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Date: January 28, 2005 at 17:15:56
From: Anne, [ool-18b99538.dyn.optonline.net]
Subject: Re: Jan. 30 draws near......


I've been thinking about your message all week. After all that pondering I wish I could offer some good advice or thoughts and yet still I come up empty handed.

I was against the war in Iraq prior to its start, and still feel that it was a horrendous error on behalf of our country. It has alienated many of our friends, and seems only to have had success in breeding further hatred against the US. It has taken a secular country in the Middle East and created a new base for fundamentalists and terror. And yet, given that elections will be taking place this weekend - even if not wholly inclusive of the population - one has to hope that they move the Iraqi people a step closer to self-determination.

That said, when it comes to Iraq I will never be fully able to embrace any potential "win" by Mr Bush on this front, because I truly believe the end hasn't justified the means. We must remind the political parties, of whatever stripe, that there has to be a better way than war. We've spent $150 billion or so on the war to date - $6,000 per every person in Iraq. Rather than war and occupation there has to have been a better way to spend such sums of money to win the hearts of the people - something which wouldn't have resulted in the deaths of an estimated 100,000 Iraqi citizens. Maybe new attitudes are needed on some things, but I can't see how anything justifies these deaths.

It also seems to me that the downfall of the Democratic Party is not due to the strenght of the Republicans, but rather the weakness of the Democrats. Why are there so few Democratic leaders like Barbara Boxer, people voting their conscience and the wishes of their constituencies rather than what is in their political self interests? The fact that only 13 out of more that 40 Democratic Senators voted against the nomination of Condoleeza Rice is appalling - this is someone who helped lie our country in to this costly and devestating war. Why didn't every single one of the Democratic Senators vote against this nomination? If we can figure that out, maybe we can begin to fix some of the Democrat's problems, at least.

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