I believe that if America does not lead, others will—others who do not share our interests and our values—and the world will grow darker, for our friends and for us. America’s security and the cause of freedom cannot afford four more years like the last four years. I am running for President because I believe the leader of the free world has a duty, to our citizens, and to our friends everywhere, to use America’s great influence—wisely, with solemnity and without false pride, but also firmly and actively—to shape events in ways that secure our interests, further our values, prevent conflict, and make the world better—not perfect, but better.
Our friends and allies across the globe do not want less American leadership. They want more—more of our moral support, more of our security cooperation, more of our trade, and more of our assistance in building free societies and thriving economies. So many people across the world still look to America as the best hope of humankind. So many people still have faith in America. We must show them that we still have faith in ourselves—that we have the will and the wisdom to revive our stagnant economy, to roll back our unsustainable debt, to reform our government, to reverse the catastrophic cuts now threatening our national defense, to renew the sources of our great power, and to lead the course of human events.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_0M0g2rSm4[/youtube]
@Randy, #99:
As I recall, Mr. Romney doesn’t have a very high opinion of the UK’s ability to handle security matters. Although he’s probably recently switched his position on that, as he has everything else. Just today, he changed his feelings about the 47 percent, decided that the wealthy are doing just fine and don’t need any special tax considerations, and announced that pro-life legislation isn’t part of his agenda.
@Aye:
Again, proving my point. You are terribly uncivil in most of your discourse here at FA.
You are a very unhappy, distraught person who takes out your frustrations with the world and life on your fellow board members on a daily basis. Almost every post you make is insulting.
Btw, I’m not saying that I haven’t engaged in the occasional nasty comment-far from it-but at least I try to keep it civil whereas you never fail to insult or ridicule those you disagree with.
Never forget that I was the one who apologized for my personal attacks (not fair to bring those up after I apologized for making those comments, Aye.).
I’ve never see you apologize for your uncivil conduct.
Take care and God bless, Aye.
@Aye:
Do you know what a metaphor is? Can you grasp the concept that I was using a metaphor to make my point?
Come on, Aye, you know I wasn’t being literal.
Oh brother.
PS Did I say something that was a bit close to home?
Ivan As far as I can tell you have no allies on this site (well maybe retire 05). At one time or another you’ve managed to insult just about everybody on here. And you really seemed to enjoy it.
You call that FILTH a metaphor.
A self-parody is exactly what you have become.
@Richard Wheeler:
I have quite a few allies, RW, thank you very much.
Let’s just agree to disagree, Rich.
Take care and God bless.
@Richard Wheeler:
Again, the only recourse Richard, Aye or Mata have is the personal insult.
Why is this conduct tolerated here? It seems the more one pleas for rational discourse the more it is ignored.
It’s an interesting thread, why debase it with your continued personal attacks?
Pffft… only after an intervention by Curt, forcing your hand. But then, that’s not the first time, is it, Ivan? Like when Curt let you know that he’s never received the amount of complaints that he has about you.
“Allies”… indeed. LOL
Then again, archives will tell the Ivan-as-the-victim story well, as recapped here…
AYE
that was not call for.
you surprise me on the disapprove side,
@Greg, I’m not sure why you think that the bulk of the State Dept’s appropriated funds revolves around embassy/diplomatic security.
Why don’t you have a gander at the State Dept’s 2011 financial reports for some education. Total 2011 costs, $23.26 billion. How much towards “Achieve Peace and Security”? $6.49 billion, or just 2.8% of their total budget. And that’s assuming all 2.8% of that is towards security only.
If you’re a business man, do you think there might be room for streamlining the other 97.2% of expenditures, and still provide adequate security? How about those categories of
$887 billion – Governing Justly and Democratically (????)
$6.340 billion – Investing in People (Who’s? Ours?)
$2.562 billion – Promoting International Understanding (ain’t that workin’ out well….)
That’s over 42% of the total expenditures already, and that doesn’t even address admin/staff/transportation costs….
Oh.. like the admin and Hillary weren’t cherry picking the intel for any other reasons save political expediency? Do give me a break, Greg.
Here’s the reality. If the admin dropped the ball on national security and US lives, do you want to know before, or after the election?
@MataHarley:
Curt said that about me, fine. I, though, was acting as everyone else acted. You, Mata, and your alter ego Aye, are the masters of insulting people. You know it is true.
Aye’s posts are insult after insult after insult. That is ipso facto “getting under people’s skin.”
But it’s all good as for some mysterious reason Aye can berate and insult people all day in each post.
Now, I’m sure that you and Aye complained about me to Curt.
I, on the other hand, don’t bother complaining to Curt. Curt sees that You and Aye are about hectoring and denigrating people. He reads your posts. Thus why do you guys get carte blanche to insult people or “Get under their skin.”
Let’s face it, some can dish it out, but they can’t take it.
Wrong’o, Chucko. And it’s interesting you toss out that accusation and condemnation without one bit of evidence.
Nice try, tho… You’ve just about passed the “victim” criteria required by lib/progs to be one of them.
Also notice just on this thread who the bomb-throwers are. I tried to make nice and I called to our better demons.
What was my reward for it? A lot of grief from Mata and Aye.
It’s funny, Retire and I are good now. Why? Because I asked him to be so. Who knows, maybe he’ll rip into me, but it won’t be me who does it.
Mata/Aye, I have a proposal for you. I’m going to be nice and civil to you and all the other posters until the election is over. Nothing nasty, nothing mean. I’ll stick to addressing flaws in logic or arguments.
You don’t have to join me, I know you won’t, but it will be a unilateral cease-fire.
What say ye?
I’ll one up you, Ivan. Stop referring to me in your comments when I’ve not spoken or addressed you, or calling me out, and I’ll continue to ignore your presence on the planet. Works for me.
@Ivan: Ivan, your comments are more than rude and ignorant. Most of us try to explore issues here. You do not.
@MataHarley:
Ain’t. Gonna. Happen. I frequently catch you making false assertions and I don’t like how you make comments or claims and you don’t back them out or give nebulous and/or misleading responses.
This board is about discourse, Mata, and if you can’t take the heat get out of the kitchen.
Ignore me at your peril, but I will call you out when your wrong.
I still want to know when we’re going to see all these attacks with the MANPADS, Mata.
See, if you want me to let that one go, just admit you hyped it and were wrong.
It’s about being honest, intellectually so.
@MataHarley:
So your retort to my offer to engage in civil discourse is to start off by name-calling.
There you go, people, she’s not about anything other than bomb-throwing and name-calling.
Still, I won’t stoop to your level, Mata.
Have a good night, a good week and God bless.
Let’s see if I got this straight. You accuse me… falsely and without evidence… of complaining to Curt about you, then have the chutzpah to suggest a faux truce, and *I’m* the bomb thrower?? Interesting universe you live in, Ivan.
Humm… did I address you, or engage you in any way when you decided to evoke my name with your despicable whiny ‘tude when you said:
And that’s just in the last 25 days alone. None of these comments were referring to comments I made in the thread, and most were done when I wasn’t even engaging in a thread’s subject matter at all. So what “discourse” was going on when you decided to make these comments?
You have some sort of a sick obsession, Ivan. Get over it.
You are one thin skinned pathetic sniveler, Ivan. Now pay attention closely… *that* is an insult… not “chuck’o”. Nor should chucko be equated with “FALM (lynch mob), whore, “beach” etc.
@MataHarley:
You complained about my publically, why not privately? A logical conclusion.
I PROUDLY stand by that comment. You, Mata, and Aye, defended Martin as I described him.
Are you now running away from that? Do you wish to apologize for another profound mistake of defending the scum?
Yet, Mata, you seem adamant about fighting with me.
What happened to your claim of ignoring me? Are you baiting me?
I tried to end the night on a good note-I wished you well and God’s speed.
Yet you seem intent on fighting with me. Why is that? Why all the negative energy?
Here, I’ll try it again: Good night, Mata. Have a good week and God bless.