More evidence of the increasingly unhinged and
incredibly shrinking _resident's weakness...You will
not hear it on the major network news organization
coverage of the RNC...
Tucker Carlson in Esquire: "... The attacks initially made me sorry I voted for him. For most of that day, as my wife and children stayed inside our house listening to the roar of fighter jets overhead, and black smoke from the Pentagon hovered above our neighborhood, Bush failed to return to Washington. My family sat unprotected a few miles from the scene of a terrorist attack; Bush hid in a bunker on some faraway military base.
"It infuriated me, as did the subsequent excuses from
White House spokesman. There was a risk in coming
back, they said. There was a risk in coming back, they
said. Of course there was. That's the point: Leaders
must take risks, sometimes physical ones. Bush should
have elbowed his Secret Service detail out of the way
and returned in a display of fearlessness to his
nation's capital. I found it distressingly revealing
that he didn't.
So did I. It was one of my earliest thoughts that
fateful day. Say what you will about Giuliani, and
most of what I would say is bad. But Rudi showed the
type of leadership Bush only wishes he could muster."
More evidence of the Mega-Mogadishu that the neo-con
wet dream of this Three Stooges Reich has resulted
in...You will not hear it on NotBeSeen (NBC) or
AnythingButSee (ABC)or SeeNotNews (CBS) tonight...
Seattle Post-Intelligencer Editorial Board: A band of
wounded Oregon National Guard soldiers stuck at Fort
Lewis offers a small yet outrageous measure of the
Bush administration's insufficient preparation for the
war in Iraq.
Among the 49 Oregon guardsmen at Fort Lewis are a few
who need specialized care for severe injuries, but
many of them are stuck there, unable to return to
their homes, for no better reason than bureaucratic
snafu.
Because the military failed to anticipate the large
number of wounded soldiers returning from combat in
Iraq and Afghanistan, convalescing troops languished
for months at Fort Lewis simply because the Army
lacked a protocol to let them go home to get better,
Col. Douglas Eliason, the Oregon Guard's chief medical
officer, told The Associated Press. One of the wounded
soldiers said that other than medical appointments
about twice a week, he has no other military duties,
yet hasn't been allowed to go home. The pattern
apparently is being repeated at military medical
facilities across the country.
"Nobody really anticipated we would have a demand like
this," Eliason said.
More evidence that HELP IS ON THE WAY...You will not
hear these sound bytes from the American Legion Hall
in Nashville on the air waves...You will not get to
gauge for yourself the response of the audience...
Mary Dalrymple, Associated Press: John Kerry said
Wednesday that terrorists have gained new havens and
"extremism has gained momentum" in Iraq because
President Bush has mishandled virtually every step of
the war.
"Our differences could not be plainer, and I have set
them out consistently," the Democratic presidential
candidate told veterans at the American Legion
national convention. "When it comes to Iraq, it's not
that I would have done one thing differently, I would
have done everything differently."
"Today, terrorists have secured havens in Iraq that
were not there before, and we have been forced to
reach accommodation with those who have repeatedly
attacked our troops," he said. "Violence has spread in
Iraq, Iran has expanded its influence, and extremism
has gained momentum."
Kerry ticked off a list of what he sees as Bush's
missteps and mistakes in Iraq and Afghanistan -- and
included a reminder that the terrorist leader
implicated in the Sept. 11 attacks, Osama bin Laden,
remains at large. "I would have sent the best trained forces in the world to get the No. 1 criminal in the world," he said.
Kerry also said he would have given inspectors more
time to search for nuclear, biological and chemical
weapons in Iraq, listened to the advice of senior
military and diplomatic advisers, sent American troops
to battle with better equipment and asked more foreign
nations to shoulder the military and financial burden.
Cleanse the White House of the Chicken Hawk Coup and
Its War-Profiteering Cronies, Show Up for Democracy in
2004: Defeat Bush (again!)
http://www.progressivetrail.org/articles/040831Kos.shtml?mail=01
Bush's 9/11 Cowardice
by Kos
published by Daily Kos
Bush's 9/11 Cowardice
So what does it mean when Tucker Carlson and Andrew
Sullivan both declare they can't vote for Bush in
November? That they're whores? That they're reading
the tea leaves and don't want to get stuck on the
wrong side of history? That they're tools and hacks
and don't matter?
Perhaps. But they do have their own sphere of
relevance, and frankly, every right-wing pundit that
turns away from Bush is a victory for us. And the
latest Esquire magazine, in addition to running Ron
Reagan's anti-Bush screed, also treats us to Carlson
and Sullivan declaring their disappointment in the
failed Bush presidency.
Carlson, in particular, is brutal on Bush, taking him
to task for his cowardice on 9-11 (no free online
version):
"... The attacks initially made me sorry I voted for
him. For most of that day, as my wife and children
stayed inside our house listening to the roar of
fighter jets overhead, and black smoke from the
Pentagon hovered above our neighborhood, Bush failed
to return to Washington. My family sat unprotected a
few miles from the scene of a terrorist attack; Bush
hid in a bunker on some faraway military base.
"It infuriated me, as did the subsequent excuses from
White House spokesman. There was a risk in coming
back, they said. There was a risk in coming back, they
said. Of course there was. That's the point: Leaders
must take risks, sometimes physical ones. Bush should
have elbowed his Secret Service detail out of the way
and returned in a display of fearlessness to his
nation's capital. I found it distressingly revealing
that he didn't.
So did I. It was one of my earliest thoughts that
fateful day. Say what you will about Giuliani, and
most of what I would say is bad. But Rudi showed the
type of leadership Bush only wishes he could muster."
What's worse, Rove knew how bad Bush's cowardice
looked, so much the same way they handle any obstacle
they face, they lied. Rove claimed they had received
credible threats against Air Force One, a ludicrous
assertion that was proven false days later. But in the
chaos of the moment, both Bush's palpable fear and the
lies used to cover it up were lost.
But as Carlson says, the incident was revealing. Just
as Kerry's heroism half a world away is revealing.
There's a reason the Swift Boat Liars are going after
the story so hard. Kerry turned his boat into the
danger he faced. Bush ran to Nebraska and cowered in
fear.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/188721_hurtvetsed.html
Help wounded get home
A band of wounded Oregon National Guard soldiers stuck
at Fort Lewis offers a small yet outrageous measure of
the Bush administration's insufficient preparation for
the war in Iraq.
Among the 49 Oregon guardsmen at Fort Lewis are a few
who need specialized care for severe injuries, but
many of them are stuck there, unable to return to
their homes, for no better reason than bureaucratic
snafu.
Because the military failed to anticipate the large
number of wounded soldiers returning from combat in
Iraq and Afghanistan, convalescing troops languished
for months at Fort Lewis simply because the Army
lacked a protocol to let them go home to get better,
Col. Douglas Eliason, the Oregon Guard's chief medical
officer, told The Associated Press. One of the wounded
soldiers said that other than medical appointments
about twice a week, he has no other military duties,
yet hasn't been allowed to go home. The pattern
apparently is being repeated at military medical
facilities across the country.
"Nobody really anticipated we would have a demand like
this," Eliason said.
Of the nearly 7,000 U.S. troops wounded in Iraq, about
5,000 of them were from National Guard or Reserve
units.
Oregon has begun a program to help its wounded
soldiers go home to heal. Other states should, too,
and the Pentagon should make it a priority to
cooperate.
Kerry: Terrorists Gain From Bush Blunders
By MARY DALRYMPLE
Associated Press Writer
September 2, 2004, 4:40 AM EDT
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- John Kerry said Wednesday that
terrorists have gained new havens and "extremism has
gained momentum" in Iraq because President Bush has
mishandled virtually every step of the war.
"Our differences could not be plainer, and I have set
them out consistently," the Democratic presidential
candidate told veterans at the American Legion
national convention. "When it comes to Iraq, it's not
that I would have done one thing differently, I would
have done everything differently."
Kerry delivered his critical assessment of the
administration's performance in Iraq as the GOP
mustered in New York City to nominate Bush to a second
term. Challengers typically refrain from major
campaigning during the other party's nominating
convention.
Kerry, a decorated Vietnam veteran and Legionnaire,
said Bush's actions before and after U.S. military
operations have failed to make Iraq a safe and stable
place.
"Today, terrorists have secured havens in Iraq that
were not there before, and we have been forced to
reach accommodation with those who have repeatedly
attacked our troops," he said. "Violence has spread in
Iraq, Iran has expanded its influence, and extremism
has gained momentum."
Despite those conclusions, Kerry said he believed the
war against terrorism could be won. "With the right
policies, this is a war we can win, this is a war we
must win and this is a war we will win," Kerry said.
Bush had delivered the same message to an audience at
the same convention, reversing a statement he had made
in an interview earlier when he said he doubted the
war could be won.
The Bush-Cheney campaign challenged Kerry's statement
that he's had consistent principles on the war against
terror.
"This is a candidate who voted for the war, voted
against the troops and said he was an anti-war
candidate, and then said he would make the same vote
for the war again," said Bush spokesman Steve Schmidt.
"The only way to keep track of his position on Iraq is
to follow which position benefits him politically."
Kerry ticked off a list of what he sees as Bush's
missteps and mistakes in Iraq and Afghanistan -- and
included a reminder that the terrorist leader
implicated in the Sept. 11 attacks, Osama bin Laden,
remains at large.
"I would have sent the best trained forces in the
world to get the No. 1 criminal in the world," he
said.
Kerry also said he would have given inspectors more
time to search for nuclear, biological and chemical
weapons in Iraq, listened to the advice of senior
military and diplomatic advisers, sent American troops
to battle with better equipment and asked more foreign
nations to shoulder the military and financial burden.
Kerry told the veterans that he would do more than
Bush to ensure that returning soldiers have access to
health care and would improve benefits for veterans
wounded in battle. He said veterans also need a
secure, growing economy with plentiful jobs when they
return home from duty.
* __
On the Net:
Kerry campaign: http://www.johnkerry.com
Bush campaign: http://www.georgewbush.com
Copyright © 2004, The Associated Press