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George W. Bush: The Weakness President
Sunday, August 15, 2004

Holy Schmoly! In yet another move to weaken our defenses, George W. Bush is set to announce a plan to move 70,000 soldiers defensively stationed in Europe and Asia so that escapades in the Middle East and Central Asia may continue apace. This is just another indication that Bush's Iraq quagmire is really a sinkhole, sucking up huge amounts of money, time, attention, resources and lives while making us weaker elsewhere.

George W. Bush doesn't read history books. But if he did, he'd know that this is how major world powers begin their decline. Great job, Mr. Bush. (Source: New York Times August 15, 2004

Posted by James Cook at 9:37 AM. # (permalink)

Comments:

I wonder how redeployment would make us weaker...

Defending Europe? There is no "evil" USSR preparing to steam into Europe and take it over. Europe can take care of itself since everyone is now friends and in the EU. Besides...there are no enemies in Europe except for terrorists.

Defending the US? We are capable of defending ourselves from or bases in the US or from aircraft carriers. You don’t see us inviting French or German soldiers to defend us against Canada or Mexico? Maybe there is a reason behind that...

Logistics: Do we really need bases for the launching of operations? Sure we need a couple of them...but not nearly as may as we have. Pull them in...save some cash and fortify the important ones.

It comes down to two things:
Countries with our bases love them because they provide cash into their economy with jobs and basically a free security blanket.
Countries hate or bases because its a foreign military hyper-power in their backyard and that scares them and they don’t like the sometimes unfortunate things that go along with the presence of a military base.

The UN with its non-partisan style and obvious teamwork for common good of humanity should be able to orchestrate any defense for (almost) any nation should face in the future. Well...that’s provided that the conflict is not the genocide of millions or would go against the interest of religious fundamentalism or the personal pocketbooks of some UN delegates.

# posted by

Anonymous : 7:56 AM

Is it really an indication of the Iraqi sinkhole as you call it. Or something that has been planned since August 2001?

http://edition.cnn.com/2001/US/08/03/military.base.closures/

# posted by

Anonymous : 10:21 AM

How often have you seen German bases used as staging grounds in wars? Many, many times. Bye, bye bases, Bye, bye staging grounds. These German bases were largely paid for by Germans. Now we'll have to pick up the tab, making our defense budget either stretched or -- what? -- MORE bloated.

I also notice you only mentioned Europe. Hm, South Korea?

And neither of you mentioned that the Bush Administration has explicitly stated the troop strength is to be redirected to the Middle East, where troops are stretched now. It's clear to me that the Bush Administration is preparing to tell the American people what we know already: because of his engagements, we'll be stuck in the Middle East and Afghanistan for years, and he's got to move troops from other places where they've kept the peace peacefully to places where they'll try to create a peace by standing in crossfires.

# posted by

James Cook : 9:49 AM

Also notice the first poster is using the UN to mask US weakness. If it's so important for the US to maintain control over its own supremacy as the conservatives have so long maintained, then why slough that off to the UN? Only if we can no longer handle it -- thanks to Bush.

By the way, I DO think the UN is a reasonable actor in the long run. In the short run, its authority has been weakened -- again, by the administration of George W. Bush.

# posted by

James Cook : 9:54 AM

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