SHRUBBY vs. JFK

SHRUBBY vs. JFK

Or should that sub-head be Saddam compared to Fidel?

In my professional life (hmm: as opposed to my non-professional life? That sounds very weird, actually.) ñ make that my business lifeó I review numerous forums, message boards, and information sharing sites.

In some cases, ìthread driftî moves the discussion from matters of business to current events. Then it moves to politics, and of course it then boils down to name calling and arguments. One group of lists went to having a pure ìchatî forum as a place to house those sort of discussions. A wise move, really, and kudos to the List Dad who made the decision to create that side board.

A feller named Bob, known somewhat mysteriously as ìThe Buyerî (his message board e-mail moniker) sent in this Top 11 list as a reply to some crazed right wing war mongering pro-Bush type posters. They were hailing Shrubbyís words from the news conference this past Thursday night.

Top 11 differences between the Cuban Missile Crisis and our present situation:

11. Kennedy was a war hero trying to avoid another war.

10. Cuban Missile Crisis lasted only 13 days, ending on October 28. Present crisis will last at least until November 5.

9. Russians gave Cuba nuclear warheads and missiles. We (Reagan, Bush I, Cheney and Rumsfeld) gave Iraq Anthrax, Botulism, West Nile Virus, VX gas and helicopters to deliver them against Iran.

8. Embargo on Cuba still in place 40 years later. Cheney/Halliburton rebuilt Iraq's oil infrastructure immediately after the Gulf War, more than 20% of the gas in your SUV comes from Saddam.

7. U2 spy plane shot down over Cuba, Kennedy still pursues diplomatic solution (doesn't even take out the SAM sites). Dubya uses errant shots at coalition planes as pretext for war.

6. Kennedy: mindful of international law, refers to blockade as "quarantine." Bush: international whut?

5. Kennedy: considered repercussion of military action around the world and for future generations of humanity. Bush: "He tried to kill my dad."
4. 1962: 36 missile launchers and at least as many missiles with nuclear warheads only hours away from readiness just off the coast of Florida. Kennedy pursues diplomacy.2002: Hussein years away from delivery system or building his own bomb. Bush picks fight.

3. Kennedy secretly willing to remove US missiles in Turkey in exchange for removal of Soviet missiles from Cuba. Bush willing to let Russians move on Georgia in exchange for vote in UN Security Council.

2. Intelligence, military urge Kennedy to strike Cuba. Intelligence, military urge caution on Iraq.

1. GWB is no JFK.

So I wrote an off-list e-mail to Bob and asked him if heíd penned this nugget. If so, I ask, can I use it, and if yes, I will give him attribution if he would like.

Turns out, Bob tells me in a return e-mail, it comes from a gem of a site: Too Stupid To Be President [1].

So thanks to Bob (aka ìthe Buyerî) and think of him while you enjoy that link. There are some funny animations (as well as some in incre-dubya-ly poor taste!), and a variety of Top 11 lists like the one above.