...to the point where the latest Pew poll says that only 2% of you want to hear more about terrorism during this election cycle than anything else. Given that, why don't I go out and talk about it some more and bring the debate to you.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/08/21/bush/index.html

Quote :

"Bush: Leaving Iraq now would be a 'disaster' War 'straining the psyche of our country,' he says WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Citing Iraq as a key example of U.S. resolve in "a global war" on terror, President Bush said Monday there would be no quick U.S. exit despite the strain of the war on American society. "If we ever give up the desire to help people who want to live in a free society, we will have lost our soul as a nation," Bush said. In a Washington news conference, the president tied Iraq to the war in Lebanon and Iran's nuclear ambitions as instances where the United States and the world must make strong stands in the global struggle against terrorism. And he said the war must be fought in Washington, too, criticizing a federal judge's ruling last week to stop the National Security Agency's domestic eavesdropping program, which was instituted after the 9/11 attacks. "Those who heralded the decision not to give law enforcement the tools necessary to protect the American people just simply don't see the world the way we do," Bush said. (Full story) "They see maybe these kind of isolated incidents. These aren't isolated incidents; they're tied together. There is a global war going on," he said. "These are challenging times and they're difficult times. And they're straining the psyche of our country." But defeat in Iraq is unacceptable, Bush said, because of the physical and psychological boosts it would give to terrorists. "A failed Iraq in the heart of the Middle East will provide safe haven for terrorists and extremists. It will embolden those who are trying to thwart the ambitions of reformers. "In this case, it would give the terrorists and extremists an additional tool besides safe haven, and that is revenues from oil sales," the president said. "Leaving before the job is done would be a disaster," he said. Bush: Hezbollah must not re-arm Keeping with his call for the world to stand up against terrorists, Bush said there must be an effective international force in Lebanon to ensure Hezbollah doesn't re-arm and "wreak havoc in the region." "The international community must now designate the leadership of this new international force and give it robust rules of engagement and deploy it as soon as possible to secure the peace," Bush said. Besides helping organize an international force, Bush said U.S. efforts in Lebanon include getting food and energy aid to residents and aiding in rebuilding homes and schools damaged or destroyed in the 34 days of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas. Bush also announced aid to help Israeli civilians recover from Hezbollah rocket strikes. But most important is that the U.N. have the troops and the mandate to make sure southern Lebanon is not a safe haven for Hezbollah. "You can't have a democracy with ... an armed political party willing to bomb its neighbor without the consent of its government," Bush said of Lebanon. About 3,000 Lebanese troops and a handful of international troops -- the first in a force of 15,000 -- have moved into southern Lebanon to ensure Hezbollah does not launch rockets into Israel. Bush cited Iranian support for Hezbollah, which the U.S. considers a terrorist organization, as one example of why Iran cannot be permitted to have nuclear weapons capability. 'Iran is obviously part of the problem' "Iran is obviously part of the problem," Bush said. "They sponsor Hezbollah. They encourage a radical brand of Islam. Imagine how difficult this issue would be if Iran had a nuclear weapon. "So therefore it's up to the international community including the United States to work in concert for effective diplomacy. And that begins at the United Nations Security Council," Bush said. The Bush administration reiterated Monday that Iran must adhere to a August 31 deadlines to halt uranium enrichment or face U.N. sanctions. Earlier Monday, Iranian state television reported that the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Tehran will continue to pursue nuclear technology and not give in to "arrogant powers and the U.S." (Full story) Monday's news conference was Bush's first in Washington since June, but he also had a news conference in Chicago July 7. Meanwhile, new poll numbers Monday give Bush a bit of a boost. Forty-two percent of respondents in the Opinion Research Corporation poll released Monday approve of the way Bush is doing his job, up from 40 percent in an early August poll but still within the poll's 3 percent margin of error. "

...Karl Rove's sleeping at the wheel, or rope-a-doping the GOP for McCain in '08 (my only other guess at this point). Anyway, it's obviously strained the psyche of the country. Know why? They don't see how to stop a runaway freight train...

Ready, set, flame!

[Edited on August 21, 2006 at 3:50 PM. Reason : ...]

8/21/2006 3:48:12 PM

George Bush doesnt care about crazy people.

8/21/2006 3:49:41 PM

meh

8/21/2006 3:49:53 PM

^^ Some would suggest that those are the only people he cares about.



And I'd suggest that if our psyche is strained, it has a lot more to do with a constant stream of this shit:

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/08/is_tomorrow_doo.html

Quote :

"Is Tomorrow Doomsday? hile no extra safeguards are in place, U.S. law enforcement are not ignoring the possible significance of tomorrow's date, August 22, a date that marks an important historic event on the Islamic calendar. Internet websites have been full of speculation that it could be a target date for terrorists in commemoration of the return of the 12th imam, a supposed day of reckoning for Shiites. August 22 was rumored by intelligence experts to be a possible date that the London plotters would blow-up passenger planes headed towards the United States, though it is not known if the suspects were Shiite extremists. This year, August 22 marks the holy day on the Islamic calendar that is the day of reckoning for Shiites. Some Shiite sects believe that August 22 could correspond to the end of the world. And just today, after much hype, Iran has announced that it will continue to develop its nuclear program. To followers of Iranian President Ahmadinejad, this is a well-timed affront to Israel, the United States and the world. The United Nations had given Iran until the end of the month to respond, but Ahmadinejad had made it clear to all Iranians and the world that he intended to respond on the eve of August 22. Whether or not this announcement is the end of Ahmadinejad's plans for August 22, one expert says we will have to wait and watch. "The only thing we can know is that the date was not chosen by accident," said Robert Spencer, Director of Jihadwatch.org and an adjunct fellow at the Free Congress Foundation, a conservative think tank. "It does seem very likely, very probable, that he has something major in mind, whether only a major announcement or a major attack, we will soon see.""

[Edited on August 21, 2006 at 3:54 PM. Reason : ...]

8/21/2006 3:51:16 PM

its about iraq, lebanon, and iran

i would call it more of a foreign policy statement than a discussion of terrorism

now you can all take turns calling me a neocon war monger

8/21/2006 3:54:04 PM

Did you miss where he implied I don't have a soul? Or at best, don't care about the collective one of my countrymen?

It's pretty black and white:

Quote :

""If we ever give up the desire to help people who want to live in a free society, we will have lost our soul as a nation," Bush said."

I mean, holy crap. I either have to desire to help people who want to live in a free society AS A PERMANENT MATTER OF POLICY AT THIS LEVEL OF PRIORITY AND URGENCY OR GREATER DESPITE ALL COSTS ECONOMIC AND OTHERWISE, or risk letting my nation lose its collective soul.

[Edited on August 21, 2006 at 3:57 PM. Reason : ...]

8/21/2006 3:54:49 PM

i'm curious as to what will happen tomorrow as well.

nuke test? more bullshit? stay tuned...

^Gamecat doesnt care about brown people.

[Edited on August 21, 2006 at 3:56 PM. Reason : .]

8/21/2006 3:56:01 PM

Nope. Because there are two kinds of people in the world. Those who live their lives subjugated by such dichotomies, and those who spit in the faces of the others.

8/21/2006 3:58:51 PM

gamecat, i see what you're saying, but the fact is that i still don't understand how come everytime you come around my london london bridge wanna go down

8/21/2006 3:59:20 PM

Quote :

"But defeat in Iraq is unacceptable, Bush said, because of the physical and psychological boosts it would give to terrorists."

i couldn't agree more....which is why we shouldn't over extend our army and vastly underestimate the enemy. gg bush, way to set us up for an inevitable failure.

8/21/2006 3:59:32 PM

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/08/21/iran.inspectors.ap/index.html

HEEEER WE GOOOO!


On the inside, this all makes me cry. Oy vey.

8/21/2006 4:04:15 PM

Another clear example of Bush mistaking geography.

8/21/2006 4:11:58 PM

damn dude, tomorrow is gonna suck

8/21/2006 4:32:33 PM

doesnt bush pretty much always say we need to not give up on the iraq war, removing troops would be a mistake, we are at war, etc? so hasnt this thread been made about 1,000 times

8/21/2006 4:34:19 PM

it'll prolly be made 1,000 more......we'll have plenty of time to discuss.

8/21/2006 4:39:14 PM

just making sure we're on the same page with how repetetive the topics are in the soap box, and also that we all realize that nobody is gonna change their minds, or they probably would've in the first 1,000 threads

8/21/2006 4:40:44 PM

Quote :

"Besides helping organize an international force, Bush said U.S. efforts in Lebanon include getting food and energy aid to residents and aiding in rebuilding homes and schools damaged or destroyed in the 34 days of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas. "

I can't wait to see our US peacekeepers rebuilding homes and schools in southern Lebanon, right alongside all of the Hezbollah members doing the exact same thing.

8/21/2006 4:53:04 PM

It'll sure breed some interesting conversations. Conversations which I'm sure would baffle most people on this board.

---

Oh, here comes Kerry with a right:

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Kerry_fires_back_Bush_problem_not_0821.html

Quote :

"Kerry fires back: Bush the problem, not 'America's psyche' In a statement released almost immediately after President Bush's statement that the war in Iraq "strained America's psyche," Senator John Kerry (D-MA) blasted the remark, RAW STORY has learned. "President Bush is profoundly wrong about Iraq," Kerry said in a statement this morning, "and profoundly wrong about the American people." The senator went on to characterize the President's policies in Iraq as an "unmitigated disaster." "The American psyche isn’t the problem," Kerry contended. "The problem is this Administration’s disastrous Iraq policy. Kerry continued: "Our military has been strained by the Rumsfeld policy of going to war with too few troops, sending troops into battle with inadequate body armor, and overextending the National Guard. Faith in this Administration has been strained by exaggerations and miscalculations from the promise of 'mission accomplished' to Vice President Cheney’s declaration of an insurgency 'in its last throes.' Patience is strained because almost five years later, Osama Bin Laden is still on the loose, and gone is the promise of 'wanted dead or alive.' The Administration’s credibility is strained because the President’s mantra that 'U.S. troops will stand down as Iraqis stand up' is another misleading myth, and 'stay the course' is a recipe for disaster when the course is broken. Budgets are strained by record deficits, while critical needs, from homeland security to Katrina rebuilding go unaddressed while each week we spend two billion dollars in Iraq. ..."

[Edited on August 21, 2006 at 6:17 PM. Reason : ...]

8/21/2006 5:57:10 PM

8/21/2006 6:17:31 PM

From the president's remarks today:

Quote :

"Now, look, I -- part of the reason we went into Iraq: was -- the main reason we went into Iraq: at the time was we thought he had weapons of mass destruction. It turns out he didn't, but he had the capacity to make weapons of mass destruction."

Quote :

"QUESTION: What did Iraq: have to do with that? BUSH: What did Iraq: have to do with what? QUESTION: The attack on the World Trade Center. BUSH: Nothing, except for it's part of -- and nobody's ever suggested in this administration that Saddam Hussein ordered the attack. Iraq: was a -- Iraq: -- the lesson of September the 11th is take threats before they fully materialize, Ken. Nobody's ever suggested that the attacks of September the 11th were ordered by Iraq."

Quote :

"BUSH: "We’re not leaving so long as I’m the president.""

Full transcript (source be damned) available here:

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Bush_calls_Lebanon_aid_troops_0821.html

8/21/2006 6:26:37 PM

whether you like it or no, we are in iraq for the long haul, to bring these people out of this age of terror. too bad youre too set on complaining and swaying people away from wanting to help people.

liberals shoot down everything that will help people (ending terrorism through dominating force) in the name of "helping people (stopping the war on terror)"

8/21/2006 7:27:16 PM

everything that will help people = ending terrorism through dominating force

Is such single-mindedness a badge of honor where you come from?

8/21/2006 7:32:22 PM

Quote :

"liberals shoot down everything that will help people (ending terrorism through dominating force) in the name of "helping people (stopping the war on terror)""

Wasn't dominating force the reason that terrorism started?

8/21/2006 7:48:32 PM

I wish we could have dominating force in areas that would actually hurt terrorism.

8/21/2006 7:52:34 PM

Some [insert adjective here] words from Bush:

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/08/21/bush.political/index.html

Bush: Democrats wrong on Iraq

Quote :

"WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The attitude of many Democrats on Iraq -- a quick pullout of U.S. troops -- shows a lack of understanding of world politics and increases the threat of attacks in the United States, President Bush said Monday. With the midterm congressional election just over two months away, the Republican president said while he doesn't question the patriotism of his Democratic opponents, he strongly disagrees with their opinions on Iraq. "There are a lot of people in the Democratic Party who believe that the best course of action is to leave Iraq before the job is done. Period. And they're wrong," Bush said at a Washington news conference. "I will never question the patriotism of somebody who disagrees with me," Bush said. "This has nothing to do with patriotism. It has everything to do with understanding the world in which we live." Leaving Iraq before a stable democracy is established increases the risk of a domestic attack, Bush said. "I repeat what our ... our leading general said in the region. He said: 'If we withdraw before the job is done, the enemy will follow us here.' I strongly agree with that," the president said. Bush criticized political opponents who applauded a federal judge's ruling last week blocking the National Security Agency's domestic eavesdropping program. The program continues while the administration appeals the ruling. "Those who heralded the decision not to give law enforcement the tools necessary to protect the American people just simply don't see the world the way we do," he said. And he chided political opponents for not sharing his vision of how domestic security should be ensured. "They say, on the one hand, you can't have the tools necessary and herald the fact that you won't have the tools necessary to defend the people and, sure enough, attack would occur, and [they'd] say, 'How come you don't have the tools necessary to defend the people?' " Voters expect politicians to cooperate in Washington, something he hasn't seen in his time in the Oval Office, Bush said. "People expect us to come here to solve problems. And thus far, the attitude has been: Let's just kind of ignore what the president has said and just hope somebody else comes and solves it for us," he said. The president said if he were running now, he would focus on the economy and national security issues. "I'd be telling people that the Democrats will raise your taxes. That's what they said. I'd be reminding people that tax cuts have worked in terms of stimulating the economy," Bush said. Bush said the Iraq war has helped improve national security by showing the U.S. is committed to fighting the lack of hope and the resentment that breed terrorism. And the best way to give people hope is by establishing democracy, he said. "You don't succeed by leaving before the mission is complete, like some in this political process are suggesting," he said. "

8/21/2006 8:05:10 PM

I wish we could have dominating force

8/21/2006 8:08:17 PM

peace can only be gained through overwhelming force. not some peace accord or cease-fire.

8/21/2006 8:12:13 PM

Spouting axioms are so fun when you don't have to support their assumptions!

8/21/2006 8:28:47 PM

the only people who like me are the ones I kicked the shit out of.

8/21/2006 8:55:41 PM

Quote :

"Randy: peace can only be gained through overwhelming force."

as evidenced by the peace in...

8/22/2006 3:07:34 PM

Japan

8/22/2006 3:24:59 PM

which caused overwhelming force to be needed in order to defend us from Stalin...

8/22/2006 3:26:50 PM

Quote :

"If we ever give up the desire to help people who want to live in a free society, we will have lost our soul as a nation," Bush said."

what about the war on illegal immigrants that want to come live in our free society

8/22/2006 3:27:51 PM

or drugs

or poverty

or any number of political expedient topics

8/22/2006 3:30:06 PM

nah, Bush loves guest workers

8/22/2006 3:31:06 PM

looks like the john kerry quote further up the page got about as much response from TWW as the rest of the country who doesnt care what Kerry has to say

8/22/2006 3:32:46 PM