host

Uh.....a Euro now buys just over 1.3 U.S. dollars, in fall 2000, the Euro bought
.83 dollars. Back then....an ounce of gold could be purchased for less than $300
U.S. dollars. Now gold is $440 an ounce. There was a federal budget surplus back then, now deficits, without the Iraq war costs factored in.....are over
$400 billion projected for the year ending Sept. 2005, and....for next year, too.

The latest is the reality of declining U.S. domestic oil production, $57/bbl imported foreign oil, and......a U.S. annual trade deficit that will top $700 billion
this year......after being over $600 billion last year, with no decline in sight.

Bush and Cheney are "oil men", so were the majority of, and the largest of their campaign contributors in 2000. Surely, they could get oil "right". Now, it's looking like they have not followed through on the predictions that they
made 4 years ago, or on the policies that they touted for increased domestic
oil production and for less dependence on foreign oil.

They weren't "right" about another major issue, WMD in Iraq. Come to think of
it, they don't seem to be correct on any of their major predictions or policies.
Do you agree? If you do, why do you think that they enjoy so little criticism and so much support, with this track record, both from the press, and from so many voters? Is this support level in decline. If you stilll support Bush and Cheney, can you provide links to document their major successes ? Try to
pattern your posts with references competitive with my examples, no "hot air" responses, please. Be fair enough to provide examples that support your opinion and can be fact checked.

Great plan.......but as the "facts" this month from the API reveal, it didn't happen !
Hindsight is a bitch. Bush was wrong about now indcited Enron Chairman, Ken Lay, to the point that he had to deny even knowing him, when Enron imploded.

Cheney was wrong to only include corporate hacks like Ken Lay in his secret energy policy meeting held in spring 2001. Policy led to wrong and to substandard results. Bush and Cheney are the same two guys who were wrong about the causes of the 2001 California electricity supply and price gouging. They refused to take seriously the pleas for help from Cal. Gov Gray Davis, while rolling blackouts afflicted California, and they made a point of announcing that they would not allow the federal government to intervene. It
turned out that they were wrong......evidence is convincing that their friends at Enron actually artificially orchestrated the electrical shortages and withheld power supplies from California, actually sending it away from California to spike prices and to cause blackouts at a time when drought in the Pacific northwest prevented hydro electric producers there from sending
power through the distribution grid to help California.

Two summers ago, the U.S. suffered a sudden, major power blackout in NYC
and in parts of the midwest and northeast. There was talk then that the power grid needed massive new investment to maintain reliability. When has
there been any word from Bush Cheney on plans to fund or solve that problem?

Again, on the serious issues, such as whether there will be affordable energy,
responsible conservation, a foreign policy that can help keep defense and
intelligence spending below $500 billion per year, a policy to reduce both trade and budget deficits to slow the dollar's value descent, what indications do you have that Bush or Cheney will come up with accurate predictions or
effective solutions?

I don't think that they are capable of reducing the budget or trade deficit,
conducting a more cooperative foreign policy, offering us a government with
less crony capitalism, lessening foreign energy dependence or increasing
domestic production and conservation, or slowing the dollar's slide and avoiding a slower economy, higher unemployment, and declines in real estate prices. After all, they were wrong on the need for an independent 9/11 investigation, post Iraq invasion troop strenght, and even on when to declare
that "hostilities were over". Retouching the sign in the photo of Bush on the
air craft carrier deck, displayed on the white house web site, by adding the
word "major" in front of "hostilities are over", to make themselves look more
competent, and the rash of stories recently about paid commentators, a fake
reporter in white house press briefings, who asked Bush a "soft ball" question
at a televised presidential news conference, after Bush called on him by his
fake first name, and the disclosure that the administration spent $245 million,
twice as much as the previous administration spent in eight years, to produce television spots to slip onto tv news broadcasts disguised as news, and relying on a policy of exclusively prescreened audiences and questions for Bush at all foreign and domestice public appearances, and I have had enough
of incompetent and duplicitous leadership........have you.......yet?

samcol

All great points.

My opinion of the war in Iraq and Aphganistan is that their purpose was to consolidate oil. I think that's why prices are going up instead of down like most people thought. So, I guess the wars are a huge sucess in the eyes of anyone who benefits from this.

This is also why there isn't a push towards alternative fuel sources like that article mentions. They are seen as a huge threat to the oil industries. I think that's why they are pushing for satelite tracking devices in every car that track you by the mile rather than by how much gas you consume.

What's even more sad is that neither party will stand up to these neo-cons. They rarely call them out on major issues like these, and keep voting for more patriot act type legislation that does nothing to prevent terrorism. Kerry could of easily won the election if he would of called Bush out on all his connections to big oil, carlyle group etc.(all of which are documented and undeniable) I think this shows how both sides are controlled by corporations and only "pretend" to oppose the other side. In the end their voting records are nearly identicle (pro war, pro big business, pro patriot act type bills).

NCB

Host, I agree with you on this. I think the Democrat plan is far superior. I just wish I knew what it was

__________________

Mantus

A senless statment. As if any of us know Bush's plan to materialize his vision of America.

Host makes a point that the Bush administration failed in it's first term of office. Yet we rewared them for their mistakes and gave them a second chance. How can we expect to have accountability in our govenment with such a system?