Times Most Influential People

[richlevy]

It looks like Bush and Kerry both made the list for Time's 100 most influential people.

The full article does not make right or wrong judgements, and also lists Bin Laden. Below are selected pieces.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - TIME Magazine on Sunday published its list of the 100 "World's Most Influential People," including President Bush (news - web sites), who it called "a radical gambler."

Saying the Republican president will be judged by the Iraq (news - web sites) war, columnist Andrew Sullivan wrote: "We do know that this unassuming man became a radical gambler with his fate and with humanity's."

Democratic challenger John Kerry (news - web sites), who also made the list, was called "a solemn unifier for the Democrats" by Joe Klein, who wrote a best-seller about the Clintons.

Both ex-President Bill Clinton (news - web sites) and Sen. Hillary Clinton (news - web sites) made the grade as "the brightest stars in the Democratic gallery."

Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden and his ally, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, were also listed.

Richard Clarke, the former head of U.S. counterterrorism, said of bin Laden: "In death he will become a martyr and further inspiration to radical Islamists -- until someone offers an effective ideological or religious counterweight."

TIME listed Clarke's ex-boss, Condoleezza Rice (news - web sites), saying: "She can have her pick of Cabinet posts in a second Bush term" -- especially if the secretary of state or defense were to leave.

Neither of those top officials were listed.

So Rumsfeld and Powell were both left out in the cold. Unfortunately, Rice probably did not argue for the invasion of Iraq, which would mean she was not that influential.

It is true that history will record the war on terror and the war in Iraq, probably correctly as separate events, and that these peoples names will be mentioned. As the invasion by a superpower of an independent nation, it will be an anomaly in the 21st century, something we thought we had outgrown.

Because of 9/11, the world stood by and watched as the US did something no other country on the UN security council could get away with in recent history - invade another country halfway across the world.

The US involvement in Iraq is different from Russia/Chenya and China/Tibet for one reason, distance. Iraq was never part of the US and never shared a border. Noone could possibly imagine that Iraq would ever be able to invade the US.

The Iraq war is a throwback to the French in Algeria, a time when a nation could attempt to conquer another with impunity.

I cannot wait until 10 years from now when all of the books and memoirs have been published and we find out even more answers than have leaked so far.

We are making history, God help us.