Quote Originally Posted by graymatter
Thanks for keeping it cival... Lincoln was perhaps our greatest president and it's not primarily because he freed the slaves. He served to preserve the Union and he died for it. John Wilkes Booth didn't shoot him because he freed slaves.

The reason I despise the Bush administration is that they got EVERYTHING wrong... War, Gays, Taxes, Patriot Act, Homeland Security, Faith Based Initiatives. They took an opportunity to unite the world and squandered it on the notion that U.S. corporate interests could shape the world, while religious interests could shape the courts and the legislature... Well, 90% of the world thinks we're stupid and dangerous, and 65% of Americans are now wondering the same.

How free were the workers in the capitalism of the early to mid 1900's? Troops and Corporate hired militia to quell socialist dissent????
Lincoln was, indeed, one of our greatest (if not the greatest) and not just for preserving the Union, either. I think it was his commitment to the Consitution at the expense of public opinion and personal feelings that showed a great deal of integrity and class befitting the office of President. Freeing the slaves didn't hurt either. Only the whackjobs think it was the wrong thing to do now.

I don't agree and once again (like these retarded draft threads) Bush is being blamed for things while democrats get a free pass for the same things.
War? It was Clinton administration intelligence and policy that was used. Even the report on intelligence said teh problem was we relied too much on UN intelligence.
Gays? He campaigned and won supporting marriage as between a man and a woman, he's been rock steady on that one too.
Taxes? I support lower taxes. I think I can best decide how to spend my money, not the government.
PA? You mean the one voted yes too by all of those liberals too? The one that tore down teh Clinton era wall between inteligence agencies that might have prevented 9/11? Bush's fault?
DHS? Oh, the one that President Bush was initially opposed to but reconsidered after being attacked by democrats, Republicans and the public in general that DEMANDED a DHS? The one that liberal legislators voted for too? Also President Bush's fault?
Faith based initiatives? God forbid charities that believe in god be reimbursed for disaster relief, right? Yes, we wouldn't want the poor children to learn about morality or God but it's perfectly fine to indoctrinate them with liberal socialist propaganda about homosexuality, politics, evironmental activism, etc?
There were America haters long before Iraq so please try to find a reasonable excuse. I'll tell you why, because America proves how impotent europe (and liberalism in general) is and socialists hate that. Wannabe intellectuals try to blame the US so they don't have to look at themselves for what they see. Moral relativists make excuses for their own failures by trying to demonize others to pass the buck, so to speak. Lemmings just do what lemmings do, follow the other lemmings. Right is still right, no matter if a poll shifts or not. Hating President Bush doesn't make the right thing wrong....unless you're a liberal.

EDIT: oops...
How free were the workers? They were free to quit and find other work or start their own companies.