What if Bush was president during the cuban missile crisis

Ogi

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Jul 16, 2004
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I am going to start off this post by saying I'm a democrat and I don't plan on voting for Bush this fall. I didn't vote for him last election either, but that should have no bearing on this topic. I want to hear legitmate answers to what you think Bush would have done during the cuban missile crisis.

JFK I think was a great president. He handled the cuban missile crisis in the best possible matter, I honestly think there is no room to debate that. The political pressure he put hit the spot just right. He went out to gether solid inteligence on the reports of cuba having nuclear weapon capability, and proceeded with putting a naval blockade around cuba. I think bush would have jumped on the first opportunity to attack cuba in the name of "making the US safe from soviet nuclear missiles" and risked a nuclear war (heaven forbid he had to say nuclear in public). Given his track history I don't think he would have handled the situation well at all. What does everyone else think?

Please don't reply w/ "what a lib thing to say". This is a serious honest question, would you trust Bush if he was our president during the cuban missile crisis? If not, how could you vote for him to stay in office knowing that under extreme pressure he will not make the right decision.

Ogi
 

Todd33

Diamond Member
Oct 16, 2003
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I've often asked myself the same question. The planet would be in a nuclear winter right now. They have no skills at diplomacy and aggression is the first and only response with them.
 

desy

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Jan 13, 2000
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OMG what if Batman fought Superman but Hitler was the referee?

Nonsensical analaysis
 

Red Dawn

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Jun 4, 2001
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He would have sat in a classroom full of children pondering his options = He would have done what Cheney told him to do!
 

Ogi

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Jul 16, 2004
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Originally posted by: Red Dawn
He would have sat in a classroom full of children pondering his options = He would have done what Cheney told him to do!

all right, what would have cheney done?

Ogi
 

desy

Diamond Member
Jan 13, 2000
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He didn't look jewish?
West, Keaton or Kilmer?
Hey even the best of famlies have a falling out. .
 

ReiAyanami

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Sep 24, 2002
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something to the effect of clarence thomas not being appointed onto the supreme court thereby preventing bush from winning the 2000 election in the first place
 

ReiAyanami

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Sep 24, 2002
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bush would invade and saying "Cubania still has weapons of mass destruction related materials documentation." and then afterwards it will have turned out that the USSR had only sent them a crate full of bottle rockets
 

Tusce

Junior Member
Aug 15, 2004
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As much as I hate to do so, I'm going to support Bush on this issue.

Obviously, the theme here is to compare the theoretical Bush-Cuba situation with the real Bush-Iraq situation to estimate his actions. However, I really don't think a comparison can be made. In Cuba, we had solid photographic evidence of both Russian ships carrying the missiles to the island and of the missile sites on the island. In Iraq, I seem to remember fuzzy pictures of a truck that could have been carrying chemical weapons or...milk.

Bush stretched the evidence in Iraq. In Cuba, he wouldn't have been able to do that; the evidence is too strong on its own. I don't think his approach would have been quite as gracefull as Kennedy's, but I don't think he would have barged in with bullets flying.

Plus, the point is moot. If Bush had been running back then, he would have never beaten Kennedy in an election.

Oh, and Batman would win: http://www.applegeeks.com/comic_archive/viewcomic.php?issue=42

^_^
 

Beowulf

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Jan 27, 2001
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You never know maybe if JFK finished out the bay of pigs invasion instead of being a coward and send cuban exiles to die because he was afraid of being involved maybe this would all be a moot point.
 

Tusce

Junior Member
Aug 15, 2004
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You seem to have your facts a little confused, Beowulf. Kennedy didn't 'finish' the Bay of Pigs invasion because Castro took one look at the exile brigade, laughed, and wiped them off the beach with one deft sweep of his hand.

Analogically speaking, of course.

Oh, and then I seem to remember Kennedy going out to the public and making an honorable apology, admitting that the invasion was a mistake on his part.

So yeah, the point is a moot one.
 

Beowulf

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Jan 27, 2001
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You fail to remember Kennedy called off air support so he just let the cuban exiles land and die. Its funny I lost 20 family members to that how many did any of you guys.Kennedy failed completely what a joke.


On April 16, after the Cuban Air Squadron had successfully knocked out a large portion of Castro's air force, the remaining two planned air missions were called off. Adlai Stevenson, US Ambassador to the UN, in response to Cuban exposure of US involvement in the initial strike, demanded that Kennedy call off all strikes. Kennedy capitulated to Stevenson who was backed by Secretary of State Dean Rusk, McGeorge Bundy, Arthur M. Schlesenger Jr., and others. Kennedy made this decision to mollify one man, Stevenson, and for purely political reasons. This doomed the invasion after it had already been launched.


http://www.sierratimes.com/archive/morse/2001/apr/edcm041801.htm

I dunno if that site is biased to right wing or not so am looking for something from a liberal source to back up my claims incase anyone tried to call me a right wing bastard when am not.
 

Ogi

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Jul 16, 2004
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my comparison w/ Bush in Cuba is not to compare Bush in Iraq. I think JFK handling of the missile crisis was politics at it's best. I think he did a superb job (cannot speak for the bay of pigs so I won't go there). I would hope that any commander and chief would have the same ability to make the RIGHT decision when under the extreme pressure of possible nuclear war. Fact of the matter is I don't think Bush has that kind of decision making ability. If we can't trust him to make the right decision while under pressure, why are people voting for him?

Ogi
 

Ogi

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Jul 16, 2004
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Originally posted by: Beowulf
You fail to remember Kennedy called off air support so he just let the cuban exiles land and die. Its funny I lost 20 family members to that how many did any of you guys.Kennedy failed completely what a joke.


On April 16, after the Cuban Air Squadron had successfully knocked out a large portion of Castro's air force, the remaining two planned air missions were called off. Adlai Stevenson, US Ambassador to the UN, in response to Cuban exposure of US involvement in the initial strike, demanded that Kennedy call off all strikes. Kennedy capitulated to Stevenson who was backed by Secretary of State Dean Rusk, McGeorge Bundy, Arthur M. Schlesenger Jr., and others. Kennedy made this decision to mollify one man, Stevenson, and for purely political reasons. This doomed the invasion after it had already been launched.


http://www.sierratimes.com/archive/morse/2001/apr/edcm041801.htm

I dunno if that site is biased to right wing or not so am looking for something from a liberal source to back up my claims incase anyone tried to call me a right wing bastard when am not.

as i said earlier i don't know much about the bay of pigs, my understanding was that it was an invastion attempt w/ a large number of special ops troops, they ran aground in the bay and got killed before setting foot on land.

but to say he was a horrible president is just foolish, due to his handling of the cuban missile crisis, this country did not go to nuclear war with russia/cuba. this country was not put in range of stationary cuban nuclear missiles. this country was peaceful even under the that threat. i don't believe many presidents could have done that (thank god regan wasn't in office at the time).

Ogi
 

Tusce

Junior Member
Aug 15, 2004
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Kennedy did fail, but he also admitted his failure. That in itself gives him points in my book.

My apologies, Beowulf; I wasn't aware you had lost family. I wouldn't have made my comment had I known. Nor was I aware of the air support issue.

I back down. The bay of pigs argument is yours.
 

Todd33

Diamond Member
Oct 16, 2003
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So don't elect Kennedy. He at least was man of enough to apologize. Bush has gotten almost a 1000 people killed, no WMDs, no AQ connection, no apology.
 

Ogi

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Jul 16, 2004
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Originally posted by: Klixxer
If Bush was president the US would invade Haiti over it.

funny and possibly true....probably why tha'ts so funny :p

So don't elect Kennedy. He at least was man of enough to apologize. Bush has gotten almost a 1000 people killed, no WMDs, no AQ connection, no apology.

that does say a lot but i'm really not trying to compare the iraq conflict w/ the cuban conflict

Ogi
 

DoubleL

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Apr 3, 2001
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I would feel as good as you could have at that time if we had a Bush then and remember it wasn't JFK or the US that stoped us from going to war, JFK did close to what Bush would have done, Move em or lose em, You have 24 hours
 

Beowulf

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Jan 27, 2001
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Oh maybe I came across that I was trying to say Kennedy was a failure of president which I don't mean to say hey anyone who is president is obviously doing something right,right? Anyways I got a little out of hand its kinda personal due to my family history but JFK did good in the cuban misle crisis I just mean't to say he could have completely avioded it if the bay of pigs was carried out.