The Emperor has no clothes.
More indignation from the families of soldiers in
Iraq...a story from the NY Daily News, distributed by
Knight Ridder and posted on the web site of the South
Mississippi Sun Herald...
Kenneth Bazinet, NY Daily News: Charles Celestin, 28,
of Coral Springs, Fla., and Irving Medina's
brother-in-law, blasted the commander in chief's
remarks. "To be poking fun; it's just a travesty to
the soldiers who lost their lives. I think it's
disrespectful," he said.
Support Our Troops, Show Up for Democracy in 2004:
Defeat Bush (again!)
http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/politics/8278162.htm
Posted on Thu, Mar. 25, 2004
Families of soldiers not amused by Bush's comedy routine
BY KENNETH R. BAZINET
New York Daily News
WASHINGTON - (KRT) - President Bush got some laughs at
a Washington dinner when he spoofed the failure to
find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, but some
family members of dead G.I.s said Thursday there was
nothing funny about it.
"Those weapons of mass destruction have to be here
somewhere," Bush joshed as he narrated a slide show of
him looking behind furniture, as if hunting for the
weapons of mass destruction.
"Nope, no weapons over there. Maybe under here," Bush
joked Wednesday night at the annual dinner of
Washington radio and TV correspondents, an event where
Presidents typically poke fun at the press and
themselves.
George Medina, 43, of Orange County, who lost a son in
Iraq, heard about Bush's remarks when his outraged
daughter, an Army sergeant, called him Thursday. "She
was very upset," Medina said.
"This is disgraceful," Medina continued. "He doesn't
think of all the families that are suffering. It's
unbelievable, how this guy tries to run the country."
His 22-year-old son, Spec. Irving Medina, died Nov. 14
in Baghdad when an explosive device struck his convoy.
Charles Celestin, 28, of Coral Springs, Fla., and
Irving Medina's brother-in-law, blasted the commander
in chief's remarks. "To be poking fun; it's just a
travesty to the soldiers who lost their lives. I think
it's disrespectful," he said.
The camp of Democratic presidential candidate John
Kerry last night fired off a statement from Iraq war
veteran Brad Owens, who said he was "insulted" by the
President's comments.
"No weapons of mass destruction have been found and
that is no joke - this is for real. This cheapens the
sacrifice that American soldiers and their families
are dealing with every single day," said Owens, who
served in the Army Reserve.
The dinner performance put the President on the
defensive for the second time this week. The Bush
campaign was already dealing with fallout from
testimony by former presidential aide Richard Clarke,
who has claimed in a new book that Bush and his
cabinet were looking for reasons to attack Iraq within
hours of the 9/11 terror attack despite being told
Saddam Hussein was not linked to it.
The President's dinner act also bombed with Rep.
Jerrold Nadler (D-Manhattan), who called it "out of
line and in poor taste."
"It's disgusting that during his little performance on
stage, the President seemed to forget that people are
dying in Iraq because of weapons of mass destruction
he lied about," Nadler said.
Asked whether the comment was appropriate, Defense
Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said he was not at the
dinner and so could not comment.
White House spokeswoman Claire Buchan noted that Bush
ended his remarks at the dinner with a very serious
tribute to U.S. forces serving in Iraq, but "was
poking fun at himself" with the comments about weapons
of mass destruction.
"Anyone who has followed the President's views on this
knows how seriously he takes this issue," Buchan said.
---
© 2004, New York Daily News.
Visit the Daily News online at
"http://www.nydailynews.com/"
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information
Services.