How Bush and Obama changed American foreign policy for generations to come.

I believe the similarities and differences can be summed up in two events.

Removing Saddam
Removing Qaddafi

Both were brutal Middle East dictators
Both were removed with a multi nation coalition involving the US and it's allies.

But there, the similarities end.

Bush's coalition was put together mostly with nations that owe us money or who we pay money too. Most nations in Bush's coalition sent less than a dozen soldiers. Some, only one or two. And we had to transport them to Iraq and feed them and house them.

Over 3,000 Americans died. Over 30,000 maimed. Upwards to a trillion dollars was spent and the cost of tens of thousands of soldiers who have been maimed could cost trillions more (which Republicans will assign to Obama). Our military depleted and our standing in the world greatly diminished. Shoes thrown at our president. Nearly a million Christians unaccounted for (Bush publicly stated that protecting Christians would place then in even greater danger by showing "favoritism"). America had to be cajoled with information from the Bush administration that even Bush now says was false (The number one reason we went into Iraq, WMD's were never found. His greatest disappointment according to his own book.) Oil would pay for the war.

In Libya, Obama publicly announced the ONLY reason we were helping was to protect the Libyan people from being slaughtered. No American troops died. The cost was a fraction of a fraction of the cost of Iraq and yet, essentially, the same goals were meant. And the coalition was a true coalition. We didn't pay a single country to be there.

I suspect the outcome in Libya will be the same that it was for Iraq. A Muslim theocracy by constitution that will make all women citizens "subservient" and second class citizens. At this time, in the Middle East, this is probably unavoidable. Pouring money into those countries is not allowing them to develop away from the Dark Ages that they still are part of. They aren't jealous of us because of our "freedoms". This makes twice they have been given that opportunity and both times they simply aren't interested.

But it's the two methods used for achieving the same end that will determine future foreign policy.

 

Obama supported an ongoing revolution.

Bush engaged in empire building with an unprovoked preemptive strike

 

Since we're talking pure fantasy here, did you know Disney is re-releasing "Lady And The Tramp" in Blue-Ray???

 

How about obama's major feat...KILLING OSAMA!?!? Wow, he did just a great job there...actually, he did a great job of f'ing up any other plans to get anyone else. You remember all the computers and information the seals took from the compound, well they might as well be all thrown in the trash now.
Obama is quite the idiot......

Correcting the

 

Qaddafi was not a brutal dictator. Yes, he really stole that country blind, but he was not given to acts of cruelty the way Hussein (not our Hussein, the Iraqi Hussein) was.

The "revolution" in Libya was driven by Al Quaeda, who we supported. In return, the Libyan people lost what precious little freedom they had in favor of the strictest, taliban-style interpretation of shariah law.

 

Not only did he manage to get bin laden, but those computer files confiscated are paying huge dividends. Notice the number of high ranking Al Qaida taken out in recent months?

We have made substantial progress in the war on terrorism since Bush blundered into Iraq. We have Al QAaida on the run, have upset their command and financial structure and are chasing them down wherever they hide

 

I guess they prefer thousands of lives lost and huge debt.

 

Those are just parroted lines. The parts about Al Qaeda and sharia aren't anything more than wishful-thinking on the OPs part. It's just a cynical attempt to bash Obama for something that hasn't happened and may NEVER happen. What can be more unpatriotic that hoping the other side wins? Aren't they the same people that keep bashing Jane Fonda?!?!

 

I remember that Obama did something Bush couldn't! SUCK ON IT!!!

 

Sure. Yeah. Uh-huh.

He kills a couple of rags, or claims he does and that's suppopsed to mean progress.

Btw, one of them he said we killed popped up again.

Also, just fyi, we're losing Iraq to Iran and the Afgan prez says he'll side with Pakistan in any war between us and them.

Yup, that's progress.