Re: Idea of the muscle car is dead (Or, why Ford can't sell cars now)

Joe wrote:
Michael Johnson <cds@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in
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Joe wrote:
Michael Johnson <cds@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in
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Joe wrote:
Michael Johnson <cds@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in
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<major snippage>

It is going to take some MAJOR breakdown in our way of life before
the population gets off its collective ass and makes real change
happen. By then the Democrats and, to a lesser extent, the
Republicans may have us screwed so bad there are no alternatives
left. Either way we are getting EXACTLY what we deserve for being
so apathetic for decades. I wouldn't blame the younger people if
they just told all the Baby Boomers that when they retire they
will be euthanized since they squandered all the money that was to
go toward their retirement costs.
Saw an interview with Andrew J. Bacevich last night on Bill Moyers'
Journal on PBS. Absolutely riveting, and that's not an
exaggeration.

Bacevich is highly accredited and tells the real story - he is
right on the money IMO.

Here's a preview of what he's all about:
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/08152008/profile.html
It sounds interesting. I agree that our biggest threats come from within our own borders and I'll go even further and say they come
from the very politicians we elect to solve our problems. It
wouldn't take them more than a year to pass all the legislation
needed to right the ship. It will take years to actually make it
happen but to set the framework for it would be easy. I think there
needs to be a fundamental change in our political structure and it
needs to start with term limits. I think career politicians are
killing this country.
Bacevich knows what he's talking about. Here's a brief bio on him:
http://www.bu.edu/ir/faculty/bacevich.html

Here's an interesting article he wrote last month for the Boston
Globe:

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2008
/07/01/what_bush_hath_wrought/
I don't agree with all his assessments in this article. I'm not a
water carrier for Bush these days but some of the things he bashes
Bush on in that article are yet to be determined. As time passes the
real benefit or folly of the Iraq war will be known. A talking head
just can't say whether it was, or wasn't, worth the expense at this
point in time. I don't know much about this guy but reading that
article didn't do must to impress me with his insight on foreign
affairs. He seems a little too biased. He made too many statements
of fact when all the facts aren't known at this juncture.

Iraq could very well turn out like Vietnam. When one looks at Vietnam
in and of itself it wasn't a war worth fighting. When put into
context with the overall goal of stopping the expansion of communism,
opinions as to its worth change. Had the USSR been allowed to expand
their influence unchecked we might have a very different world. The
same can be applied to the radical Islamics today. If they are
allowed to run unchecked we might be facing a dire situation 25, 50 or
100 years from now. No one, and I repeat NO ONE, knows whether the
decision to invade and transform Iraq to a more Western political
ideology was a worthwhile endeavor. It is way too early to tell. When I read this guy stating unequivocally that the Iraq war was a
mistake it makes me think he has too high an opinion of his mental
prowess.

To date, nobody else has professed more sobering ideas than Bacevich
IMO. Unfortunately, it will take a radical mindset change in America
before we see real change such as he describes.
The guy has some good ideas from a domestic standpoint but like most talking heads, he is far from having all the answers to our problems. Thanks for the heads-up on him though. It never hurts to get all
sides of the argument.

After watching the piece 60 minutes did tonight on Valerie Plame, I'm more convinced than ever that the Bush administration should and will be thought of as one of the more corrupt and irresponsible administrations in history. If nothing else, it proves that politics in the 21st century is most definitely out of control, and the current administration is right at the forefront.

IMO, the Plame case was them looking for their 15 minutes of fame. They tried to do everything possible to stay in the spotlight. There was probably a money angle in it for them. The Plame investigation was the Democrats version of the Kenneth Star investigation except it never got as much traction. The only thing that came from it was Scooter Libby's perjury conviction that had nothing to do with the original investigation. Plus, I don't look to CBS, ABC, NBC etc. to provide unbiased news or reporting.

I have no doubt that Bush sold the war to the public, Congress and the world, in general. Then again all wars have to be sold in this country. IMO, what we have today is a bunch of Monday morning quarterbacks whining about being duped and/or using this issue to score political hits. The reality is the overwhelming majority of people whining now bought into it and went right along with Bush. Then when things got dicey they bailed and started revising history to make themselves look like prophets. Now that Iraq is stabilizing they are running back the other way. We won't know if the Iraq war was worthwhile for another two decades, if not longer.

Bacevich certainly has an ax to grind; his son was killed in Iraq.

This explains his tone. It also requires a footnote be placed on his statements. Things like this cloud people's judgment and can skew their thought process.

However, all his ideas are based on factual history. He's certainly one of the most respected and knowledgable people that have spoken on these issues, and what he says makes the most sense to me out of anybody I've heard to date.

From what little I have read I respect his domestic ideas more than his geopolitical ones.
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Idea of the muscle car is dead (Or, why Ford cant sell cars now)
    ... from the very politicians we elect to solve our problems. ... Bush on in that article are yet to be determined. ... the real benefit or folly of the Iraq war will be known. ... Vietnam in and of itself it wasn't a war worth fighting. ...
    (rec.autos.makers.ford.mustang)
  • Re: Idea of the muscle car is dead (Or, why Ford cant sell cars now)
    ... population gets off its collective ass and makes real change happen. ... I agree that our biggest threats come from within our own borders and I'll go even further and say they come from the very politicians we elect to solve our problems. ... A talking head just can't say whether it was, or wasn't, worth the expense at this point in time. ... When I read this guy stating unequivocally that the Iraq war was a mistake it makes me think he has too high an opinion of his mental prowess. ...
    (rec.autos.makers.ford.mustang)
  • Re: Idea of the muscle car is dead (Or, why Ford cant sell cars now)
    ... Saw an interview with Andrew J. Bacevich last night on Bill Moyers' ... from the very politicians we elect to solve our problems. ... Iraq could very well turn out like Vietnam. ... before we see real change such as he describes. ...
    (rec.autos.makers.ford.mustang)
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  • Re: Idea of the muscle car is dead (Or, why Ford cant sell cars now)
    ... population gets off its collective ass and makes real change happen. ... Bacevich is highly accredited and tells the real story - he is right on the money IMO. ... I agree that our biggest threats come from within our own borders and I'll go even further and say they come from the very politicians we elect to solve our problems. ...
    (rec.autos.makers.ford.mustang)
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