Do you people think Bush has the potential and the opportunity to become the greatest leader mankind has ever known? He certainly has the opportunity. If he is able to terminate terrorist groups like Bin Ladens, while at the same time helping impoverished countries like Afghanistan the sky would be the limit. Helping bring peace to Middle East, peace between India and Pakistan and most importantly dissolving the volatile situation between Palestine and Israel would certainly put him at the top on my list. If he is truly committed to fighting terrorism he would also have to take care of the IRA in Ireland and the atrocities committed by various tribes in Africa. If he can accomplish even a few of these things he could easily be considered the greatest leader not only of our generation, but in the history of mankind.
how bout he starts small, learning the names of the leaders of non-western countries would be a sensational improvement. Terminating (as you put it) Bin Laden and other terorists is a much easier task than acheiving peace in the middle east or b/w india and pakistan, as they cannot be acheived through the use of military power.
You dont have to be negative about this also. While people like Dr King, Gandhi and FDR were great leaders, Bush right now has the opportunity to accomplish something they never could. World peace, or atleast coming close to it as possible. If he is able to restore peace in the Middle East and make allies then that alone should put him at the top of anyones list. Notice I always said that he has the opportunity. I didnt say he was going to do it. But I would not bet my life against him either.
I think it's a bit premature to be comparing him to Alexander the Great, Augustus Caesar, and Genghis Khan...
What the hell are you talking about? All he's talked about is making sustained millitary attacks... so I guess you're implying he'll be the greatest leader ever and will make world peice....by killing all the bad guys? I th...er...uh....ok, NO!!!!!!!! NO!!!!!!!!! I DON'T THINK THAT AT ALL!!!!!!
fromobile-Unfortunately, the only way to bring forth peace is through fighting. As oxymoronic as it sounds.
Yes, so I guess MLK and GHANDI were full of it, eh. NO!!!!!!! NO!!!!!!!!! I DON'T THINK THAT AT ALL!!!!!!!
Did i miss something, when before the attacks on WTC etc and the chance for revenge did GWB have any interest in world affairs??????
He has a chance. I'm rooting for him, but I think alot of men are capable of handling the situation as Mr. Bush.
fromobile: Just can't put aside the idea that not all problems can be solved peacefully, can you? If someone breaks into your house and kills one of your children, and you've got a gun in your hand, do you say to him "I think we can work this out?" It's a dangerous world, and some people deserve to die. Some people need to die, before they take others with them. Smeg: Before this, everyone was pretty much saying that this idiot won't do well in any arena but foreign policy, if even there. He's been bungling alot of things up until now. But in this situation, he seems to be exactly the right man for the job... So far.
Thanks. Exactly what I said. He has a chance people!!!!!!!!!! I did not say he was going to do it. I just said HE HAS A CHANCE!!!!!!! Fro man you just need to take a chill pill. Calm down, take a deep breath. No one is denying Gandhi and MLK their greatness. Sheesh!
R03, how can you tell us to calm down when you present such over the top hyperbole as this statement? There are many, many men in history who have done far more for mankind than what Bush has the opportunity to do. Men like FDR, Lincoln, Gandhi, etc., did more to lead their countries than Bush could possibly accomplish, and they did it without a gang of advisors and speech writers like Bush has. Maybe you should calm down and gain a little perspective.
R03: Stand by your "proposal"-- that's all it is, is a proposal, right? Gandhi, FDR, MLK (!) et al never faced a world as dangerous and complex as GWB does. IF (and that's all you said was "if") he accomplishes even some of what you propose he would indeed have to rank right at or near the top of these famous leaders. It's good to know that people are being so fair to GWB that "conditionally" they are opposing him even when these accomplishments would be so significant WORLDWIDE. What's wrong with that picture?
The greatest leader of all time. ARE YOU KIDDING! Are you an extremist when it comes to the nature- nurture argument? Sorry, he just doesn't have the genetics for it. First post I read this morning. Nice to get the day off with a belly laugh. Hey, treeman. That was cruel bringing up Alexander the Great etc. More seriously. The US could be written about very favorably iin the history books if it could suceed in self analysis and altering its imperialist ways-- actually start promoting peace and democracy around the world. The list of dictators and military regimes we have called "democrats", if they were sufficiently anti-communist or sold us their resources at low enough prices , has hurt our credibility in the area. If we do so, Bush could bask in the glory, but I'm afraid it will all have to be carried out by his dad's intelligent advisors. (Unfortunatley they are some of the very crew that has learned nothing from recent history of US foreign policy adventures like the CIA's role in creating Bin Laden and the Taleban) Bush could go along for the ride and receive 20 minute summaries of their actions from time to time, though.. He also can do well on 5 minute TV spots if given a day or two to rehearse and a teleprompter.
<img src="http://members.aol.com/jesus316/images/lord.jpg"> I hear this guy was a pretty good leader...
Behad -- FDR and Lincoln didn't have great advisors?? Are you kidding or have you lost your history book??? We have romantic notions of these men calling all the shots without counsel, but please don't confuse that with truth. Yeah...Lincoln saved the Union all by his lonesome. Do I think Bush will be the greatest leader EVER?? It's very hard to judge history before it's even started. He's certainly having greatness thrust upon him (I liken him to Truman in that way, whom many Americans felt for the same way they feel for Bush today -- not sure he's up to the job). glynch -- give me a break on the imperialism crap. I don't think anyone slights the British Empire or the Roman Empire, the most imperialist nations in history that I can think of off the top of my head. To compare the US to them is to be about as short-sighted as you can possibly be. Protecting our interests abroad and actively seeking to colonize nations are two entirely different things. The fact is, this country introduced the world to personal liberty - a concept that was still being tinkered with in Britain. The technology we invented and/or perfected has revolutionized the world. We've come in to assist our allies and built the economies of our beaten enemies back to respectability. I ask you to look through history and find another nation that has done that. Perhaps if you weren't looking for a reason to poke our country in the eye at every turn, you might notice we've done a few things right along the way. How many other world superpowers from eras gone by have checked their powers against other nations as much as we have? I'm so tired of the anti-American venom that's been thrown out on these boards over the last week (a week where the nation has actually been uniting, otherwise) I could throw up. If we truly were imperialist or even half of the demon we've been made to be, we'd be avenging the deaths of our fellow countrymen with the swift sounds of nuclear devastation for the middle east right about now. Try to have some respect for the United States of America....the nation that allows you to post venom here against it while still sending it's young men and women out to die to protect your ability to do it.
Well, I sure wish he would quit making all these "gungho" statements, demanding that Bin Laden be brought in "dead or alive", fanning the flames. I respect him for taking this as personally as possible, but let's all calm down a bit and let the process work its way out.
