Wouldn't it have been fun to find out via bidding?

I don't think it's lack of knowledge. Look at the latest Gallup poll. Even on specific issues people are roughly divided in the US right now. About half approve of Bush's job performance, about half agree with his tax cuts, a little less than half approve of his handling of economy, about half approve of his handling of foreign affairs, about half approve of his handling of Iraq, quite a bit more than half approve of the general "war on terror", and a like number thought it was worth going to war in Iraq.

I think you have to look at the reality. Half of America approves of George Bush at this time. America is nearly evenly divided on all the major political campaign issues at this time. When views are so evenly divided it comes down to who can market their viewpoint best.

Will it stay evenly divided on the views? The events of the next year in particular the economy, terrorism, what happens in Iraq, and events beyond prediction will determine that.

No election occurs in a vacuum. Who will Bush run against, who will his campaign manager be, and what will their be their strategy? Will the Democratic candidate with the best chance to beat Bush win the primary? Do the Democrats have a Carville to match Rove?

Clinton ran an awesome campaign against Bush. Mondale ran a horrible one against Reagan. History is replete with examples of both excellent and poorly run campaigns for both parties.

I'm sure Rove has a few aces up his sleeves.

Not possible considering the extreme suppression of the Sunni and Kurdish populations.

Literacy rates:

Iraq. 40%. men 56%. women 24%
Kuwait. 84%. men 85%. women 82%
Saudi Arabia. 79%. men 85%. women 71%
Jordan. 92%. men 96%. women 87%

It amazes me the misinformation that people have about Saddam's Iraq. Many seem to think that it was the jewel of the Mid East...a model to be copied...before the "evil empire destroyed" it.

:1orglaugh :1orglaugh :1orglaugh

I'm pretty good with math and numbers in general but I'm still having a hard time understanding how the cost to put out a few oil well fires is $1 Billion.

Does anyone seriously know how much capital it requires for equipment and labor to put out a single fire on an oil well?

Its amazing how they throw out these enormous contract award numbers in the press and no one questions them. Its like ok I guess it does cost a billion these days to put out a fire.

Come on gimme a break George.

This is funny. Adult webmasters, 75% of you who write off your lap dances as "content expenses" and still haven't reported that money that was sent to you from the Bahamas two years ago are wondering why governments do the same. The question is ancient and the answer is simple. The answer is that we're all a bunch of fucking crooks trying to obtain the most we can at the least possible expense all the while arguing that everyone else is the problem.

:thumbsup

The only thing is nobody wants to admit that they would most likely do the exact same thing in the same circumstances.

I have no clue what it costs to put out the fires. Can't imagine it being cheap though. The shipping of materials and equipment is probably a fortune in itself.

I would imagine the $1 billion would also include a little clean up as well...

Actually the quote should have been...before the "great Satan destroyed" it.

I'm actually on both sides of the issue for once.
I think we should be building schools in Iraq - after all, an educated populace will be able to further themselves and their country far better than we ever could.

But I also want the schools here in the US FIXED. They've become nothing more than government daycare. It's not so much the teachers as it is the policy-makers, teachers' union and the fact that the money pumped into the system *never* makes it down to the classroom level. Too many hands being held out for it in the upper "superintendent" levels.

Our family is sacrificing to send our son to private kindergarten, and we'll continue to do so until he wants to be homeschooled or until he graduates. I want him to be taught, not babysat.

Whether or not it's right to put up schools in Iraq, the US school system starts within it's own community. If you have a problem with the quality of schools in your area, get out and vote for the school budget decisions. If you vote for higher taxes, your schools will have better quality. It's been my observation that most people vote against higher school budgets because they do not want to pay more taxes. So we should then depend on the federal government to support every aspect of the school systems, when it's already been in place for years, that your local taxes are paying for what is around you. Sure the government can start giving billions to the schools for improvement, but once you start making deposits like this, it's like feeding stray cats... you always have to do it, which isn't practical. We can give money to the Iraqi people, give them a start that they have never had and we can walk away, we can't do that in America, because we'd always have to maintain it after the initial start. It's like someone giving you a house or car and paying the payments on it for a year... will you be able to pay for it on your own and maintain it, after the year is up?

Education starts in the home and from what I have observed in schools, parents are not encouraging or enforcing their children's education like they should be. Americans are too busy working, to take enough interest in what is happening to their kids education. They expect the teachers to play babysitter, educator and mentor. Some parents can't even make sure the kids have breakfast before school, they damn sure don't care what happens after they leave the house.

Public schools in America may be over crowded, but again... that's on a local level. Find out where YOUR tax dollars are going in your area and make a change if you are unhappy with it. What the federal government does with our tax dollars, no one has any control over. You'd like to think you do, by voting for this one or that one, but the truth is, there will always be things paid for by your tax dollars, that you don't approve of.

The only thing pathetic about my daughters' high school is the lack of funding due to the current legislation in California

Not true in California.. Davis is taking property tax money from wealthy areas and giving it to poor areas..

and I use the term anti christ for another leader

:1orglaugh

How specifically has lack of funding affected your daughter's High School. Classes cut...lack of text books...just what exactly has the lack of funding affected?

WTF how about someone finishes fixing the US first.:BangBang: All I can say I didn't vote for the the fuck.:ak47:

It could certainly do with some fixing up.

Is the US broken?

Iraq was a lie to begin with we all know that.

Iraq posed no reasonable threat to the United States. UN Inspections were working. No way was Saddam gonna make a fucking fire cracker without UN Inspectors knowing it first hand as they were crawling up the ass of every scientist in the fucked up country.

This dipfuck President still has not gottin Saddam for gods sakes, like that really mattered in the first place. Now we goto foot the bill for this while we send our kids to shitty schools and over priced colleges that do not teach a fucking thing.

All contracts to the country are to Bushes friends and things that should cost about 10k to repair is gonna cost 60K to repair.

Nice racket ehh ?
Its crystal clear our country is no longer working properly, its crystal clear that the government does not mind killing us and ripping us off while laying it all out in broad daylight.

The US oversaw all sanctions through the UN.. the only other country on the sanctions committee that denied supplies coming into the country was the UK.
It's not fun seeing people deny the responsibility of their country's roles just because they had UN cover for their actions.
The UN is the "glove" countries use to do want they want.

Many...if not all..EU coutries were aligned with the sanctions and some imposed them...some did for awhile...some cheated almost from the time the UN...not the US...imposed the sanctions. In addition the US has been the most selected enforcer of the UN since its existence...as the US is usually the only that has...or is willing to...come up with the finances and the military power to do the enforcement. A large portion of the world depends on the US in more ways than one.

What are you talking about? That has absolutely nothing to do with I said.

Read it again... I see no denial. I think the US plays a HUGE role in many of the UN decisions. Read the post above by theking. He mentions the US doing a lot of the dirty work for the UN. Money, enforcement, etc. Then I see someone who usually bitches about the US being a greedy country that never does anything except look for wars ADMIT (in a round about way) that the US is a huge force behind the UN... it makes me chuckle.

The above probably made no sense. I need sleep.

The US people has soon the opportunity to vote for someone else. I am afraid though, they won't :(

I suspect that it will be another close vote count.

Where did all of the "wepons of mass distrustion" go?
:smokin
Bush back to what ever it is he uses.

Didn't you hear?

They are going to magically appear just as the election cycle revs up.

:winkwink:

Bullshit!!!
America is most arrogant nation in the world!!!

What 1000s schools you will build? You destroy 100s of schools, hospitals, civil buildings in your 'peace-keeper' operation. Now American companies proclaim they will help Iraq's people...well not free of charge but with THEIR money, recieved from oil sales.
That's the fuckin' true dear Americans!

To destroy someone's house, then to tell everybody that you'll repair this house...but with poor man's money!
Briliant deal. :321GFY

Bush's cronies will be first in line for those lucrative contracts.....

Destroy them, then get your friends to rebuild them.

Great business strategy Mr Bush!

sadly, but it's true