i am starting to lose my adoration of george bush. i do not like that we are struggling economically - i dont believe the numbers really that we are exploding although we are coming out of recession - and i think mainly due to high fuel prices. why isnt iraq being pumped dry so as to finally crush opec?

In addition, while the scale of loss of life in iraq is small compared to vietnam (on an avearge day, hundreds suffered casualties), i dont like how the thing is being managed. WE are putting 3-4 divisions there just to do nation building/peacekeeping? plus, it appears that foreign fighters are some of the problem. well then, use those forces to fight not police - i am sick of hering another dead GI from a convoy through fallujah. why are we going thru that area? either roll in with tanks and howitzers and conquer it, or put a separation fence up.

i watch kerry, and so long as he does not lapse into his arrogance mode, he is very doable. his pacifism streak irks me and his double talk on iraq does too. i dunno, just rambling.

all i know is that i am now undecided.

jannol: What you expect Bush to do in order to "fix" our (semi-quote) 'struggling economy?'

corn - i really would like lower fuel prices - for a whole host of reasons - i really believe that heating oil, gas, etc. are causng much of the sluggishness out there.

in any event, i am now firmly back in bush's column after a one day waiver since now kerry is bashing israel as being the one at fault for lack of negotiations and that he would send carter and clinton to be an envoy.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/387255.html

it just amazes me that the democrats want to be on the palestinian side of this war.

jannol: Interesting; I would have expected something else... not fuel prices.

I guess I may be one of the few people that thinks the government really shouldn't fool around with prices, in general.

Anyway, back to fuel. If Bush did anything explicit to fuel prices (and anything that contribues to those prices) there would be an immediate, deafening cry of outrage about "Bush's ties to Big Oil" and "blood for oil," etc.

There's really no winning situation there.

Again, I'm surprised with "fuel" for an answer. While fuel prices are undoubtedly higher than most would like or expect (before 9/11, etc.) I would have expected something else...

If you don't mind my asking, what relation do you have to the price of fuel? Business? Home heating? Just curious.

well, no real relation. I just did my thesis at UCLA on the causes of inflation in the US and learned that the 1970s inflation was mainly due to higher cost of fuel and a ridiculous monetary/fiscal policy. The cost of fuel also severely stagnated the economy. Finally, the cost of fuel subsidizes the arab fascist regimes.

So, that is just something that irks me, that we are somehow at the behest and control of the oil industry - i know it is conspiracy-esque, but it is my opinion.

I am really more pissed at the dems for not standing up more for Israel - if they want to disagree with bush, they could go either way, either that he has to pressure israel more, or that he has to pressure the palis more. their tendency to go in only one direction pisses me off.