Who has damaged America more, George W. Bush or Al-Qaeda?

Question

Bush is always saying "they hate us for our freedom" and he keeps working on taking our freedom away. It seems to me he's been more effective at advancing Al-Qeada's goals than Al-Qeada has been.

Jesus, I drew lunatics from all sides.

1. I consider myself a conservative and certainly not a hippie.
2. For every one we blow up we're creating ten more and providing them with a live fire training ground.
3. Yes Osama Bin Laden exists.
4. For the love of all that is holy Bin Laden is not CIA or Mossad. I think you loosen up that tinfoil wrap, it's cutting blood supply from your brain.

Twiki, that's a really good answer although I think it's clear I disagree with your conclusion. I'll briefly explain my thinking here.

I was looking at this from a longterm view. We can and will destroy Al Qeada and other groups like it eventually.

However, history demonstrates once you give up freedoms you are very unlikely to get them back. The Bush administration has undermined the constitution in both letter and spirit. By doing so I believe he has endangered the future viability of the US as a free country far more than Al Qeada could have ever dreamed.

Answer 1

Clinton. He sold out to China and has put the U.S. at risk for a nuclear attack from China.

http://graphics.jsonline.com/graphics/bym/img/mar06/CHINA24g.gif

The Idiot's Guide to Chinagate http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/5/26/214938.shtml

Can Any Liberals Explain Why Clinton Sold Out To China?
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AufYSdmmzu8b6dWhL6pLabcjzKIX?qid=20070223211146AAK87ii

Missile Technology Sent To China
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/836496/posts

Clinton and Chinese Missiles
"Chinese Army Gets U.S. Missile Technology for Money"
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/1/14/143258.shtml

CLINTON PERMANENTLY DAMAGED ECONOMY
It is 100% fact that Clinton got China into the WTO and it was at the end of his term. The world was reluctant to do so because it still remembered China killing thousands in Tiananmen Square.

Because of Clinton, China's GDP is growing 250% faster than the U.S.'s. Goldman Sachs predicts China will replace the U.S. as the number one economic giant . (http://www.the-global-institute.org/act/2006conference/Linn%20-%20Economic%20growth.ppt

Clinton's biggest mistake was to permanently screw America by forcing the world to accept China into the WTO. That caused a record growing trade deficit, and it has caused a lot of bankruptcies, car repossessions, and home foreclosures across America.

Because China is in the WTO, now Russia and other countries want to join.

Both China and illegal aliens slow tax revenue growth which increases the national debt. They are causing the lowering of family incomes for middle class Americans.

Clinton has seriously damaged the U.S. economy. Because of Clinton the trade deficit with China will top $1 trillion a year within 10 years. Clinton pushed the U.S. to agree to having China join the World Trade Organization. China is causing the loss of high paying U.S. jobs. And illegal aliens are undermining increases in family incomes. Clinton has caused China's economy to explode with growth and our trade deficit to explode. The HIGH OIL PRICES are due to China's growing demand for oil which did not exist ten years ago.

About Mexico: A non-biased report said illegal aliens take 1/3 of all new jobs created in America. That dilutes wages and puts Americans out of work. The real unemployment rate(u6) for the U.S. is running at over 7%.
References:
1) "China's booming economy is sucking in a huge amount of oil " "Why are oil prices so high?"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3708951.stm
2) DEMOCRAT WEBSITE:
Clinton's Risky China Gamble by Robert Kuttner
http://www.commondreams.org/views/031200-101.htm
3) Clinton Launches All-out Effort For China's Entry Into WTO
http://english.people.com.cn/english/200001/11/eng20000111W137.html
4) CNN.com - ASIANOW - Clinton to send China trade bill to Congress
http://archives.cnn.com/2000/ASIANOW/east/03/08/china.wto/index.html
5) Clinton Urges Congress to Approve WTO Deal with China
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/english/200001/11/eng20000111X110.html
6) USATODAY.com - Average family income drops 2.3%
The average income of American families, after adjusting for inflation, declined 2.3% in 2004 compared with 2001 while their net worth rose but at a slower ...
http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/income/2006-02-23-fed-incomes_x.htm
7) Tibet supporters outraged by Clinton's WTO deal with China (MF)
http://www.tibet.ca/wtnarchive/1999/11/16_5.html
8) ILLEGAL ALIENS TAKE 1/3 OF NEW JOBS
by: www_minutemanproject_com
Latinos entering the country between 2000 and 2004 were hired to fill more than one-third of all new jobs in the United States last year according to the Pew Hispanic Center.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/11550761.htm
9) 97% OF ILLEGALS TAKING JOBS AWAY
and only 3% work in farming.
"While 3 percent of unauthorized workers are employed in agriculture, 33 percent have jobs in service industries and substantial shares can be found in construction and extractive occupations (16%) and in production, installation and repair (17%)."Pew Hispanic Center Offers Fuller Portrait of Unauthorized Migrants http://pewhispanic.org/newsroom/releases/release.php?ReleaseID=33
10) "He's one of the Clinton Administration's leaders for making an all-out effort to convince Congress to vote "Yes" on granting China permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) status when the issue comes to a vote -- probably by late spring or early summer" http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/mar2000/nf00324g.htm

Answer 2

This is a tough question to answer.

On the one hand you bin Laden and al-Qaeda. They are responsible, not only for many American deaths, but also for fueling the hatred felt by thousands of Muslims around the world. The thing is, he has been doing this for much longer than Bush has been in office. His power of persuasion has had a drastic effect on the United States.

On the other hand you have Bush. In the last 5 1/2 years, he has helped fuel the hatred that bin Laden uses to rally the disenfranchised Muslims across the world.

It is arguable, and most likely true, that if bin Laden were not there, someone else would be doing the same as he. Of course if he did not exist, maybe 9/11 never would have happened. If 9/11 had never had happened, Bush would not have had it to use as a spring board to launch his global war on terror. Without the global war on terror, disenfranchised Muslims would hate us for the same reasons they always have, and not for being on Muslim soil killing Muslims.

This is all a bunch of what ifs, however, and therefore not relevant. As it is, I would say that bin Laden has done more to personally harm The United States.

EDIT: While it is true that the Patriot Act has lessened the freedoms of some people within this country, and could quite possibly be used as precedent in the future, it remains a fact that it has a time table attached to it. It will eventually not be resigned, and I believe this to be true in the very near future.

I guess we should also consider the many signing statements made by Bush during his short stay. The one about opening mail sticks out the most in my mind, but it was already a law. Anyway, signing statements are not laws, and have only a minimum effect of anything. They only show the President's feelings towards whatever he is signing. To me, they are nothing more than historical markers to be used by future political science classes.

Also, we should think about his willingness to turn an eye from free trade groups that are slowly taking away our individual freedoms. NAFTA, WTO, etc. are not beacons of light for the huddled masses who live on our shores. But, these are things that have been progressively getting worse, since before Bush.

It all comes down to the fact that, although not common, we can change our government. I know that might sound a little naive in this world on constant conspiracy theories, but I still believe there are enough Americans who understand what the spirit of this country truly is, and they, or I, will not let it go without a stand for what is right.

That said, I still think bin Laden has done more to damage this country. And if it wasn't him, it would have been another radical Islamic fascist who pushed this country one time too many. They have been doing this since the Barbary Pirates of the 1700's. Someone would have eventually taken the war to them like Jefferson and Madison did then. Because of bin Laden, Bush happened to be the one who did.

Answer 3

If people would have voted in 2002 and 2004 then you probably would not have this mess that you have now.

The truth of the matter is that the majority of the American people do not vote. Even when its a presidential election.

The 35% of the voters who put President Bush in office..Not once..but twice are telling us the majority wanted this man in office.

I did not vote for President Bush either time and I do not agree with his policies I believe with all my heart that the 65% who did not bother to vote are the largest group of dissidents. How sad.

Bush will be President until Jan. 2009..
America you have to live with your President as he was legally elected to this office.

History will judge George W. Bush...most people like to complain but that is as far as it goes..all talk and no action

Answer 4

Well, Dumbya certainly damaged the States financially so much that Bin Laden should build him a monument and pray at its feet. His completely meaningless attack on Iraq has killed more Americans than all terrorist attacks combined. His imbecile refusal to act upon the warnings about the environment will cause enormous damage to the States and the world for decades. Guess we have a winner! With Dumbya around, no wonder Al Qaeda is inactive - why should they bother when he does such a great job for them?

Answer 5

Al Quaida are the fall guys in this. Yes, they are terrorists and should be hunted down to the last maniac, but they have ended up being a convenient excuse and perpetual "Boogey Man" for this administration's efforts to undermine the very freedoms that they claim to be protecting.

Overall, they care nothing for our blessed Constitution. They trash it in order to gather power to themselves. The actions of this administration are nothing more or less than a blatant power grab designed to enrich the well-connected.

Those who step out of line are fired (US Attorneys). Those who expose their lies are ruined (PlameGate). Loyal subjects are rewarded with political appointments (Too many to list, but Harriet Miers and "Heckuva Job Brownie" come to mind).

By the time we have our own regime change here in the USA, parts of the Constitution will be little more than hollow shells of what they had once been and were intended to be for all time.

To answer your primary question, more damage has been done to America by G.W.Bush and Cheney and the rest of those con men than Al Quaida could ever have dreamed of inflicting upon the USA.

Answer 6

The answer is none of the above.

WE have damaged our country. The majority of people in this country are totally content with blaming the politicians....because it would be far to great of a burden for us to carry. This country was created to let the people control the government, to let the people BE the government.


We gave that up...we felt content leaving the governing to the elite and wealthy and just watching from the sidelines. Casting our vote for one of TWO sides...that makes it much easier for the average joe...so he can really only base his vote on one or two issues. Too much too think about otherwise.

You and I are responsible for what our government does...until this country gets that through their amazingly thick skulls...we are screwed into letting our government run wild.

Answer 7

No and I'll tell you why...the voting populous in this country are idiots. They will vote the same corrupt idiots into office every single election. You know what the turn around rate in the senate is??? about 80% of the senators get to keep their jobs every election, in the House it is more like 94%. They run this country into the ground and trample my civil liberties and still they are elected to run this nation. No people will still vote for the idiots and people will vote against their best interests. The American people are idiots.

Answer 8

W is guilty of crimes against humanity just as much as Al-Qaeda. You are absolutely correct. Does Osama Bin-Laden really exist? Or is he a CIA operative? Was 9/11 really just a government fascist ploy? Ten years ago I wouldn't even contemplate such "crazy-far-out" thoughts. But in today's world, who can you trust?

Answer 9

George W. Bush hands down, with AL-Qaeda coming in a close second

Answer 10

Hurricane Katherina.

Answer 11

What we experience is the butterfly effect of controlling...