Bush Has Time For Bike Ride, But Not Iraq Mom
Bush Has Time For Bike Ride, But Not Iraq Mom
President Bush still hasn’t agreed to meet with Cindy Sheehan, the grieving mother whose 24-year-old son was killed in Iraq. But he did find time yesterday for a “bike ride on the ranch with journalists and aides,” according to wire reports.
Before peddling off, Bush again defended his decision not to meet with Sheehan:
Bush said he is aware of the anti-war sentiments of Cindy Sheehan and others who have joined her protest near the Bush ranch.
“But whether it be here or in Washington or anywhere else, there’s somebody who has got something to say to the president, that’s part of the job,” Bush said on the ranch. ‘‘And I think it’s important for me to be thoughtful and sensitive to those who have got something to say.”
‘‘But,” he added, ‘‘I think it’s also important for me to go on with my life, to keep a balanced life.”
If a balanced life is what he’s after, Bush is doing a very poor job. According to a list released by White House aides last week, Bush has attended 24 gatherings with grieving military families during his presidency.
Meanwhile, with three and a half years left in his second term, Bush has already spent more than 319 days on vacation — almost 20 percent of his time in office. (Ronald Reagan, who holds the record for most presidential vacation days, spent 335 days away from work over 8 years.)
(HT: Atrios)
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I get to do the winger post today!!
Why do you hate Amirka so much?
August 14th, 2005 at 7:50 pmYou liberals make me sick!
I know Casey would not approve
of his mother, he would support
fearless leader!
You give aid and comfort to the enemy!
You are all traitors!
Etc.
Too bad RWW gets the first post -- it appears that he thinks it is an honor of some kind -- it reflects his irrelevant thought processes. He seems to believe he knows what Casey Sheehan would approve -- does he also think Casey approved of leaving his children without a father, or his wife a widow? What a jerk!
August 14th, 2005 at 8:10 pmIt's also too bad that GW displays once again his arrogant disregard for simple human compassion. The man is the president for chrissake and he believes he doesn't have to answer anyone. Gee, if he met with Sheehan, he might have to meet with a few others and explain himself again and again to the bereaved, and that would be so tiresome -- he'd miss some important vacation time.
The man makes me sick.
Right wing wacko is truly an appropriate name!!!
Enough said!!!
August 14th, 2005 at 8:16 pmUmmmm, guys.
I believe the first post is a joke.
August 14th, 2005 at 8:18 pmPresident Bush has not met with every KIA family, but he already has met with Mrs. Sheehan. He has honored her son's sacrifice, expressed sympathy for her grief, and affirmed her right to speak out in dissent against the war. He also has reminded us all that there are many mothers in Afghanistan and Iraq who enjoy freedom today because Amercian sons and daughters have sacrificed their lives for that "noble cause."
Given the President's determination to stay the course in Iraq, the only point of a second meeting would be a photo-op of some kind. I'm not interested in a photo-op of any kind. I'm interested in achieving victory over the terrorist killers in Iraq. It's Cindy Sheehan right to oppose that effort, but I'm not much interested in her roadside shenanigans down in Texas.
August 14th, 2005 at 8:22 pmMore than a photo-op, it would provide a chance for Bush to answer questions that he avoids and for the nation and world to see a citizen call him on his bullsh*t.
Afghan and Iraqi mothers would like Bush to answer many questions, including Mrs. Sheehan's, as well.
August 14th, 2005 at 8:33 pmEarlier news reports have it that Bush has met with over 900 family members of deceased service members. Somehow that gives a very different impression than "24 gatherings." In fact, 900 divided by 24 gives an average of about 38 people per gathering--short but deeply personal meetings, I'm sure.
August 14th, 2005 at 8:39 pmBS Red,
I know a good place where you can get your contacty lens, the one you wear in your navel, cleaned if you ever take your hear out long enough to get it done. Stay the course to DUHbya means one thing: "Hurry up Daddy, steal more oil, it is getting hot here."
Ps, The initials are appropriate.
August 14th, 2005 at 8:41 pm"It’s Cindy Sheehan right to oppose that effort, but I’m not much interested in her roadside shenanigans down in Texas."
Well, we are. So, you are in the wrong place. Goodbye.
August 14th, 2005 at 8:43 pmI figured "fearless leader" would tip
August 14th, 2005 at 8:46 pmy'all off that it was a parody.
I guess that just goes to show how
hard it is to be as over-the-top
as the real wingers.
As for #5, Bush has proven to
be pretty heartless. I guess
since Rove has no heart (or ethics,
or conscience), he would never let
"hearless leader" talk to her.
That would have been the smart way
to diffuse the situation, but it
might actually make him feel
bad, and we can't have that can
we?
I suppose conSCIENCE is another
science BUSHCO does not believe in.
The President's incomprehensible words regarding Cindy Sheeha illustrate only one of the four types of Bush gaffes.
"I think it's also important for me to go on with my life, to keep a balanced life."
To learn about all four kinds of Bush malapropisms, see:
"Bush on Sheehan and Other W Words of Wisdom"
August 14th, 2005 at 8:55 pmPresident Bush hasn't avoided answering any questions about the war. It's just that the anti-war left doesn't like his answers . That's why the "Bush lied, people died" crowd is willng to glom onto a mother's misdirected grief to repeat accusations that already have been made ad nauseum.
The trouble is, there was an election last year. It was decided on this very issue, and the President won. Sixty-one million voters decided that the President didn't lie, and that the Iraq war is a noble cause. In America, that means he gets to stick around as Commander in Chief for four more years.
George Bush is a compassionate man. He already has shown his compassion for Mrs. Sheehan, despite her opposition to the war. As a father, I sympathize with her pain, and I wish there was some way the President could slip out some evening to meet with Mrs. Sheehan privately, to give her another hug and a few more words of condolence. But now that meeting can't ever take place, because Mrs. Sheehan has made it clear she will no longer be satisfied with mere hugs and condolences, and the anti-war left has made it clear that such a meeting will never be kept private.
It is Mrs. Sheehan and her anti-war supporters who have turned her understandable grief into a pointless media circus. Once the circus leaves town, all that will be left, sadly, will be a grieving mother whose 15 minuts of fame will have ended. Those on the left who are using her grief as a vehicle to attack the President should all be ashamed of themselves.
August 14th, 2005 at 9:00 pmShots fired at Cindy Sheehan's protest
August 14th, 2005 at 9:08 pmVideo: http://www.bareknucklepolitics.com
Poor George! His war has turned to crap, the American people are turning against him and now there's a grieving mother camped outside Chickenhawk Ranch. It's the summer of discontent for George but he's on vacation so he can't be bothered. He has PDB's to ignore (Bin Laden Determined to Strike in US) and money to raise from the have-more's. A mother who lost her son in a war whose reasons for being have changed with each exposed lie, wants answers. America wants answers. But Bush and his loyal base couldn't give a shit as long as he remains in power at all cost. His base is in for a big surprise when the "freedom" in Iraq turns out to be a Shiite Theocracy aligned with Iran.
August 14th, 2005 at 9:11 pm#12, I have never really seen any of
August 14th, 2005 at 9:15 pmthis Bush compassion of which you speak -
never.
He seems isolated and uncaring.
I mean, he takes a 5 week vacation
while we are losing soliers in
Irag and Afganistan? What kind
of compassion is that?
He seems exactly what you would
expect from an over-privileged,
underachiever.
Once again BSR, you miss the point. The left doesn't like his answers because they are false and/or misleading answers. And as far as the '04 election, remember that majority choice isn't equivalent to being right. One can hope so, but as we have seen, majority can be flat out wrong. Case in point.
August 14th, 2005 at 9:19 pmFor those that doubt Cindy Sheehan's motives or question her goals, you have missed the point entirely. She has nothing at all to lose (as she's already lost her child) and she decided to channel her anger through her courage and make a stand. It just so happens that her stand embodies the entire peace movement or the truth movement if you prefer. The groundswell of support has made her stronger as have the rightwing hackers that are trying to disparage her. Since the media no longer does it's job of keeping the American people informed on matters of war and peace (they virtually ignored the massive anti-war rallies since this war began), it's gonna take people like Cindy Sheehan, whose story captivates because of the raw emotions (love, anger, grief...etc.) to stand up and say what everyone else is feeling about this war. She is completely selfless in this and that cannot be spun.
IMHO, Cindy Sheehan's visit to Crawford will go down in history as the turning point in the Iraq war on the home front. She's nothing short of a hero.
August 14th, 2005 at 9:19 pmC'mon, folks -- "balance" is important. Dubya's whole life can't be a 24/7 frenzy of treaty-breaking, Constitution-shredding, budget-busting murder and mayhem. The boy needs a break.
For God's sake, if George Bush had to talk to the families of every human being he's killed, maimed or permanently disabled, Rancho Fake-o would be up to the rafters in uncleared brush.
August 14th, 2005 at 9:19 pmEven Rush suggested 5 weeks vacation
August 14th, 2005 at 9:26 pmmakes Cheney's "Charlie McCarthy"
a target.
Oh, of criticism.
August 14th, 2005 at 9:27 pmAnyone still supporting Bush at this point is simply an imbecile, a greedy pig, or has much evil in their heart. Which describes you most accurately BS Red?
August 14th, 2005 at 9:29 pmNEWS RELEASE: GALLAGHER’S ARMY & CINDY SHEEHAN
Last Friday, small-time chickenhawk radio host Mike Gallagher, a Bill O'Reilly wannabe, led a group of listeners to hold a counter-demonstration against Cindy Sheehan in Crawford. Only 50 or so "Gallagher's Army" supporters heeded his call, patriotically chanting "We Don't Care" for a spell. They left just 30 minutes after they arrived, but not before Gallagher asked his supporters to individually chip in for the bus rental. Here is General Gallagher's official report:
ACTION REPORT
12 August 2005, 16:30 hrs
Enemy engagement at Crawford, Texas
Submitted by: Gen. Mike Gallagher
Enemy was first sighted at 11:15 hrs by special op's units assigned to Major Hannity's "Fightin' Imbeciles" platoon. Along enemy's western flank, Hannity's troops engaged in seek-and-harass actions by frantically waving arms and yelling "We Don't Care." Five scouts came within 100 ft of enemy defenders, but quickly retreated under fire by several banner-waiving grandmas. The "Faux Patriot" brigade, led by Lt. Rove, attempted a pincer movement from the south, but were halted by a 4 ft high fence which few were able to breach due to exceptionally poor physical conditioning. (Medics note that "Beer Belly Syndrome" is rampant among this brigade.) Along the eastern front, units of Col. Limbaugh's "Hillbilly Hellions" successfully came within 50 yds of enemy positions, but his shoeless troops were halted by a scorching asphalt walkway that proved impassable. The "Team Redneck" special forces unit led by Lt. Cheney did not participate, as the horse trailer they were riding in blew a tire just outside of town. Supply company Delta-Bravo successfully delivered twelve cases Schlitz Malt Liquor and twenty bags fried pork rinds to battlefield positions, although there are reports that many troops were inebriated by the time hostilities began, with at least eight soldiers passed-out at their positions.
CASUALTIES: Zero killed, ten injured. Four troops accidentally shot themselves in the feet or legs, one choked and passed out while eating a pretzel, three suffered broken limbs after falling off the bus's roof, and two were beaten up by a waitress at the local cafe.
SUMMARY: The Chickenhawk Army's Crawford mission is considered a resounding success, with textbook precision and all objectives achieved.
August 14th, 2005 at 9:42 pmTo bad w. isn't anywhere near getting yanked out of office yet. He is a 'real' person isn't he?
August 14th, 2005 at 9:51 pmBush is a daddy's boy, a chickenhawk and a pussy, all rolled into one hidious package.
August 14th, 2005 at 10:57 pmBushCo hides photos of KIA as they arrive back on American soil. BushCo hides photos of tortured human beings in Amercian prisons. BushCo leaks CIA agent identity then lies about it. BushCo steals two elections. BushCo answers to no man or woman. Balanced life? HA!
August 14th, 2005 at 11:04 pmHey! What about these grieving staunch Republican family members in Kentucky? I bet they will turn your brown eye blue.
The Marines' Hymn played softly as his flag-draped coffin was slowly taken from Calvary Baptist Church for a military burial at Lexington Cemetery. [Chase] Comley, a driver for an amphibious assault vehicle battalion, was killed by a suicide bomber last weekend while conducting combat operations near Amiriyah, Iraq.[...]
But, in a departure from the norm in Kentucky -- one of the reddest of red states -- some of Comley's relatives, including a few sitting in the front pews, have spoken out strongly against the Bush administration and the war that took the 21-year-old Marine's life. [...]
But on Friday, Comley's grandmother, 80-year-old Geraldine Comley of Versailles, described herself in an interview as a former Republican stalwart who is "on a rampage" against the president and the war.
She said she would like nothing better than to join Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a fallen soldier who has been holding a peace vigil outside President Bush's ranch in Texas.
"When someone gets up and says 'My son died for our freedom,' or I get a sympathy card that says that, I can hardly bear it," Geraldine Comley said.
She said her view, developed before her grandson's death, is that Bush pushed for war because Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had tried to assassinate the first President Bush, and to get control of Mideast oil.
"And it irritates me no small amount that Dick Cheney, in the Vietnam War, said he had 'other priorities,'" Geraldine Comley said. "He didn't mind sending my grandson over there" to Iraq. [...]
She said "it broke my heart" when Chase Comley joined the Marines, but he told her that recruiters said he probably would be stationed in Hawaii or Japan.
http://www.catch.com/comments/40766_0_17_0_C/
It's too late. It's over. Brought down by women. What a man!
August 14th, 2005 at 11:09 pmGreat post KillCon2005
August 14th, 2005 at 11:17 pmFace it connies, Barbara has made lil Georgie askeered of wimmin. Ah, is that his tear-stained visage peeking out from behind her apron? Thought so.
August 14th, 2005 at 11:37 pmBush is determined to stay the course in Iraq because he doesn't know whate else to do. He has no options. He could not get us out of Iraq if he wanted to. He's painted himself in a corner. What can he do, other than "stay the course" and hope things get miraculously better? He can't admit he was wrong (though Rumsfeld could), the terrorists have him by the balls and if he doesn't know it, most of the world does.
August 14th, 2005 at 11:38 pmBush has no balls. If he did, he would admit that he is a liar and has sinned. Then and only then would he become a true Christian.
August 14th, 2005 at 11:53 pmYou guys are so wrong. You have no pride. You have no sympathy. Users.
August 15th, 2005 at 12:05 am#1 RWW
August 15th, 2005 at 12:11 amDuh! I admit your sarcasm went right over my head and I started writing before I realized.
My sentiment has not changed, I know now that you were simply play-acting as a RWW.
Maybe it's me, but when I hear Bush talk about "staying the course" in Iraq, it sounds like he drove his truck into the mud and is determined to rev his motor harder and spin his wheels until he's free. When we tell him he's just digging himself deeper in the mud, he replies, "Well I'm not putting it in reverse if that's what you're suggesting!"
August 15th, 2005 at 12:11 am#26 Killcon
August 15th, 2005 at 12:24 amI looked up the entire essay she wrote -- pretty powerful.
I would've liked him to have met with her. The best time would have been very early on. But he won't do it now. The way they think is if they did it now it would show weakness and they refuse to allow that image to the american people.
Really, I don't expect him to. I mean could you imagine if everyone with a concern were able to meet with the emperor for their 2 minutes of beeseaching. Well that would be just like, well just like the days of the Roman Empire!! Hmmm, maybe their emperors wore no clothes either... The pictures show them clothed but who knows, maybe Ascroft got to them all.
Plus, we all know that you CAN have your 10 minutes with dumbya anytime you like. Just donate $250,000 to the republican party and he'll even give you a picture of you and emperor chimpy shaking hands (careful, I hear them apes bite!).
August 15th, 2005 at 12:36 amIt’s All About Dubya
When asked about Cindy Sheehan in Crawford on Saturday, President Bush responded not that she should get past her grief and get on with her life (which would at least have recognized her feelings), but that he needs to get on with his life:
August 15th, 2005 at 12:52 amBush said...
#33 - Exactly.
August 15th, 2005 at 1:05 amNow you guys are coming full circle:
http://www.davidduke.com/index.php?p=350
http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:http%3A//www.crawfordpeacehouse.org/
"You get America out of Iraq and Israel out of Palestine and you'll stop the terrorism," Sheehan declares.
Now we see who is backing her and why. But she has a living son:
August 15th, 2005 at 1:30 amTIME mag reports in new editions on Monday: Sheehan gets support from her surviving son, Andy, in principle, but he recently sent her a long e-mail imploring her, "to come home because you need to support us at home."
‘‘I think it’s also important for me to go on with my life, to keep a balanced life.‘’
Bush does need to work on balance in his life. First you have George doing a header into a table after choking on a pretzel. Then his first attempt on a Segway that nearly sent him to the ground. And his numerous falls from his bicycle, the latest in London resulted in a collision with a British policeman.
So for his own safety and that of the rest of the world, let's hope that Bush gets more balance in his life.
August 15th, 2005 at 1:30 am"I walked back through the dark and did the radio interview by cell phone. During such interviews, I get the impression that people at home are losing faith in the effort, though we are winning. But at home they cannot see it, and when I said goodbye that time, I sat in the dark."
http://michaelyon.blogspot.com/2005/08/jungle-law_10.html
August 15th, 2005 at 1:40 am"You guys are so wrong. You have no pride. You have no sympathy. Users."
Is that the best you can do Fake? I mean really dude, your comments are getting pretty fucking thin. You need to go figure out how to make people think that you were against Bush all along, because it ain't getting any better for you morons.
I'd rather be a user than be one of the used, such as yourself. Keep propping up this moron, I have faith that it will come to you sooner or later. Probably later.
August 15th, 2005 at 1:45 amfake and desperate.
August 15th, 2005 at 2:06 amGeorgie Podgie has to get on with his life. How postively wonderful, he has a life he can get on with.
August 15th, 2005 at 2:59 amCasey Sheehan and the many others who have died in Iraq can't get on with their lives!
He considers himself the "War President", personally I consider him either the "Denial President", or the "Vacationing President", since these are the only things he's good at, denial and vacationing!
#5, you are an idiot!!!!!
take it any way you want,
the dumb ass little shrub met with her and in his total dumb ass little manner, treated her like a slob!!!!
I will take a quote from shrubya's daddy to make you see how he treated her....
"shut up, just shut up!!!!, you people make me sick"
THAT IS A QUOTE FROM #41 WHEN HE MET A MOTHER OF A VIETNAM K.I.A.!!!!!!!!!!!
These people (and i use the term losely) are so totally intolerant of others it makes me SICK!!!!!
August 15th, 2005 at 4:38 am#5, your post merrits another comment.....
photo op???? come on, this idiot selected pres read a book called "my pet goat" while he knew the 9/11 terror attacks were playing out......
HE KNOW'S PHOTO OPS.... he don't know TRUTH, HONOR AND NOBILITY!!!!!!!!!
If this is indeed a NOBLE CAUSE, send his f-king drunk ass daughters to the front!!!!! NOT THE POOR KIDS, THAT HAVE PARENTS THAT BEAR MOST OF THE TAX BURDEN IN THIS COUNTRY.
THOSE THAT CAN'T afford an education GO TO WAR, those that CAN, PREACH THE NOBLE CAUSE!!!!!!!!!
August 15th, 2005 at 4:42 amOH HELL, #5 here we go again...
TITANIC......a SHIP THAT "STAYED THE COURSE"
GET A CLUE..... OR OPEN ANOTHER CONCENTRATION CAMP.!
August 15th, 2005 at 4:44 amIMPORTANT TO GET ON WITH HIS LIFE????? or LIES????
this idiot selected bastard can not even eat a pretzel or ride a bike without crashing into a police officer.
DO ANY OF YOU KNOW JUST HOW DRUNK YOU HAD TO BE TO BE
A R R E S T E D FOR DRUNK DRIVING IN 1975??????????????????????????
usually if you didn't kill anyone, you were sent home..........
come on people.... this idiot has to be taken out!!!!!!
August 15th, 2005 at 4:47 amI wonder if Mr. Blue State would mind to give me some kind of idea of what "winning the war" on terror would look like? Are we somehow going to magically change the mindset of every Iraqi who has had their wife killed by an errant American bullet or stray missle? Are we going to kill every orphanned son whose parents were killed by Americans, so they don't grow up to hate us? What will a win be? Can anyone fathom what it would be like? Oh, if only the Cindy Sheehans would stop giving aid and comfort to the enemy we could have killed them all by now.
Oh, here's an idea, leave them alone, leave their country alone, give them back their oil, their water, their electricity, their dignity, and maybe one day they can forgive us...um....nah, kill em all!
August 15th, 2005 at 8:29 amFeb. 2009 We are winning!
Death toll- soldiers: 5,112
Iraq civilians:225,000
soldiers injured 45,200
Most important: Co. oil profits: BILLIONS
I believe they would gladly accept this future outcome.
August 15th, 2005 at 8:35 amThe White House has been quick to point out that Bush regularly meets with the families of those who lost loved ones in his wars in Iraq and Afganistan.
It is my guess that Ms. Sheehan cannot get past the prescreening process to meet with Bush. Perhaps if she was a firm supporter and/or voted Republican, she would have a much easier time of it.
August 15th, 2005 at 8:49 am[...] So remember, when Bush went on a bike ride yesterday instead of meeting with Cindy Sheehan, it wasn’t because he wanted to. It was a selfless act to protect America. [...]
August 15th, 2005 at 9:02 amfake,
You really have become desperate. If you think that a letter from David Duke in support of Cindy Sheehan has any bearing on her, her mission, her message or the peace movement, you're a bigger fool than you've proven to be in the past. Of course that wouldn't be fair to fools.
August 15th, 2005 at 9:24 am#5, I am blogging an answer to your question. Everyone else, here's a number to chew on.
24 gatherings with 900 families.
That averages over 37 people per gathering.
Yeah. He "met with" her. I'm sure he had plenty of opportunity to "express his sympathy."
August 15th, 2005 at 9:25 amCindy Sheehan is Jewish. Just like I was.
August 15th, 2005 at 9:51 amNow you guys are coming full circle:
http://www.davidduke.com/index.php?p=350
All the pro nazis during WWII were Republicans.
August 15th, 2005 at 9:57 amBush family ties to the Nazi party aren't conspiratorial at all, they are well documented. When will the wingnuts realize that we are talking about a crime family with ties to some of the most heinous acts ever perpetrated on mankind? Including Iraq and 9/11. The Bushes, the Carlyle Group, close ties to the Saudi royal family, etc.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1312540,00.html
Too clear a pattern in this family history to be merely guilt by association. Sorry wingnuts, your guys are evil.
August 15th, 2005 at 10:05 amMichael Yon
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=69736&time_posted_upper_limit=1115524800&time_posted_lower_limit=1115438400
It's quite possible to win every major battle and engagement tactically and have a negative outcome strategically, i.e., lose. The U.S. is great at that because of ignorant morons like FBA who think this is a G.I. Joe comic book.
August 15th, 2005 at 10:06 amI'm fake but accurate and I'm desparate!
August 15th, 2005 at 10:09 amRe: #12
"Sixty-one million voters decided that the President didn’t lie, and that the Iraq war is a noble cause."
I don't recall the words "noble cause" spewing forth from Bush's mouth during the presidential campaign. Aren't these words a recent creation? Please, if I am wrong then post any links to news articles or transcrips of interviews that prove otherwise.
As I recall, Bush and Cheney were able to convince most if not all of those 61 million voters that America would be attacked again should John Kerry win. They were convinced that Bush could better protect us. They were convinced that Bush was the better man to wage the war on terrorism.
Did Blair profess the same thing when he ran his recent campaign? Because if he did, boy, was he ever wrong.
Bush was virtually guaranteed re-election by going to war with Iraq. I believe that was one of the many reasons why he did so.
-WC
August 15th, 2005 at 10:41 amI'm no fan of Mr Bush (held my nose and voted against him twice) but the carping about his "vacation time" is absurd. Being President, even a bad president like Mr Bush, is a full time 24/7 job. Just because he relocates himself from DC to Crawford doesn't mean that there aren't daily briefings, consulations with foreign leaders, make recess appointments of unqualified candidates for ambassador and to the Federal bench, etc.
Would that President Bush actually did take a real vacation. Just think how much less damage he might do.
August 15th, 2005 at 11:06 amHave to call BS on that Steve. You will never get as much done telecommuting from home as you would actually being in the office and working face to face with people. Going to Crawford makes him more isolated from the world, period.
August 15th, 2005 at 11:58 amPoint is, if he were in a world capitol -- any world capitol -- he would havem a better idea of what was going on. In Crawford, he can preted we're winning in his "noble cause."
August 15th, 2005 at 11:59 amSteve,
Here's my problem with the vacation time. In August of 2001 Bush was in Crawford when he received the now famous Presidential Daily Brief that warned: "Bin Laden determined to strike within the U.S." with explicit details about targets and the use of airplanes. George Tenet was reported to have warned the administration at the time that the intelligence was "flasing red" in regard to an imminent attack. Bush did NOTHING and stayed on vacation. Yet he hustled back from Crawford in the dead of night to sign on when the Republicans tried to get an 11th hour bill passed to save Terry Schiavo's life. The cowards priorities are obviously backwards. Besides, he's going to break the record for vacation time taken by a U.S. President while we're "at war" and we're facing the most monumental national debt and trade deficit in our history. All the while telling us that it's all such "hard work". That doesn't irk you?
We all know that he's not making any actual decisions, that he's a total fraud and he can't take a piss without a script....but the least he could do is pretend that he's interested.
August 15th, 2005 at 12:00 pmBut I agree, less damage would be better. But that would require early retirement, not vacation.
August 15th, 2005 at 12:00 pmThis thread provides a lot of laughs. I love the many times Bushie fell off of his bike. I forgot about him choking on the pretzel, LOL!
Here's to hoping (toasting with coffee) that the next fall is the last and final fall. Or choke.
August 15th, 2005 at 1:20 pmI would LOVE IT if shrubya went to the Grand Canyon for a VODKA filled day of bike rides, and trail mix with loads of pretzels!!!!
That is my wish for his NEXT vacation!!!
Hell, I'll even provide the pretzels and vodka~!
August 15th, 2005 at 1:44 pmunrelated - was it not shrubya's daddy that barfed on a guy in the far east?
Wonder if he had TOO MUCH VODKA too.
You have to admit it, this corrupt family is pretty damn entertaining!
Kind of like Hitler was pretty damn entertaining.
August 15th, 2005 at 1:46 pmHere's info on attending or hosting a vigil to support Cindy Sheehan on Wednesday. Cindy is allowing us all to a chance to "talk to the President".
Check it out.
Check here to see if there is a vigil in your neighborhood already. RSVP's are required.
http://political.moveon.org/event/cindyvigils/?id=5892-4799693-SYh6hhyWmVyjCctjpdUcCQ&t=3
If not, click on the link below to host a vigil.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=837&id=
August 15th, 2005 at 3:42 pmHomegrown and Beyond
How many GREAT blogs originate here in Arkansas? A growing number and we link to several as part of the blog segment in today's 5:30 Report with Doug Krile.
August 15th, 2005 at 3:50 pmSo you guys have a lot in common with our enemies. You all blame Israel, wish death on the president and want our economy to be wrecked. But you guys say you support the troops and love America. David Duke says the same thing Sheehan and the Crawford peace house says, the same thing your side said at your make believe impeachment hearings, it's all Israel's fault. It's OK to use the presidency to get deviant sex in the oval office, but working out of the ranch is a no no.
August 15th, 2005 at 3:56 pmYou hate War Veterans fake so your opinion doesn't count.
August 15th, 2005 at 4:39 pmSo you guys have a lot in common with our enemies. You all blame Israel, wish death on the president and want our economy to be wrecked. But you guys say you support the troops and love America. David Duke says the same thing Sheehan and the Crawford peace house says, the same thing your side said at your make believe impeachment hearings, it’s all Israel’s fault. It’s OK to use the presidency to get deviant sex in the oval office, but working out of the ranch is a no no.
Comment by fake but accurate — August 15, 2005 @ 3:56 pm
Is a blow job deviant sex? No wonder you are here all the time acting like an asshole.
August 15th, 2005 at 5:21 pmHe lacks the blowjob!
Not good for your health fake.
August 15th, 2005 at 5:26 pmProbably can't get it up anyway.
August 15th, 2005 at 5:27 pmRumor has it that rove carries his (shrubby's) balls in his pocket.
What shrubby is left with is short and like what it is attached to, does not play well with others.
August 15th, 2005 at 6:05 pmand btw, fuc***ed and inaccurate....
Bill Clinton, (THE LAST LEGALLY ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE U.S.A.) should have told everyone that
What I do with my private parts on whom and to whom are quite frankly NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS. Get on with YET ANOTHER WITCH HUNT.
When Clinton lied (about something that was totally IRRELIVANT to his job performance)
NO ONE DIED!
When Clinton lied .... he didn't GET RICH, AND HIS BUDDIES DIDN'T GET RICH.
Impeach the chimp or much shorter
CHIMPEACH!!!!
August 15th, 2005 at 6:08 pmI would love to get a HISTORY BOOK from 70 years from now....
Like Hitler, Shrub manipulated public opinion. Shrub was the most hated man on earth.
Shrub was removed from office and executed for TREASON.
As the world cheered and rejoiced!
Shrub spent his last remaining moments in office attempting to pardon all the criminals he had promoted, but it was futile.
August 15th, 2005 at 6:12 pmI love history!
August 15th, 2005 at 7:07 pmSticking a cigar up a woman's vagina is deviant sex, and I would say violent and degrading as well. But she was a paid subordinate so it's ok with you. Suzy I get it up just fine as long as I don't think about your photo, beastiality is not my thing, but being liberals I'm sure you think it's a constitutional right like nabla. It's not like working out of the ranch in crawford is renting out the Lincoln bedroom. Or stealing from a charity. Or telling the military they can't tell the FBI about terrorists who are planning to attack our country then stealing the evidence from the National Archive and lying about it. Bush won by the way, or do you call Kerry Mr. President now?
August 15th, 2005 at 7:09 pmCindy Sheehan followed this act. Wearing a sweatshirt advertising the website for United for Peace and Justice, Sheehan was interviewed outside just before the meeting by an ABC-TV news reporter. Sheehan said then that military recruiters should not be allowed on college campuses, maintaining they trick naïve 18-year-olds with offers of money and scholarships. Tragically, Cindy Sheehan lost her son Casey who was in the Army and was killed two weeks after arriving in Iraq. She claimed he was promised a job as a chaplain’s assistant although once in the service was placed in a combat role and killed, certainly a moving story – one she exploits to promote venomous anti-Americanism. “George Bush and his neo-conservatives killed my son,†she said tearing up a bit. “America has been killing people on this continent since it was started. This country is not worth dying for.â€
Sheehan said she considered Lynne Stewart her Atticus Finch, the lawyer who defended an innocent Black man accused of rape in the book and film “To Kill A Mockingbird.â€
“They’re not waging a War on Terror but a War of Terror,†she said. “The biggest terrorist is George W. Bush.†She claimed “it costs $66,000 to recruit one soldier, not including training, and $49,000 a year to house a prisoner, yet only $6,000 per year is spent to educate a child in California. (Recruiting costs are actually $15,000 per soldier, the cost of housing a prisoner in California for one year is $26,000.)
Sheehan continued, “9/11 was Pearl Harbor for the neo-conservatives’ agenda†and declared the U.S. government a “morally repugnant system.†Then she raged:
We have no Constitution. We’re the only country with no checks and balances. We want our country back if we have to impeach George Bush down to the person who picks up the dog sh-t in Washington! Let George Bush send his two little party animals to die in Iraq. It’s OK for Israel to have nuclear weapons but we are waging nuclear war in Iraq, we have contaminated the entire country. It’s not OK for Syria to be in Lebanon. Hypocrites! But Israel can occupy Palestine? Stop the slaughter!
August 15th, 2005 at 7:11 pmWhile one might dismiss some of Sheehan’s hyperbole due to grief over her son’s death, a little research about Casey Sheehan revealed that contrary to being tricked by military recruiters, Casey Sheehan had re-enlisted in the U.S. Army voluntarily when he was 24-years-old, after serving his first hitch successfully. Casey Sheehan was in fact a hero who received a Bronze Star. He was attached as a mechanic to the artillery division of the 1st U.S. Cavalry in Iraq. When a convoy of soldiers from Casey’s unit was attacked in Sadr City by insurgents, Casey volunteered to join a rapid rescue force to get them out. His commanding sergeant told him he did not have to go into combat, because he was a mechanic and not an infantryman. Casey was quoted telling his officer, “I go where my chief goes.†He was tragically killed during the rescue attempt. The source for this story? Cindy Sheehan herself.
http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:5YJUg3eHdVcJ:www.talkingproud.us/Eagle101904.html+Casey+Sheehan+++Stars+and+Stripes+++Cindy+Sheehan&hl=en
I also visited an army recruiting office on my way home and asked about Casey being promised a job as a chaplain’s assistant only to be thrust into harm’s way. The recruiter explained to me that on re-enlistment, the Army’s B.E.A.R. program (Bonus Extension and Retaining) guarantees everything in writing. If Casey was a mechanic during his first hitch, that was the only thing he would have been guaranteed per his re-enlistment contract. Further research showed that a chaplain’s assistant is a combat infantry position, whereas Casey was deployed in a non-combat job as a mechanic. Casey Sheehan sought combat duty for his country and should be honored for it, not used as a symbol of how evil the United States is.
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=17915
To cynical ex-hippie:
Mr Bush doesn't need to go to Crawford to be isolated from the world. He can do that just fine in the Oval Office.
Again, not to defend George Bush, since I believe that he's pretty much indefensible, but I think that worrying about his vacation time is a waste of time and effort when there are plenty of other legitimate high crimes and misdemeanors about which to worry.
In fact, I tend to believe that getting sidetracked by what essentially is a sideshow in the Cindy Sheehan episode is a waste of time. Yes, Mr Bush is a certifiable jerk for driving past her on the way to a Little League photo op but, seriously, do you think any other politician would do otherwise? Maybe the late Paul Wellstone might have stopped but the late Paul Wellstone wouldn't have gotten us into this absurd war and not hastened the decline of the US into the junkheap of history as Mr Bush has done.
The Left, in which I proudly claim membership, needs to stop this inane nitpicking (for that's what it is) and concentrate on developing some actual ideas (or, rather, fleshing out and bolstering the ideas it has, such as economic equality, fairness, peace through a rational foreign policy not based on fear and bluster, to name just a few starting points), then go out and get some real progressive candidates elected (then make sure they stay out of small airplanes and in one piece).
George Bush can take up BMX and spend the rest of his Presidency on the off-road cycling circuit for all I care. In three years and a few months he won't be President any longer. If the Left continues down this rabbit hole of leaping on every little trivial transgression (however annoying and egregious they might be) it will be looking at eight (more?) years of President Cheney starting noon, January 20, 2009.
But maybe that's really what the Left wants -- to be in a permanent minority (or at least to lose elections) -- since it's so much easier to play political Trivial Pursuit than it is to develop a real winning program and take actual action.
August 15th, 2005 at 8:48 pmHey fake, are you capapble of creating your own sentences. You are a rotting turd on the sidewalk of life. You're a worthless sack of shit that can't do anything but spew Bushisms.
August 16th, 2005 at 12:23 amhey fuc***ed and intolerable.....
What Clinton did was with a repugnican PAID WHORE! Her past has some interesting facts too. Like forgery.
Clinton screwed the help. So what!
If you are preoccupied with OTHER PEOPLES sexual actions, YOU ARE THE ONE WITH THE PROBLEM.
If it is character you want in a prezzy... LET'S AT LEAST LOOK FOR ONE THAT CAN
TELL THE TRUTH and Not
LIE SO THAT PEOPLE CAN DIE....
CHIMPEACH!!!
August 16th, 2005 at 12:29 amFAKE SNAKE smells a lot like rotting fish to me!
August 16th, 2005 at 12:30 amso clintoon didn't need vacations he had 8 years of vacation, in the oval office. as a matter of fact, he couldn't be bothered to take out bin laden when we had him in our sights because he was golfing. but Bush can't take a working vacation at his ranch. and the poor woman you are using to help the beheaders in iraq needs help because she is losing her family, but you dont care, anything to try to bring down Bush and America. Empty, devoid of humanity.
August 16th, 2005 at 2:02 amNo, not Bush and America, just Bush. See you stupid idiots try and say stupid shit like that every time. But, once again. You are wrong.
Clinton didn't go to his sprawling ranch in Texas for "vacation" (Bush is hiding, not vacationing). Clinton, just like every other president in resent history went to Camp David for vacation.
The reason is that spineless piece of crap probably has a huge bomob shelter under the ranch. You know, some place to hide when the WMDs atart falling from the sky.
Get lost. You have nothing to add and you won't gain anything but ridicule for your stupidity.
August 16th, 2005 at 2:22 amWhy isn't fake in Iraq? The Army is giving out prizes. Not even for a prize fake? Come on, be my hero, save my freedom. Be a man, show the world what you're made of. Prove you have the balls.
Chickenhawk.
Your wife must be sooooo disappointed. Poor woman. So alone, life without a man to depend on. Poor, poor Mrs Fake, may she find a real man some day and enjoy freedom and the pursuit of happiness.
August 16th, 2005 at 2:44 amPoor, lonely, without a man Mrs. Fake
spudgboy , where did clintoon vacation inbetween molesting the help:
The Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts The Long political odyssey of Bill Clinton seemed to pass a milestone of sorts, as he vacationed here on Martha's Vineyard with his wife and daughter. The frenzied pace of his first six months in office, to nearly everyone's surprise, just stopped. Mr. Clinton seemed suddenly to realize that the nation and the world could get along for days, even weeks at a time without any action by him, and, perhaps even more surprisingly, without any comment from him.
Aug, 1996 President Clinton and his family vacation in Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.
Aug, 1995 Hilary Rodham Clinton hosts 75th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment and Women's Right to Vote Conference at Jackson Lake Lodge.
Jul, 1995 President Bill Clinton spends summer vacation in Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.
http://www.vailresorts.com/ourcompany.cfm?mode=history&resort=grand%20teton%20lodge%20company
Killed when the C-130 carrying the Presidential Limos crashed near Jackson Hole, Wyoming. August 18, 1996. All nine people on board a White House support plane were killed late Saterday (10:48pm MDT), when it crashed into Sheep Mountain (also known as Sleeping Indian Mountain) near Jackson Hole Wyoming. The aircraft was en route from Jackson Hole to John F. Kennedy International airport. The Air Force Lockheed Martin C-130 Hurcules transport aircraft was carrying a presidential vehicle and many pieces of luggage, all related to the president's vaction (50th birthday celebration in the Grand Tetons). President Clinton said Sunday afternoon that he was told the pilot was attempting to return to the Jackson Hole airport when it crashed (CNN news report). The Air Force reported finding no evidence of an in-flight mechanical emergency after examining the flight data and flight voice recorders and could not find evidence that the pilot radioed mechanical trouble before crashing into the mountainside as reported by the White House. The victems included 8 crew members and one Secret Service agent. The aircraft and crew were stationed out of Dyess Air Force Base
MARTHA'S VINEYARD, Mass. (AllPolitics Aug. 20) -- President Bill Clinton often jokes that he's the country's best-known resident of public housing. But when he leaves the White House for vacation, Clinton isn't as predictable as some of his predecessors.
When Ronald Reagan needed a vacation, he retreated to his California ranch, nicknamed "the Western White House."
And George Bush ran off to his oceanside home in Maine, often inviting other world leaders to join him.
But Bill Clinton doesn't own a home -- vacation or otherwise. So he relies on the hospitality of friends, like Boston developer Richard Friedman.
Clinton is spending three weeks -- free of charge -- at Friedman's 20-acre oyster pond retreat, enjoying some reading time in a guest cottage and walks on the grounds with daughter Chelsea. "I've had a wonderful time here," Clinton told the press yesterday.
Friedman is a Democratic Party contributor who once spent a night in the Lincoln Bedroom at Clinton's invitation.
Aides say Clinton, who's been a guest of Friedman three times, likes the island's golf and other recreation opportunities -- like today's boat trip with Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy.
The White House says there's nothing wrong with the First Family accepting accommodations, like these, worth $15,000 or more.
White House press secretary Mike McCurry said, "Just because someone has some issue pending before the federal government doesn't rule him out as someone who can grant an act of hospitality to the president of the United States."
http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1997/08/20/clinton.vacation/
BLOCK ISLAND 8/18/97
-- In a brief but bright day trip before cheering and excited crowds, President Clinton churned his way through Block Island yesterday, speeding down its roads in his motorcade and charming the island with an impromptu stop for ice cream.
With First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and daughter Chelsea, the president partook of Block Island's natural beauty with gusto.
The president climbed the Southeast Light, motored around the rolling countryside and dined on striped bass at one of the island's elegant Victorian hotels. Sen. Jack Reed, who invited the Clintons to visit the island, played host.
While the White House had billed the trip as a time for quiet reflection on the way to a three-week Martha's Vineyard vacation, the excursion was anything but.
The only private moments he spent were at the home of developer Gerald Zarrella, down a long driveway off Corn Neck Road. The rest of the time, Mr. Clinton was feeding on the energy of enthusiastic crowds.
Clintons add new chapter to history of presidential vacations
August 27, 1999
All three presidents made it clear they were pleased to get away from the pace and some of the responsibilities of the presidency. Compare those plans to the current presidential vacation of Bill Clinton, in which bouts of relaxation and golf on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts have been interspersed with heavy-duty political fund-raising.
Presidential vacations have been as varied as the presidents themselves. From long periods of do-little relaxation -- Truman spent nearly half a year in Key West during his seven years in office -- to the current political activism of the president and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Of course, "activism" is in the eye of the beholder. "I think the vacation will be substantially 'down time,'" White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart said earlier this month when asked about the first family's vacation plans. "The vast majority of their time will be vacation, rest and relaxation."
http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1999/08/27/presidential.vacations/
And that was not all his vacations, but once again I proved you people don't know what you are talking about, so that's all I needed. And military families lost loved ones for his vacation!
August 16th, 2005 at 3:04 amha ha ha suzy whats the farmer feeding you? it's making you mean, LOL.
August 16th, 2005 at 3:09 am[...] If I read the current news story correctly, Bush is now avoiding Cindy Sheehan because he wants to keep a balance in his life? In his 313th day of vacation, one might wish for that kind of balance in ones life…but wish on my friends. [...]
August 16th, 2005 at 9:23 amCindy Sheehan is a true patriot and a bonafied american citizen practicing her 1st amendment rights as we all should be doing-if I could afford the gas I'd be out there supporting her.We all know bush is a criminal and hats off to Cindy Sheehan for calling him out-now we know he is a moral fraud as well.The 'president' is more interested in pretending to be reagan than running the country and is well on his way to breaking reagan's record for slacking off on the job-when are we going to wake up from this nightmare?
August 16th, 2005 at 10:44 amWhy should President Bush meet with this woman again. He already met with her once and she said after the meeting he was a good man who she felt really grieved for the loss of her son. Now all of a sudden he is a war criminal who did not feel for her family at all and now she wants another meeting so she can tell him how much she hates him and his policy. How can one person have two descriptions of the same event. And why does she get so much media attention, what about all the parents who lost children who are not against the war and OUR PRESIDENT, maybe they should get some more time.
As for people attacking the rich spoiled President for taking a vacation, I do not hear the same people attacking rich spoiled congress for taking a vacation(aren't they the ones who make the laws). Maybe they should be at work right now looking into the reports of a military group not being able to get terrorist information to the FBI during the Clinton administration, but I guess that would be bad for a democrat so you won't talk about that.
Last, but not least, there is nothing funnier than people referring to others as ignorant, illiterate pigs while using nothing more than profanity and name calling. Very Classy.
August 16th, 2005 at 11:54 am#92, check your facts about her "meeting with" the monkeyboy....
He treated her like garbage. He was "rude and arrogant".
But even the trained monkey can not live up to daddy, because when daddy was confronted in 1987 by a mother of a KIA this is how he responded:
"..shut up, just shut up! You people make me sick."
He went on to barf on a VIP in the far east.
CLASSY
August 16th, 2005 at 12:51 pmI suppose #92 had plenty of time to
judge others.....
as he spends no time checking facts.
August 16th, 2005 at 12:52 pmAlso #92 you WIND BAG
he is NOT OUR PRESIDENT.... NEVER WAS
GORE WON, KERRY WON....PURE AND SIMPLE, NO conspiricy and NO delusions...
EVERYONE KNOWS!!!! NO BIG SECERET!
Published on Saturday, August 13,2005 by CommonDreams.org
Election Fraud Continues in the US
New Data Shows Widespread Vote Manipulations in 2004
By Peter Phillips
In the fall of 2001, after an eight-month review of 175,000 Florida ballots never counted in the 2000 election, an analysis by the National Opinion Research Center confirmed that Al Gore actually won Florida and should have been President. However, coverage of this report was only a small blip in the corporate media as a much bigger story dominated the news after September 11, 2001.
New research compiled by Dr. Dennis Loo with the University of Cal Poly Pomona now shows that extensive manipulation of non-paper-trail voting machines occurred in several states during the 2004 election.
The facts are as follows:
In 2004 Bush far exceeded the 85% of registered Florida Republican votes that he got in 2000, receiving more than 100% of the registered Republican votes in 47 out of 67 Florida counties, 200% of registered Republicans in 15 counties, and over 300% of registered Republicans in 4 counties. Bush managed these remarkable outcomes despite the fact that his share of the crossover votes by registered Democrats in Florida did not increase over 2000, and he lost ground among registered Independents, dropping 15 points. We also know that Bush "won" Ohio by 51-48%, but statewide results were not matched by the court-supervised hand count of the 147,400 absentee and provisional ballots in which Kerry received 54.46% of the vote. In Cuyahoga County, Ohio the number of recorded votes was more than 93,000 greater than the number of registered voters.
More importantly national exit polls showed Kerry winning in 2004. However, It was only in precincts where there were no paper trails on the voting machines that the exit polls ended up being different from the final count. According to Dr. Steve Freeman, a statistician at the University of Pennsylvania, the odds are 250 million to one that the exit polls were wrong by chance. In fact, where the exit polls disagreed with the computerized outcomes the results always favored Bush - another statistical impossibility. .
Dennis Loo writes, "A team at the University of California at Berkeley, headed by sociology professor Michael Hout, found a highly suspicious pattern in which Bush received 260,000 more votes in those Florida precincts that used electronic voting machines than past voting patterns would indicate compared to those precincts that used optical scan read votes where past voting patterns held."
There is now strong statistical evidence of widespread voting machine manipulation occurring in US elections since 2000. Coverage of the fraud has been reported in independent media and various websites. The information is not secret. But it certainly seems to be a taboo subject for the US corporate media.
Black Box Voting reported on March 9, 2005 that voting machines used by over 30 million voters were easily hacked by relatively unsophisticated programs and audits of the computers would not show the changes. It is very possible that a small team of hackers could have manipulated the 2004 and earlier elections in various locations throughout the United States. Irregularities in the vote counts certainly indicate that something beyond chance occurrences has been happening in recent elections.
That a special interest group might try to cheat on an election in the United States is nothing new. Historians tell us how local political machines from both major parties have in the past used methods of double counting, ballot box stuffing, poll taxes and registration manipulation to affect elections. In the computer age, however, election fraud can occur externally without local precinct administrators having any awareness of the manipulations - and the fraud can be extensive enough to change the outcome of an entire national election.
There is little doubt key Democrats know that votes in 2004 and earlier elections were stolen. The fact that few in Congress are complaining about fraud is an indication of the totality to which both parties accept the status quo of a money based elections system. Neither party wants to further undermine public confidence in the American "democratic" process (over 80 millions eligible voters refused to vote in 2004). Instead we will likely see the quiet passing of legislation that will correct the most blatant problems. Future elections in the US will continue as an equal opportunity for both parties to maintain a national democratic charade in which money counts more than truth.
Peter Phillips is a Professor of Sociology at Sonoma State University and Director of Project Censored. Dennis Loo's report "No Paper Trail Left Behind: the Theft of the 2004 Presidential Election," can be viewed at http://www.projectcensored.org/newsflash/voter_fraud.html
SEE I CHECK FACTS, AND NOT FROM ONLY ONE SOURCE!
August 16th, 2005 at 12:54 pmThe Death of the Empire:
The idea and practice of empire is doomed from its birth. Unlike the beauty and profound dignity of the cycle of life, in its ultimate statement of purpose and symbolism of all it governs, the birth, decline and death of empire; of dynasty; of all belief in divinity of such institutions is death itself. It is the death of the individual. It is the death of objectivity. It is the death of itself over time.
The practice of empire is a deliberate ignorance of progress, of change, and is inherently incapable of addressing such notions and can only respond with subversion. Policies and practices are drawn. The great estates conspire to control the lesser of the three, and the third carries the burden for all for the duration of the empire.
The empire; the kingdom, upon its lengthy success and pride in its perpetuation will then succumb to its own decadence. The king will cease from preserving his noble persona. His court and his nobles will follow, bringing a new age of oppression to the lesser. One that wears no mask nor serves to preserve the intellectual control of the kingdom. Because of his great conceit, the King will declare his own divinity and serve himself openly at the great expense of his kingdom. In his decadence, it will be he himself who will insure the death of his empire.
And the Barbarians; the Galls, those of the greater body of the empire who have suffered and lost the most will eventually reach the great walls of the palace and place it under siege. They are more prepared than the king and his court. They are familiar with starvation and with unspeakable pains. They have been conditioned as great warriors at the hands of their oppressors. They will supersede the divine ideals of his court, who haven't an inkling of the devotion of those who they themselves have pushed to this ultimate place.
The king and his court have retreated to the palace. The palace is under siege. Will he emerge from his palace and accept his punishment, thus sparing the lives of his court? Or, will he retreat further within his palace as did Sardanapalus, and with great arrogance, set his court afire for the sake of witnessing his court and the treasures of the dead empire lost to all?
The practice of empire is inevitably its own mortal enemy. Yet we are still witness to it today.
It is as if there are always those who are capable of blatant ignorance of the lessons of history. It will perplex me to no end how the greater of all people submit to relinquish their very souls to empire when it is always clear where the empire will lead us.
August 16th, 2005 at 2:06 pmWhat a surprise, you went directly to name calling as I expected. As for facts here is her original account of the meeting:"I now know he's sincere about wanting freedom for the Iraqis," Cindy said after their meeting. "I know he's sorry and feels some pain for our loss. And I know he's a man of faith." "That was the gift the president gave us, the gift of happiness, of being together," Cindy said. Taht comes from the Reporter.com, I do not know their political affiliation, if any.
So now she speaks ill of the president and as you say, he treated her like garbage. Kind of different from her original quotes dont you think.
I'll be waiting for your response filled with hate and profanity and no "facts"
August 16th, 2005 at 2:08 pmKJ Lovell , commondreams? more like common delusions.
August 16th, 2005 at 2:43 pmAndrew, use the force young jedi. Just think, with school starting up again you guys can get credit for your bitching and inaccuracies.
From http://www.scrappleface.com, a little right-wing humor:
Grieving Bush Protestor Has No Exit Strategy
by Scott Ott
(2005-08-16) -- Cindy Sheehan, the protestor whose son died fighting for freedom in Iraq, today acknowledged that she has "no exit strategy" for getting out of what some have called the "quagmire in Crawford" outside of the Texas ranch of President George Bush.
"My opponent is more entrenched than I expected," said Mrs. Sheehan, whose vigil has focused national attention on the ability of the news media to focus national attention on Mrs. Sheehan. "I'm still committed to victory, but it may take longer than I thought at first."
Mrs. Sheehan said she is willing to "pay any price, bear any burden" to get a second meeting with Mr. Bush.
August 16th, 2005 at 2:55 pmKill a connie for Christ. Better dead than red.
August 16th, 2005 at 4:30 pmtell me again fake and inaccurate
how many times did you see farenheit 9/11?
how do you feel about gay marriage?
how do you feel about black people voting?
how do you feel about abortion?
if you hate the views on this blog so much, how do you manage to stay here so long?
I bet you don't have the balls to answer my questions.
you should go to iraq and "fight for freedom"
or is it fight for shrubya's fortune?
August 16th, 2005 at 7:36 pmP.S.: I notice you have no comment about shrubya's daddy telling that OTHER MOTHER THAT LOST A SON IN VIETNAM (another war for money)
"shut up, just shut up! you people make me sick."
hmmmmmm
August 16th, 2005 at 7:37 pm#98- (fake but accurate) Although your opinion is noted and appreciated; I stand by mine.
August 16th, 2005 at 9:28 pmshrubya will not even break ray-gun's record of vacation days if he leaves on 8/31 to go "back to work".
Maybe someone should tell him if he stays another week at the Rancho FAKE-O, he will achieve 1 more thing for which he will be remembered.
Or perhaps, he thought he was going to break ray-gun's record but he IS too dumb to do the math.
HE IS EVEN A FAILURE AT VACATION RECORD BREAKING.
August 16th, 2005 at 11:14 pmHE IS A FAILURE AT BEING A HUMAN.
I find it interesting that no one on this site has posted any comments relating to the current Newsweek article on the President's past meetings with KIA families, and the continued suport of "most families" for him and for the war in Iraq. Here is an extended excerpt:
"Bush routinely asks to see the families of the fallen when he visits military bases, which he does about 10 times a year. It does not appear that the White House or the military makes any effort to screen out dissenters or embittered families, though some families decline the invitation to meet with Bush. Most families encourage the president to stay the course in Iraq. 'To oppose something my husband lost his life for would be a betrayal,' says Inge Colton, whose husband, Shane, died in April 2004 when his Apache helicopter was shot down over Baghdad. Bush does, however, hear plenty of complaints. He has been asked about missing medals on the returned uniform of a loved one, about financial assistance for a child going to college and about how soldiers really died when the Pentagon claimed the details were classified.
At her meeting with the president at Fort Hood, Texas, last spring, Colton says she lit into Bush for 'stingy' military benefits. Her complaints caught Bush 'a little off guard,' she recalls. 'He tried to argue with me a little bit, but he promised he would have someone look into it.' The next day she got a call from White House chief of staff Andrew Card, who said the White House would follow up. 'My main goal was to have him look at my son, look him in the eyes and apologize,' says Colton. 'I wanted him to know, to really understand who he has hurt.' She says Bush was 'attentive, though not in a fake way,' and sometimes at a loss for words. 'He didn't try to overcompensate,' she says.
"The most telling—and moving—picture of Bush grieving with the families of the dead was provided by Rachel Ascione, who met with him last summer. Her older brother, Ron Payne, was a Marine who had been killed in Afghanistan only a few weeks before Ascione was invited to meet with Bush at MacDill Air Force Base, near Tampa, Fla.
"Ascione wasn't sure she could restrain herself with the president. She was feeling 'raw.' 'I wanted him to look me in the eye and tell me why my brother was never coming back, and I wanted him to know it was his fault that my heart was broken,' she recalls. The president was coming to Florida, a key swing state, in the middle of his re-election campaign. Ascione was worried that her family would be 'exploited' by a 'phony effort to make good with people in order to get votes.'
"Ascione and her family were gathered with 18 other families in a large room on the air base. The president entered with some Secret Service agents, a military entourage and a White House photographer. 'I'm here for you, and I will take as much time as you need,' Bush said. He began moving from family to family. Ascione watched as mothers confronted him: 'How could you let this happen? Why is my son gone?' one asked. Ascione couldn't hear his answer, but soon 'she began to sob, and he began crying, too. And then he just hugged her tight, and they cried together for what seemed like forever.'
"Ascione's family was one of the last Bush approached. Ascione still planned to confront him, but Bush disarmed her in an almost uncanny way. Ascione is just over five feet; her late brother was 6 feet 7. 'My whole life, he used to put his hand on the top of my head and just hold it there, and it drove me crazy,' she says. When Bush saw that she was crying, he leaned over and put his hand on the top of her head and drew her to him. 'It was just like my brother used to do,' she says, beginning to cry at the memory.
"Before Bush left the meeting, he paused in the middle of the room and said to the families, 'I will never feel the same level of pain and loss you do. I didn't lose anyone close to me, a member of my family or someone that I love. But I want you to know that I didn't go into this lightly. This was a decision that I struggle with every day.'
"As he spoke, Ascione could see the grief rising through the president's body. His shoulder slumped and his face turned ashen. He began to cry and his voice choked. He paused, tried to regain his composure and looked around the room. 'I am sorry, I'm so sorry,' he said."
I disagree with Maureen Dowd's comment that these KIA families are entitled to special "moral authority" in discussions of the war (I believe all citizens are entitled to their own opinions on the war). However, if she is right, then it is incumbent on everyone, including the President's critics on the left, to read and acknowledge the contents of this article with open minds and hearts. For my part, I am struck by several things that the left routinely denies, especially the President's routine requests to meet with KIA families, despite the difficulties such meetings present; the President's compassion for all KIA families, regardless of their political views; and the emotional toll these meetings take on both the families and the President, even under the best of trying circumstances.
The Newsweek article does not resolve every question about the war in Iraq. However, it does tend to confirm Cindy Sheehan's first account of her own meeting with the President, and to contradict her second account. It also suggests that a second meeting now between the President and Mrs. Sheehan would do nothing more than has already been done to comfort her and honor her sons memory. It would only be a vehicle for further attacks by the left on a President whose compassionate qualities are denied every day, no matter what he does.
August 17th, 2005 at 3:00 pmNews weak? I find most of the stuff in between the covers is right-wing bull. Every once and a while you find ACTUAL NEWS.
Most intelligent people gather information from many sources before forming an opinion. And if they encounter a reason to change their opinion they do.
UNLIKE YOU.
August 20th, 2005 at 12:56 amThere is no way you can rationalize a coward. You can cover for him (which the rightwing does). You can hide him behind security and aides. You can send him to talk to his "base" and Republican mothers of slain soldiers. But, you can't take the stench of blood from his hands, can't wash it off and can't hide it from the American and Iraqi people. His "bring it on" mantra has killed nearly 2000 of our able bodied young people and thousands of innocent Iraqis. You can't rationalize a coward,not if his name is G W Bush.
August 27th, 2005 at 4:26 pm