Bush Defends Declaring End to Iraq Combat

[Spazito]

WASHINGTON - President Bush (news - web sites) on Friday defended his speech a year ago on the deck of an aircraft carrier proclaiming the end of major combat in Iraq (news - web sites) and said "we're making progress, you bet" in bringing stability to the war-torn country.

Answering reporters' questions in the White House Rose Garden with Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin at his side, Bush said that when he spoke aboard carrier U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln he also emphasized that "there was still difficult work ahead."

snip

He was asked about photos showing Iraqi prisoners naked except for hoods covering their heads, stacked in a human pyramid, one with a slur written in English on his skin. That and other scenes of humiliation have led to criminal charges against six American soldiers. Arab television stations were leading their newscasts on Friday with the photos.

snip

And as a result, there are no longer torture chambers or rape rooms or mass graves in Iraq. As a result, a friend of terror has been removed and now sits in a jail," the president said.

more

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=544&ncid=716&e=4&u=/ap/20040430/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush

[sniffa]

1. what a maggot

seriousLy. how can anyone not see this piece of shit for what he is.

[indie_voter]

2. Does Bush live on the same planet as the rest of us?

"And as a result, there are no longer torture chambers or rape rooms or mass graves in Iraq. As a result, a friend of terror has been removed and now sits in a jail," the president said."


Watch the news much Sir?

[belle]

15. In a word, no.

[LittleApple81]

3. The last paragraph in the article:

Of the war casualties, Bush said: "Any time you talk about somebody who died in Iraq or in Afghanistan is a moment for me to thank them and their families for their sacrifice. And their sacrifice will not go in vain, because there will be a free Iraq."

Why doesn't he say: in order to prove how much I believe in Iraq, I am sending my and Cheney's daughters to Iraq.

[maddezmom]

4. what an embarrassment

He needs to get with the program, rove has said it was a mistake as well as bartlett. Can't he just once admit he made a poor choice???

[htuttle]

6. He's incapable of admitting mistakes

It's not his nature.

By extension, that means he's probably incapable of learning from experience as well.

[0007]

8. Mortification is becoming to junior, the front for organized crime

[sniffa]

5. "a friend of terror"

is he taLking about donaLd "bumbLes" rumsfeLd?

[Just Me]

7. He sounds like either a broken record or a commercial,...

,...everytime he opens his pie-hole, saying "terror" over and over and over,...then, adding "free" or "freedom" over and over and over.

A crooked used-car salesman always comes to my mind. Except, the product Dubya sells is death and destruction. He is an advertisement for a "War President".

BTW,...since when was being a "War President" a good thing?

[lectrobyte]

12. re: War President

That's basically his only issue. Did I say "issue"? I meant "marketing angle".

[jamesinca]

19. He also has the religious angle

On PBS Front line last night they covered his ability to pander to the religious right. So he does have that part of his following. They actually went over how he learned to do this during his fathers run in '88 and '92. Quiet telling show.

[54anickel]

24. That show was awesome. I missed the first 1/2 but their site says it

will be available online starting May 1.

[Spazito]

9. Whoa, I just noticed something in the Headline...

the word "major" is missing! It is actually reflecting what bush said at the time before the White House changed the transcript! I bet that headline will be changed double quick!

[papau]

10. Bush Defends Speech a Year Ago Declaring Major Combat(torture)Over in Iraq

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAUEYIIOTD.html

Bush Defends Speech a Year Ago Declaring Major Combat(torture) Over in Iraq

By Terence Hunt The Associated Press
Published: Apr 30, 2004

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush on Friday defended his speech a year ago on the deck of an aircraft carrier proclaiming the end of major combat in Iraq and said "we're making progress, you bet" in bringing stability to the war-torn country. <snip>

He was asked about photos showing Iraqi prisoners naked except for hoods covering their heads, stacked in a human pyramid, one with a slur written in English on his skin. That and other scenes of humiliation have led to criminal charges against six American soldiers. Arab television stations were leading their newscasts on Friday with the photos.<snip>

As to the carrier speech, Bush said, "A year ago I did give the speech from the carrier saying we had achieved an important objective, accomplished a mission, which was the removal of Saddam Hussein."

"And as a result, there are no longer torture chambers or rape rooms or mass graves in Iraq. As a result, a friend of terror has been removed and now sits in a jail," the president said. <snip>

Of the war casualties, Bush said: "Any time you talk about somebody who died in Iraq or in Afghanistan is a moment for me to thank them and their families for their sacrifice. And their sacrifice will not go in vain, because there will be a free Iraq (as we order the Marines to back down and retreat so we can return Iraq to Saddam's Republican Guard Generals)."

THE ABOVE IS A MODEST REWRITE SHOULD ANY MEDIA WANT TO EDIT OUT THE AP PRO BUSH BIAS.

[papau]

11. AP edits in "MAJOR "COMBAT

Bush Defends Declaring End to Iraq Combat is now on the AP WIRE=

MAJOR COMBAT!

[Spazito]

14. ROFL, didn't take Rove long, did it!

*

[daleo]

13. So, when the U.S. army does it, they are not rape rooms

and torture chambers? Are they play rooms and fun chambers?

How could he make this statement moments after being reminded of the atrocities that were perpetrated at this prison by his own troops? Is he that disconnected from reality, or is this one of those subtle ways of saying that "the law doesn't apply to us", that Bushco seems to be fond of? Other examples that come to mind are his joking about international law ("better call an international lawyer") and the Scalia-Cheney duck hunt.

[Beetwasher]

16. Nothing Says "Out of Touch" More

Than so obviously and consistently never admitting to a blatant mistake.

[Sagan]

17. "We're advancing in the opposite direction!"

I love how Chimpy is slapping the clueless and out of touch label on himself.

On another note, I'm not sure that the families of dead U.S. servicepeople will take much solace in the fact that their loved ones died for the sake of a "free" Iraq.

There's nothing in the oaths they took requiring them to die for Iraqis.

[underpants]

18. Stay positive never admit mistake and sell sell sell

Sorry I posted this article too. I am really not surprised if he was ever going to even hint that he could be wrong about something now is not the time, but I think people know.

[maddezmom]

20. notice the media leaves out the chimps brown skin remark

There's a lot of people in the world who don't believe that people whose skin color may not be the same as ours can be free and self-govern. I reject that. I reject that strongly. I believe that people who practice the Muslim faith can self-govern. I believe that people whose skins aren't necessarily -- are a different color than white can self-govern.

And the Prime Minister -- I don't want to put words in his mouth -- but I think he shares that great sense of optimism and possibility. And it's good to have a friend who shares that with us.

Would you like to have the First Ladies come on up?

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/04/20040430-2.html

[Harrumph]

21. No more mass graves?

"And as a result, there are no longer torture chambers or rape rooms or mass graves in Iraq. As a result, a friend of terror has been removed and now sits in a jail," the president said. <snip>

What about the 2 soccer fields in Fallujah that are now filled with dead Iraqis, including women and children. Sounds like mass graves to me.

[justjones]

22. Can we send Bush to Iraq to personally verify his claims? (n/t)

[yellowcanine]

23. "Technically it wasn't a torture chamber like Saddam had. It was a jail

cell where some misguided soldiers committed torture. The torture was not an official policy of the United States government which certainly doesn't use chemical weapons against their own people the way Saddam did and then there is the WMD program capability and intentions and don't forget the mass graves so while it was torture no doubt about it it was not as torturous as this explanation is no doubt getting to be just ask Condi and she will tell you that it is not official United States Government Policy which is not using WMD on your own people and not cooperating with Al Quaeda and don't forget the mass graves and did I mention the torture chambers and the rape rooms?