Posted 7:25 PM by a
USS Clueless:

"In 1991 after the Gulf war, when Saddam had been weakened, the Bush administration gave speeches supporting revolution against Saddam, and many Iraqis responded by rising in revolt. Then they discovered that we weren't willing to back that up with actions, and without our help they didn't have a chance. It's not unreasonable for them to wonder if we're really determined this time to see the whole thing through. Even now, with Saddam deposed and in hiding somewhere, will the mercurial Americans suddenly lose interest and pull out, leaving a power vacuum which Saddam will once again fill by reestablishing Baathist rule? Were I an Iraqi, I could not dismiss that possibility.
And those who speak freely today, might discover that their names had been added to a list of 'those to be liquidated' after the Americans cut and run and Saddam returns to power."

Posted 12:32 PM by a
OpinionJournal - Featured Article Responses:

"I am also appalled at the level of criticism from the Democrat presidential hopefuls. What has happened to this country when our military is putting their lives on line and doing a tremendous job only to hear such trash against their commander-in-chief. The people in Iraq are so much better off and their country is being put together by people who care. We have spent years giving money to many countries for many reasons. Why is this different now? It's different because some would make it a political move. "

Posted 12:27 PM by a
OpinionJournal - Featured Article Responses: "Giving Political Advantage to the Left
Denis Armstrong - West Des Moines, Iowa

"The American mainstream media makes a valiant effort at portraying the American political and economic system as failed. Iraq will present a deliciously easy target for them in this respect.

As with most news issues, it's time to stop paying attention to mainstream press on Iraq given their nostalgic craving for another Vietnam. They could care less about Iraq and their only interest is to exploit the situation to the political advantage of the left."

Posted 1:05 PM by a
OpinionJournal - Extra:

"More U.S. or coalition troops mean more U.S. and coalition targets, injuries and deaths; and those we do not need. The coalition can't fight someone they can't see and they'll never deter those who are willing to, or more so want to, die. What we need is the ability to identify, locate and capture or kill the enemy that's trying to prevent freedom from growing in Iraq--and no one can do that better than the Iraqis themselves. The creation of a new Iraqi intelligence service is more critical right now than ever and expediting that, and the recruiting, training and deployment of Iraq's new police and military, is essential. All of this is being done, and at speeds that make our federal and state bureaucracies look like they're standing still. And yet the political criticism is deafening."

Posted 8:20 PM by a
Cal Thomas:

"Bush said 'The success of a free Iraq will be watched and noticed throughout the region.' So will the failure to solidify Iraq's freedom. The terrorists and thug regimes in the region, some of whom are members in good standing at the United Nations, tremble at the idea that their privileged positions might be endangered by their people determining their own futures. Political and religious dictators see Iraq as either their Waterloo or our Vietnam. The world has the resources to make Iraq and much of the region a success. The question is whether it has the will. The dictators and terrorists are betting it doesn't. "

Posted 6:32 PM by a
Victor Davis Hanson on War on National Review Online

"The United Nations is running from trouble in Iraq as fast as possible, proving the wisdom (yet again) of President Bush's decision to use force without U.N. "authorization." The problem for the president, and for the efforts of the coalition of the willing generally, is the iron triangle that now exists determined to defeat our efforts to stabilize and democratize Iraq: the Democrats, their allies in the mainstream press, and of course the guerrilla terrorists who launch the hit-and-run attacks against our troops."

Posted 1:18 PM by a
OpinionJournal - Featured Article Responses:

"History will be the final judge and Mr. Bush with the support of a free Iraq and Afghanistan and a more stable Middle East will be kindly judged. Apologies are not and should not be given by our President, he must continue to work on his vision of a more peaceful world, for us and all to see that America has a true leader."

Posted 12:43 PM by a
Arnold The Terminator has a good speach writer. In today's opinion Journal Arnold presented a clear and concise description of the problems faced by California. But that's not the only thing the article disclosed. That is, Arnold hasn't a clue as how to go about fixing the sorry state of affairs we now find ourselves in.

If Arnold should become Governor Terminator, there is one thing that you can take to the bank. Taxes will soar.

That's what I think. How bout you? Comments are welcome.

Posted 11:49 AM by a
OpinionJournal - Outside the Box Responses: "Those Evil Conservatives
Robert Lovretich - Niceville, Fla.

"Why is it such a surprise that Democrats oppose vouchers and school choice? Liberals acquire and maintain political power by keeping a majority of voters uneducated, poor, and dependent.

Their largest campaign donor, the National Education Association, has dumbed down public education turning out a steady stream of low skill, no skill graduates qualified for poverty level minimum wage jobs. This large underclass depends on government handouts to subsist, so they vote for the party that maintains and expands these subsidies. With their basic needs satisfied, they have little incentive to work harder and smarter improving skills to get more challenging and rewarding jobs."

Posted 11:38 AM by a
OpinionJournal - The Western Front:

"Like these two presidents, Gen. Clark was propelled into the race by party elders (Bill and Hillary Clinton) and is trying to be everything to everyone. In an attempt to soften him in the eyes of angry Democrats, he has flip-flopped on Iraq. And his warrior credentials, as well as news that he thinks he remembers voting for both Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan before becoming a Democrat, are a clear attempt to soften him in the eyes of the broader electorate.

But unlike in the 1840s and '50s, at least one political party is willing to face up to the pressing national problem of our times, terrorism. What Gen. Clark is left with is an impossible argument: that he somehow found a better way to defeat al Qaeda in the skies over Kosovo, than Mr. Bush has in defeating first the Taliban and then Saddam Hussein."

Posted 12:38 PM by a
OpinionJournal - Best of the Web Today:

"In short: the same people who chide America for its short-attention span think we should have stopped military operations after the Taliban was routed. (And they quite probably opposed that, for the usual reasons.) The people who think it's all about oil like to snark that we should go after Saudi Arabia. The people who complain that the current administration is unable to act with nuance and diplomacy cannot admit that we have completely different approaches for Iraq, for Iran, for North Korea. The same people who insist we need the UN deride the Administration when it gives the UN a chance to do something other than throw rotten fruit."

Posted 12:02 PM by a
OpinionJournal - Political Diary Responses: "Is Clark His Own Man?
Alice Felt - Walla Walla, Wash.

"How intriguing. Wesley Clark as a sort of surrogate Clinton, either gaining the White House with Bill and Hillary pulling the strings or possibly as Hillary's running mate. While Mr. Clark provides something the Clinton's desperately need which is credibility in regards to the military, the Clintons provide the campaign staff. Nice setup. But, if the campaign apparatus essentially belongs to the Clintons, does Wesley Clark also? I can just see Bill and Hillary working hard to refine their ventriloquist skills."

Posted 7:20 PM by a
Walter Williams: America's academic tyrants:

"Both as taxpayers and donors, Americans have been exceedingly generous to our universities. The academic elite has contempt for American values and the wealth that make that generosity possible. I think university administrators might get the message if we'd put a halt to our generosity. Maybe a good donation strategy is to search a university's website or catalog. See whether it has multiculturalism, diversity or equity offices and programs. If it has, it's probably practicing some form of racism. The next step is simple: Close your pocketbook."

Posted 6:05 PM by a
WorldNetDaily: How nations perish:

"What amnesty is ultimately about is whether America is still a country, whether we Americans are any longer a unique people. Or is America nothing more than the biggest 24-hour-a-day mall in the Global Economy, where anybody walks in and nobody cares?"

Posted 6:00 PM by a
WorldNetDaily: How nations perish

"After amnesty, anyone who wants to live here would be stupid not to sneak in. If breaking into the United States is rewarded with permanent residency and citizenship – and access to all the social welfare benefits of the richest nation on earth – the 5 billion people now living in the Third World will say to one another: "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Illegals who become citizens can bring in wives and children. Amnesty will thus mean that legal – as well as illegal – immigration will soar. As new immigrants are mostly poor, the tax costs of Medicaid, welfare, schools, food stamps, earned income tax credits will soar. If you think California and the U.S. government have big deficits today, you ain't seen nothing yet."

Posted 12:45 PM by a
OpinionJournal - Extra:

"We do not have to be a president, soldier, attorney general, prosecutor or intelligence agent to wage this battle and win this war. Every one of us, in little ways, in thoughts and words and spirit, can pull an oar, however small or seemingly slight. Each of us can make a difference. But it will take all of us, in our own individual lives, to lead or somehow, in some way, support the achievement of this goal. If we do not, we will pay a tragic price in our neighborhoods, our schools, and our homes. None of us, no matter where we live, no matter how carefully we live our lives, is immune from terrorism. We will either root it out and extinguish it wherever it may hide, or it will find us and strip us of our safety, happiness and everything we cherish."

Posted 12:42 PM by a
OpinionJournal - Extra:

"Remembering and honoring the victims of September 11 is therefore not remotely sufficient. We must engrave their faces and tragically shortened histories on our hearts and in our souls. We must commit ourselves to the only goal that is worthy of their memories: to eradicate the disease that killed them, wherever it is and however long is takes. Their suffering and deaths must fuel our dedication to stamp out this cancer, and, in doing so, save those we love, and those who come after us, from future September elevens and the pain, loneliness and helplessness we experienced on that day two years ago and have lived with every day since then."

Posted 12:04 PM by a
Newsday.com - Clark Set to Enter 2004 Presidential Race: "By RON FOURNIER
AP Political Writer

September 11, 2003, 2:05 PM EDT


WASHINGTON -- "Retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark has told friends he is likely to become the 10th Democratic presidential candidate, a move that could shake up the crowded field just four months before the first ballots are cast."

Posted 12:48 PM by a
OpinionJournal - Featured Article:

"The danger now is not that the U.S. will be drawn into some quagmire, a la Vietnam, but that we will show a desire to leave too soon, as in Somalia. Terrorists thrive on such weakness, indeed it is the basis for their current strategy. They think that if they can impose enough casualties, or create enough havoc, the voices of retreat will begin to say once again, 'Come home, America.' Judging by Sunday night, those voices will first have to defeat Mr. Bush in 2004."

Posted 12:13 PM by a
OpinionJournal - The Western Front Responses:

"President Bush has been honest from the beginning; he never said this war was going to be easy, short or promised that no Americans lives will be lost.

Democrats know in their hearts what's at stake here for our country; but they won't mind an American retreat here, for they will exchange the honor, blood and tears of the nation for the elixir of power: A return to the White House."

Posted 11:25 AM by a
OpinionJournal - Thinking Things Over:

"The Bush Doctrine and the fall of Saddam have created a new world environment. It surfaces problems previously ignored, as we once ignored the threat of terrorism. But once the problems surface we have an opportunity to resolve them. While there's no guarantee we will always succeed, we've also learned that the United States has great power, not only military but moral. And over these last two years since September 11, the naysayers have been consistently wrong."

Posted 12:21 PM by a
OpinionJournal - Extra:

"This cost shift helped to send the cost of health-insurance premiums skyrocketing, causing more businesses and individuals to drop their coverage and go into the state program, thus stimulating a new round of cost shifting and higher premiums. Even so, the legislative joint fiscal office has projected a Medicaid deficit of $95 million by 2008. This mandating of popular benefits without raising taxes to pay for them is a prominent characteristic of Dr. Dean's fiscal record."

Posted 2:24 PM by a
OpinionJournal - Featured Article Responses: "Where's the GOP's Manhood?
Salvatore Reale - Seminole, Fla.

"I read your article and concur completely. You state the fault lies with us, which my be true, but actually it lies with the gutless Republican members of the Senate, led by Bill Frist. The Republican party has for the most part lost its manhood to the likes of drunkards, liars, globalists and the demagogues that make up the lunatic left branch of the Democratic Party. They are more than content to get leftists jurists who rewrite the Constitution in order to forward their socialist agenda, and America's religious middle class sits idly by, allowing it to occur.

I'm happy your article was printed, giving me an opportunity to tell you Justice Thomas was maligned by the Democrats unfairly, but the great man that he is, has stood up to them these may years and has won. President Bush should nominate him as chief justice once William Rehnquist retires. Justice Thomas is what America needs more of. "

Posted 1:54 PM by a
OpinionJournal - Political Diary Responses: "Veging Out
Gerald Arcuri - Thousand Oaks, Calif.

"I'll say it again: Arnold Schwarzenegger is not a serious Republican, and he does not constitute a serious candidate for the governorship of the state of California. (Which he refers to by mispronouncing the state's name like some sort of vegetable.)Arnold is a celebrity, and if there's one thing that California has an excess of, it's celebrity. Republicans--and not just California Republicans--must unite behind Tom McClintock in order to offer the citizens of this great, but rapidly declining state, a real hope for a prosperous future."

Posted 12:18 PM by a
OpinionJournal - Wonder Land Responses:

"People can say anything that they like about the policies of our current commander in chief, but one thing they cannot deny is the fact that there has not been one single terrorist attack on American soil since 9/11. That tells me that the guy in charge is doing his job, and I am not interested in hearing a bunch of out-of-touch lefties tell me how they would do the job better. I also do not give a damn about what France, Germany or any other country thinks; our national security is paramount to any other consideration, and it should not be sacrificed to the altar of bilateralism. Given the current global terrorist threat, why on earth would the voters hire a commander in chief who is more concerned about how other countries perceive us, than doing whatever is necessary to protect us? "

Posted 8:27 PM by a
OpinionJournal - Featured Article Responses

Winning It All
Mark Noonan - Las Vegas

"Am I the only person who sees the plan unfolding with hardly a hitch?

When I read the papers, its like I'm reading about some other war happening in an alternate universe.

From what I can gather we've whacked the Baathists pretty good, got the foreign terrorists to no longer be quite so interested in directly attacking Americans, started an Iraqi government, built up a lot of infrastructure, got an Iraqi police force up and running, are building up a paramilitary police force to go after the Baathist/terrorist remnants, put the fear of Almighty God into the Syrians and Iranians and now we're reaching the end-game wherein we get a fig-leaf for India, et al to come in and help sweep up after the serious business is done."

Posted 4:31 PM by a
Ann Coulter: No quagmire here!

"Rent control was introduced as a temporary wartime measure during World War II. Sixty years later, the Germans have been subdued – but government bureaucrats in New York are still setting rents, leading to the surplus of affordable housing for which the city is duly famous. The anointed live in lush five-bedroom apartments in marquee buildings for $350 a month while newcomers are forced to bid up the few units in what's left of the housing market, paying thousands of dollars per month to live in rat-infested tenements."

Posted 4:09 PM by a
OpinionJournal - Political Diary Responses:

"The unpleasant truth is that Mr. Bustamante and many Hispanic leaders support bilingual education in order to keep their fellow Hispanics from becoming fully a part of the political, economic and social mainstream in the state. If Hispanics can understand only Spanish, they are dependent on a small number of media as their information sources. By carefully controlling what information is fed them, such media grow increasingly powerful. In turn, office holders such as Mr. Bustamante have a useful tool with which to spoon-feed Hispanics political propaganda. Well-educated, English-speaking Hispanics are a threat to those for whom they are nothing more than a voting bloc on which they depend to maintain their mediocre careers."

Posted 2:07 PM by a
Victor Davis Hanson on Iraq on National Review Online:

"our real problem? We must shed our complacency that has habitually arisen after the absence of another 9/11 attack in the United States, and the rapid victories in Afghanistan and Iraq, and press on. Either the Middle East will be a breeding ground for terrorists and rogue regimes that threaten sober nations and peoples the world over, from Manhattan to Jerusalem, or it will desist and join the rest of the world. It really is as simple as that."

Posted 1:58 PM by a
Victor Davis Hanson on War on National Review Online

"The U.N. has simply ceased to be the liberal, Western-inspired utopian body that arose from the ashes of World War II with the promise that reasonable, civilized nations could adjudicate differences rather than killing each other over perceived grievances. Instead, it is a mobocracy, where majority votes reflect a passive-aggressive stance toward the United States — guiltily desiring our money and support, while still eager for a televised forum in high-profile New York to pose and showcase its cheap, easy defiance of America."