Bush Surprise

[Pete]

After announcing that he would enjoy a traditional Turkey dinner with his family in Crawford Texas, MSNBC just posted this:
"President Bush made a surprise Thanksgiving visit to American troops in Baghdad Thursday, flying secretly to violence-scarred Iraq on a trip tense with concerns about his safety. It was the first trip ever by an American president to Iraq."

I guess someone has to stand in for Bob Hope!

[1pump]

It was probably a "double". Bush got the idea from Saddam.
It was a good move, with the election year approaching.

[Straydog]

Did he, once again, proclaim "mission accomplished!"?

[El-Kabong]

Nice Touch W!

got to give some credit when credit is due!




Happy Thanksgiving

EK

[Fast Water]

Mrs. Bush didn't even know. :shocked:

[Thumper]

Originally posted by Straydog:
Did he, once again, proclaim "mission accomplished!"?

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">He never proclaimed that to start with. Facts are important things Straydog.

[Grnhead99353]

Very impressive. God Bless America!

[J.Slay]

Good for GW! What a president. Might as well go see what he is spending all of our billions on. Maybe he'll get a first hand look at all of the Iraqi's who truly appreciated their liberation. I am sure the same actors that showed up to topple the statue of Sadaam will show up to greet him, if they are still on our payroll. Operation Iraqi Freedom was a smashing success, wasn't it?. They just love us. Hey and CNN/FOX will capture the whole thing and provide us with the same unbiased, scripted "journalism" we have been getting since day 1. What an election promoting...I mean Thanksgiving story it will make.

[Digifish]

Thumper, you were kidding, right?

How low will you that have a unrational dislike for Bush go?

El,
Good for you. Bush isn't "ALL EVIL"

[ 11-27-2003, 11:36 AM: Message edited by: Keta ]

[jocose]

go bush.... everything is mostly politics at this level, which democrat candidate isnt consumed with the sound bite or the photo op? .. happy t day everybody.... joco (go cougs too) [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

[El Shaddai]

Wow...God bless him, his family and our country....even you J Slay....

Dig,
No, it was directed to some earlier posts above yours.

[gimmeumpqua]

Whether you "like" George Bush or not, you have to admire his resolve, his heartfelt sincerity and his integrity. The man is a great patriot who's legacy will be defined by his decisions and actions, and not emotionally. He is the antithesis of a podunk racist (which he is frequently referred to from those who have no life unless there is someone to hate and blame)and much less so than past presidents ever were. In fact, he is the first US president to celebrate Hanukkah and Kwanzaa in the white house. I think the anti-Bush crowd is so vehemently vocal and accusatory toward GW because it takes a really loud nasty voice to detract from that man's stahlwart convictions toward the betterment of our country.

Make no mistake that his decisions, in what ever direction, are heartfelt and are directed toward improving America. He'll be long gone when the outcomes become evident. However, there is no doubt in my mind that his intentions have always been sincere,and his actions, election or not, reflect that very fact.

Kurt

[ 11-27-2003, 01:36 PM: Message edited by: gimmeumpqua ]

I think that the "Mission Accomplished" banner in the picture was put up by the crew of the Lincoln and their mission was finished.

Where in Bush's speech did he say that the “mission was accomplished”? I didn't see it in text and the following link should "set the record straight" no mater how much spinning and "fact twisting" some will try to do.


Full Text: Bush Speech Aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln

Thursday, May 1, 2003; 9:43 PM

This is the full transcript of President Bush's speech aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln to mark the end of major combat operations in Iraq.

Thank you. Thank you all very much. Admiral Kelly, Captain Card (ph), officers and sailors of the USS Abraham Lincoln, my fellow Americans, major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed. (APPLAUSE) And now our coalition is engaged in securing and reconstructing that country. In this battle, we have fought for the cause of liberty and for the peace of the world. Our nation and our coalition are proud of this accomplishment, yet it is you, the members of the United States military, who achieved it. Your courage, your willingness to face danger for your country and for each other made this day possible. Because of you our nation is more secure. Because of you the tyrant has fallen and Iraq is free. Operation Iraqi Freedom was carried out with a combination of precision and speed and boldness the enemy did not expect and the world had not seen before. From distant bases or ships at sea, we sent planes and missiles that could destroy an enemy division or strike a single bunker. Marines and soldiers charged to Baghdad across 350 miles of hostile ground in one of the swiftest advances of heavy arms in history. You have shown the world the skill and the might of the American armed forces. This nation thanks all of the members of our coalition who joined in a noble cause. We thank the armed forces of the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland who shared in the hardships of war. We thank all of the citizens of Iraq who welcomed our troops and joined in the liberation of their own country. And tonight, I have a special word for Secretary Rumsfeld, for General Franks and for all the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States: America is grateful for a job well done. (APPLAUSE) The character of our military through history, the daring of Normandy, the fierce courage of Iwo Jima, the decency and idealism that turned enemies into allies is fully present in this generation. When Iraqi civilians looked into the faces of our service men and women, they saw strength and kindness and good will. When I look at the members of the United States military, I see the best of our country and I am honored to be your commander in chief. the images of fallen statues we have witnessed the arrival of a new era. For a hundred of years of war, culminating in the nuclear age, military technology was designed and deployed to inflict casualties on an ever-growing scale. In defeating **** Germany and Imperial Japan, Allied forces destroyed entire cities, while enemy leaders who started the conflict were safe until the final days. Military power was used to end a regime by breaking a nation. Today we have the greater power to free a nation by breaking a dangerous and aggressive regime. With new tactics and precision weapons, we can achieve military objectives without directing violence against civilians. No device of man can remove the tragedy from war, yet it is a great advance when the guilty have far more to fear from war than the innocent. (APPLAUSE) In the images of celebrating Iraqis we have also seen the ageless appeal of human freedom. Decades of lies and intimidation could not make the Iraqi people love their oppressors or desire their own enslavement. Men and women in every culture need liberty like they need food and water and air. Everywhere that freedom arrives, humanity rejoices and everywhere that freedom stirs, let tyrants fear. (APPLAUSE) We have difficult work to do in Iraq. We're bringing order to parts of that country that remain dangerous. We're pursuing and finding leaders of the old regime who will be held to account for their crimes. We've begun the search for hidden chemical and biological weapons, and already know of hundreds of sites that will be investigated. We are helping to rebuild Iraq where the dictator built palaces for himself instead of hospitals and schools. And we will stand with the new leaders of Iraq as they establish a government of, by and for the Iraqi people. (APPLAUSE) The transition from dictatorship to democracy will take time, but it is worth every effort. Our coalition will stay until our work is done and then we will leave and we will leave behind a free Iraq. (APPLAUSE) The battle of Iraq is one victory in a war on terror that began on September the 11th, 2001 and still goes on. That terrible morning, 19 evil men, the shock troops of a hateful ideology, gave America and the civilized world a glimpse of their ambitions. They imagined, in the words of one terrorist, that September the 11th would be the beginning of the end of America. By seeking to turn our cities into killing fields, terrorists and their allies believed that they could destroy this nation's resolve and force our retreat from the world. They have failed. (APPLAUSE) In the battle of Afghanistan, we destroyed the Taliban, many terrorists and the camps where they trained. We continue to help the Afghan people lay roads, restore hospitals and educate all of their children. Yet we also have dangerous work to complete. As I speak, a special operations task force lead by the 82nd Airborne is on the trail of the terrorists and those who seek to undermine the free government of Afghanistan. (APPLAUSE) From Pakistan to the Philippines to the Horn of Africa, we are hunting down Al Qaida killers. Nineteen months ago I pledged that the terrorists would not escape the patient justice of the United States. And as of tonight nearly one half of Al Qaida's senior operatives have been captured or killed. (APPLAUSE) The liberation of Iraq is a crucial advance in the campaign against terror. We have removed an ally of Al Qaida and cut off a source of terrorist funding. And this much is certain: No terrorist network will gain weapons of mass destruction from the Iraqi regime, because the regime is no more. (APPLAUSE) In these 19 months that changed the world, our actions have been focused and deliberate and proportionate to the offense. We have not forgotten the victims of September the 11th, the last phone calls, the cold murder of children, the searches in the rubble. With those attacks, the terrorists and their supporters declared war on the United States, and war is what they got. (APPLAUSE) Our war against terror is proceeding according to the principles that I have made clear to all. Any person involved in committing or planning terrorist attacks against the American people becomes an enemy of this country and a target of American justice. (APPLAUSE) Any person, organization or government that supports, protects or harbors terrorists is complicit in the murder of the innocent and equally guilty of terrorist crimes. Any outlaw regime that has ties to terrorist groups and seeks or possesses weapons of mass destruction is a grave danger to the civilized world and will be confronted. (APPLAUSE) And anyone in the world, including the Arab world, who works and sacrifices for freedom has a loyal friend in the United States of America. (APPLAUSE) Our commitment to liberty is America's tradition, declared at our founding, affirmed in Franklin Roosevelt's Four Freedoms, asserted in the Truman Doctrine and in Ronald Reagan's challenge to an evil empire. We are committed to freedom in Afghanistan, Iraq and in a peaceful Palestine. The advance of freedom is the surest strategy to undermine the appeal of terror in the world. Where freedom takes hold, hatred gives way to hope. When freedom takes hold, men and women turn to the peaceful pursuit of a better life. American values and American interests lead in the same direction. We stand for human liberty. (APPLAUSE) The United States upholds these principles of security and freedom in many ways: with all of the tools of diplomacy, law enforcement, intelligence and finance. We are working with a broad coalition of nations that understand the threat and our shared responsibility to meet it. The use of force has been and remains our last resort. Yet all can know, friend and foe alike, that our nation has a mission: We will answer threats to our security, and we will defend the peace. (APPLAUSE) Our mission continues. Al Qaida is wounded, not destroyed. The scattered cells of the terrorist network still operate in many nations and we know from daily intelligence that they continue to plot against free people. The proliferation of deadly weapons remains a serious danger. The enemies of freedom are not idle, and neither are we. Our government has taken unprecedented measures to defend the homeland and we will continue to hunt down the enemy before he can strike. (APPLAUSE) The war on terror is not over, yet it is not endless. We do not know the day of final victory, but we have seen the turning of the tide. No act of the terrorists will change our purpose, or weaken our resolve, or alter their fate. Their cause is lost; free nations will press on to victory. (APPLAUSE) Other nations in history have fought in foreign lands and remained to occupy and exploit. Americans, following a battle, want nothing more than to return home. And that is your direction tonight. (APPLAUSE) After service in the Afghan and Iraqi theaters of war, after 100,000 miles on the longest carrier deployment in recent history, you are homeward bound. (APPLAUSE) Some of you will see new family members for the first time; 150 babies were born while their fathers were on the Lincoln. Your families are proud of you, and your nation will welcome you. (APPLAUSE) We are mindful as well that some good men and women are not making the journey home. One of those who fell, Corporal Jason Mileo, spoke to his parents five days before his death. Jason's father said, ``He called us from the center of Baghdad, not to brag but to tell us he loved us. Our son was a soldier. Every name, every life is a loss to our military, to our nation and to the loved ones who grieve. There is no homecoming for these families. Yet we pray in God's time their reunion will come. Those we lost were last seen on duty. Their final act on this Earth was to fight a great evil and bring liberty to others. All of you, all in this generation of our military, have taken up the highest calling of history: You were defending your country and protecting the innocent from harm. And wherever you go, you carry a message of hope, a message that is ancient and ever new. In the words of the prophet Isaiah, ``To the captives, come out; and to those in darkness, be free.'' Thank you for serving our country and our cause. May God bless you all. And may God continue to bless America. (APPLAUSE)

[ 11-27-2003, 04:35 PM: Message edited by: Keta ]

[tramp]

Who can't admire President Bush for this trip to be with the americans troops, the very people we ourselfs are thanking today for our way of life and the freedom we enjoy?

I don't give a crap who is in office or "wts", we all should beleive and honor the mission of our country and leaders in time of war. Anything less is %*&$*!%^ and I won't stand for anything less.

This demorcrat will salute the efforts of this president and any effort to support of the troops in this crazy world we live in.

PS: My thanksgiving dinner gathering included 3 veterns and 3 reservists one of which will be returning to Iraq in the next month.

GOD bless america!

[Grnhead99353]

Best of all it was a "in your face" to the Iraqi insurgents.

[Silver Hilton]

Hey, guys, I have an idea. Could we all be thankful, for tonight, that we have our friends to argue politics with, and our families to be concerned over, and wealth and time enough that we have PCs and internet connections to argue politics with people that we've never met?

Regardless of whether we agree with the state of the world, and whether Iraq is black or white, by far and away most of us are lucky in ways that most of the rest of the world can only dream about.

Just tonight, let's look at the glass as half full, and at those who disagree with us as good people that just don't happen to agree with us, rather than evil incarnate.


Flailing at windmills again... :smile:

[Straydog]

Originally posted by digifish:


Thumper, you were kidding, right?

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">A picture speaks a thousand words and anyone that thinks this was simply coincidence is extremely naive or in denial.

As SH says, this does not make anyone that disagrees a bad person and I am thankful for the opportunity to disagree and discuss.

More mission accomplished.......... I am happy to see you, an so are the long-suffering people of Iraq. America sent you on a mission to remove a grave threat and to liberate an oppressed people, and that mission has been accomplished. (Applause.)

[ 11-27-2003, 10:33 PM: Message edited by: Straydog ]

[True]

Amen, SH...

True

[Silver Hilton]

[ 11-27-2003, 11:10 PM: Message edited by: Silver Hilton ]

[Digifish]

Not sure if your comment was directed at me Keta. I don't have an irrational dislike for Bush, in fact he has some qualities that I admire.

I was merely reiterating that "facts are important" regardless of what you interpret from them. Fact is President Bush declared "Mission Accomplished". Perhaps the disagreement is with our own beliefs as to the scope of the mission. No doubt the US military had reached a significant milestone in completing the occupancy of Iraq.

[Straydog]

Thank you Digifish for setting the record straight.

Yes Thumper, facts do matter and I strive to use them at all times. Now, how about Mr. Bush?

Having said that, I think it will definately boost the moral of the troops and that is a good thing. :smile:

[HeavyMetal BankFisherman]

Thank You Mr President! I am sure the soldiers appreciated the visit.

[img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

[Frenchy]

You can bash the President all you want,that's your right,one that myself and thousands of others over here will fight for and defend with our lives if needed.
Hillary Clinton was here also,maybe she is looking for support for 2004.

Gunners Mate Third Class
D.French,U.S.NAVY(Brown Water)

[Thumper]

Thank you Frenchy!!!

[Frenchy]

I'm not looking for thanks or glory, i'm just doing my part.What I wanted to say before was that if someone like the Pres.comes here, it shows
concern on his part for us to take time away from his family to come to this hole.
Thank you Thumper.

[Metal Manipulator]

I bet Hillary Clinton was thankful to have GW in Iraq. Lets see from a soldiers perspective Hillery or Bush.

[Straydog]

Originally posted by Wet Fly: I bet Hillary Clinton was thankful to have GW in Iraq. Lets see from a soldiers perspective Hillery or Bush.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">It would be good if GW or Hillary could see things from a soldiers perspective.

I don't know anything about Hillary's visit.

GW's visit did not allow him to see from a soldiers perspective (nor should it in terms of national security).

That is, unless the soldiers travel in secret, in the dark of night, in a jet with the most sophisticated security devices known to man and likely support jets and military security that would boggle ones mind.

President Bush's Iraq visit........

A couple of things that I found interesting from this article, for those so hungry for facts....

1. This was his chief of staff's idea. He is doing a good job of making sure his boss looks good to the American voters. He is doing his job well. [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

2. The White House told the press the President would be spending Thanksgiving with his family.
What is notable about this is the fact that we know only what we are wanted to know. This is not, in and of itself all bad. I am not suggesting the press should report the where abouts of our President at all times.

I do though, hope people will realize that the media is very handily manipulated by the White House and that not telling the truth is clearly a tactic this Administration has no qualms about using.

[ 11-28-2003, 10:04 AM: Message edited by: Straydog ]

[rags]

LBJ came to Viet Nam when I was there and look what happened in that war. At least Bush came unannounced and didn't create havoc for the troops. I remember my morale was really boosted when Raqual Welch came with Bob Hope.

[Steelhead Hound]

I would take Hillery over Bush anyday. Further more I think it was just an election tactic.

[Birdnest]

I don't care if it was/wasn't a publicity stunt. I do care that it probably helped some GI, along way from his family during the holidays, to look up and see President Bush along way from his.

Joe

[tommy2915]

Face the facts. It was a great thing President Bush did For the men and women of our armed forces. Quite a few safety factors for him there. Dont see Kerry or whats there names anywhere close to Iraq. Like they say when the going gets tough the tough get going............

[Otolith]

When I saw the news flash on the bottom of my tv saying Bush had snuck into Baghdad to see the troops on Thanksgiving, I gushed with pride.

Then I came here to Left In General, and it made me want to vomit. I should have known better :depressed:

[R Jackson]

A possible reason for Hillary going Afghanistan and Iraq is that she is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

[Thumper]

Originally posted by Straydog:
I do though, hope people will realize that the media is very handily manipulated by the White House and that not telling the truth is clearly a tactic this Administration has no qualms about using.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">I agree with you Straydog --- this is a good thing.

[lost_sailor]

Another publicity stunt and photo opportunity, but a good one.

Whoever pulls his strings is a darn good politician.

[River Ranger]

If the president was walking down the street and saw a house fire,Ran in and saved a child the deomoncrates would have something negative to say .I'm sure Hilary clinton is just who the troops wanted to see.
R.R.

[cphatts]

A good political move, but he owes it to those soldiers who at his command, have put their lives on the line every day, not just for two hours in Iraq. The election is a long ways away and this photo opp will only be valuable if the war is a success. If this mess continues, it won't be much of a photo opp come next fall....kina like the "mission accomplished" banner.

[novice]

Otolith
LEFT IN GENERAL
LMAO
Well put.
Bush did a great thing by this visit.
Put the politics aside for a day.
Did you see the reaction from the troops when GW entered the room.
Those guys deserved that. To have thanksgiving turkey with the pres.
Like him or not..... It was a great gesture.
Would have been easy just to go down to Crawford with the fam. I know this means a lot to the troops.
Frenchy..... Your my hero. I for one appreciate the sacrifice you are making for all of us.
Stay safe....
novice

[Thumper]

Originally posted by River Ranger:
If the president was walking down the street and saw a house fire,Ran in and saved a child the deomoncrates would have something negative to say .

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">It's all Bush's fault. Right?

[Digifish]

You guys better pull up, your starting to spiral downward......into a big cluster ruckus. :shocked:

[River Ranger]

Some of those pics were great!there were some BIG smiles on those troops. [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

[lost_sailor]

Originally posted by novice:

Put the politics aside for a day.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">If you truly believe politics were put aside, I can offer you a fabulous deal on a bridge in North Portland!

[ampersat]

As the Commander in Chief of the armed forces, it was his duty to go there. In fact, this should have been his second or third trip. That this was only his first trip there speaks volumes about what a poor decision it was to have invaded Iraq. Plain and simple, they don't want us there.

Election tactic? Yes. Good for the troops? You bet. Will he go again? I bet not. Geez, you can almost feel the pucker factor, can't you? Do you think Bush felt safe and at ease during his stay there? What does that say about the war that he started?

That Iraq remains such a hot zone speaks to the fact that we should never have gone there in the first place. But that he has placed our young men and women in harm's way for such a worthless goal (does anyone really believe that Iraq will emerge from this as a democracy?), he owes it to them and to America to go there at the very least on Thanksgiving.

You know, GW, Christmas is right around the corner. Planning another trip?

Every great president has a war to associate themselves with. However, not every president associated with a war turned out in history to have been great. And this was GW's biggest mistake in judgement.

[novice]

Lost_soul
Is it a good deal?????

[Birdnest]

Amp,

Your right, we should not be there because it is toooo hard.

We should have allowed a finatical nation with unlimited financial/natural resources, that hates us, to press on. We should have left a leader in power that has no problem executing tens of thousands of innocent people.

This nation was built by people who were not afraid to do the "hard things". Thank God for them.

Joe

[Thumper]

Originally posted by Birdnest:
This nation was built by people who were not afraid to do the "hard things". Thank God for them.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">Thank you Birdnest!

[River Ranger]

Your the man thumper!!Ampersat..What would you have done about sadam killing innocent people over there?Not trying to start a big argument but would you want someone to do something about it.
R.R.

[tommy2915]

Birdnest--- So true [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img] Very well said

[ 11-29-2003, 11:29 PM: Message edited by: tommy2915 ]

It was definately a good gesture by the president to go there [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img] I tip my hat to him for it.
That doesn't change the fact that we should not be there though. No clear exit strategy, world opinion against us and at the very least suspicious reasons for going over to Iraq in the first place. This all adds up to a very Vietnam like scenario. We are stuck there now and cannot just drop everything and withdraw. This is a big mess GW has gotten us into and when his father wrote about the mistakes of doing something like this you would have thought he would have listened.
Ampersat is exactly right! We will not be able to force a democracy on those people if they don't want one. We may end up with another type of Islamic fundmentalist government like they have in Iran.So GW you should have set your ego aside and thought this through better.

[ampersat]

Thank you, Stew. As a nation, the US decided to unilaterally enter into a war when we couldn't get UN backing. Not only does Iraq not want us there, apparently most of the rest of the world doesn't want us there either.

We will be mired there for years to come. Our troups will remain under attack the entire time and our brave young men and women will continue to come home in body bags. And for what? Provided we actually manage to setup a puppet democracy there and actually manage to develop and execute an exit strategy, the moment our troups have left Iraqi soil that puppet democracy will be toppled. The same Iraqis who don't want us there also do not want our government there. At worst, Saddam will emerge from hiding and resume power. At second to worst, a different leader will emerge but his reign will be just as fanatical and bloody.

I realize that "the right thing to do" isn't a popularity contest. However, when it's "the right thing to do" you'd think that other countries would consider it "the right thing to do" as well. Obviously they don't.

[Birdnest]

Amp,

I did not intend to flame you, I have always read your post with interest. Your points are well taken, it is a mess. Unfortunately we live in a messy world now. It seems more and more we are given a choice between the lesser of two evils.

Would it be a fair comparison between say the Empire of Japan/Germany to a present Iraq? Both of these regimes went unchecked and murdered hundreds of thousands of innocent people. I think history demands that we act, lest we repeat it.

Concerning the "other nations" that are enlightened enough not to act, would these be the same nations that are depenedent on cheap Iraqi oil and enjoy expensive technology contracts?

Joe

[Straydog]

Originally posted by Birdnest:
Concerning the "other nations" that are enlightened enough not to act, would these be the same nations that are depenedent on cheap Iraqi oil and enjoy expensive technology contracts?

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">No, Bidnest, that would be US you are describing and we are there


There are many nations in the World mired in internal turmoil with murderous regimes in power. Why Iraq, if indeed our motives were to help the less fortunate and liberate people from nasty, murderous leaders?

[Birdnest]

SD,

I am not so niave to think that oil does not play a role. Iraq's ability to influence the world's economy should be an interest to ALL nations that use oil. I will restate my point. The nations that did not act was not due to their peace loving enlightened stance. It was due to the fact they were in bed with Saddam and his oil money...France, Germany,& Russia.

Joe

[fishnbus]

When that news flash came on TV, I thought yeah, that's a Prez!! Politically, I'm a middle-of-the- roader but I have a hard time picturing the previous Commander in Chief doing anything that displayed as much leadership! Too distracted by a White House intern. I was an infantryman in Viet Nam, a war that was unpopular back home. Upon returning from Nam, people would ask me how I justified that war. I didn't have to justify anything...I was a soldier serving my country just as others did before me for 200 years. Its what soldiers have done since the dawn of time. In this country we can speak out against the government because of generations of soldiers. The same action in Iraq a year ago and you disappeared from the planet. The men and women wearing US uniforms are there in service of their country more than to save Iraq from Iraqis. Anything good being done in Iraq naturally draws a different spin on it by the media, but thats what they do. I was interviewed in Viet Nam by an AP correspondent after a major battle. When I read the report in the paper "quoting" me, I wondered where in the #$*#!! did that news angle come from. Those of you that want to hammer on the present Administration or the validity of our involvement in Iraq, you are free to do that owing to US service men and women past, present and future. God Bless America and our Freedom. Dennis

[DanS]

This appears to me to be a clear case of sour grapes on the part of the anti-Bush camp.

A political motivation? Well, gee...........he's a politician isn't he? It was also a nice Thanksgiving Day gesture.

Get off GW's case about this visit.........there's other things he actually deserves citicism about.

[monoman]

Amp

There is very little in this world that is "plain and simple". "they" DO want us there, if you are talking about the people of Iraq.

As far as Mr. Bush's trip, I asked a young man that is serving in the Marines this question last evening at dinner. He said he would be honored to have dinner with him and those that are in Iraq would be so too. This young man will be in Iraq in Feb. He has already seen gun fire in other parts of the world for your rights, we are safe here because they are there, and there is not only Iraq.....maybe it is that "plain and simple" I do not know everthing that is going on in Iraq, I try to read and listen to as much as possible. The more I talk to those that have been there the more I know we are doing the right thing. Reach out and talk to some of those that have been there, you may change your mind on the value of our actions.

[happybrew]

What GW did was good management. Gestures of appreciation like this go a long way. A desk can be a productive thing, but sometimes the leader needs to get out from behind it and cheer on those doing the actual work. This is what he did. Yes, he's a politician, but he also has a job to do, and he did it well in this case. I don't understand the carping about it. I was totally exhilerated when I heard what he had done. It doesn't change my view of the war, but it does confirm my view of the man, that he's sincere and honest about what he's doing and why. We can disagree with policy, but I think this really needs to remain separate from our judgement of the person.

happybrew