Should we give President Bush dictatorial power to fight the war on terror?

Question

Sometimes civil liberties have to be sacraficed for security. Since congress is causing all these problems with fighting the war wouldn't it make you sleep better knowing Bush has all the power to bring justice to the evil doers? I am sure once he sets the world straight he would turn America back into a democracy.

I having a hard time finding the big supporters of illegal wire taps in these responses. The guys that say congress is messing with the executive branch too much, where did they go?
Sarcastic yes, actually I am cutting to the chase. Isn't this where illegal phone tapping, and legalized imprisonment without any process, and legal torture is leading us?
A day may come where this question is not so out of the question for some if we keep on the path we are on.
The only time I have ever heard the trem "Evil doer" it was spoken by our President. I try to avoid looking dumb.

Answer 1

No way!!!! The day a dictator runs America it will be our duty as Americans to die fighting him! No matter why he was put there and most certainly if it is because an interested party manages to force changes in the constitution to "legitimize" it.

Aren't we all forgetting how and why America was born? How many people have given their lives to keep our country as a free democracy run for the better good of its citizens? How many people have suffered and/or died to earn our civil liberties one at a time?

You say "Sometimes civil liberties have to be sacrificed for security." What if someone turns around and tells our country that for better homeland security blacks will have to sit at the front of the bus again?

I'm scared that we Americans don't control what our government does for us at every step. We vote them and then they take off alone and before we know it one little change adds to another little change and all too quickly we find our beautiful lifestyle, the envy of all the other countries, cut to shreds "for our own good" and we are left with less rights than a ridiculous banana republic or third world nation.


I sure wish we'd have spent all the money that has been spent on war in reducing poverty in America, finishing the afghan war completely and perhaps undermining Saddam Hussein's government from the inside or sending in SEAL teams to each of Saddam's palaces instead of unleashing what will become the Northern Ireland of the Middle East. The Sunnis and Shi'ites will be at it like this for the next 30 years and we'll have to pay for it out of our taxes instead of building better schools, better storm detection systems and running energetically cleaner lives!

Answer 2

We attacked a sovereign nation that didn't attack us. The rationales for doing this- WMD, "grave and gathering threat", alleged links between Iraq and 9/11- weren't exactly vindicated. We're now essentially refereeing a civil war, with absolutely no end in sight. While few people in this world miss Saddam Hussein- I certainly don't- the idea that you can simply remove someone from power without first giving serious consideration as to just what you're going to replace him with and how- is recklessly irresponsible. We've aggravated the violence and instability that was already there, created hostility that WASN'T there, and exacerbated the hostility that was. And to those who might be tempted to bring up Saddam's human rights record, if that's why we invaded Iraq, where was our concern for Rwanda and Darfur? I expect thumbs downs and/or personal attacks in response, but if anyone has a coherent and logical counterposition I'm all ears.

Answer 3

No, Because the war on terror is an open -ended war. It can never end. It doesn't have a USS Missouri to gather all the terrorists of the world on the deck of and sign documents that say " We shall terrorize no more ". Therefore since it is an open-ended war, all war powers granted to this and any other President must be open-ended.
We as a people really need to ask Congress to change the legal definition of the war on terror so that Presidents aren't granted war powers in perpetuity.

Answer 4

"I am sure once he sets the world straight he would turn America back into a democracy."

You're kidding, right? I don't think Bush, or anyone put into the position of being a dictator, would just hand back that much power. They won't even do it when they're in charge of a tiny, powerless, third world country let alone a massive nation such as the United States.

Answer 5

List of things that scare me:
1) Dick Cheney
2) Spiders
3) You!!

If we give up what makes this nation great, then what are we fighting for?

OK, now that I've calmed down and am seeing clearly, it appears that after you wrote "sleep better knowing Bush has all the power..." and "evil doers" - it is now clear that you are kidding. You had me worried there for a minute...

Answer 6

If we had enemy's before, we will have ten fold after this mess. War only begets more war. I don't think he should have the right to veto both congress and senate, who are both voting him out, and ignore AMERICA who roughly 70% of largely believes this is a war we are using and that we could much better use the resources in our own country fighting our own battles, not making new enemies across the seas.

Answer 7

Absolutely NO. This war is a huge mistake,to my way of thinking Rumsfeld and Cheney made up the whole thing:lets bomb Iraq,draw Al Qaida to fight us there and with all our military might ,it'll be over in a few months.We are so damm arrogant we think no one else is as smart as us.Well, we've gone into a hornets' nest and can't get out without the hornets coming after us.

Answer 8

Your question is nonsense of course, but you do raise the point of when and how to apply "civil liberty". I believe the president should have the authority to pursue suspected enemies within our borders without constraint as granted by the judicial warrant system.

Answer 9

This one is funny! Anyone who know anything about the Constitution knows this isn''t possible. As much as I don't trust Congress, they are the check and balance to the President and are needed (although I'd glad have us vote out just about everyone in both houses). The Founders gave us a great gift, we should use it wisely. To learn more about our Constitution go here:
http://www.nccs.net/

Answer 10

He already rules that way, we don't have to give him permission.
He would never turn America back into a democracy if it comes to dictorial power. He would name himself King George of the United State of Texas and rule from Crawford.