Posted on Nov 16, 2015
LTC Ed Ross
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"The only US president that has done more damage to US national security than President Obama was Jefferson Davis."
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Responses: 20
LTC Kevin B.
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Edited >1 y ago
I'd have to agree with MAJ Bryan Zeski and SFC Joseph Weber and say that George W. Bush has done the most damage. He started off great with going after Al Qaeda and the Taliban soon after the 9/11 attacks. However, his big mistake was when we diverted us into a completely unrelated war in Iraq, shifting our eyes off the real threat in Afghanistan, and therefore creating the power vacuum in the Middle East. Plus, how he handled the aftermath of that invasion directly led to the expansion of that terrorist threat across the region, and we're still dealing with that threat to this very day (and may be dealing with it for generations).
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COL Franchisee
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Ok, Bush followed US Policy toward Iraq which called for regime-change. The US Congress is the only branch that can authorize war. What facts am I incorrect about? I'm not saying that decapitating Saddam (literally) was the best choice simply stating that as members of the Armed Forces, we swore to follow the orders of the President.
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LTC Kevin B.
LTC Kevin B.
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COL (Join to see) - You must be confusing who is asserting what. I didn't say that you were incorrect; you said that I was incorrect. Nothing that I wrote was "factually incorrect".

Bush did follow US policy, but the President set that policy. So, he was just following his own lead. And, Congress did authorize war, but they did so through a joint resolution that was primarily supported by the now debunked assertion that Saddam Hussein was developing nuclear weapons (which subsequently morphed into a broader "WMD" argument when no evidence of nuclear weapons was found). Finally, nobody said that the military should have disobeyed the CinC. I simply wrote that, in my opinion, George W. Bush is the President who has done the most damage to US foreign policy.
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COL Franchisee
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Ok...
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SGT Arthur Tompkins
SGT Arthur Tompkins
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Careful how we judge. We are humans and are prone to make mistakes. To pass judgement is to collect all the facts first. Then evaluations of those facts must be done with caution. Because once you've past judgement, retraction isn't as easy. Respectfully
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MAJ Bryan Zeski
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How is GW Bush not the obvious answer here? He intentionally started a war which has very clearly led to the existence of the most hostile and overt enemies we face today.
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COL Franchisee
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Dude, the President doesn't have the power to declare war. If you want to lay blame, how about putting on the US Congress for following though on the national strategy of regime change in Iraq as espoused and signed into law by Bill Clinton.
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MAJ Bryan Zeski
MAJ Bryan Zeski
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Given the new contender in the race since this was originally posted, I'd probably change my answer.

However, the you are right, the President doesn't have the power to "declare" war. Congress does. In regards to Iraq, I blame Bush for driving us that conflict and Congress for failing to stop him.
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PO1 Brian Carlson
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I recall US Special Warfare members coming ashore as news reporters shined bright lights on them and filmed their entry into Somalia. This was during the Clinton administration. I have a problem with people blaming GW Bush for being a danger to National Security. The whole country was angry and and ready to go to war after 9/11. Congress voted for the war. The people and the government all were hyped up and public opinion was to retaliate. It was not until general public opinion got tired of the war that Congress done an about face and claimed that GW Bush tricked them into going to war. If GW Bush was powerful enough to fool Congress into starting a war, he was much more powerful and wise than people give him credit for.
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