My favorite video (weak stomachs stay away)

Saddam, I have yet to see W with a guady uniform with medals all over it.

Technically, neither were a member of the military. Saddam was just a revolutionary guerilla, W. was only a member of the Texas Air National Guard. Although ANG squadrons can be mobilized for overseas military duty (as one or two squadrons did for the Kosovo campaign), National Guard units do not fall under the policy of posse comitadus, which means they are the units primarily responsible for defending the US mainland. ANG units have been responsible for defending US airspace from another 9-11 style attack. In W''s case, his squadron was never mobilized for overseas combat duty during Vietnam. In fact, since most of the members of the squadron were the sons of prominent (aka rich) Texans, they would never ever see combat duty. Furthermore, he even went AWOL at one point from his squadron.

I wasn''t talking about Bush, just Saddam at this time Don''t get me wrong I have no respect for Bush''s ""military"" experience. I just think Saddam is pathetic...for example pretending to be religious and he requested the Qur''an written in blood for him when if he was even aware of what blood means in his religion he wouldn''t have asked that.

here is the text from Ford''s Order:

""No employee of the United States Government shall engage in, or conspire to engage in, political assassination.""

Rat, I assume you know the difference between targeting a head of state in a military action, especially a head of state who directs the military, and political assassination.

No one has violated this order.

What is interesting is that we are talking about an Executive Order from a former president, which a sitting president has full authority to countermand or ignore...

The text does not make that distinction. If we are to hold to the letter of the EO, there will be no political assassinations under any circumstances. Targeting military leadership is another matter. Thus, when Saddam puts on the military regalia, he becomes part of the military leadership.

And if a president were free to countermand an EO from another, why hasn''t W. rescinded Ford''s Order?

The text does not make that distinction

I think you just disagreed with me.

Targeting military leadership is another matter. Thus, when Saddam puts on the military regalia, he becomes part of the military leadership.

And now, I think you just agreed with me.

Huh? Be clear: Do you think that targeting the Head of State who directs the military, while invading the country in quesiton, is a ""political assassination?""

By military leadership, I mean generals. Joint Chiefs Chairman General Richard Myers would be an example of that. A Head of State is covered by the EO order. Saddam Hussein was not only the Head of State of Iraq, but also the CnC of the military. In another hypothetical, when the Administration deems it necessary to attack Syria, there should be no deliberate attempt to kill President Bashar Assad, unless he assumes complete control of the Syrian military.

Short and sweet of it: Generals okay, politicians not.

I don''t think this reflects the realities of today''s world. We aren''t going to be warring with representative, democratic governments anytime soon. If we go to war, it will be with dictatorships, and the end result will be to turn over democratic control of the targeted countries to their people.

In these cases, the dictator is absolutely a legitimate target. We want the leaders of the regime dead more than we want to kill enemy soldiers, most of whom are guilty of nothing more than loyalty to their country, no matter how wrong the policies of that country happen to be.

Targeting dictators, as we have done in Iraq, will save both American and enemy lives and lead to a better country after the offending regime is removed.

I don''t think this reflects the realities of today''s world. We aren''t going to be warring with representative, democratic governments anytime soon.

Historically, no liberal democracy has ever declared war on another liberal democracy.

Just an interesting tidbit.

"Rat Boy" wrote:

I just had an idea for a movie: Weekend at Uday''s!!!!!!!

Damn you Jay Leno! You stole my idea!