EMBARGOED TEXT: Bush’s Prime Time Speech on Iraq
EMBARGOED TEXT: Bush’s Prime Time Speech on Iraq
[Ed note: We'll start respecting embargoes when they start telling the truth.]
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
________________________________________________________________
EMBARGOED UNTIL DELIVERY December 18, 2005
ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT TO THE NATION
As Prepared for Delivery
Good evening. Three days ago, in large numbers, Iraqis went to the polls to choose their own leaders – a landmark day in the history of liberty. In coming weeks, the ballots will be counted … a new government formed … and a people who suffered in tyranny for so long will become full members of the free world.
This election will not mean the end of violence. But it is the beginning of something new: constitutional democracy at the heart of the Middle East. And this vote – 6,000 miles away, in a vital region of the world – means that America has an ally of growing strength in the fight against terror.
All who had a part in this achievement – Iraqis, Americans, and Coalition partners – can be proud. Yet our work is not done. There is more testing and sacrifice before us. I know many Americans have questions about the cost and direction of this war. So tonight I want to talk to you about how far we have come in Iraq, and the path that lies ahead.
From this office, nearly three years ago, I announced the start of military operations in Iraq. Our Coalition confronted a regime that defied United Nations Security Council Resolutions … violated a cease-fire agreement … sponsored terrorism … and possessed, we believed, weapons of mass destruction. After the swift fall of Baghdad, we found mass graves filled by a dictator … we found some capacity to restart programs to produce weapons of mass destruction … but we did not find those weapons.
It is true that Saddam Hussein had a history of pursuing and using weapons of mass destruction. It is true that he systematically concealed those programs, and blocked the work of UN weapons inspectors. It is true that many nations believed that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. But much of the intelligence turned out to be wrong. And as your President, I am responsible for the decision to go into Iraq.
Yet it was right to remove Saddam Hussein from power. He was given an ultimatum – and he made his choice for war. And the result of that war was to rid the world of a murderous dictator who menaced his people, invaded his neighbors, and declared America to be his enemy. Saddam Hussein, captured and jailed, is still the same raging tyrant – only now without a throne. His power to harm a single man, woman, or child is gone forever. And the world is better for it.
Since the removal of Saddam, this war – like other wars in our history – has been difficult. The mission of American troops in urban raids and desert patrols – fighting Saddam loyalists and foreign terrorists – has brought danger and suffering and loss. This loss has caused sorrow for our whole Nation – and it has led some to ask if we are creating more problems than we are solving.
That is an important question, and the answer depends on your view of the war on terror. If you think the terrorists would become peaceful if only America would stop provoking them, then it might make sense to leave them alone.
This is not the threat I see. I see a global terrorist movement that exploits Islam in the service of radical political aims – a vision in which books are burned, and women are oppressed, and all dissent is crushed. Terrorist operatives conduct their campaign of murder with a set of declared and specific goals – to de-moralize free nations … to drive us out of the Middle East … to spread an empire of fear across that region … and to wage a perpetual war against America and our friends. These terrorists view the world as a giant battlefield – and they seek to attack us wherever they can. This has attracted al Qaida to Iraq, where they are attempting to frighten and intimidate America into a policy of retreat.
The terrorists do not merely object to American actions in Iraq and elsewhere – they object to our deepest values and our way of life. And if we were not fighting them in Iraq … in Afghanistan … in Southeast Asia … and in other places, the terrorists would not be peaceful citizens – they would be on the offense, and headed our way.
September 11th, 2001 required us to take every emerging threat to our country seriously, and it shattered the illusion that terrorists attack us only after we provoke them. On that day, we were not in Iraq … we were not in Afghanistan … but the terrorists attacked us anyway – and killed nearly 3,000 men, women, and children in our own country. My conviction comes down to this: We do not create terrorism by fighting the terrorists. We invite terrorism by ignoring them. And we will defeat the terrorists by capturing and killing them abroad … removing their safe havens … and strengthening new allies like Iraq and Afghanistan in the fight we share.
This work has been especially difficult in Iraq – more difficult than we expected. Reconstruction efforts and the training of Iraqi Security Forces started more slowly than we hoped. We continue to see violence and suffering, caused by an enemy that is determined and brutal – unconstrained by conscience or the rules of war.
Some look at the challenges in Iraq, and conclude that the war is lost, and not worth another dime or another day. I don’t believe that. Our military commanders do not believe that. Our troops in the field, who bear the burden and make the sacrifice, do not believe that America has lost. And not even the terrorists believe it. We know from their own communications that they feel a tightening noose – and fear the rise of a democratic Iraq.
The terrorists will continue to have the coward’s power to plant roadside bombs and recruit suicide bombers. And you will continue to see the grim results on the evening news. This proves that the war is difficult – it does not mean that we are losing. Behind the images of chaos that terrorists create for the cameras, we are making steady gains with a clear objective in view.
America, our Coalition, and Iraqi leaders are working toward the same goal – a democratic Iraq that can defend itself … that will never again be a safe haven for terrorists … and that will serve as a model of freedom for the Middle East.
We have put in place a strategy to achieve this goal – a strategy I have been discussing in detail over the last few weeks. This plan has three critical elements.
First, our Coalition will remain on the offense – finding and clearing out the enemy … transferring control of more territory to Iraqi units … and building up the Iraqi Security Forces so they can increasingly lead the fight. At this time last year, there were only a handful of Iraqi army and police battalions ready for combat. Now, there are more than 125 Iraqi combat battalions fighting the enemy … more than 50 are taking the lead … and we have transferred more than a dozen military bases to Iraqi control.
Second, we are helping the Iraqi government establish the institutions of a unified and lasting democracy, in which all of Iraq’s peoples are included and represented. Here also, the news is encouraging. Three days ago, more than 10 million Iraqis went to the polls – including many Sunni Iraqis who had boycotted national elections last January. Iraqis of every background are recognizing that democracy is the future of the country they love – and they want their voices heard. One Iraqi, after dipping his finger in the purple ink as he cast his ballot, stuck his finger in the air and said: “This is a thorn in the eyes of the terrorists.†Another voter was asked, “Are you Sunni or Shia?†He responded, “I am Iraqi.â€
Third, after a number of setbacks, our Coalition is moving forward with a reconstruction plan to revive Iraq’s economy and infrastructure – and to give Iraqis confidence that a free life will be a better life. Today in Iraq, seven in 10 Iraqis say their lives are going well – and nearly two-thirds expect things to improve even more in the year ahead. Despite the violence, Iraqis are optimistic – and that optimism is justified.
In all three aspects of our strategy – security, democracy, and reconstruction – we have learned from our experiences, and fixed what has not worked. We will continue to listen to honest criticism, and make every change that will help us complete the mission. Yet there is a difference between honest critics who recognize what is wrong, and defeatists who refuse to see that anything is right.
Defeatism may have its partisan uses, but it is not justified by the facts. For every scene of destruction in Iraq, there are more scenes of rebuilding and hope. For every life lost, there are countless more lives reclaimed. And for every terrorist working to stop freedom in Iraq, there are many more Iraqis and Americans working to defeat them. My fellow citizens: Not only can we win the war in Iraq – we are winning the war in Iraq.
It is also important for every American to understand the consequences of pulling out of Iraq before our work is done. We would abandon our Iraqi friends – and signal to the world that America cannot be trusted to keep its word. We would undermine the morale of our troops – by betraying the cause for which they have sacrificed. We would cause tyrants in the Middle East to laugh at our failed resolve, and tighten their repressive grip. We would hand Iraq over to enemies who have pledged to attack us – and the global terrorist movement would be emboldened and more dangerous than ever before. To retreat before victory would be an act of recklessness and dishonor … and I will not allow it.
We are approaching a New Year, and there are certain things all Americans can expect to see. We will see more sacrifice – from our military … their families … and the Iraqi people. We will see a concerted effort to improve Iraqi police forces and fight corruption. We will see the Iraqi military gaining strength and confidence, and the democratic process moving forward. As these achievements come, it should require fewer American troops to accomplish our mission. I will make decisions on troop levels based on the progress we see on the ground and the advice of our military leaders – not based on artificial timetables set by politicians in Washington. Our forces in Iraq are on the road to victory – and that is the road that will take them home.
In the months ahead, all Americans will have a part in the success of this war. Members of Congress will need to provide resources for our military. Our men and women in uniform, who have done so much already, will continue their brave and urgent work. And tonight, I ask all of you listening to carefully consider the stakes of this war … to realize how far we have come and the good we are doing … and to have patience in this difficult, noble, and necessary cause.
I also want to speak to those of you who did not support my decision to send troops to Iraq: I have heard your disagreement, and I know how deeply it is felt. Yet now there are only two options before our country – victory or defeat. And the need for victory is larger than any president or political party, because the security of our people is in the balance. I do not expect you to support everything I do, but tonight I have a request: Do not give in to despair, and do not give up on this fight for freedom.
Americans can expect some things of me as well. My most solemn responsibility is to protect our Nation, and that requires me to make some tough decisions. I see the consequences of those decisions when I meet wounded servicemen and women who cannot leave their hospital beds, but summon the strength to look me in the eye and say they would do it all over again. I see the consequences when I talk to parents who miss a child so much – but tell me he loved being a soldier … he believed in his mission … and Mr. President, finish the job.
I know that some of my decisions have led to terrible loss – and not one of those decisions has been taken lightly. I know this war is controversial – yet being your President requires doing what I believe is right and accepting the consequences. And I have never been more certain that America’s actions in Iraq are essential to the security of our citizens, and will lay the foundation of peace for our children and grandchildren.
Next week, Americans will gather to celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah. Many families will be praying for loved ones spending this season far from home – in Iraq, Afghanistan, or other dangerous places. Our Nation joins in those prayers. We pray for the safety and strength of our troops. We trust, with them, in a love that conquers all fear, and a light that reaches the darkest corners of the Earth. And we remember the words of the Christmas carol, written during the Civil War: “God is not dead, nor [does] He sleep; the Wrong shall fail, the Right prevail, with peace on Earth, good-will to men.â€
Thank you, and good night.
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I wonder when he will break down and tell us the TRUTH about the war: That it was a horrible mistake that has created more terrorists than it has stopped. Probablly never. He doesn’t have the courage to tell the truth.
December 18th, 2005 at 8:41 pmIn the words of Dennis Kucinich, “Stop the spying and lying.”
December 18th, 2005 at 8:43 pmThese are the words of a man who has lost the faith and trust of the American public. He tries to show his understanding for those who oppose him and his sympathy for the families of those who have died, and for the severely wounded, but his words are hollow. This week has been a massive p.r. effort on his part, but after 5 years of deceit and cover-ups, this is too little, too late. It will take far more than a speech to turn around public opinion.
December 18th, 2005 at 8:51 pmI guess George just doesn’t get it. Predictably he raises the specter of 9-11 and then mentions Afghanistan and Iraq, saying we did nothing against them. He just doesn’t get it. Osama Ben Laden, the man who masterminded the 9-11 attacks wanted us out of Saudi Arabia, and was only hiding out in Afghanistan. His dealings with Iraq were non-existent.
Again, we have a leader who is either stupid, or duplicitous or worst of all both.
God save America.
December 18th, 2005 at 8:59 pmYou’ve got to be kidding me. For this I don’t get Family Guy.
December 18th, 2005 at 9:00 pmnow there are only two options before our country – victory or defeat
Yeah, okay. And it’s either snowing or not snowing in Vermont.
December 18th, 2005 at 9:00 pmshhh…..dubya’s talkin….I’m tryin to listen…
wait..I’ve heard this one before.
Must be a rerun. :|
December 18th, 2005 at 9:02 pm[...] the speech transcript so you don’t have to watch it. Permalink| [...]
December 18th, 2005 at 9:03 pmSo many more illegal wire taps to approve, so little time!!
December 18th, 2005 at 9:03 pmDesperation. Sheer, undiluted desperation. First, he tries to bury his admission that he committed surveillance felonies. Now, he tries to spin the chaos in Iraq a fourth time, hoping that it will set the stage for a pre-holiday week news cycle. It won’t.
Anyone else get the feeling that Karl Rove’s a tad distracted these days?
Thanks to Think Progress for posting the “embargated’ text so I can spend my 9 PM EST hour listening to music on my early Christmahannukwanzicah gift: a new SACD player now ready to flood my home theater with U2, Bob Dylan and Riccardo Chailly’s mammoth late Mahler Symphonies *eat your heart out, Leonard Bernstein).
December 18th, 2005 at 9:03 pmBlah. I was hoping tonight’s speech would include the phrase, “Therefore, I shall resign the Presidency effective at noon tomorrow.”
But it’s just more of the same old “stay the wrong course” stuff. Oh well.
December 18th, 2005 at 9:03 pmThese are the words of a man who wants to be king…all too similar to a fairy tale.
“Some of you may die, but that is a sacrifice I am willing to make.”
Lord Farquaw
Bush as Farquaw loads in :60
December 18th, 2005 at 9:04 pmIs he done yet?
December 18th, 2005 at 9:04 pmHas he ever made a speech about the war without evoking 9/11? Jesus Christ.
December 18th, 2005 at 9:04 pmI’m missing family guy !
December 18th, 2005 at 9:05 pm[...] Bush tonight: Reconstruction efforts and the training of Iraqi Security Forces started more slowly than we hoped. … At this time last year, there were only a handful of Iraqi army and police battalions ready for combat. [...]
December 18th, 2005 at 9:05 pm911 911 911….good night and god bless
December 18th, 2005 at 9:05 pmWeapons inspectors were in Iraq. How did Saddam make a choice? He said that he didn’t have WMD and he was right. I always enjoy Republicans that can do no wrong. Either way they’re going in. Bush reading the teleprompter reminds me of “Ron Burgundy- The Anchorman.” I would crap my pants of if Bush said. “Go F- yourself USA. Good night.”
December 18th, 2005 at 9:05 pmTautological Rerun
Bush’s primetime speech (via Atrios)I also want to speak to those of you who did not support my decision to send troops to Iraq: I have heard your disagreement, and I know how deeply it is felt. Yet now there
December 18th, 2005 at 9:06 pmMy conviction…”iI am GOD” GWB
December 18th, 2005 at 9:06 pmI see he’s wearing that same, Gestapo Black suitcoat he wore the night he announced the invasion.
December 18th, 2005 at 9:06 pmWhat a loser. Historians are going to treat GWB as one of the worst presidents ever. I don’t mind some Republicans, but I hate incompetency.
December 18th, 2005 at 9:08 pmHeavily medicated for sure!
December 18th, 2005 at 9:08 pmYeah, opposers of the war don’t want to spend another dime, another day. What is he forgetting? …? Oh right! Another Life! I’m pretty sure some people are against wasting lives. How come he dind’t say that?
December 18th, 2005 at 9:09 pmNever again be a safe haven for terroists???
Daaaddddddd, he’s doing it again!!!
December 18th, 2005 at 9:09 pm[...] Bush tonight: If you think the terrorists would become peaceful if only America would stop provoking them, then it might make sense to leave them alone. [...]
December 18th, 2005 at 9:10 pmHe visits soldiers in the hospital? Without cameras?
December 18th, 2005 at 9:10 pmUhh, one question.
When’s he gonna start going after the terrorists?
December 18th, 2005 at 9:11 pmIt never ceases to amaze me just how willingly he continues to insult our intelligence. I watche the Power of Nightmares last night and felt a chill when I heard him start talking about how the terrorists are using fear to engage in perpetual war. What is it that he is doing, then?
December 18th, 2005 at 9:12 pm“I see a global terrorist movement that exploits Islam in the service of radical political aims – a vision in which books are burned, and women are oppressed, and all dissent is crushed.”
his lack of irony is appalling.
December 18th, 2005 at 9:12 pmDecember 18th, 2005 at 9:12 pm
See above – What a joke.
December 18th, 2005 at 9:12 pmFunny having a guy with an IQ of 60 thinking he’s fooling anyone. I guess when a guy has no credibility he’s can always arn some deference by asking crazy.`
December 18th, 2005 at 9:14 pmOn that day, we were not in Iraq … we were not in Afghanistan … but the terrorists attacked us anyway – and killed nearly 3,000 men, women, and children in our own country.
But wait… weren’t you in Saudi Arabia? Wasn’t THAT the point of 9/11? Uh duh…
December 18th, 2005 at 9:15 pmsorry, – earn some deference by acting crazy.
December 18th, 2005 at 9:15 pm“We will see more sacrifice – from our military … their families … and the Iraqi people.”
Replace the word “sacrifice” with “deaths,” ‘cos that’s what he really means.
December 18th, 2005 at 9:16 pmSame old BS. Saddam was given an ultimatum to which he refused to respond! He was ordered to disarm. As we found out later, he was already disarmed. Remember that the rationale for war was to disarm Iraq. It was only after the embarrassing discovery that no threatening weapons could be found that the war’s rationale began to metomorphose into those abstract realms of bringing democracy and “freedom” to the Iraqi people as the real purpose.
What a joke. Liberty at gunpoint. Mao would have had a real laugh. It is so pathetic that Americans either buy this crap or look the other way. Bush – and all his immediate supporters – are war criminals.
This is the beginning of the end for American democracy. Thank goodness I’m old and will not live to see the real horror that is in store.
December 18th, 2005 at 9:16 pm[...] Text of Bush’s speech. For every life lost, there are countless more lives reclaimed. And for every terrorist working to stop freedom in Iraq, there are many more Iraqis and Americans working to defeat them. My fellow citizens: Not only can we win the war in Iraq – we are winning the war in Iraq. [...]
December 18th, 2005 at 9:17 pmI don’t understand why it was OK for us to start the war on an artificial timetable set by politicians in Washington, but not to end it.
These are the words of a drowning man.
December 18th, 2005 at 9:18 pmGood things happening in Iraq? Ok, I suppose you could say that.
Let me put it like this Mr. President.
If you were to cut off my leg, well that would be a bad thing for me.
Now, as I am laying there, bleeding to death, if you were to toss me a tourniquet then yea, I guess I could call it a good thing.
December 18th, 2005 at 9:18 pmThat was a terrific speech by a great man.
–
December 18th, 2005 at 9:20 pmThe tourniquet that is.
But if I had mee druthers, I would rather you did not cut off my leg in the first place.
December 18th, 2005 at 9:20 pmSo how many Dems are still running on Bush’s coat tails?
Mike Doyle (DEM-PA-18) comes to mind. He’s ours (Pgh). Anyone else got a Dem to primary?
December 18th, 2005 at 9:21 pmAnd as your President, I am responsible for the decision to go into Iraq.
While I don’t disagree that that is what actually happened, I do wonder when Congress is going to reassert it’s power. They’re the ones that are supposed to declare war.
Anyway, thanks very much for the early post. I managed to avoid having to listen to this bumbling idiot’s voice, and that, I do truly appreciate.
December 18th, 2005 at 9:23 pmin person or on paper, it is still straw. delusional
December 18th, 2005 at 9:26 pmmore nonsense from someone surrounded by people that could be criminals
we can’t judge him by his companions can we?
no, the answer is no.
[...] President Bush claimed tonight that a redeployment of U.S. forces out of Iraq would undermine their morale: It is also important for every American to understand the consequences of pulling out of Iraq before our work is done. … We would undermine the morale of our troops – by betraying the cause for which they have sacrificed. [...]
December 18th, 2005 at 9:31 pmThat was 2 speaches like Tim Russert just said.
On the one hand, admitting culpability in underestimating the wars difficulty, and on the other hand, saying if your not on board your a traitor, or defeatist as he called it.
Hmmmmm….lets, see, he’s admitting he got everything wrong going in, and now he’s asking me to believe him about everything on getting out……hmmmmmm…..what to do……
December 18th, 2005 at 9:32 pmLol, MSNBC, Kelly O’donnell, listen to the background
December 18th, 2005 at 9:33 pmAnyone else hear that?
Someone’s outside of the White House, shouting for Bush to resign.
December 18th, 2005 at 9:34 pm[...] Think Progress » EMBARGOED TEXT: Bush’s Prime Time Speech on Iraq [...]
December 18th, 2005 at 9:34 pmSounds like Ryan LoL
December 18th, 2005 at 9:34 pmThere are no shades of gray, only black and white. And the one who claims to wear the white hat . . . Oy.
December 18th, 2005 at 9:34 pmI think it would help if he just wasn’t so insulting in his stubbornness. He clearly has no idea what we’re thinking and doesn’t care to know.
But at least he’s ready to start “accepting the consequences” of his failed policies.
December 18th, 2005 at 9:37 pmThat speech just gets better every time he gives it!
Kudos to NBC for not hacking off the front end of “Christmas Vacation” just so Mandrake the President could try, once again, to hypnotize all of America into believing there’s an upside to this tragedy.
December 18th, 2005 at 9:38 pmI really hope some of you can realize from what perspective the President is talking from…a realist one. I realize the flames are coming, but oh well…I think y’all already have your minds set forth against the White House.
1.) If Bush resigns, Cheney goes in…is he gonna resign too? Get real people, he won’t resign, and no one wants Cheney anways.
2.) HE HAS TO MENTION 9/11!! If this is a war on terror to him, then he has to connect it to something physical, duh…pr or not, its just what to expect. Get over it, even if you lost someone in the towers.
3.) About the no cameras when he visits the soldiers, maybe he doesn’t want the pr and is truly concerned for them, to get feedback? Limited yes, but oh well…best he can get firsthand, besides going to Iraq. Now, if he DID use cameras, then y’all would be yelling about him using the soldiers to further his gains on television. It’s a no-win situation.
4.) Of course they had to have a timetable to invade, or else we’d be unprepared. Leaving on a timetable and entering are two different things. If a timetable was set, then if something was delayed or the terrorists could see where we would build up, then the psychoogical cost would be high for us. However, by saying there is no pullout date, Bush IS sending the message of being there for the long-haul in Iraq to the terrorists. Yet troops should be pulling out gradually and more bases turned over to Iraqi forces so the people are not blowing themselves up over nationalism, rather than fundamentalism. Plus, it says that America is not into imperialism.
Just a bit of a rant, I don’t always agree with Bush, but y’all need to open your minds, and see both sides, not just spout off whatever comes to mind. Then again, I don’t expect to really see an intelligent debate online…
December 18th, 2005 at 9:38 pma new government formed … and a people who suffered in tyranny for so long will become full members of the free world
All right! We have won the war!
The troops can come home now! Good job Bushie!
December 18th, 2005 at 9:40 pm[...] Bush has repeatedly claimed that “as Iraqis stand up, we will stand down.†Tonight he said: At this time last year, there were only a handful of Iraqi army and police battalions ready for combat. Now, there are more than 125 Iraqi combat battalions fighting the enemy … more than 50 are taking the lead … and we have transferred more than a dozen military bases to Iraqi control. [...]
December 18th, 2005 at 9:41 pmMr. Bush, have we captured Osama bin Laden yet? Wasn’t that the point of invading Afghanistan?
December 18th, 2005 at 9:42 pmHis first duty is not to the nation, but the Constitution:
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
He doesn’t mention this at all.
December 18th, 2005 at 9:45 pm[...] In reading the presiden’ts speech tonight, it is clear that Bush still doesn’t understand the nature of the battlefield. He now recognizes that this is a worldwide battle against Islamic fundamentalism, but he still doesn’t understand that the battlefield is “more than half in the media” (to quote Zawahiri, who may know something about the nature of the battle. Because he doesn’t understand the nature of the battlefield, he wastes communication time fighting old media battles. For example, he covers for the one millionth time the nature of Saddam Hussein’s WMD, but the press has moved on. It is not focused on “spying on Americans” to quote the Washington’s Post’s new spin. The President cannot win a media war as long as he fails to address the current topic that the media is focused on. He continues to be a day late and a dollar short, addressing the topics after the press has moved on, coming up with new charges, new spinds, and new slant. [...]
December 18th, 2005 at 9:48 pmI especially like the way Bush suddenly has a great deal of respect for the world’s opinion of us? When did that happen? Oh, I guess when it suits the speech.
I’m sure he wanted to speak to what Colin Powell said but just ran out of time. You know if you are being entrusted with the management of the entire USA, and you bring up plans and planning, well we may have a question or two:
Asked about post-war planning for Iraq, Gen Powell said his state department staff drew up detailed plans, but they were discarded by Mr Rumsfeld’s defence department, which was backed by the White House.
“Mr Rumsfeld and I had some serious discussions, of a not pleasant kind, about the use of individuals who could bring expertise to the issue. And it ultimately went into the White House, and the rest is well known.”
December 18th, 2005 at 9:48 pmIt is time for Impeachment
December 18th, 2005 at 9:56 pmHe is so out to lunch is not even funny
HE still is emboldened but small crack are showing.
I’d respect him a whole lot more if he’d just say “To those who disagree with my decisions, f*ck you.” Because we know that’s what he meant.
December 18th, 2005 at 10:01 pmNational: Response to the President’s Address
“As your president, I am responsible for the decision to go into Iraq.”
So said President Bush tonight, in a rare prime-time address from the Oval Office, making the case for staying the course in Iraq.
Read the rest within.
…
December 18th, 2005 at 10:16 pmCongratulations on breaking the embargo. Why should anyone follow the rules when he won’t even follow the Constitution?
December 18th, 2005 at 10:25 pmbush is disingenuous when he says the U.S. didn’t provoke the 9/11 attacks, that we weren’t in Iraq then, we weren’t in Afghanistan then. He does not mention that we WERE in Saudi Arabia, and that is the reason Bin Laden gave for attacking us, and most of the 9/11 terrorists were Saudis. bush is not telling the whole truth.
December 18th, 2005 at 10:25 pm” and signal to the world that America cannot be trusted to keep its word.” GWB
HUH !!!???? He can’t be trusted to tell the damn truth !!!! This jerk has caused too much trouble and grief in this world.
December 18th, 2005 at 10:27 pm[...] And now Bush goes on TV to tell us — yet again — that we’re winning the war in Iraq, that we have to stay the course, and that anyone who disagrees with him must be a “defeatist” with a partisan agenda. How interesting — he’s managed to turn Iraq into a breeding ground for terrorists and the majority of US citizens into pacifists. And in his attempt to bring freedom and democracy to Iraq, he’s destroying both at home. [...]
December 18th, 2005 at 10:33 pmWhy are the troops still in Iraq?
O-I-L
Just so that Halliburton and the oil employees there who get paid more than our troops can use the military for anything but to protect our country.
December 18th, 2005 at 10:37 pmI laughed. I cried. It became a part of me. That’s why I’m still crying.
December 18th, 2005 at 10:40 pmLitus-
We at this board are not dumb. We know that Bush and Cheney have to be impeached at the same time. Cheney, of course, for his behind the scenes activity with the Oil Gods and his constant doomsday attitude.
Whenever he wants to increase his numbers at the polls, he always uses 9/11 to his advantage. In other words, he uses
one of the most darkest days in American history to gain personal advantage. Tragedy works. It’s like that line from Don Henley’s “Dirty Laundry,” “The bubble-headed blonde is at five. She can tell you about the plane crash with a gleam in her eye. It’s interesting when people die. Give us Dirty Laundry.”
You may be right about the PR ploy for him visiting the troops, but if they could at least show him spending an hour or two with them, at least, he could show smoe backbone. Princess Diana spends hours at hopices for AIDS patients, even in Harlem, and Dubya can’t even show that
he cares, if he really does.
Also, if the Iraqis are ready, why is Dubya and his cronies reluctant to pull out our troops and send them to either the Gulf Coast or back home safely? When are they going to have a timetable. Timetables have worked for decades in terms of military planning. And we have the only President who doesn’t know what a timetable is. His idea of a timetable is probably a table shaped like a clock.
The President a realist? I think not.
December 18th, 2005 at 10:49 pmSenator Lieberman would bow to this speech. Maybe look for a kiss behind the ear.
December 18th, 2005 at 11:12 pm“A landmark day in the history of liberty.”
Hey Bubble boy, define liberty.
December 18th, 2005 at 11:20 pmSOMEONE TAKE HIM DOWN BEFORE HE DESTROYS THE WORLD!!! THIS SPEECH IS CHILLING: HITLER HAS BEEN REBORN!!!
December 18th, 2005 at 11:23 pmMy first thought was, he lied in every word
That hoary cripple, with malicious eye
Askance to watch the working of his lie
On mine, and mouth scarce able to afford
Suppression of the glee that pursed and scored
Its edge, at one more victim gained thereby.
Robert Browning
December 18th, 2005 at 11:37 pmChilde Roland to the Dark Tower Came
“I realize the flames are coming, but oh well…I think y’all already have your minds set forth against the White House.”
No, litus, the deal is that we all have minds, unlike the sort of troll who accuses his readers of having closed minds before even making his points.
December 18th, 2005 at 11:48 pmTWO OPTIONS:
IMPEACH OR ASSASSINATE
(Hat-tip to Ann Coulter)
December 18th, 2005 at 11:55 pmBush is the kinda guy that starts a fart and instead of excusing himself makes a mess and it’s okay.
December 19th, 2005 at 12:33 amPresident George W. Bush’s speech was/is the ravings of a lunatic on prozac!
Commenter 74 above: I am afraid that Hitler has been reborn,
December 19th, 2005 at 12:47 amand our Congress is out-to-lunch, so expect the worst!
Doesn’t this seem like the speech of a WEAK leader? He’s having to complain about people not following him. What a loser.
December 19th, 2005 at 1:01 amWe are approaching a New Year, and there are certain things all Americans can expect to see.
*Awaiting projections of good news…*
We will see more sacrifice – from our military … their families … and the Iraqi people.
*…crestfallen*
Americans can expect some things of me as well.
True, but all these unmet expectations of you probably influences your tanking in the polls.
December 19th, 2005 at 1:31 am[...] They preempted Family Guy for this? Remember when we had a preznit who held actual press conferences and addressed the nation only on issues of actual importance rather than political campaign ploys or blatant efforts to boost his miserable approval ratings? [...]
December 19th, 2005 at 1:57 amThat born again demagogue. Stares out at ‘Merka with aw-shucks deception. One unfamiliar with recent history would not believe that we were watching one of the most vicious killers of our time. Hundreds of thousands murdered, including our own. Orwellian twisted words slide from his mouth: Oppression is freedom. War is peace. Death is life. Defeat is victory. He must be deposed by the opposition with all due speed so to stanch the slaughter. Who will be the last trooper to die in ‘Rack? — for absolutely nothing.
December 19th, 2005 at 2:19 amDont worry about the approval ratings…they wont be going up much. Today’s CIFA article in WaPo piles on yet more fuel for the domestic spying fires…it may get very hot, because this article points to domestic military involvement.
The odd thing is that Monkeyboy’s ravings may actually cause an increase in genuine prayer…the foxhole kind of prayer… prayers of desperation. Tonight we could not fail to see that the United States is being led by a self righteous band of evil men and women, who have chosen an idiot as their front man. Few things could be more frightening.
December 19th, 2005 at 2:32 amHowever, here is one tiny bright note for my fellow progressives! Members of my family, who had totally bought into the Republican myth-takes of the past 30 years, have finally started to realize that they have been duped…tonight was not a night for me to tell them “See! this is what I have been trying to tell you, congratulations, you have finally ‘got it!”… no tonight, I just let them open another Bud and let them silently sit and ponder….Nope, I’m not going to worry about Bushboy’s accumulated Brownie Points.
“After the swift fall of Baghdad, we found mass graves filled by a dictator…” So why not try Saddam on these charges? Don’t all those dead deserve justice? Or are they just PR pawns to be forgotten as soon as the words are spoken. Is there anything he says that is true?
December 19th, 2005 at 5:46 amGod he makes me sick.
December 19th, 2005 at 6:52 am[...] [...]
December 19th, 2005 at 7:48 amThere is not on thing Bush can do without getting sh** on by liberals.
If he gives into liberal/democratic wishes and pulls out all the troops today; he’d get crap about not finishing the war, not being a good leader, not being able to defeat the terrorists, That clearly he lied about everything in the intelligence and he got caught (IMPEACH HIM!!!!)and that’s be the battle cry for 2008 for democrats. There’d be infinite parallels to Vietnam and how “the U.S.; the greatest nation in the world with billions of dollars” got beat by undefended “freedom fighters.” All the Liberals would complain that we went to war for nothing…and the insults would continue
If (and when) he stays in Iraq, we’ll continue down this course of him being called a liar. He’ll be compared to Saddam and Hitler and people like Michael Moore will cash in people’s willingness to believe anything bad about Bush. Bush is sooooo stupid….stupid enough to get elected President…and stupid enough to win the electoral college TWICE!!!
Everyone said Bush should have just admitted that there were no WMDs, that he should just admit that intelligence was wrong and moves forward. Well he did admit he was wrong…and now he’s being called a liar, a murderer and compared to people like Hitler… There is nothing he can do that doesn’t get trashed by the (liberal media).
December 19th, 2005 at 8:58 amI am very concerned about a few things:
There seem to be no concrete plans for how to pull out of Iraq, if the USA just suddenly pulls out, it will be more of a blood bath than it is now.
Afghanistan is still a mess, the Taliban is back and no one seems very concerned about that.
There is no viable alternative to Bush and his administration for the USA to fall back on when Bush is gone from office, everyone seems to be pro or anti, but that is the extent of it.
So far it appears that none of the illegal wiretapping or anything else that was achieved through the president’s trampling on civil rights and due process has made a difference to “war on terror.”
I feel less safe in the USA now than I did the months immediately after 911.
December 19th, 2005 at 1:40 pmThis speech makes Bush, and therefore the USA as well, look weak. A bull in a china shop is still a force to be reckoned with, a tranquilized bull slowly spinning in circles trying to avoid the broken shards of china and glass is not.
Everyone contact your Representative in Congress and demand that they start impeachment procedings on Bush and Cheney!
Bush is spying on everybody now > next are the Gulags!
December 19th, 2005 at 2:28 pmAhhh.. How soon we forget that CLINTON did the SAME thing in 1994, Regan in 1981…Oh and lets not leave Pontious Jimbo Carter out in 1979. Wire taps w/o court orders happen ALL THE TIME. You people are amazing. So what if they Impeach him.. They Impeached Clinton & He finished his term. WAKE UP. I guess this is what i get for stumbling into the “Think” & Bitch About “Progress” Forum for RETARDS.
December 21st, 2005 at 11:38 amRetards? These criminal bastards are going down! I am an American who has never communicated overseas, and I live in the same town that I have since I was two. (I was born in the city next to my town and lived there for my first two years) They stole my email and keystrokes and files from my locked office in my personal home and then used them for their speeches and policies(some verbatim)!! They distributed some intellectual property of mine to ExxonMobil, GE, and most automakers (energy, engine, and aerodynamics inventions). These companies have actually changed their advertisements and repeated one of my emails on national television! I reported it to my Bush Appointed State US Attorney who did not call back, but by the following week, he was in my city with the Governor and AG. Federal AG Gonzales started slandering me like there was no tomorrow. A week after this Gonzo changed his tune to Civil Liberties Protection and Intellectual Property. VA license plates and G-men have surrounded me for nearly six months. And after the NSA report, it has tightened severely.
Pathetic overtrusting morons are praising the shitheads who cause a tidal wave of criminality, who know that the backlash should be coming, and then stand on the ocean floor wondering why the tide is pulling out. False words and “National Security” coverup won’t save them. The Tsunami is coming!!!
If you call me a liberal because your lying cheating douchebag Party robbed me, then please go stand on the beach with these braintrusts, perhaps your God will save you all!! Take a look at Bush Texas Rangers private property taking and unearned profit received via political position abuse which resulted in a lawsuit after he had made his money and left. Look at the Bush family and banking. Look at the Bush family and oil. Look at that family and war. Have you ever heard of the “oil-military complex?” Have you ever heard of “abuse of power?” Have you ever heard “power corrupts?” Listen to Eisenhower’s words, he was a heck of a bigger man than the sum of this entire Republican regime could ever be…
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