DR1 quick poll

10-Hipolito Mejia - too much corruption
6-Hugo Chavez
1-President elect Lula hanging chads on ballots
7-Jean Bertrand Aristide
3-Saddam Hussein -GW needs a war to boost economy
5-President Toledo
2-Yasser Arafat -Ringo takes his place
4-Hosny Mubarak
9-President Dualde(right spelling?)Argentina
2-Fidel Castro -dies soon getting old

Only open minded guess'

If Haiti is burning

the next one to go is Aristide.

the others i don't know since i'm not the expert in politics you are.

but thanks for your help. X.

I'm not that knowledgeable regarding the issues involved with all of the leaders in question although my preferences for elimation for three that I am familiar with are:

First Sadam Husseim because he is determined to do harm to the free world. (Not because President Bush needs a war to boast the economy).

Then Arafat because he is full of s__t.

Thirdly Mejia because he appears to be doing more harm than good to the Dominican economy and people.

Chavez (Venezuela) and Lula (Brazil) are overwhelmingly popular with the masses. The coup on Chavez last April only lasted 48 hours because the common people took to the streets in protest.

Both presidents are populist, Leftist anti-American, anti-IMF,etc. If they are ousted, it will be at the hands of the USA.

Edited to add: what all these Latin American countries have in common (including Aristide), is that the governments in power steal the money they borrow from that Trojan Horse called the IMF/World Bank/et al. We are now seeing it unfold in the DR. Who is going to pay for these thefts? The poor. How much does it cost to feed your DR family today vs a year ago? How much more does a platano cost? What about bread?

I'm going to change my nickname to "DEATH TO THE IMF"

Sounds like a CNN based poll. Votes are cast by how much a person is watching CNN.

According to Missing who is not an American, Jew or a Muslim the following should happen.

1. Sharon and Arafat fed to the sharks in the first move.

2. Saddam should be left alone, remember he was a US ally before and will go back to being one if he is left alone. He will become an asset. He is the ONLY one who has kept hardline muslim extremists under control and successfully.

This means that the US will not need a base in Saudi Arabia and maybe many terrosists will lay down their arms, including Bin Ladin. Can't buy peace with war.

3. As far as DR is concerned, someone like Trujillo should be President for life in the Dom Rep.

Missing_DR, the man of Guru wisdom.
I agree 100%.

1. Jean Bertrand Aristide : Will take Golo's word for it. More fun in
Iraq and who cares about Haiti anyways.

2. Saddam Hussein : Should be on his way out, according to some people here and there. Whether what comes after will be
better or worse remains to be seen. I don't think Bush will do
it for economy and I don't buy the oil card. The Arabs need the
US a lot more than the US needs the Arab oil, at least until
China gets up there - which they should within the next 15
years. ( Learn mandarin. NOW! ) Hussein is a bad guy as bad
any though, plays hard ball as they say. Iran is a more likely
new ally to the US in the area methinks.

3. Yasser Arafat. Should have gone ages ago so you never know
with him. A respectable third spot for him. A Palestinian state will serve what purpose??????????????????????

4. Hipolito Mejia. Never heard much nice about him from people
that should know. Seems to lack the popular support some
other Latin American leaders enjoy. Local hero doing well for
himself and country on a decent 4th.

5. Hugo Chavez
6. President elect Lula
7. President Toledo
8. President Dualde

Hard to say with this bunch. Hope Argentina gets sorted
under Duhalde.. note the spelling .. as I'm quitting my MA in
London and will be looking for pastures new, maybe in BsAs.

9. Fidel Castro : Got a bad cough so should be gone within the
next five years. Too bad, I somehow got a soft spot for this
guy. ( Despite being a cold, cynical capitalist. )

10. Hosny Mubarak : Healthy-looking sucker, ain't he?

Strange thing, the social differences in some of these countries and in a lot of others are bigger than they were between social classes in France in 1789.. Still viewer-friendly
revolutions are few and far between. Too bad, but I hope it
will pick up at some stage.

I'm one of those that haven't got much of a problem with the
IMF or the World Bank..

Comment: Hussein as a US ally wouldn't make any terrorist lay
down his arms, least of all Bin Laden. Hussein's regime is one
of those Bin Laden would oppose. It's a "civil war" between
rulers like Hussein and radical islamists like Bin Laden is what
USA has become a part of. Anyways, those were the votes of
the Norwegian jury, I'll shut it for now.

...and why Hussein and Arafat ?

Oh, I see, they are not Jews!

I really hope they both survive Shrub's attacks.

You can always tell who watches TV by their echoing of soundbites.

100% correct Josesito...

If any of those two had been Jews it would have helped them
quite a bit, no doubt about it. But they aren't, hence their strong
showing in that poll.

Hussein should have been taken out 10 years ago, if that happens now then that's good, even though it'd be hard to prove
links between him and Al Qaeda. I don't believe there are any.

I don't like Sharon either but he didn't make it past nomination and the Israelis tend to vote for him so he'll probably be around
for a while. Israel got it good though, there's no way the Arabs
can ever beat them in an armed conflict, and the Arab leaders know that.

Arafat might go for the simple reason that Sharon and Bush don't
seem to care too much for him. Whether that is good or bad
is beyond the point. There's also a question whether a Palestinian
state under him and buddies would be able to provide security for
Israel and, more importantly, services for his citizens. Such a state would probably be an authoritarian state with lots of rewards for Arafat's friends. It would most certainly not be a democratic state and Israel would have the chance to gleefully tell the rest of us: "Told you so.." in 20 years time. I'd rather go for Hamas to be honest with you.

Wars are still, IMHO, the best way of solving problems today, if
that can't buy peace I don't know what can. Economic sanctions
are a bit of a joke.. Having said that, I refused army service on
pacifist grounds. Too bad, but it's an imperfect world.

Nothing wrong in watching TV...

Con sentimieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeento...

Arve,

You are correct. Nothing's wrong in watching TV. However, when I hear people repeating stuff like, "WMD", "Unlawful combatants", and echoing every other BS they hear on TV, whether is about Castro, Hussein or Arafat, I tend to cringe. I silently say to myself, 'naive to the core'. Especially when people repeat stuff regarding the vote count in Florida after the Supremos selected Shrub.

jose?to said:

Especially when people repeat stuff regarding the vote count in Florida after the Supremos selected Shrub.

Click to expand...

Why are Liberals such cry-babies? You Lost Fair and square! Now get over it and lick your wounds!

As for the list... The only one who I wouldn't mind staying is Mubarak. He is a fixture of stability in an unstable area.

Tony C.

joseito

jose?to said:

Arve,

You are correct. Nothing's wrong in watching TV. However, when I hear people repeating stuff like, "WMD", ...

Click to expand...

If you don't like calling them <b>weapons of mass destruction</b>, you can start calling them <b>weapons of "massive" destruction</b>, as our near illiterate PM Jean Chretien calls them...

Marc

"Fair and square" are terms used only in playground games, and not after your 8th birthday. So who is the crybaby?
In the end, losing to the Supremos may be the best thing for us liberals. That and the mid-term fiasco will galvanize us for '04.

jose?to said:

That and the mid-term fiasco will galvanize us for '04.

Click to expand...

In which century?

Ken said:

In which century?

Click to expand...

I think we will find out in this century when John Kerry receives the Democratic Nomination and yet another Liberal Senator from Masssachusetts defeats a war mongering Republican

jose?to said:

Arve,

You are correct. Nothing's wrong in watching TV. However, when I hear people repeating stuff like, "WMD", "Unlawful combatants", and echoing every other BS they hear on TV, whether is about Castro, Hussein or Arafat, I tend to cringe. I silently say to myself, 'naive to the core'. Especially when people repeat stuff regarding the vote count in Florida after the Supremos selected Shrub.

Click to expand...

Bush, another one that deserves a name on that list. He will
stay in power until 2008 though, unless the hole thing with Iraq
etc gets really messy. It just might. I don't like Bush myself but it
has to be said that he has been remarkably successfull. He's won
every single poll that has been, apart from the presidental election. The Arab League, trashing Iraq 15-0 in the Security
Council, American popularity polls, the mid-term elections etc etc.
But if I had been American I would have voted for Gore, I swear.

He might not be that intelligent but that's not a requirement to be
a successfull American president, or any other head of state. Carter is intelligent but wasn't successfull as a president, I liked Clinton as president as well, one of the better, but he didn't have
the opportunities to set his mark in politics as Bush has been given. I haven't, and won't buy his reasons for a regime-change
in Iraq, but as it happens Saddam Hussein is one of the most
dangerous heads of states we've seen recently. Mostly, I think,
down to the fact that he is one that is capable of taking very high
risks. People like Stalin were at least more cautious..

Thanks for calling me naive to the core, increases my liberal credentials.. Even my best friends call me a sad, cynical bastard. With some affection, but still....

What about Golo's top ten??

Avre,

I reserve "naive" for the right-wingers who believe EVERYTHING RUSH has to say.