Bush hits a home run

[Tiger Al 0]

President Bush secretly traveled to Baghdad and paid a surprise Thanksgiving Day visit to U.S. troops Thursday in a mission to boost the morale of forces in Iraq amid mounting casualties.

In a highly unusual maneuver, Bush slipped away from his Texas ranch Wednesday night, arrived in Iraq Thursday and spent 2-1/2 hours with the troops.

"I bring a message on behalf of America: We thank you for your service, we are proud of you and America stands solidly behind you," Bush told about 600 soldiers, who were stunned to see the president emerge from a side door inside a military mess hall at Baghdad International Airport.

LINK

I have been highly critical of Dubya for a while, but this was a fantastic gesture on his part to visit troops in Iraq. This was the right thing to do.

[rexbo 104]

Agree, I think this was important for our troops over there. Personally, I wish he could have stayed longer and met with more troops. Also, if he could have made an appearance on Iraqi TV and expressed first hand his goals for Iraqi democracy and freedom, it would have been a Grand Slam. I think the Iraqi people would have been impressed with him speaking to them directly, rather than a 2 hour visit to US troops and then flying home.

Like me not being satisfied with a 4 point win over 'Bama, I am always wishing for more.

[CarolinaTiger 0]

ditto...the right thing, and its gotta be a great morale booster.

i could feel the emotion as i watched the replay of his entering the room...those soldiers will never forget that moment, i'm sure.

i'm not sure he could've done it any other way, either. preannounced would've been more dangerous (right?)...

good stuff.

ct

[TrueTiger 0]

I think that was a good thing to do. If I was a soilder I would have been suprised 2.

WARRR EAGLE

[Tiger Al 0]

I agree, CT, there's no way they could've announced his trip. It would've been WAY too dangerous. As much as I dislike Bush, I don't want to see him killed. Figuratively maybe, but not literally!!!

[rexbo 104]

As pumped up as the troops were, and TigerAl, and millions of other Americans were about this visit, it appears that our two closest allies, at least their liberal press, were not as impressed.

Analysis: Into Iraq by stealth

Mr Bush will probably not want an analogy drawn with President Richard Nixon's visit to Vietnam in July 1969.

Mr Nixon was already formulating a "Vietnamisation" policy, under which South Vietnam troops would increasingly take over the fighting with modern weapons.

His policy led to US withdrawal and a South Vietnamese defeat.

Some Iraqis welcome Bush, others wish him in hell

"As far as I'm concerned he's welcome to come and he's more than welcome to leave," said Abu Mohammed, 57, a cigarette and chewing gum vendor on the streets of the capital.

[Ranger12 46]

Watching the replay on TV put a big ole lump in this guy's throat. I know that probably gave the troops the boost that needed for the holidays. You could see Bush's eyes starte to tear up also. Shows he does geniunely care for the men.

[Tiger in Spain 0]

From a guy that had the honor of meeting the President twice over the summer when I was in the Gulf, I can say that the concern he shows for his troops is indeed genuine. There's a feeling you get when you stand there listening to Mr Bush address you. He's not reading anything from a piece of paper, he's speaking sincerely from his heart. Given the previous administration's admission of loathing the military, Ol' Dubya has us firmly behind him.

[Donutboy 0]

From a guy that had the honor of meeting the President twice over the summer when I was in the Gulf, I can say that the concern he shows for his troops is indeed genuine. There's a feeling you get when you stand there listening to Mr Bush address you. He's not reading anything from a piece of paper, he's speaking sincerely from his heart. Given the previous administration's admission of loathing the military, Ol' Dubya has us firmly behind him.

You know, you can take something good, something that could bring us together and you never miss a chance to bash Clinton. Clinton never said he loathed the military and I'd like to see a legitimate source (non-partisan, non-Republican-friendly) where he made such a statement. I admire what Bush did yesterday, as does most of the nation. Why do you feel the need to ruin that goodwill?

[Ranger12 46]

From a guy that had the honor of meeting the President twice over the summer when I was in the Gulf, I can say that the concern he shows for his troops is indeed genuine. There's a feeling you get when you stand there listening to Mr Bush address you. He's not reading anything from a piece of paper, he's speaking sincerely from his heart. Given the previous administration's admission of loathing the military, Ol' Dubya has us firmly behind him.

You know, you can take something good, something that could bring us together and you never miss a chance to bash Clinton. Clinton never said he loathed the military and I'd like to see a legitimate source (non-partisan, non-Republican-friendly) where he made such a statement. I admire what Bush did yesterday, as does most of the nation. Why do you feel the need to ruin that goodwill?

You you never do that with your liberal spin on everything else positive Bush has done? The only reason you did not say anything negative is because TigerAl had the decency to see how geniune Bush was and to say something nice and you did not want to go against him. Kind of funny you would say that and then make three brand new posts that are basically anti-Bush, so don't try to bs us here okay.

Secondly, as somebody that served in the military under Clinton's adminstration, he did loathe the military by his policies and the way he would use the military. Most people I served with could not stand Clinton's policy on the military, especially all the cutbacks he made, which BTW, is public record if you want facts. However, it is very difficult to give you facts on personal opinions. Way too many "operations" I was involved with under Clinton was FUBAR, because he did not want to get his hands to dirty with the situation (ie Bosnia, Somalia) and tried to be PC with the UN.

[rexbo 104]

Clinton never said he loathed the military and I'd like to see a legitimate source (non-partisan, non-Republican-friendly) where he made such a statement.

Bush's visit yesterday was something good, and should bring the country together on building a free and democratic Iraq, but I did want to get this source you asked for.

Bill Clinton's Dec. 3, 1969 Letter to ROTC Colonel

In his own words, from a Conscientious Objectors webpage. Interpret this as you wish. This being a personal letter from Clinton, describing his personal feelings "...what I think and feel", it is a no brainer to see that he meant himself when he said "...fine people have come to find themselves still loving their country but loathing the military,".

And that is where I am now, writing to you because you have been good to me and have a right to know what I think and feel. I am writing too in the hope that my telling this one story will help you to understand more clearly how so many fine people have come to find themselves still loving their country but loathing the military, to which you and other good men have devoted years, lifetimes, of the best service you could give. To many of us, it is no longer clear what is service and what is disservice, or if it is clear, the conclusion is likely to be illegal.

[Donutboy 0]

Clinton never said he loathed the military and I'd like to see a legitimate source (non-partisan, non-Republican-friendly) where he made such a statement.

Bush's visit yesterday was something good, and should bring the country together on building a free and democratic Iraq, but I did want to get this source you asked for.

Bill Clinton's Dec. 3, 1969 Letter to ROTC Colonel

In his own words, from a Conscientious Objectors webpage. Interpret this as you wish. This being a personal letter from Clinton, describing his personal feelings "...what I think and feel", it is a no brainer to see that he meant himself when he said "...fine people have come to find themselves still loving their country but loathing the military,".

And that is where I am now, writing to you because you have been good to me and have a right to know what I think and feel. I am writing too in the hope that my telling this one story will help you to understand more clearly how so many fine people have come to find themselves still loving their country but loathing the military, to which you and other good men have devoted years, lifetimes, of the best service you could give. To many of us, it is no longer clear what is service and what is disservice, or if it is clear, the conclusion is likely to be illegal.

I'm sorry but could you clue me in as to which paragraph he stated that he loathed the military. From reading the entire letter, I see where he worked against a war he "opposed and despised", as did many during the Vietnam War ear and today during the Iraqi War, but at no point in that letter did I see where he loathed the military. The only other thing that he didn't support was the draft, where eighteen year men, fresh out of high school were forced into military service, whether you agreed with the war or not, something today's younger people don't fully understand. On THAT issue, he does say that "The draft was justified in World War II because the life of the people collectively was at stake. Individuals had to fight, if the nation was to survive, for the lives of their countrymen and their way of life. Vietnam is no such case."

Again, after reading the letter twice, I didn't find where he said he loathed the military, as was ascerted by Tiger In Spain.

Stating that many young people loath the military and interpreting to mean him is kind of a reach, don't you think? After reading the entire letter, did you get the feeling that he loathed the military or the draft and the administration policy? Other than the statement about "many young paople loathing the military", I saw nothing but his dislike of the draft and the Vietnam War itself.

[Tiger in Spain 0]

From a guy that had the honor of meeting the President twice over the summer when I was in the Gulf, I can say that the concern he shows for his troops is indeed genuine. There's a feeling you get when you stand there listening to Mr Bush address you. He's not reading anything from a piece of paper, he's speaking sincerely from his heart. Given the previous administration's admission of loathing the military, Ol' Dubya has us firmly behind him.

You know, you can take something good, something that could bring us together and you never miss a chance to bash Clinton. Clinton never said he loathed the military and I'd like to see a legitimate source (non-partisan, non-Republican-friendly) where he made such a statement. I admire what Bush did yesterday, as does most of the nation. Why do you feel the need to ruin that goodwill?

All I did was compare my life now with what it was during those years. There was no jab intended this time. Someone like Ranger (a man that has served his nation) can attest that these "dog and pony shows", the term affectionately given by the grunts to these high level visits, go far in revealing what the man (or woman) is really like. I'll share with you a personal experience from these 2 administrations and then you tell me whether I have a legitimate reason to detest the Clinton years (other than for the obvious reasons he gave the remainder of the nation).

Clinton flew out to the USS George Washington during his first term in office. Instead of coming out and talking with the crew, he pulled out notecards and read some BS to us for about 5 minutes, then for the remainder of the 2 day visit, he and his cronies managed to steal every momento that wasn't welded to the ship. The cost of replacing the items they took went into the tens of thousands of dollars. (Very similar to the way they acted when they left the White House in 2001). Clinton cut our budget, reduced our ranks, and froze our pay.

In contrast, Bush comes out and walks among the troops looking them EYE TO EYE and taking the time to greet as many of the troops that want to meet him. When I had the honor of meeting him in the Gulf, he was swarmed by the troops and he spent most of his time engaged in chit chat with them. He came out and talked to us just like he would if we were sitting in his living room back in Texas. Bush has brought us back to power and has brought our pay back kind of close to what our civilian counterparts make.

Love him or hate him, the man is genuine......I can't say that about his predecessor. To me, it's a matter of honor versus dishonor. I'll take honor each and every time.

[rexbo 104]

Stating that many young people loath the military and interpreting to mean him is kind of a reach, don't you think? After reading the entire letter, did you get the feeling that he loathed the military or the draft and the administration policy? Other than the statement about "many young paople loathing the military", I saw nothing but his dislike of the draft and the Vietnam War itself.

Actually, if you really had read the letter, you would see where he said "...so many fine people have come to find themselves still loving their country but loathing the military". And I explained my interpretation above, but I will try one more time, slowly. I am confident that when Clinton wrote the above sentence, he was including himself as one of those people. The one story he mentions in the first part of the sentence is HIS story, where he had first decided to go into ROTC to avoid the draft, but decided against it because he couldn't see himself in the military. No matter how softly he tried to put it to the LtCol, that was his reasoning for not going the ROTC route. And when this letter came out, there was no controversy on who he meant by "...loathing the military", everyone knew exactly what he meant.

I personally do not criticize him for opposing the war, or even doing what he could to get out of it, those were very tough times for young men in this country. But, I do believe at that time he clearly loathed the military, and was not going to be drafted or join ROTC no matter the consequence.

[Donutboy 0]

Stating that many young people loath the military and interpreting to mean him is kind of a reach, don't you think? After reading the entire letter, did you get the feeling that he loathed the military or the draft and the administration policy? Other than the statement about "many young paople loathing the military", I saw nothing but his dislike of the draft and the Vietnam War itself.

Actually, if you really had read the letter, you would see where he said "...so many fine people have come to find themselves still loving their country but loathing the military". And I explained my interpretation above, but I will try one more time, slowly. I am confident that when Clinton wrote the above sentence, he was including himself as one of those people. The one story he mentions in the first part of the sentence is HIS story, where he had first decided to go into ROTC to avoid the draft, but decided against it because he couldn't see himself in the military. No matter how softly he tried to put it to the LtCol, that was his reasoning for not going the ROTC route. And when this letter came out, there was no controversy on who he meant by "...loathing the military", everyone knew exactly what he meant.

I personally do not criticize him for opposing the war, or even doing what he could to get out of it, those were very tough times for young men in this country. But, I do believe at that time he clearly loathed the military, and was not going to be drafted or join ROTC no matter the consequence.

Well, you see rex, you can read anything into any statement but nowhere in that letter does Clinton state that "He" loathes the military. That's the evidence I asked for and as of yet, no one has provided it. If you read the entire letter, you would never get the impression that what conservatives read into that one snippet was what HE felt. If THAT's what Tiger In Spain uses to claim Clinton said he loathed the military, he struck out.

Of course, even if he DID, which he didn't, but if he did, is that worse than being a deserter? And we ALL know that Bush was a deserter.

George W. Bush Military Record — and Misrepresentations Pertaining to Military Records

George W. Bush never showed up for National Guard duty

Did George W. Bush go AWOL during his time in the National Guard?

GOP Resident George W. Bush AWOL?

Recent Freedom of Information requests

Bush AWOL - Deserter

Need more? Just go to Google and type in Bush and AWOL and you get 57,500 sites!! It ain't a secret!!

[Donutboy 0]

One other note for David, if you go back and read ALL of my posts on Thursday, you'll see that I made no posts either positive or critical as far as politics goes and I did it in a spirit of Thanksgiving, not because TigerAl had posted positive on the subject. I was actually going to post something positive in the spirit of the action on the Bush visit until Tiger In Spain made it into a bash-Clinton post.

[FreeThinker 0]

I have my own opinion about Bush's surprise trip to Iraq.

I must say that from what I've seen from Bush so far...most of what he does is strictly for image. The "Clean Air Act" is nothing but a lie designed to relax anti-pollution laws and allow for more pollutants to enter the air; the recent Medicare decision to allow for some prescription coverage isn't going to help those who need it most -- instead it helps BIG BUSINESS (the phamaceutical companies); the list goes on and on. I think this gesture had the same idea in mind. He'd better get to Iraq to say "howdie" to all em' soldiers fighting his war. It's all for show and to boost his ratings. Plain and simple. Dubya's not as dumb as we think he is.

[Jenny AU-92 0]

Need more? Just go to Google and type in Bush and AWOL and you get 57,500 sites!! It ain't a secret!!

Just because it is on the Internet DOES NOT make it FACT!! I could start up a website calling you a pinko commie gooberhead, and 57,000 people could link to it because they agreed with it or thought it was funny or for any old reason. But that does not make it true, does it? All Google does is find combinations of words used on a site together. It does not verify fact, nor does it pass judgment on content. Google can be a great research tool, but quantity does not equal quality.

And for the record, he did NOT go AWOL - he received an honorable discharge 7 months before his enlistment ran out so he could start business school. "Not observed at this station" is the standard language used to refer to someone who TRANSFERRED during their term of service. GWB has a HONORABLE discharge - he could not have received one if he was AWOL at any point in time. The charge of AWOL is the wishful thinking of someone who has no clue about military terminology and how it is used to apply to MANY people, not just GWB.