Wouldn't It Be Nice

Wouldn't it be nice if Saddam Hussein's claims that he's been tortured by the US were laughable?

Wouldn't it be nice if the Patriot Act was a piece of legislation that a solid majority of the Senate and the america public could support?

Wouldn't it be nice if our government didn't completely ignore the law and years of precedent before illegally spying on its own citizens?

Wouldn't it be nice if we had a President who cared what the rest of the world thinks of us?

It sure would.

Comments

[spineless blogger]

Wouldn't it be nice if Saddam Hussein's claims that he's been tortured by the US were laughable?
>>It is laughable.

Wouldn't it be nice if the Patriot Act was a piece of legislation that a solid majority of the Senate and the america public could support?
>>Um, it passed the senate 99 - 1 four years ago.

Wouldn't it be nice if our government didn't completely ignore the law and years of precedent before illegally spying on its own citizens?
>>Just like Clinton and Carter did?

Wouldn't it be nice if we had a President who cared what the rest of the world thinks of us?
>>Like Vicente Fox?

[mark pincus]

go fred! love seeing fred on politics.

a few conservatives get mad because they only want to hear your thoughts on internet but i keep reminding them that they get what they pay for and they can always buy business 2.0 (or actually i dont know what mag you can buy) if they want to stay on msg.

[mark pincus]

go fred! love seeing fred on politics.

a few conservatives get mad because they only want to hear your thoughts on internet but i keep reminding them that they get what they pay for and they can always buy business 2.0 (or actually i dont know what mag you can buy) if they want to stay on msg.

and wouldnt it be nice if more of us focused our power on real change and democratizing democracy rather than only making money?

[Rockwell]

Reading Fred's posts about politics is like watching Michael Jordan play baseball. You feel kind of sad and uncomfortable watching someone so successful and talented at one thing making an ass of themselves at something else.

[Derek Scruggs]

You feel kind of sad and uncomfortable watching someone so successful and talented at one thing making an ass of themselves at something else.

Eye of the beholder. For instance, I bet there are some people here who think you are the ass.

[nynyman]

1. It is funny. Had he been captured by a dictator similar to him, he would have been tossed into a meat grinder.

2. Wouldn't it have been nice to have The Patriot Act before 9/11, so we could have investigated threats and maybe -- just maybe -- have prevented that tragedy?

3. It would be nice if we had a law that allowed us to listen to calls that Osama Bin Laden made to US citizens. Based on your thinking, Fred, that would be illegal.

4. I'm much more glad that the President cares about my health and my wealth.

It sure would.

[Kevin Burton]

Preach on!

What's most shocking to me is how *any* American can defend such behavior. This isn't partisan. Left or right. These activities are just plain unamerican.

Kevin

[mark slater]

thailand has a great effect on people on my experience

[Tony Meurer]

Fred,

Looking from Australia, and having reservations about the national security laws just passed here, we must all be aware of the corners the extremists,such as those on the middle east, can push us into.

The right to open debate is the primary value we all enjoy - the guy on the soapbox in the Yarra Bank park in Melbourne - it's the tradition of free societies everywhere.

Let's not forget.................

[Jezza]

I'm with Derek. I know which of you I think is ass Rockwell... and I'll give you a clue... its NOT Fred

[Bob Struble]

Spineless has it right. Fred, you need to get off Planet Left every once and awhile and visit the rest of the country. Y'all keep to these positions, you won't win national elections for a long time.

For the record, when I heard Saddam claimed to have been beaten, my reaction was "I certainly hope so". That he is even alive is a testimony to the morality of our armed forces.

[Tony Alva]

"For the record, when I heard Saddam claimed to have been beaten, my reaction was "I certainly hope so". That he is even alive is a testimony to the morality of our armed forces."

Couldn't have been said better. Wish one of those soldiers that found his despot ass in that rat hole would have "accidently" discharged his weapon in his direction and saved Iraq a lot of resource and time.

[Brouhaha]

What a bunch of fools.

1. Fred's right. The fight against Islamic extremism can only be won ideologically, with "soft power," not just militarily. The idea that America's standard of conduct should only be measured against that of dictators and terrorists is costing us dearly in that ideological struggle. We need to show the world we're better than that, so when our President says "we don't torture" he not only means it but is credible.

2. and 3. The vote on the Patriot Act after 9/11 is irrelevant. No one read it. Now that we know our President can't be trusted to follow the law and the Constitution, it is more important than ever to have the appropriate safeguards added to the Act which can preserve reasonable checks and balances and due process. None of the reforms proposed by libertarian Republicans and Democrats would hurt any part of the fight against terrorism except Dick Cheney's philosophy of unchecked presidential power.

4. See point 1. And read Wesley Clark's Washington Monthly article from way back in 2003 emphasizing the importance of "soft power" in having a successful American foreign policy.

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2003/0311.clark.html

Excerpt:

"But the American way was not to rely on coercion and hard pressure, but on persuasion and shared vision. ... American principles expressed in the Bill of Rights inspired others around the world. ... For our potential competitors in the developed world, the combination of U.S. economic strength and American ideals was difficult to oppose. For two-thirds of a century the United States was generally viewed as the most admired nation in the world. To an important degree, American power in the 20th century was what Joseph Nye, dean of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, calls "soft power," the power to persuade, based on American values. It gave us an influence far beyond the hard edge of traditional balance-of-power politics, based less on physically occupying countries and imposing laws and institutions, or even on wielding our enormous economic and military strength, as old colonialists might have done, and more on leading by example, on transparency, and outreach."

My advice to those who think Bush has all the answers is to stop thinking in absolutes and realize that American can do better. And must do better, if we are to succeed in the global struggle in which we are now engaged.

We must restore, once again, what America is all about before we can expect others to deem her worthy to follow.

[Thumbster]

Wouldn't it be nice if you knew what you were talking about? Saddam's claims are laughable. The Patriot Act was passed overwhelmingly, so what has changed about it?? Check out Executive Order 12333. As a little background Clinton did the same thing to DOMESTIC white supremasists after the Oklahoma bombing that Bush is doing with INTERNATIONAL communications.

Wouldn't it be nice if Fred knew the facts? Wouldn't it be nice if Fred stuck to venture related issues where he does know what he's talking about?

[M L]

Looking at the bigger picture, the most interesting parts of debates like these is how polarized the American public has become. Either people are adamantly opposed to everything related to GWB or people blindly agree with everything he says. The discussion always quickly descends into personal attacks and name-calling, and rarely stays on topic.

Unfortunately, the points that Fred has made are not black and white issues, and are more complex than simply being "for" or "against" something. The root of the issue comes down to what you believe the government is responsible for and how you believe it should go about handling that responsibility. I, for one, believe in protecting our citizens at home and abroad to the best of our ability.

Am I comfortable with the methods being employed to execute on this idea? In most cases, yes, but in some cases, no. Are we on a slippery slope leading toward the end of the US as we know it? I hardly think so.

But I do enjoy the discussion....as long as it doesn't get personal.

[Brouhaha]

And here I thought my comments were proposing that middle ground. I don't think those positions are those of Dick Cheney's OR Cindy Sheehan's...

Well, except for the "fools" remark... although Dick tends to use a more colorful epithet. ;-)

I think it is telling of how far to the right this Administration has taken us that the positions of military experts like Wes Clark, Colin Powell, Brent Scowcroft and John Murtha are now labeled "liberal."

[charlie crystle]

I gotta say, you wingers really can't tell the difference between the left and right. Fred isn't giving a leftist position, he's saying it's shameful how our government behaves in our name. Torture is illegal and it's shameful. The Patriot Act would not have prevented the attacks on NY and it's passage was shameful. Our government spying on us isn't new; what's new is the executive branch operating completely without any accountability. One example of that is domestic spying without a warrant, which takes all of 90 minutes to get from the secret court, and it's shameful that Bush subverts the law to spy on US citizens. Shameful. And the secret judge of the secret court agrees--he just resigned.

You apologists for the Bush administration and its totalitarian, Big Brother, dictatorial, crazy-assed anti-American activities should be ashamed. You're bad for the country, just as bad as Bush is.

"Those willing to give up a little liberty. for a little security deserve neither security nor liberty." --Ben Franklin.

[angela coors]

thanks for having the courage to say something. i couldnt agree more

[Jerry]

Wouldn't be nice if someone in this administration didn't regard the Constitution as just a "goddamn piece of paper."
http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_7779.shtml

[Brouhaha]

Here's the Times today:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/23/opinion/23fri1.html

I know, I know, I can hear it already... liberal rag, blah blah blah. But you can find a similar sentiment at the web site of former Republican Congressman and U.S. attorney Bob Barr:

http://www.bobbarr.org/default.asp?pt=newsdescr&RI=698

And he's not the only one on the right who recognizes this sustained power-grab by the executive branch for what it is - unsubstantiated by law and unnecessary to protect the country.

[Coty]

Like Marc et al., I'm always happy to see Fred post on politics. I think it is particularly good, as I'd guess that Fred's readership on other topics might skew right, and I think it is good for everyone to remember that individuals are more complex than the stereotypes we might prefer to work with.

To that point, Struble should keep in mind the narrow margin of victory in the last two presidential elections and get over the notion that Fred and other liberals exist on some other planet. Indeed, we are all over this great country, and we are concentrated in some of the most vibrant areas.

[Charlie]

Does anyone really think that there has been a point in time over the 20th Century where the government wasn't spying on us??

Come on.

This isn't new.

And I sure as hell hope the government doesn't ask anyone's permission if they think they need to spy on me for the sake of national security. The Smoking Man keeps me safe from terrorists and Roswell aliens and I'm ok not knowing the truth, to be honest.

[nynyman]

The rest of the world thinks highly of us, they just can't and won't admit it. People are literally dying to become citizens of this country. We have an IMMIGRATION problem. The sound of feet means more to me than an opinion poll.

Also, how come nobody ever asks the US what we think of the rest of the world? Don't get me started on the French, the Germans and the Russians. And the fine people of Syria. And Iran. And North Korea. And Egypt. And most of the governments of Africa. And South America too.

The world is a mess, and I'm glad to be living here. As are many others.

[Mon]

Who says all VC's are alike?

Try comparing Fred's "wouldn't it be Nice" post with Jeff Nolan's (Venture Chronicles) post "Christmas in Bastogne" http://sapventures.typepad.com/main/2005/12/christmas_in_ba.html

[bruce diller verstandig]

you are so on....it reminds me of an updated phil ochs songs , "love me love me I m a liberal"