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Posted by buzzorhowl on 2006-12-27 14:05:33 +0000

L: Holy shit. I dedicate my fall to the memory of Gerald Ford.

Posted by ConorClockwise on 2006-12-27 14:06:46 +0000

= Never elected

Posted by theduane on 2006-12-27 18:11:36 +0000

don't you mean they "raughed" at your dumb ass?

Posted by tgl on 2006-12-27 19:14:05 +0000

= last moderate Republican = greatest President since Roosevelt (Franklin D.) America needs a Gerald Ford more than ever.

Posted by buzzorhowl on 2006-12-27 19:41:27 +0000

Greatest prez since FDR = Truman.

Posted by tgl on 2006-12-28 10:05:50 +0000

Droppin' bombs != great != (not equal)

Posted by tgl on 2006-12-28 10:54:15 +0000

Starting a land war in Asia != great

Posted by buzzorhowl on 2006-12-28 14:58:16 +0000

Dropping the bombs prevented a full-scale invasion of Japan, which would have cost many more lives. Korea = UN-sanctioned. Reconstructing post-war Europe and getting the ball rolling re: civil rights were both awesome.

Posted by MF DU on 2006-12-28 15:05:34 +0000

fa ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra!

Posted by tgl on 2006-12-28 15:29:43 +0000

The number of potential lives saved by a full-scale invasion of Japan is not known. The 500,000 American lives "cost" of an invasion is entirely speculative, the General who first quoted that number says it was a wild-assed guess. The UN doesn't make mistakes? Truman's Plan or Marshall's Plan? --- Gerald Ford did bomb Cambodia.

Posted by buzzorhowl on 2006-12-28 15:47:05 +0000

Totally speculative, but it's always made sense to me -- Japan certainly wouldn't give up in the face of an invasion. They'd go for it and try and do as much damage to invaders as possible. The U.N. makes tons of mistakes. At that point in its development, though, approved peace-keeping actions were new and less fraught with scandal, etc. than they are now. Truman's Marshall Plan?

Posted by MF DU on 2006-12-28 16:07:12 +0000

"peace-keeping actions were new and less fraught with scandal" couldn't agree more. the more recent UN 'Oil for Food' debacle comes to mind.

Posted by tgl on 2006-12-28 16:25:18 +0000

My problem with certain UN-sanctioned actions are not that they are scandal prone*, but that a war on the Korean peninsula is a _bad_idea_ (then and now). Now, I admit ignorance as to how it started, maybe much like Somalia-Ethiopia right now.... * Hussein skimmed** $10 billion from the UN Oil-for-Food program. Anyone want to guess how much of the $18 billion Iraqi reconstruction budget has actually been spent on reconstructing Iraq? I believe it's $400 million. ** All human endeavors are fraught with scandal and waste, I only ask that we don't intentionally spend blood and treasure in order to enrich the few and protect none. Invading Iraq comes to mind.

Posted by buzzorhowl on 2006-12-28 16:36:41 +0000

Korea was the first post-war instance of "Domino Theory"-style interventions -- I think it was South Korea that was unprepared for any sort of war and mauled. Totally a bad idea, but again, nothing like that had happened yet post-WWII, and I can see where they were coming from.

Posted by MF DU on 2006-12-28 16:46:46 +0000

all I know is that I am hesitant to trust (ANY and that includes all of the current powers that be in this country and abroad)government entities that squander cash, particularly ones that squander it in the neighborhood of billions. More locally, I saw on the front page of the Glob today that gov elect Deval Patrick is restoring over $383 mil in past budget cuts - lets hope that this is being done because it is necessary and not because it pleases certain constituents.

Posted by tgl on 2006-12-28 17:02:49 +0000

How about corporations? Humans are not efficient. Governments, as they are (nominally) controlled by larger numbers of people then corporations and tend to be more transparent, do a better job of not wasting money than corporations. Have you, as a shareholder, ever tried to reign in wasteful spending at a corporation? Way easier to write a letter to your Congressional Rep. -- I grant you that Patrick is restoring the $383 million to please constituents if you grant me that Romney cut them in order to please Republican Primary and Caucus voters. Which is more cynical and underhanded?

Posted by tgl on 2006-12-28 17:26:28 +0000

The quick answer to how shareholders punish waste is via a correction, of course. Doesn't help the transparency, much.

Posted by MF DU on 2006-12-28 18:00:15 +0000

Posted by Honar the librarian on 2006-12-28 20:18:25 +0000

Check out The Bridges at Toko-Ri for absolutely no useful information on the Korean War, but an amazingly appropriate commentary on the war in Iraq. Well, I suppose the domino theory is mentioned. William Holden is rocking my world this holiday season.

Posted by mr. mister on 2006-12-29 01:40:42 +0000

drop it