Dean: Troops Deserve More Than Bush's 'Discredited' Rhetoric [View All]

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http://press.arrivenet.com/pol/article.php/661706.html

Dean: Troops Deserve More Than Bush's 'Discredited' Rhetoric

Distribution Source : U.S. Newswire

Date : Wednesday, June 29, 2005

To: National Desk

Contact: Karen Finney of the Democratic National Committee, 202-863-8148; Web: http://www.democrats.org

WASHINGTON, June 29 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Following is a release of the Democratic National Committee:

Disappointingly, the President followed Karl Rove's advice last night and linked Iraq to 9/11 no fewer than five times in just over 35 minutes. He ignored the concerns that Americans have expressed about the war, and still refused to provide real answers or a clear path to success in Iraq. Even former Reagan aide David Gergen expressed that he was "offended" by the number of times President Bush mentioned 9/11.

"Despite being previously forced to back away from unfounded assertions about links between 9-11 and the war in Iraq, President Bush once again twisted a national tragedy to distract from his own failed foreign policy," said DNC Chairman Howard Dean. "Instead of offering the American people a clear path to success in Iraq, President Bush returned to the same defensive and discredited rhetoric. The American people, and most especially our troops, who are serving with great courage, deserve better than discredited, shopworn political rhetoric from their Commander-in-Chief."


See below for a new document from DNC Research:

WHITE HOUSE ONCE AGAIN LINKS IRAQ AND 9/11 ATTACKS

In the President's speech last night, he clearly linked the 9- 11 attacks with the war in Iraq, implying that Saddam Hussein was involved and responsible for September 11th. However, the President himself was forced to disavow this link in September of 2003, after Secretary Rice and Secretary Rumsfeld stated there was no connection. Instead of offering the American people a clear path to success in Iraq, he returned to the same defensive and discredited rhetoric. Patriotism and love of country does not demand endless sacrifice on the part of our troops. The American people deserve honest leadership and honest answers.

Reagan Aide David Gergen "Offended" by Repeated Mention of 9/11. "I was troubled and offended by the regularity of coming back to 9/11, because as you say, none of the terrorists were linked to Saddam and there has been this myth for a long time that is not true that Saddam is somehow responsible for 9/11..." (CNN, 6/28/05)

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