Bush Denies He’s On Vacation
President Bush has faced intense criticism for his insensitivity in taking a leisurely, 5-week vacation while the country is locked in an increasingly violent war in Iraq. His initial response was to defensively defend his right to relax, stating indignantly, “I’ve got a life to live.”
That didn’t go over so well with the American public, so the White House spin machine game up with a new line: Despite what it looks like, President Bush isn’t actually on vacation.
According to the San Bernardino Sun, White House spokesperson David Almacy “said the reason that Bush is in Crawford, Texas, is due to the renovation of the West Wing of the White House.” Almacy stated:
He’s operating on a full schedule; he’s just doing it from the ranch instead of from the White House. The only week he had officially off was this last week.
Keep in mind, President Bush has spent the entire month of August at his ranch every year of his presidency. It’s time this White House stopped renovating the truth.
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“I’ve got a life to live” - lucky bastard.
August 24th, 2005 at 10:56 amIts a very European thing to take the month of August off on holiday. But somehow I think King George is just not a free thinking power to the laborers kind of European.
It must be nice being an elitist aristocratic ‘murikan SOB. Though few Bush desciples will ever notice that his brain has been on vacation for years.
August 24th, 2005 at 10:57 amTHERE IS NO SPOON!
August 24th, 2005 at 10:58 amTee Hee. This is just funny.
August 24th, 2005 at 10:59 amReal leader, this guy.
It would appear that he really and
truely doesn’t not give a #!&% about
anyone but himself.
This seems to be consistent with the
rest of his life - so there ya go.
Oh my God, did they just say that he is not on vacation? You have got to be kidding me. I can’t wait to see how the NeoCon posters spin this one.
August 24th, 2005 at 11:05 amToo bad the 1,871 Americans dead in Iraq don’t have their lives to live any more…
August 24th, 2005 at 11:05 amTheresa
Vacations are Hard Work.
August 24th, 2005 at 11:11 amOff Subject Yet Pertinent Side Note: Give this story a whirl.
No Pain Up To 29 Weeks
August 24th, 2005 at 11:24 amhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4180592.stm
It took BushCo’s PR people THIS LONG to come up with THAT excuse? Wow. Did they not tell us about White House renovations because of the security threats such as cheap labor illegal immigrants doing the grunt work on the renovation? An excuse like that this late in the game is insulting.
August 24th, 2005 at 11:31 amWoo-hoo!! We’re getting part of our house renovated next month, so I guess I can tell my boss I deserve to take a month off as well? I mean come on, it’s not like I’m more important than the president…
*Slaps face*
Dream on, buddy.
August 24th, 2005 at 11:36 amHe’s not on vacation.
August 24th, 2005 at 11:36 amHell, he’s not the president either.
So they can’t take the heat of public opinion. The lying bastards - “renovating the WEst Wing” - must have been a last night’s midnight call to a decorator. The spinner have been trying to cast this 5-week vcation as a “working” vacation, but John Q. Public saw right through the sham, so now Bush is working at full tilt (?) having taken only last week off? Gimme a break. There just won’t be any more cameras snapping him on his bike, or clearing brush, or otherwise playing a “windshield cowboy.” Only fund-raising appearances to friendly, pre-screened audiences.
August 24th, 2005 at 11:38 amIt’s hard work hiding when you’re on vacation in Texas.
Better he should leave the country - maybe Venezuela.
A whole month of vacation? Sounds like France…
August 24th, 2005 at 11:39 amFor his grade school essay on What I Did Last Summer, maybe Bushy should write one on how he turned a middle eastern secular state into an Islamic Theocracy?
http://news.yahoo.com/ s/ nm/ 20050824/ wl_nm/ iraq_secularists_dc_1;_ylt=AsV2KUh8m96NAadizSjwEH1X6GMA;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl
August 24th, 2005 at 11:43 amYeah, I can’t come in to work this month because my office is being rennovated.
I’m putting “nap” and “fishing” on my work schedule immediately.
And taking off “Meet with the boss who is unhappy with my work.”
August 24th, 2005 at 11:45 amThere is no problem here with the statement that Bush is “operating on a full schedule” as usual. He hasn’t done anything constructive since he has been there so why should we expect it of him now? An aside, the four year timetable for removing our troops from Iraq really makes sense. It will take Hilary about 6 to 8 months to get them home. Unless DUHbya is impeached Daddy can be stealing oil for the remaining three years of DUHbya’s vacation.
August 24th, 2005 at 11:46 amThe President is NOT on vacation. He is just practicing for his early retirement next year.
I hope.
Z.
August 24th, 2005 at 11:47 amWow, what an excuse. So, all of the sudden they decide to “rennovate” the West Wing? What, the president couldn’t find some other place to “work” in Washington, D.C. that he had to go all the way to Texas? That must be some rennovation.
August 24th, 2005 at 11:51 amI would not begrudge the president – any president – some down time, but in view of the war in Iraq, it would seem that this president could “sacrifice†something he views as important out of respect for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, as well as for those whose lives are still on the line.
It’s no wonder support for the war is declining. Leaders are supposed to set an example, by actions as well as words; does the president think it is only his words that matter? He says the war is so important and the sacrifices are huge, but how does that reconcile with him vacationing for weeks at a time? It doesn’t.
I believe he truly doesn’t understand why people are so put off by all of the vacation time. The rest of us are sweating gas prices, and cutting back on things and Bush is having the time of his life. Jetting here to raise money, jetting there to preach to the choir, boating and biking and fishing and napping. It’s insulting.
August 24th, 2005 at 11:53 amGeez, cut the guy some slack. He said he thinks about the War in Iraq every day, every single day. It’s much easier to do under the clear beige sky of Texas.
August 24th, 2005 at 11:58 amHe’s so busy he had to take “Thinking about bin laden” off his schedule.
August 24th, 2005 at 12:00 pmAnne,
Especially when all that jetting, as well as his salary, is being paid for by you and I.
August 24th, 2005 at 12:01 pmI guess when you’re running from Cindy Sheehan, unleashing your attack dogs, and telling your minions what to think and say, manipulating the press…
YOU’RE NOT ON VACATION.
“LET THEM EAT CAKE”
August 24th, 2005 at 12:08 pmBush taking all of this time off an flaunting it is mcuh the same as the photo-op picture of Kerry wind surfing just before the election.
“Hey look at me, I’m rich and can afford to do things the average American cannot.”
August 24th, 2005 at 12:10 pm#20, I think about the war all day seven days a week too. I think about the LIES that brought us there, I worry when I see the economy falling and gas prices going up daily. Unfortunately, I don’t have people to do my fighting, and I feel
compelled to tell the truth and further I don’t see my family fortune swelling daily at because of the ill advised ILLEGAL war.
See I work and think at LEAST AS MUCH, AND I KNOW I READ MORE than dumbya, but my salary is a little less than his, and I PAY FOR MY OWN INSURANCE!
August 24th, 2005 at 12:12 pmIt’s Hard Work to be gwbush .Its hard work to mt bike and think at the same time,its hard work to rob Americans of their pay,their homes,their Lives,its hard work isn’t it Mr pres.
Its time the Media stop being a Joke and really reported on this man nad those who surround for the sake of our Country.
August 24th, 2005 at 12:12 pmI’d be wary of any announcement of renovation. The last time Bush took the month of August off, the Pentagon and WTC were renovated.
August 24th, 2005 at 12:15 pmI saw an article Tuesday that said the media was held at bay because of this administration’s untarnished reputation of retrobution to anyone that oppsed them.
The article gave examples of Dumbya one and two doing this to save their azzes. They say that is one of Rove’s key duties.
August 24th, 2005 at 12:16 pmI have learned never to expect the truth in Bizarro World. Does anybody really believe that when Georgie is in the White House he does anything more than he’s doing now? This frat boy is ALWAYS on vacation. He’s just so friggin’ happy he got four more years than his daddy.
August 24th, 2005 at 12:53 pm#15 - I got a better plan…
Just go on vacation. Go AWOL from work. When your boss dials in to find out where you are, read from the Dubya script and DENY you are on vacation. You’re operating on a full schedule; you’re just doing it from the ranch/beach house/golf course.
You gotta make sure you run up all expenses on your corporate Amex. And then when you’re boss goes really mental at you for being AWOL for 3 weeks, tell him you got go on vacation from vacation.
And remind him you have a mandate to do all this.
August 24th, 2005 at 1:11 pmHe’s up here in Idaho riding his back around Tamarack Resort and spreading his BS all over the hills. That’s hard work, I guess. Being a wartime president. Cutting brush on the ranch. Bike riding with Lance Armstrong. Making speaches adn appearances for Utah and Idaho politicos in the two of the most Republican states in the union.
What an ass.
August 24th, 2005 at 1:24 pmThat’s it!
This President is AWOL from gonverning his country!!!
He had pleny to practice, I hear. So he’s got just this one thing right. Wow. He’s on a roll.
August 24th, 2005 at 1:25 pmThis President is AWOL from governing his country!!!
August 24th, 2005 at 1:26 pm#31,
So now TWO of Bush’s buddies have tested positive for performance-enhancing substances (Palmero, Armstrong), which leads me to two questions; What will Bush say about Armstrong and why don’t they share with him to enhance HIS performance?
August 24th, 2005 at 1:30 pmHmmm… Bush hangs out with buddies who use steroids. He’s the most physically fit president ever. He’s agressive with the military and political opponents. He refuses to discuss his drug use.
August 24th, 2005 at 1:39 pmMore “Scrappleface” musings on President’s vacation activities:
“An internal White House memo, leaked today, indicates how President George Bush initially planned to address Cindy Sheehan’s question: What ‘noble cause’ did my son die for?
“The draft memo includes suggestions from White House communications staff, followed by several paragraphs apparently handwritten by the president.
“While handwriting experts from CBS News continue to pore over the document to verify its authenticity, here is the text of the president’s alleged response to the grieving Mom whose protest has captured the hearts of America’s journalists.
‘Dear Mrs. Sheehan,
You have asked me to identify the noble cause for which your son died. I have not answered you personally out of respect for the nobility of your son’s sacrifice.
‘Being president forces me into the spotlight, but I would rather stand in the shadows of men like Casey Sheehan.
‘Directing national attention on my response to your protest creates a distraction from what matters. The focus of our attention, and our admiration, should rest on people like Casey Sheehan, who stand in the breach when evil threatens to break out and consume a helpless people.
‘The running story on the news networks should be the valiant efforts of our troops — the merchants of mercy who export freedom and import honor. They trade their own lives for the sake of others.
‘As a result, we live in a nation where a woman can camp outside of the president’s house and verbally attack the president for weeks on end without fear of prison, torture or death. And the number of nations where such protest is possible has multiplied thanks to the work of our military.
‘You ask for what noble cause your son died?
‘In a sense he died so that people like you, who passionately oppose government policies, can freely express that opposition. As you camp in Crawford, you should take off your shoes, for you stand on holy ground. This land was bought with the blood of men like your son.
‘Now, 25 million Iraqis cry out to enjoy the life you take for granted. Most of them will never use their freedom to denigrate the sacrifice of those who paid for it. But once liberty is enshrined in law, they will be free to do so. And when the Iraqis finally escape their incarceration, hope will spread throughout that enslaved region of the world, eventually making us all safer and more free.
‘The key is in the lock of the prison door. Bold men risk everything to turn it.
‘Mrs. Sheehan, everyone dies. But few experience the bittersweet glory of death with a purpose — death that sets people free and produces ripples of liberty hundreds of years into the future.
‘Casey Sheehan died that freedom might triumph over bondage, hope over despair, prosperity over misery. He died restoring justice and mercy. He lived and died to help to destroy the last stubborn vestiges of the Dark Ages.
‘To paraphrase President Lincoln, the world will little note nor long remember what you and I say here. But it can never forget what Casey Sheehan did during his brief turn on earth. If we are wise, we will take increased devotion to that cause for which he gave the last full measure of devotion.
‘Our brave warriors have blazed a trail. They have enstrusted the completion of the task to those of us they left behind. Let’s, you and I, resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain.
‘Let’s finish the work that they have thus far so nobly advanced.
‘Sincerely,
August 24th, 2005 at 2:26 pmGeorge W. Bush’ “
Mrs. Sheehan, everyone dies. But few experience the bittersweet glory of death with a purpose — death that sets people free and produces ripples of liberty hundreds of years into the future.
Eeeeeeeeekkkkk!!! That could have been (maybe was stolen from) written by any suicide bomber. What the &^#%$#!!!!!! Bittersweet glory of death with a purpose???? THERE, that just made my whole case!! He is EXACTLY the same as the “martyrs” for which he has sent us to kill. FREAK!!!! Does he have any idea what he just said?
August 24th, 2005 at 2:36 pmIf anyone claims that DUHbya wrote any part of that without help I will personally call them a liar. And even all of that what did he say that every despotic leader over recorded time has not said. Play ball with me or I will shove the bat up your ass.
August 24th, 2005 at 2:42 pmUh, it’s a fictitious letter. I guess you were behind the door when they passed out the humor genes.
August 24th, 2005 at 2:43 pmBy the way, the form of humor here is satire. In this case the satire cuts both ways. President Bush probably never would write a letter like this, for a number of reasons; and the left doesn’t understand that every word is true.
August 24th, 2005 at 2:46 pm“President” Bush wouldn’t and couldn’t “write a letter like this,” “probably” notwithstanding. He’s too ineloquent to produce it as a serious work, and way too stupid (yes) to be capable of satire.And you can stop wasting your time with that old “the humorless left” canard - when something’s funny, say, when the administration spins itself silly over the meaning over the word “vacation,” my side does indeed laugh.
But ignoring the war? not funny. Nor the “everybody dies” line in the pseudoletter. That this Pygmalion project by the conscienceless Rove should be in any position of power let alone THE most powerful player on the planet - well, that’s just tragic.
I skimmed these comments for just one poster on the right (not correct) side of the equation, and finally came upon the likes of you, Mr. or Ms. Red. Consider yourself among the foolish (though rapidly diminishing) minions who, for reasons I can’t or will never understand, still support the fraud in the WH, the ranch, or wherever the he// he is right now.
August 24th, 2005 at 3:58 pmUmmmm how many days was Clinton getting a b/j supposedly while at work?????????????
August 24th, 2005 at 4:01 pmCan anyone on line check out this work supposedly being done at the WH?
I doubt that it is going on, and even if it is, it should not keep a president from working there.
August 24th, 2005 at 4:22 pmCan anyone on line check out this work supposedly being done at the WH?
I doubt that it is going on, and even if it is, it should not keep a president from working there.
August 24th, 2005 at 4:22 pmEvery word is true for the left. That’s the thing here. Going to war for a noble cause is honorable. We rip on Georgie cuz he lied to us and we are dying because of our president… not because its a noble cause.
August 24th, 2005 at 4:29 pm“Consider yourself among the foolish (though rapidly diminishing) minions who, for reasons I can’t or will never understand, still support the fraud in the WH, the ranch, or wherever the he// he is right now.”
How ’bout I just leave it at being on the winning side in the last two election cycles - and on the right side of history?
August 24th, 2005 at 4:31 pmGoing to war and killing innocent civilians is so macho! We kick ass as a country! Ain’t it great to be able to say we are on the “right” side of history. F*** the rest of the world we have Georgie and he knows best.
August 24th, 2005 at 4:37 pm“Ain’t it great to be able to say we are on the “right†side of history. F*** the rest of the world we have Georgie and he knows best.”
We have you, too, numbnuts, which would not be the case if this was Iraq in 2002, or 2001, or 2000 . . . I can take all the vulgar left wing sarcasm you can dish out, if that’s really how you want to waste your time. But you won’t stand a chance of changing any red state minds until you grow up.
August 24th, 2005 at 4:43 pmPerhaps Bush and company should spend five weeks in Iraq shoulder to shoulder with our troops.
August 24th, 2005 at 4:45 pmI am sure the families of the fallen servicemembers wish that they could take a vacation with them.
August 24th, 2005 at 4:51 pm“Numbnuts”!!!! Sounds like a red guy is getting annoyed. I to believe in war when its for a good couse. We should be in Afghanistan battling the terrorists and catching Osama. But we’re not, are we? We’re in Iraq for what reason? Because they were gonna bomb us, or supply terrorists, or declare war against us? The only person here wasting their time is Mr Red who is typing away on a liberal website. How much more time can you spare us brother? We really want to hear your spin. Why do you think we’re in Iraq then? I’d really like to hear your answer. And please stay away from the all-to-familiar “to defend our freedoms” crap. With that rationale we could invade the world, kill babies cuz they may grow up to hurt us or whatever rhetoric you want. War is never a good answer… and in this case it never should have been an option.
August 24th, 2005 at 4:55 pmIsn’t it red state minds that want to teach creationism and intelligent design? How can you change the mind of ignorance itself?
August 24th, 2005 at 4:58 pmhttp://dahrjamailiraq.com/ weblog/ archives/ dispatches/ 000271.php
Iraq Dispatches
« Tomgram: Dahr Jamail on the Zarqawi Phenomenon | Main
August 05, 2005
“What Have We Done?”
As the blood of US soldiers continues to drain into the hot sands of Iraq over the last several days with at least 27 US soldiers killed and the approval rating for his handling of the debacle in Iraq dropping to an all-time low of 38%, Mr. Bush commented from the comforts of his ranch in Crawford, Texas today, “We will stay the course, we will complete the job in Iraq.â€
Just a two hour drive away in Dallas, at the Veterans for Peace National Convention in Dallas, I’m sitting with a roomful of veterans from the current quagmire.
When asked what he would say to Mr. Bush if he had the chance to speak to him, Abdul Henderson, a corporal in the Marines who served in Iraq from March until May, 2003, took a deep breath and said, “It would be two hits-me hitting him and him hitting the floor. I see this guy in the most prestigious office in the world, and this guy says ‘bring it on.’ A guy who ain’t never been shot at, never seen anyone suffering, saying ‘bring it on?’ He gets to act like a cowboy in a western movie…it’s sickening to me.â€
The other vets with him nod in agreement as he speaks somberly…his anger seething.
One of them, Alex Ryabov, a corporal in an artillery unit which was in Iraq the first three months of the invasion, asked for some time to formulate his response to the same question.
“I don’t think Bush will ever realize how many millions of lives he and his lackeys have ruined on their quest for money, greed and power,†he says, “To take the patriotism of the American people for granted…the fact that people (his administration) are willing to lie and make excuses for you while you continue to kill and maim the youth of America and ruin countless families…and still manage to do so with a smile on your face.â€
Taking a deep breath to steady himself he continues as if addressing Bush first-hand; “You needs to resign, take the billions of dollars you’ve made off the blood and sweat of US service members….all the suffering you’ve caused us, and put those billions of dollars into the VA to take care of the men and women you sent to be slaughtered. Yet all those billions aren’t enough to even try to compensate all the people who have been affected by this.â€
These new additions to Veterans for Peace are actively living the statement of purpose of the organization, having pledged to work with others towards increasing public awareness of the costs of war, to work to restrain their government from intervening, overtly and covertly, in the internal affairs of other nations and to see justice for veterans and victims of war, among other goals.
I type furiously for three hours, trying to keep up with the stories each of the men shared….about the atrocities of what they saw, and committed, while in Iraq.
Camilo Mejia, an army staff sergeant who was sentenced to a year in military prison in May, 2004 for refusing to return to Iraq after being home on leave, talks openly about what he did there:
“What it all comes down to is redemption for what was done there. I was turning ambulances away from going to hospitals, I killed civilians, I tortured guys…and I’m ashamed of that. Once you are there, it has nothing to do with politics…it has to do with you as an individual being there and killing people for no reason. There is no purpose, and now I’m sick at myself for doing these things. I kept telling myself I was there for my buddies. It was a weak reasoning…because I still shut my mouth and did my job.â€
Mejia then spoke candidly about why he refused to return:
“It wasn’t until I came home that I felt it-how wrong it all was and that I was a coward for pushing my principles aside. I’m trying to buy my way back into heaven…and it’s not so much what I did, but what I didn’t do to stop it when I was there. So now it’s a way of trying to undo the evil that we did over there. This is why I’m speaking out, and not going back. This is a painful process and we’re going through it.â€
Camilo Mejia was then quick to point towards the success of his organization and his colleagues. “When I went back to Iraq in October of 2003, the Pentagon said there were 22 AWOL’s. Five months later it was 500, and when I got out of jail that number was 5,000. These are the Pentagons’ numbers for the military. Two things are significant here-the number went from 500-5,000 in 11 months, and these are the numbers from the Pentagon.â€
While the military is falling short of its recruitment goals across the board and the disaster in Iraq spiraling deeper into chaos with each passing day, these are little consolation for these men who have paid the price they’ve had to pay to be at this convention. They continue to pay, but at the same time stand firm in their resolve to bring an end to the occupation of Iraq and to help their fellow soldiers.
Ryabov then begins to tell of his unit firing the wrong artillery rounds which hit 5-10 km from their intended target.
“We have no idea where those rounds fell, or what they hit,†he says quietly while two of the men hold their heads in their hands, “Now we’ve come to these realizations and we’re trying to educate people to save them from going through the same thing.â€
After talking of the use of uranium munitions, of which Ryabov stated 300 tons of which were used in the ’91 Gulf War, and 2,200 tons and counting having been used thus far in the current war, he adds, “We were put in a foreign country and fire artillery and kill people…and it shouldn’t have even happened in the first place. It’s hard to put into words the full tragedy of it-the death and suffering on both sides. I feel a grave injustice has been done and I’m trying to correct it. You do all these things and come back and think, ‘what have we done?’ We just rolled right by an Iraqi man with a gunshot in his thigh and two guys near him waving white flags….he probably bled to death.â€
Harvey Tharp sitting with us served in Kirkuk. His position of being in charge of some reconstruction projects in northern Iraq allowed him to form many close friendships with Iraqis…something that prompts him to ask me to tell more people of the generous culture of the Iraqi people. His friendships apparently brought the war much closer to home for him.
“What I concluded last summer when I was waiting to transfer to NSA was that not only were our reasons for being there lies, but we just weren’t there to help the Iraqis. So in November of ‘04 I told my commander I couldn’t take part in this. I would have been sent into Fallujah, and he was going to order me in to do my job. I also chose not to go back because the dropping of bombs in urban areas like Fallujah are a violation of the laws of warfare because of the near certainty of collateral damage. For me, seeing the full humanity of Iraqis made me realize I couldn’t participate in these operations.â€
Tharp goes on to say that he believes there are still Vietnam vets who think that that was a necessary war and adds, “I think it’s because that keeps the demons at bay for them to believe it is justified…this is their coping mechanism. We, as Americans, have to face the total obvious truth that this was all because of a lie. We are speaking out because we have to speak out. We want to help other vets tell other vets their story…to keep people from drinking themselves to death.â€
When he is asked what he would say to Mr. Bush if he had a few moments with him, he too took some time to think about it, then says, “It is obvious that middle America is starting to turn against this war and to turn against you…for good reason. The only thing I could see that would arrest this inevitable fall that you deserve, is another 9/11 or another war with say, Iran. There are some very credible indications in the media that we are already in pre-war with Iran. What I’m trying to do is find a stand Americans can take against you, but I think people are willing to say ‘don’t you dare do this to us again.’ My message to the American people is this-do you want to go another round with these people? If not-now is the time to say so.â€
The men are using this time to tell more of why they are resisting the illegal occupation, and it’s difficult to ask new questions as they are adding to what one another share.
“I didn’t want to kill another soul for no reason. That’s it,†adds Henderson, “We were firing into small towns….you see people just running, cars going, guys falling off bikes…it was just sad. You just sit there and look through your binos and see things blowing up, and you think, man they have no water, living in the third world, and we’re just bombing them to hell. Blowing up buildings, shrapnel tearing people to shreds.â€
Tharp jumps in and adds, “Most of what we’re talking about is war crimes…war crimes because they are directed by our government for power projection. My easy answer for not going is PTSD…but the deeper moral reason is that I didn’t want to be involved in a crime against humanity.â€
Ryabov then adds, “We were put in a foreign country to fire artillery and kill people…and it shouldn’t have even happened in the first place. It’s hard to put into words the full tragedy of it-the death and suffering on both sides. I feel a grave injustice has been done and I’m trying to correct it. You do all these things and come back and think, what have we done?â€
Michael Hoffman served as a Marine Corps corporal who fought in Tikrit and Baghdad, and has since become a co-founder of Iraq Veterans Against the War.
“Nobody wants to kill another person and think it was because of a lie. Nobody wants to think their service was in vain,†says Hoffman.
His response to what he would say to Mr. Bush is simple, “I would look him straight in the eye and ask him ‘why?’ And I would hold him there and make him answer me. He never has to deal with us one on one. I dare him to talk to any of us like that, one on one, and give us an answer.â€
Hoffman then adds, “What about the 3 year old Iraqi girl who is now an orphan with diseases and nightmares for the rest of her life for what we did? And the people who orchestrated this don’t have to pay anything. How many times are my children going to have to go through this? Our only choice is to fight this to try to stop it from happening again.â€
Earlier this same day Mr. Bush said, “We cannot leave this task half finished, we must take it all the way to the end.â€
However, Charlie Anderson, another Iraq veteran, had strong words for Bush. After discussing how the background radiation in Baghdad is now five times the normal rate-the equivalent of having 3 chest x-rays an hour, he said, “These are not accidents-the DU [Depleted Uraniaum]-it’s important for people to understand this-the use of DU and its effects are by design. These are very carefully engineered and orchestrated incidents.â€
While the entire group nods in agreement and two other soldiers stand up to shake his hand, Anderson says firmly, “You subverted us, you destroyed our lives, you owe us. I want your resignation in my hand in the next five minutes. Get packin’ Georgie.â€
August 24th, 2005 at 4:59 pmIt is so refreshing to see that the majority of americans are coming to their senses. We must march on Sept. 24th all over the country (NY, SEATTLE, LA, etc)to represent the growing disgust for what littlebush has done to the reputation, economy, quality of life, environment, education and military of america. Not to mention the rest of the world.
August 24th, 2005 at 5:06 pm99% of the world agrees with 63% of america.
If you are still in the 37% of americans who continue to blindly support the bush regime, you might want to start thinking for yourselves. Stop drinking the Kool-Aid. The rest of us see through the BS. Why can’t you? This is no longer a partisan issue! This is a matter of life and death. Bush is making us more threatened than ever. He is doing nothing to make us safer!
peace
I agree with what he said.
August 24th, 2005 at 5:09 pmBS thinks we want to change his mind. You came to us, we didn’t come to you.
August 24th, 2005 at 5:16 pmBush is inept and a liar, so, no matter where he spends his days, vacationing or otherwise (in a normal man’s terms), he’s on a perpetual vacation from reality.
August 24th, 2005 at 5:50 pm“Why do you think we’re in Iraq then? I’d really like to hear your answer.”
That’s easy. We are in Iraq because, in 1998, it became the stated policy of the United States to force Saddam Hussein to comply with his international obligations, which he never did; because, in 1998, it became the stated policy of the United States “to remove from power the [Saddam Hussein] regime and promote the emergence of a democratic government to replace that regime;” and because, in October 2002, Congress authorized the President “to use the Armed Forces of the United States as he determines to be necessary and appropriate in order to defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq.”
You could look it up.
All but one Democrat in the House, and all but 12 Democrats in the Senate, voted for the authorizing Joint Resolution. And you don’t authorize a President to send men and women to war, then decide to holler “uncle” when the going gets tough. Once you cast your vote, you do everything you can to make sure the war is successful. That means, among other things, unconditional support for the troops.
You think the current poll numbers are wonderful? They could change in a New York minute. But the nation’s official policy, as stated by Congress, remains the same. So, if you really want to test the strength of those poll numbers, see if you can persuade the congressional Democrats to propose a new Joint Resolution, declaring that it was all a mistake, and we never should have gone after Saddam in the first place. My guess is there isn’t a Democrat on Capitol Hill who would even return your phone call for an idea like that.
August 24th, 2005 at 5:54 pmI am very happy that the president is on vacation. The country deserves the break. Hopefully while he is off he can’t screw anything else up. First our international reputation in the far east, now in S. America, the economy, the war, the enviornment, and his p..s poor energy bill. Just hope the country is strong enought to survive the next 3 years.
August 24th, 2005 at 6:01 pmEvery hard working American deserves a vacation, even the President. His position is very stressful and relaxation is necessary. Do you get a vacation? When you are on vacation, do you bring your work with you? President Bush is working on his vacation. Do you even work for a living or are you sucking up welfare?
August 24th, 2005 at 6:03 pmFirst of all, why do the White House and the press insist on calling Mr. Bush’s Texas home a “ranch?” Has anyone bothered to check the definition of a “ranch?” It is, “a large farm on which a particular crop or kind of animal is raised.”
August 24th, 2005 at 6:15 pmOK. Mister Bush raises no animals, not even horses. Does all of the “brush” he’s so busy clearning qualify as a “crop?” I doubt it.
Let’s start calling this 1,500 acre home what is really is, “an estate.” In fact, it’s a very large estate. Situated not far from the former home of David Koresh and his lunatic followers, it’s more likely a “compound.”
Sure, the White House spinmeisters love the homey, folksy sound of the term “ranch.” But, that doesn’t mean we need to follow their self-serving lead by accepting that term. Let’s face it. It’s a very rich man’s estate where the lord of the manor feels he has the right to go on vacation more than he has the duty to guide this troubled country in the public interest.
I cannot believe all the nasty comments about our President that all you people out there are saying. You should be ashamed off yourselves. LIBERALISM IS A MENTAL DISSORDER!!! . THANK GOD THE FOUNDING FATHERS OF THIS COUNTRY WERE NOT LIBERALS LIKE YOU OR ELSE THERE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN A UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.,DON’T YOU PEOPLE KNOW THAT WITH FREEDOM OF SPEECH COMES A LOT OF RESPONSABILITY, YOU CANNOT JUST LET YOUR MOUTH SPEAK ANYTHING, BUT OF COURSE WHAT IS ON THE INSIDE SHOWS. BY YOUR WORDS YOU WILL BE JUDGED AND BY YOUR ACTIONS!!!YOU WILL LOSE ELECTIONS. THAT IS WHY KERRY LOST.
August 24th, 2005 at 6:16 pmWhy are not Bush’s two Daughters there too? The whole armed service men and women are either there because they joined the Army or Marines because there were no jobs for them at home or they were in the National Guard(of their own choice). What we need is a draft like other wars so that “ALL” would be required to serve. In that way His Daughters and all the college kids including many Congressmen and Senators’s Sons and Daughters would be their serving their country in a senseless war which BUSH got us into.
August 24th, 2005 at 6:19 pmThere is an old saying that no man’s property is safe as long as the legislature in in session. We should hope that Bush and the congress stay on vacation.
August 24th, 2005 at 6:29 pmIts hard to read these comments about the president. Does anyone remember everything that has gone on during his time in office and how he has had to deal with all that. 9/11 and this war. I am sure that people writing their little comments do not have to deal with terrorist threats and things such as that. The president for all he has to deal with deserves time off also. People who dont see that its not just because of the president that this economy is going down. It is because everyone in it, we make this country what it is. But I guess everyone wants a scapegoat for everything and the president is an easy target for that. People in the this country are blinded by so much. We are the country that helps other nations and that is why this country is so great. This country is in this war to protect countries that otherwise cannot help themselves. Military men and women sign up to join the military for that purpose. And in their minds they know what they have to do. President Bush has dealt with so much in the time he has spent in the presidency that I dont think anyone else could ever handle.
August 24th, 2005 at 6:31 pmRove hiding as “Blue State Red”?
August 24th, 2005 at 6:37 pmremodeling of the oval office was the reason they gave for him spending the entire month of august in crawford in 2001
August 24th, 2005 at 6:39 pmForget about the 9/11 attacks as if they never happened. Tell the millions of humans impacted by Sadam’s murders to fin for themselves. It appears that most of the weasles posting here live in a fantasy world and think America is now disliked because of President Bush. The 9/11 attacks were being planned while Bubba Clinton was busy having his schlong smoked in the White House and when we finally get a president with the guts to do something about the wrong and evil in the World they complain when he takes a vacation. Crawford, Texas a vacation? C’mon! Here’s a news flash for you: If you join the Military even in peace time there’s a good chance you might get hurt or even killed. I can’t imagine what horrible shape our country would be in if Edward Kerry would have won the election! You people really need to open your eyes, get off you lazy, welfare dependent butts and take action instead on sitting around pissing and moaning.
August 24th, 2005 at 6:43 pmIt’s amazing so many people actually believe the President, regardless of party, actually takes a vacation.
August 24th, 2005 at 6:45 pmI am not so sure it is “time off” at all….. but rather .. “relaxed time”. Many of you cannot imagine the schedule this man keeps. It is essential that he get some “down time”, (f you can even call it tat)….. Given the flac he recieves, we should be concerned for his sanity.
To you small minded people out their, KMA. Leave our president alone.
Randy
August 24th, 2005 at 6:50 pmWait a second, didn’t President Bush go on vacation right after 9/11? If we just saw the guy doing some work instead of lounging around like a lazy bum, then perhaps there wouldn’t be so many nay-sayers about him.
August 24th, 2005 at 6:58 pmIf Bill Clinton were to read these comments now and comment to the same, I am sure he would confirm the need for President Bush’s much needed refrain from the stress of the White House. It is a given that our President be given time to recharge. Whoever states otherwise is misguided and abusive.
Randy
August 24th, 2005 at 6:59 pmYou are aboslutely right. Everyone in this counrty should be concerned about his sanity. I think he has short term memory loss. Remember the Iraq was was to stop the spread of WMD. OOPS. Then it was to depose Saddam becuase he was connected to Al Qaeda. OOPS wrong again. Then is was to defeat terrorism. OOPS now there are more terrorists in Iraq than when we invaded. Now its to spread freedom and democracy. OOPS that excuse wont work either since the latest draft of the Iraqi “constitution” defines Iraq as an Islamic State. What’s the next excuse? Rumsfelf lost his wallet when he visited Saddam a few years back and Bushie is just helping him look for it since it has gotten so much fatter in the last few years. Im all for supporting troops, but dont support policy that is misguided and devoid of rationality.
August 24th, 2005 at 7:01 pmDo you really think that when President Bush takes a “vacation” that it’s a vacation like you and I would take, laying out in the sun, drinking cocktails, listening to your IPod, laying on the couch watching bad movies? You libs just keep on keeping on with your mindless b.s. Don’t you think the President is just as capable running the country from his house as he is from the White House? I’m sure he’s got a phone, fax machine, computer, t.v., etc…and anything else he needs to do his job. While Slick Willie was running things he was too busy getting head from interns as Bin Laden was planning his destruction. Thanks, Bill. Oh and by the way..hey AOL, are YOU EVER going to say anything positive about President Bush, or are you just as left-wing as the rest of the media?
August 24th, 2005 at 7:04 pmIs there anything positive to say? Try focusing on real issues here. I dont care if Bush is making bad decisions on “vacation” in Texas or in the WH. Either way he is leading us on a path of less security and more danger in our future.
August 24th, 2005 at 7:09 pmI remember right before 9-11-01 when a Statue of Bhudda was blown up by some terrorists in the desert, a foreboding of action to come. Bush was on his ranch.
August 24th, 2005 at 7:09 pmWhy was Bush on his ranch all month, when intellectuals all over the world were warning of the seriousness of the descecration of that piece of art carved into a mesa? Not important enough for W.
Also, why were the press shots always
taken with a shot gun shack in the background, making us look like a 3rd world Country?
kool - The official spinners army - note: the eagle can not fly at all with only a right wing
August 24th, 2005 at 7:11 pmIts amazing that so many people believe the President. I’m amazed he can run a truck. He sure as shooting can’t run a Country, maybe he should just stay on the ranch and spend some much needed time in the outhouse. As long as there are people who believe Bush, this Country is in more trouble than imaginable. Remember, nobody died when Slick Willie lied, although he made many mistakes he makes W look like a real Bushleague player.
August 24th, 2005 at 7:16 pmI think people should start worrying less about the president and his “vacation” and start to worry more about what happens in their own day to day lives. People are dying in a war, guess what, that stuff happens when you are in war. We die, They die, it happens on both ends of the stick. Instead of the American People standing in front of Bush’s ranch in Texas, go to work and worry about driving this dying economy forward, as for the troops who serve this country day in and day out GOD BLESS YOU and YOUR FAMILIES, and for those who have lost their lives defending a super power, may GOD save your soul.
August 24th, 2005 at 7:17 pmWhat do think I am worried about? I am worried that we created another Terrorist training ground, not in some remote mountain range in Afghanistan, but the entire country of Iraq. I am worried that those same terrorists are coming for us. If we had not diverted our attention from Bin Laden for Iraq based on multiple false premises our world and our country would be much safer than it is today.
August 24th, 2005 at 7:23 pmyeah…i would love to be paid to work as the president if all he has to do is go boating and ride horses…do the troops get a vacation? yes. how often? every YEAR or so. How long? a couple weeks!
August 24th, 2005 at 7:32 pmPreisdent Bush should hire someone to clear the brush at his ranch. This would help the economy, by giving someone a job and allow President Bush time to talk to the poor woman outside the ranch that loss her son in Iraq.
August 24th, 2005 at 7:40 pmI find his need to vacation at a time like this very selfish. Of all times? He needs a break? WHY??? Our American people fighting for us in Iraq are fighting for his lame ass as well..for his freedom to vacation for 5 WEEKS!!!!???!! How do you think they feel? I’m sure they’d rather be bike riding with Lance Armstrong rather than dodging bullets. How insulting!!
The fact he feels that he is entitled to take 5 weeks off is disgusting. The average American can’t afford to take more than just a few days off, let alone 5 weeks. My household would crumble..I’d lose my job, my home and God only know’s what else. Westwing remodel my ass. Just admit it Georgie…you bit off more than you can chew running for 2nd term. You should have graciously stepped down and let a better man with morals handle the job you obviously cannot cope with. You absolutely disgust me. Why don’t you send your precious little girls to Iraq? Right…that would happen.
August 24th, 2005 at 7:47 pm“Civil Disobedience” - Henry David Thoreau
The mass of men serve the state thus, not as men mainly, but as machines, with their bodies.
They are the standing army, and the militia, jailors, constables, posse comitatus, etc. In most cases there is no free exercise whatever of the judgment or of the moral sense; but they put themselves on a level with wood and earth and stones; and wooden men can perhaps be manufactured that will serve the purpose as well. Such command no more respect than men of straw or a lump of dirt. They have the same sort of worth only as horses and dogs. Yet such as these even are commonly esteemed good citizens. Others–as most legislators, politicians, lawyers, ministers, and officeholders–serve the state chiefly with their heads; and, as they rarely make any moral distinctions, they are as likely to serve the Devil, without intending it, as God. A very few, as heroes, patriots, martyrs, reformers in the great sense, and men, serve the state with their consciences also, and so necessarily resist it for the most part; and they are commonly treated as enemies by it. — Henry David Thoreau, “Civil Disobedience”
August 24th, 2005 at 7:48 pmPres. J.F.K. did not accept a salery when in office but donated it back I think. A rich man like Bush certainly could at least donate his salery to our troops returning that are wounded and need homes and med prothesis. He appears selfish to me and vacationing while his fellow Americans give even their lives! MARJORIE T. SMITH
August 24th, 2005 at 7:56 pmthe presidnet got us into this war so he should be over there fighting. not in tx having some r and r. what was he thinking?!?!?!?!?! he knows there is a war going on. when bill was having his fun he had it the white house. oh but wait, we wasn’t at war. the president seems to be all was on vacation when there is something major happening. like right after 9-11-01 happened. he was on vacation. he doesn’t care about what is happening to our loved ones over there!!!!! i but if it was his daughters, he wouldn’t be on vacation for a whole month. think about it.
August 24th, 2005 at 7:58 pmIs it REALLY that big a hairy deal to everyone? Seems to me that THOSE are the ones that NEED to get a life!
Get over yourselves! The President is a VERY BUSY man and your sniveling must seriously get on his last nerve.
August 24th, 2005 at 7:58 pmTHIS IDIOT IS PROBABLY TAKING A VACATION BECAUSE HE HEARD THERE WAS GOING TO BE A STRIKE ON WASHINGTON FROM SOME TERRORIST GROUP, AND THE COWARD IS OUT OF TOWN TO SAVE HIS OWN NECK. AND THE HELL WITH THE REST OF AMERICA. HE GETS RICH EVERY DAY THROUGH HIS FAMILIES OIL REFINERIES, WHILE WE PAY HIGH PRICES. OUR PEOPLE ARE DYING IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN WHILE HE VACATIONS. HE IS A SELFISH CHICKEN-SHIT. HE BARELY SERVED THE NATIONAL GUARD. IF HIS GIRLS WERE DRAFTED YOU WOULD SEE HOW FAST THINGS WOULD CHANGE IN IRAQ. I HOPE YOU FOOLS THAT VOTED FOR HIM GO DOWN WITH HIM WHEN HE SINKS OUR COUNTRY INTO DISASTER.
August 24th, 2005 at 8:01 pmExcuse me MEISHA…but when 911 happened Mr. Bush was in a classromm reading to students, not on vacation. What grade are you in? Maybe some HISTORY classes would serve you well before you step onto a public forum.
August 24th, 2005 at 8:02 pm#58 listen up
Bush-maggot went to war based upon lies.. lies that he and his entire 1st Cabinet knew to be lies. And, to help make his lies stick, the intelligece bush provided to the US Congress, was “fixed” so as tohave it “match” the neocon conspiracy of bush-lies.
That single act of decpetion, by all persons involved, was one of high-treason. John Bolton has already been directly implicated in the actual “fixing” of the intelligence.
There was no valid reason to “pre-emptively” attack Iraq, period. The neocons, aka PNAC, are simply going for broke (pun intended).
Bush, however, is clearly in a fix. Our military is not winning in Iraq, and is incapable of sustaining the current ferocity of the war for much longer, much less going to war with Iran (the bush nutace remark of late).
The deception is taking shape elsewhere as well. The Army this past month announced that they had “met recuitment totals”, after failing to do so for nearly 6 months. Sure, then suddenly all is well, and out of the blue the Army met a recuitment quota? Well, you see, what the Army left out, was that their new quota was less than have than the month previous… Keep a close watch on the words of decpetion… they seek to lure our youngsters into joining into this illegal war.
Better yet, make certain your kids know about the bush-chimp’s lies, and that what bush has done are high-crimes. Do not allow your draft-aged children to join, make them aware that this war was contrived on a lie for profit and power and control of oil, and by no means was it legal — keep your children home, safe. Help cut-off the supply of freesh meat for the bush-nazi-butcher.
Think too of how corrupt this bush-admistration is. Think of who Cheney really is, and now laying low –is he also on vacation? Think too to watch the actions and words from GHWB (bush-daddy), for, he is the “dom” of this PNAC conspiracy.
We need to not only call for our troops to be brought back ASAP, we need to focus on demanding the rule of law be applied to the bush-boys — and not by awaiting a corrupted GOP Congress to impeach him (they never will because they are part and parcel to the high-crimes). We need to demand the immediate arrest of bush and his entire 1sr Cabinet for the high-crime of conspriring to commit crimes against hunmanity.
You see, it is NOT necessary to impeach a president and for him to face a “farce of a political trial” in the Senate. Bush can be and should be arrested, flat-out on a FBI criminal warrent, as can ANYONE.
August 24th, 2005 at 8:11 pmDEMAND IT NOW!
http://www.votetoimpeach.org
I continued to be amazed how many morons we have in this country. How do you all define a vacation? The President’s job is 24X7 365 days a year regardless of whether he is Texas, DC or anywhere else. Get a clue!
August 24th, 2005 at 8:15 pmMr. Bill,
AND you were in the MILITARY for how long? WHAT have you done for your country? 2 YRS in the guard is probably MORE than YOU’VE offered up in your lifetime.
Blessed is the nation whose leader is faithful to the Lord.
August 24th, 2005 at 8:16 pmSince you are so emphathetic to that country…why don’t ya move there and experience it. How bout someone BEAT the S*** out of your wife or daughter because their wristbone was exposed. Better yet, take all the books away from your kids and let them run around the streets in raw sewage and no antibiotics to save their lives when they get sick. Try never owning a pair of shoes…and last but not least…stomp all the phones in your possession, cut all electricity from your home and scrounge water on a daily basis and then ask ALLAH to put food on your doorstep each morning.
You are so wrapped up in your own hatred that you disrespect the good that this war has fostered.
“I’ve got a life to liveâ€. Yet, many of the troops he sent off to protect the interests of oil companies… don’t.
August 24th, 2005 at 8:17 pmDid it ever cross any of your minds that in the wireless age everything, including nuclear retaliation, can be done from Crawford? Does it seem funny that most of his staff takes “vacation” with him? Leave it to liberals to criticize someone for NOT being a Washington ellitist.
August 24th, 2005 at 8:18 pmSo this brings up the question, what IS IT that so many American people see in this self centered baffon?
August 24th, 2005 at 8:20 pmfor the sake of the future of this country,the president should stay on vacation for the rest of his term in office
August 24th, 2005 at 8:29 pmMargerie,
Clinton didn’t donate his salary either…I think they called it…ummmm
WHITEWATER. Imagine that.
Did you know that the Clinton’s “leased” the SS space in their mansion while protecting them for 10K a month? Amazingly…that’s exactly what their house payment was.
What the soldiers and the President needs is America’s support. If you want to help send a donation to your States Family Readiness Group. THAT fund is for the soldiers families that are deployed. It may even be tax deductible.
If anyone on this post REALLY wants to support the soldiers as they are claiming…make a donation.
All you have to do is type in your state and family readiness group to get a link to this organization.
EXAMPLE:
(your state) Army National Guard Family Readiness Group
Show your colors, not your arses.
August 24th, 2005 at 8:32 pmHas every one of our soldiers had their month of vacation?
August 24th, 2005 at 8:32 pmDear Ron…Speaking from experience..We soldiers LOVE not paying taxes while we are in country and we spend the s888 out of it when we get home. Some of us even go back two or three times because of the quality of life our family has from all the benefits. Landmines and IED’s are only a technicality.
August 24th, 2005 at 8:38 pmCC1959 - Yes we have. and we flew free on Delta Airlines and were even upgraded before civilians at no additional cost. Anymore bright quips?
August 24th, 2005 at 8:40 pmIf a tree falls in the woods and nobody is around to hear it, does it make a sound?
August 24th, 2005 at 8:45 pmHey 76,
The Taliban blew up the statues during Bill Clinton’s term. Bin Laden planned the attacks during Clinton’s time. I do not for one blame Clinton. The president is there as executive branch of the government. There are three branches the last time I checked. I feel that the blame first lies the the terrorists and their leaders. Then the fault lies with the whoever makes the rules to prevent areas of our government from sharing vital information with each other. Why the beauracracy? Finally, everyone likes to call Bush unintelligent. My question is this: what other President of the United States had a Master’s Degree? How many of us do? I am a doctor and I have two Bachelor’s but no Masters. I feel sad. I remember the day of the attacks and everyone was behind the President. We were shocked and sad. Never in the history of the US had an enemy attacked such a large number of people, especially civilians. These attacks that people now throw at Bush would not have happened then. Also, does anyone remember DDAY? How many Americans were killed in the single day of fighting? What were they there for? To help oppressed people. We could have simply gone to war against Japan, but we didn’t. We went to help the people of Europe. Oh, and on the WMD. If six friends of yours said that some guy in the parking lot had a gun, would you call the police or simply walk to your car?
August 24th, 2005 at 8:48 pmI think people should see our President for the joke that he is turning out to be. He preaches against terrorist activities as well as his conviction to track down and eliminate the threat. This all LOOKS LIKE BULL. If he infact is true to this cause why is Bin Laden still ALIVE. I fear, him and his daddy’s oil interests have interfeared with this cause. President Bush seems to have no concern with the oil price situation, or anything that real people have to deal with everyday. He is too concerned with trying to ruin systems that he will never have to depend on as president, we are obligated to support, and guard him and his family for the rest of their lives no matter what the cost. Why should he care. It’s time to get back to being REAL. President Bush, loose the blank look you have anytime you are asked a question that needs a REAL answer, from a REAL president. If not you should stay on Vacation, This Country needs a (REAL) President either Democrat, or Republican.
August 24th, 2005 at 8:53 pmThe man is everywhere. Federal, State, County, City. They all control what we do. I have 26 years in the US Army and proud of it but I also have feelings and a brain. I sometimes wonder why “the Man” is always a hypocrite. I worked my whole life to develop a recreation park after retirement to get kidds off the street because I had nothing like this when I was a kid. “The man” took my life savings promising that this is what they had to do to get my dream going and shot me out to die with a 40% disability from the war I cannot go to the doctor and every job I go to they turn me away becuase I have a disablility now from the war. This country is who you know and everything I believed in as an amercian soldier about being free is only for the ones that are in the click. We fought only for those who stayed back and reaped the benefits of us fighting. When we camer home we got nothing but a to thank God we were alive. I am now going to lose my new home and truck. I have nothing but a good insurance policy for my family left. I feel that maybe alot of us that were injured in IRAQ should have died there. If it wasn’t for my family I would be on the street right now and Bush is on vacation. But I support him in whatever he does. I still have my honor and my pride of what I am and what I as a normal citizen (Not a government life taker) has. I can die proudly or go to sleep with my heart intact. God bless the soldiers/seamen of america and all the families of the US Armed Forces. Thank you for your time
August 24th, 2005 at 8:54 pmI think Bush is one of the most real presidents we have ever had.
August 24th, 2005 at 8:55 pmIt would have been nice if my husband could have taken a 5 week vacation while home on R&R from Iraq, rather than 15 days.
August 24th, 2005 at 8:57 pmHey Doc (#102)
We stormed the beaches at Normandy because two nations declared war on us. We didn’t do it out of some selfless moral obligation to opressed peoples. We stayed out the fight until Japan gave us no alternative. We fought Germandy because they declared war on us (Axis Treaty) after we declared war on Japan. Besides, I’m sick of you neocons comparing this imoral, illegal, and poorly planned travesty in Iraq to World War II. We won WWII because we had the moral high-ground to prop us up during difficult times. We will not win in Iraq because we immorally invaded a sovereign nation because of petty and prefabricated lies.
August 24th, 2005 at 9:04 pmI think Bush deserves a vacation. The man works 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. He has had a very tough couple of years. I have heard of bigwigs taking longer ones…GIVE THE GUY A BREAK!!! Besides…it is not as if he is ACTUALLY on vacation. He is still running the nation.
August 24th, 2005 at 9:06 pmbaby boy bush deserves nothing
August 24th, 2005 at 9:06 pmAsked if six friends told me someone had a gun in the parking lot I would not call the police or go to my car. I would ask a German or Frenchman!
August 24th, 2005 at 9:08 pmWhat was it W was working on again - I forget - is it still Gannon/Guckett?
August 24th, 2005 at 9:18 pmWhat war? There is no war, on terrorism or otherwise. It’s serves certain interests to keep saying there is. We have a difficult, dangerous peacekeeping effort. But we defeated a tiny, war torn, poverty stricken, third world nation in a matter of months. Now we’re stuck with it. But there is no war. Vietnam was a war.
August 24th, 2005 at 9:27 pmI think that the news agencies need to take a vacation and get a life!! I wonder why the news agencies are not asking the same questions about congress!! Maybe it is because of all the democrats that are on vacation at the same time as the president. How about some objectivity?? Or did you forget that the congress voted for this war!!
August 24th, 2005 at 9:29 pmCongress gave the President the authority to use force in necessary. Bush and his minions decided to go to war.
August 24th, 2005 at 9:34 pmThe president is never on vacation, he is constantly receiving briefings and making governmental decisions. What’s the difference if he does so from the White House or from Crawford.
This is just a case of liberal whining because somehow they want the president to suffer because our troops are in harms way. They hate the president because of his courage and integrity in doing the right thing even in the face of serious opposition. The democrats seem to be the party that says “when the going gets tough, let’s get going, out of town that is”. Rather than fight a difficult fight, they want to run and hide. We can’t afford that in Iraq.
Thank God for America that George W. Bush is our president.
August 24th, 2005 at 9:48 pmI am a die in the wool Democrat. I voted for Gore and Kerry but must side with Bush on this issue. The President is always on duty. Crisis situations come up at anytime and require his immediate attention regardless of where he is. Leave Bush alone on this one. The break might do him some good which in turn may do the country some good.
August 24th, 2005 at 9:51 pmOSAMA BIN LADEN = 9-11-01
Our president should not rest until this man is caught or eliminated.
August 24th, 2005 at 9:53 pmI really don`t think that anyone who is President of this great country,that we all live in and have the freedom to voice our opinions in, ever really is on vacation.Just because he happens to be at his Texas home does not remove him from the forefront of the issues that he must deal with every day during his presidency.
August 24th, 2005 at 9:56 pmI personally support the President and the action taken against Iraq and the war on terror.I have two sons in the military,serving our country and our Commander in Chief proudly.I am very proud of them and the rest of our fine men and women in uniform.I say they are doing a great job and with Americans continued and strong support,through much prayer and asking for the leadership of the holy spirit,we will prevail.”Roll On”,troops!!I salute you!!!!
It’s easy being courageous from the cheap seats. As far as integrity…using our soldier’s blood to fatten halliburton’s wallet, the complete lies and character assassination of John McCain (now there’s courage) in the 2000 elections, kissing Saudi butt after 9/11 to keep his fat-cat Carlyle Group happy, lying to get us into a war, exposing CIA operatives because they wouldn’t tow the company line…yeah, the guy just oozes with integrity. But hey, at least those fags ain’t getting married
August 24th, 2005 at 9:57 pmThe Bush haters are having a field day, but I don’t here anyone clamoring for Congress to get back to work because we are at War. They are responsible for ensuring that supplemental funds needed to equip the troops with the best protection is appropriated and executed. Because so few Americans have served in the military or in conflict only a few know how tough it is to gives orders that may cost some men there lives. No one takes that responsibility lightly, especially President Bush. In the last centurary, technology didn’t allow for Presidents to stray far from Washington. Today, the POTUS has the same Web enabled technology and security that almost any of his quarters can become the Situation Room.
And oh by the way, whether you serve in Iraq or Afaghanistan, or not you still earn 30 days vacation a years in the military. Why should the Commander in Chief of all our military forces not be allowed vacation. Anyone who studies human productivity understands the dynamics a healthy lifestyle, including vacations, has on a person’s mental capabilities.
Give him and yourself a break for a couple of days and you will be suprised at how much sharper you wit is.
August 24th, 2005 at 9:59 pmThis President is a very brave man who is God fearing and more honest than the last one. If you read the comments from all the Bush haters who insult the President with the most vile and outrageous accusations it would not take much to believe that the terrorists are getting great support from the radical left in this country. The Media should be honest and report all the progress and the positive strides that have been accomplished by the combined efforts of the coalition forces and the interim Iraqi government. 9-11 was not our fault but the evil machinations of the terrorists who hate freedom and any type of Democratic society. Common sense seems to have flown out the window and sheer hate driven by the left over the lost elections and the sheer disbelief that most of the voting public did vote for President Bush. Those of us who think past our noses know he is not an idiot or a murdererous chimp as the left prefer to insult him with. Please grow up and think with clarity.
August 24th, 2005 at 10:10 pmI have absolutely no problem with Bush taking a break and recharging his batteries but the guy can’t be so daft to think that the appearance of kicking back at the ranch for five weeks isn’t going to draw som flak, expecially after repeatedly claiming how dedicated he is to following through on his war - no matter the cost.
August 24th, 2005 at 10:12 pmDoes the President get weekends off? No, Not really. Does he get Vacations? No, Not really. How many of you get daily status reports when you are on your vacation? How many of you meet with foreign leaders while on vacation? How many of you have to travel to military bases while on vacation. While he is doing all this ” on vacation”, people complain when he tries to take a bike ride. He is still running the country and nothing is falling apart while he is “on vacation”. After all, I can’t blame him from wanting to get away from the likes of John Kerry and Teddy Kennedy for awhile. Take an extra week on me Mr. President.
August 24th, 2005 at 10:12 pm#53 - Pretty powerful essay and all of it true. It’s about time we as Americans stand up and demand that we get our soldiers home NOW! I am looking forward to the Impeach Bush rally on September 24 and wish I could be there. I hope Bush and his entire “mafia” is impeached and tried in a court of law for treason.
August 24th, 2005 at 10:13 pmWhat a clueless prick.
August 24th, 2005 at 10:14 pmPEOPLE WAKE UP! The man is not fit to run our country unless you want him to run it into the ground!!!!
August 24th, 2005 at 10:20 pmYes it is probably a working vacation, you see since he went to the Whitehouse , Crawford TX has been without a Village Idiot. So, therefore he has to return to Crawford periodically. You could say he is moonlighting.
And another thing, to all you people who are calling us liberals because we are so unhappy with the pResident WAKE UP! Get deprogrammed! Forget what you heard on the media about 911, remember Osama Bin Gone Along time, know the Iraq was a cooked up deal long before our troops (whom I support) were sent there, know that the dissidents came to Iraq after Bush declared the war illegally. Know that not only our troops are dying so are too many innocent Iraqi people. If we are Liberals then THANK GOD because we have not been brainwashed!
August 24th, 2005 at 10:30 pmpesident bush in texas because the west wing is being renovated - does no one else see the humor in this statement? isn’t the west wing a television series?
August 24th, 2005 at 10:32 pmwill the pres be back in the west wing for the start of the new tv season? and if so - will the war still be his top prioroty or will the writers find something new and just as exciting for him to fight for ? stay tuned for the next 13 weeks and see !!
we’ll be right back after this commercial
George Bush is just a man like any other man.There is not a perfect person on this small planet. Hell Aliens really run everything anyway.The only reason where fighting each other is because of religion. And religion as we all know and wont admit is a man made thing anyway.Its all about mind control and who the controller is going to be.Thats it in a nut shell, you dumb poor bastards.OOH Rah and Semper F***in FI.May the God who doesn’t exist Bless you all. Dieing is the easy part. Living is the hard part. Living together is even harder. Do or Die!! Semper FI.
August 24th, 2005 at 10:39 pmGWBush is having orgies daily with the Saudi ambassador, Karl Rove, Dick cheney and a few sheep and cattle. Leave him alone.
A REAL MEMBER OF THE SOCIAL DEMOCARTIC PARTY
August 24th, 2005 at 10:40 pmYou know what I meant.
August 24th, 2005 at 10:42 pmIf being liberal means being opposed to NEEDLESS LOSS OF LIFE, civilian and military; supporting the troops & NOT DUMBYA, objecting to being
lied into war-for-profit,
COLOR ME LIBERAL!
p.s.: REAL CHRISTIANS DON’T CALL FOR ASSISINATIONS!
August 24th, 2005 at 10:42 pmCalling Pat Robertson a real christian is like calling Saddam Hussein a real national threat
August 24th, 2005 at 10:47 pmCan we get an AMEN there for KJ!!!!!!
August 24th, 2005 at 10:49 pmI am not very eloquent but to say the least if I held the position of President of the Unites States I probably would take a vacation every other week. Not a one of us knows what weighs on the mind of the President nor can we. He holds a position that I feel puts him in an untenable situation. I applaud President Bush. He had the guts to take a stand and is sticking with his decision.
August 24th, 2005 at 10:50 pmI pray every day for all of our troops and their safe return although I know that many families will be hurt by the ongoing committment to give the people of Iraq the freedom that we take as a given. I also thank my God my for freedom and to be able to say what ever I feel without having to worry about a knock on my door and being hauled off to jail/prison.
I also would like to see Osama Bin Laden captured or eliminated (even if that is not a very Christian attitude).
Former presidents have taken long vacations and done some pretty dispicable things while holding the highest office in our country. Rebublican or Democrat it doesn’t matter.
Ms. Sheehan you should be gratful to live in our wonderful country and I am truly sorry for your loss. I have also lost loved ones in this conflict but they never waivered in their belief that they were doing what was necessary to keep our way of life safe.
May God keep us all safe from harm. Barbara
Funny thing, all the Liberals who are complaining the most must not be able to read or even work their remotes for the TV. I have been carefully watching this and have noticed an OBVIOUS trend. While on vacation, Bush has not missed a single day of meeting with high ranking officials, some American and some foreign. Every day, the news lists people who met with Bush and why.
Can these liberals be so uneducated that they really don’t consider this to be work if it is n