So-called ‘enforcement agencies’ of the USA will break into peoples homes under the guise of anti-terrorist laws. I have no desire ever to visit a single place in that country again, the guns were allready enough, now I’ll be treated as a potential terrorist at the border? No thanks. I will do my best to boycott American products as well. THAT is the end result of this war, the world will hate America, the anti-american sentiment across the globe is already very easily recognizable.
To all Americans: Bill may not have had ‘sexual relations with that woman’ – but George has fooked you all.
This war is not about Bush imposing whatever he feels upon other countries; Hussein and his minions have ruthlessly murdered tens of thousands of Iraqis for whatever reasons. This dictatorship has oppressed and strifed millions of whom wish to be relieved of such torment. There are citizens revolting in Basrah, thousands of his troops have forfeited in a war that because of their belief would give them a ticket to go straight to Heaven, but the troops themselves know the cause, Hussein, is not just. He fired four SCUD missile at Kuwait, missiles he did not claim to the UN inspectors. There have been chemical factories in the desert found being guarded by troops; I’m pretty sure that 50 heavily armed troops aren’t needed to guard a Clorox factory. The US is going to war against Iraq not just to try to bully a country that doesn’t have the same beliefs; the US is not even going to war with Iraq. It’s going to war with Suddam Hussein, this ruthless abomination of a man; who is standing beside his country and watching it go to shambles because of his selfishness. He could save thousands of lives if he would turn himself in for the countless amounts of war crimes he has committed against countries of the world. With this compelling evidence it doesn’t appear to me that Bush threw a dart at a globe and decided that’s where we’ll send 300,000 troops. It’s because of the things Hussein has gotten away with that the US has decided, enough’s enough. There are Al Qaeda training facilties in northern Iraq where, potentially, the culprits of many of the terrorist attacks against the free world were trained. How can the United States, who spends in the upper billions of dollars for foreign aid, sit by and allow terrorists to grow larger and larger, until it becomes a formidable enemy? I believe that Bush has done as good a job as any leader in his position. And to answer the statement about War without anyone’s permission: there are 40 countries now standing behind the US in the attack of Iraq. If there were 40 countries opposing this war, I’m sure for the sake of foreign opposition the US would not be in Iraq. The two countries that come to mind that oppose the US are Russia and France. Is this because most of Russia’s oil comes from Iraq? Then why is it that two Russian corporations are known for supplying Iraqi troops with scrambling technology and other combat paraphenalia to assist their troops? And then there’s France. Here in the States the sentiment’s not very favorable for them. Anyone can be conscientious objectors but aside from being lucky enough to be put on the Security Council, what real credibility does France have in the world scheme? In no way do I believe President Bush has fooked us; For the most part anti-war sentiment is derived out of a natural sense that war is a brutal, terrible, ghastly thing. To warp the Bush Doctrine to make it look like if a country breaths wrong they have a missile up their arse is wrong too. But it is apparent that Hussein had this coming for twelve years now. Let us not forget that during the Gulf War he invaded a country and was then in control of 90% of the world’s oil. Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot that the United States is a bully for wanting to harm a hair on this man’s head.
As Nate so eloquently put it, America wasn’t alone. The countries against the war did have a financial interest in Iraq. If this affected how they voted on the war is all guesswork. One can assume they voted in their financial interests, but they might be taking the moral high ground.
I have been reading all the history behind America in Iraq, and we certainly seem to have been on both sides of the fence. I am not condoning my gov’ts actions, and they have made some very bad decisions in the past. Look forward to reading more discussion on here.
The problem with bush and his cronies is that first off,he is an unelected president selected by a predominatly republican supreme court.Any non-republican considers bush an illegitimate president .second,the issue is not saddam hussien its oil,if we cared so much for oppressed people in this world we would be going after half the globe,read between the pipelines people!!(and we would be using a little bit smarter bombs)something you dont hear on faux news is that in 98 when saddam supposedly kicked out un inspectors what actually happened is the head inspector pulled them out because of clintons “operation desert fox”.When the inspectors wanted back in saddam said”lift sanctions and i will allow them back in”.well the us wouldnt allow that and so saddam said screw you then,we have had 7 years of inspections and sanctions so no he wouldnt allow them back in.I promise you wont hear in american media the fact that hundreds of thousands of iraqis died due to the sanctions.saddam wasnt a saint but neither is bush.The man f****d texas up nicely,we had record executions as well as record pollution.The guy has been in big oil his whole life and so has his administration.So ill ask where are the weapons?Who ends up profiting from this illegal war?wanna know who profits from this war?bush, and all his friends.(all war criminals and a disgrace to america)
What is wrong with Americans? Doesn’t anyone know we are the biggest supporters of ruthless Regimes,then when it is no longer to our benefit we cry about how bad they are. This is a nation of fools willing to beleive anything our sleasy government tells us,until hit effects us directly. It has effected me in many ways,my son is out there in Iraq defending big bussiness and the greed of this country and its citizens. His life is worth more to me than your gas for your suv’s and the latte’s your addicted to. America you are on the path of decline and do not even know it. Anyone who is stupid enough to have voted for Bush 50%of the population is in serious trouble. Stupidity has no excuse it has know rights and can only bring ruin.
BBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO