Quote:
Originally Posted by Robbie
Here is the truth: The wars had been going on for 6 years when the housing market collapsed. Had ZERO to do with what the Defense Dept. was paying attention to in Iraq or Afghanistan. And bailing out the banks was done VERY quickly by Bush and then Obama. Didn't slow that down one bit. I THINK what you are trying to say is that our national debt would not be as high. And that might have some effect on the economy in 2012 (businesses worried about the future, etc.) But to say it had ANY effect on the housing collapse, subsequent bank collapse, and the successful almost instant bailing out of the banks...is not true in any way at all.
|
Having 1T less debt and 2 less ongoing wars would make dealing with ANY problem on a national level much easier. Having spending stuffed into military appropriations bills during wartime makes things much harder to manage. What I am saying is, had we not been in Iraq wasting billions of dollars putting American lives at risk... we would have been better able to focus on the crash and would have worked more cohesively with the EU and others to address it. A massive fuck up the size of the Iraq war has far reaching implications that muddy the waters and make every other part of governing more difficult.
Senator Byrd, who had been in the Senate longer than anyone else led a filibuster against the resolution granting W. Bush power to wage a "preemptive" war against Iraq, but he could not get even a majority of his own party to vote against cloture. When his attempt failed he rightly said: "Today I weep for my country. I have watched the events of recent months with a heavy, heavy heart. No more is the image of America one of strong, yet benevolent peacekeeper. The image of America has changed. Around the globe, our friends mistrust us, our word is disputed, our intentions are questioned. Instead of reasoning with those with whom we disagree, we demand obedience or threaten recrimination." That sort of climate makes dealing with an international banking meltdown much more difficult. So does 1T more debt and the 'distraction' of two ongoing wars.
Let's make the point more simple... do you think having the war in Iraq made dealing with the banking crisis easier? Do you really think it had no affect on the way our government operated or the way other matters were handled? Clearly it made things harder.
