MUST READ: Bush at Fort Stewart

[Skwmom]

<The majority of the fighting force that actually took Baghdad returned in early September this year and were still on leave — not due back to the base until the end of the month.>

<We can’t have the entire 3rd I.D. present for the speech,” said Lt. Col. Mowers, “so we have presented the president with a small contingent of soldiers and their family members that represent the 3rd and the men who fought in Operation Iraqi Freedom.”>

< Waiting for the president’s arrival, the troops were given several dry run exercises on how and when to applaud and shout during the event. The officer at the podium would call for a shout and the men would respond as instructed.>

< Bush made a presentation to General Blount of the Presidential Unit Citation Award — the second time the 3rd I.D. has been awarded the prestigious honor — and shook hands before starting into his prepared speech.

Although some in the crowd were taken aback by the president’s failure to read the circumstances under which the unit had been awarded the citation, they were nonetheless proud and honored to be awarded it. Overall, although very respectful of their Commander-In-Chief, the majority of the crowd didn’t seem too impressed at what was being said.

Bush wasn’t in his usual animated form while making the speech. It was apparent to many people there that he was reading a prepared speech that he hadn’t had time to rehearse or study.

Many references he made during the speech were out of context or even wrong all together, as noted by reporters and visitors alike.

Like Pakistan, for instance. We didn’t fight in Pakistan, did we? Not in Operation Iraqi Freedom, at least.

And the president cast a notable pall of silence over the crowd when he told them he’d ask Congress for more money to occupy and rebuild Iraq. The president is unlikely to forget the crowd’s reaction to that line anytime soon.>

<http://www.connectsavannah.com/full_story.cfm?id=2723http://www.connectsavannah.com/full_story.cfm?id=2723>

[Brucey]

1. Repugs cheer and smile and pat you on the back if you are

killing and destroying and ruining everything. But if you ask them for money... gulp! They get quiet right away. Bunch of selfish slobs. Why don't they get quiet over all the deaths the chimp has caused? Are they psychopathic?

[Skwmom]

4. Excuse me - there are alot of soliders who are not Repubs.

In addition, I'm sure the soliders were most upset at the idea of "occupying" IRAQ.

[SharonAnn]

9. Maybe, they realized that the $ request meant they would be in

Iraq for a long time to come. That realization might have stunned them.

One can hope that they're catching on to the fact that they're pawns in *'s game.

[ignatius]

14. Stop me if I'm wrong, but since we closed our base in Saudi

Arabia, I think Iraq is now our MAIN base in the ME. I think we will definitely be there a long time, like permanently or until the wells run dry.

I think the neo-cons believed their own lies and PR and had no idea how bad the rebuilding would be. Now we are stuck and our soldiers are scared, shooting at anything that moves hence creating even more problems with the Iraqis and I suspect the administration is absolutely clueless as what to do next.

That empire building is some difficult shit.

[nostamj]

20. "our MAIN base in the ME" ???

it's our main PRESENCE in the ME, but if we had BASES, life for the soldiers there would certainly be much better.

will we be building bases in Iraq? Afghanistan?

they had better be fortresses...

[Kelvin Mace]

15. This was cute....

Georgia’s junior senator, Saxby Chambliss, wanted us all to “Let these men and women know how you feel about their devotion to duty and their passion for the ideals for which they have fought. They need to know without a doubt that we support their efforts and their sacrifices. The sacrifices of the soldiers as well as the loved ones at home that wait for them.”

Translation: I'll praise their efforts and sacrifices, unless they run against me for my senate seat. At that time I will smear them with every lie I can invent.

David Allen
www.thoughtcrimes.org
Distrusting the Government Since 1984

[Nlighten1]

2. sit...boy...sit

that's a good boy.

*pat*
*pat*

[NNN0LHI]

3. Sounds like he was drunk again n/t

[Skwmom]

6. Is he drunk?

Or just incredibly stupid?

[Skittles]

8. BOTH

nt

[bluestateguy]

5. To paraphrase * in 2000:

"Help is on the way! A new commander in chief is coming (in 2004)!"

[Resistance Is Futile]

7. Pakistan

Imperial forces are fighting in Pakistan but not the 3ID and not during OIF. Don't tell Chimpy, but it's also supposed to be a secret...

[DoYouEverWonder]

10. Here's another report about W's Fort Stewart visit

And this one isn't so restrained. Sounds like W's visit was a major flop. Is the emperor finally coming apart at the seams?


Bush goes AWOL when soldiers need care

<snip>

After the speech, Pvt. Kenneth Henry, 21, a Third Division radar operator with a field artillery unit, was quoted in the Los Angeles Times as saying of Mr. Bush:

"He likes war. He should go fight in a war for two days and see how he likes it."

[TreasonousBastard]

11. This struck me--

"Not allowed into that meeting was Patricia Barbee, member of the Gold Star Wives of America and something of a fixture at Ft. Stewart for her work with widows of servicemen.
Barbee, who lost her husband in Vietnam, says she’s had no contact with any high government official since that conflict — and she wonders why.
Barbee would not get her answer this day. The Secret Service made it clear to her in no uncertain terms that she was not welcome to Bush’s meeting with other KIA wives and family. A “courtesy escort” from Ft. Stewart ensured that Barbee would abide by that decision."


This Patricia Barbee?
http://www.aoa.gov/smp/media/aoa_awards_print.asp

And this one?
http://www.savannahmorningnews.com/stories/080401/LOCeobbooks.shtml

Doesn't seem like the sort of person to get the bum's rush by anyone but Shrub.

[aquart]

13. You can give 'em a trust fund but you can't give 'em class.

Not one Bush boy who isn't trash.

[Oilwellian]

16. Remember when the GOP propaganda machine

Used the Gold Star Wives to smear Hillary when they accused her of standing them up for a meeting? Turns out, the GSW appeared in her office unannounced and Hillary wasn't even there at the time. The smear was so bad, the GSW's put a letter on the front page of their website explaining that Hillary didn't stand them up and they apologized for the falsehoods the media was writing about the incident.

Patricia Barbee, member of the Gold Star Wives of America and something of a fixture at Ft. Stewart for her work with widows of servicemen.

Imagine the nerve of the BFEE to treat this dedicated woman as they did. It is yet another example of how these thugs disrespect troops, especially after they either come home, or die. This should also be an example to our troops, of how their own families would be treated by this despicable administration, should the circumstance arise.

[DemBones DemBones]

19. Boy, that Patricia Barbee IS a dangerous woman. . .

"The U.S. Administration on Aging (AoA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) salute the outstanding contributions of thirteen older Americans who represent the thousands of volunteers dedicated to protecting the integrity of the Medicare and Medicaid programs and to better ensure the quality of care provided to older and needy Americans."

"Although their backgrounds differ, all of the volunteers we honor possess a number of exceptional traits. They are extraordinarily caring, tireless, dedicated, tenacious, and enthusiastic. They possess a remarkable commitment and willingness to traverse every corner of their communities to donate their time and share their knowledge with older Americans and their families."

<snip>

"Patricia Barbee joined our program in 1998, continuing her lifelong contributions as a civic-minded volunteer, including work with a local library and the local Organization of Native Americans, as well as service as a national officer in Gold Stars of America. Because of her extensive experience, she was the perfect person to take on another volunteer role in the 1999 start-up of our Senior Fraud Squad program. In this capacity, she has been instrumental in developing an outreach education program in the Pembroke, Georgia, area. " <snip>

"With this recognition ceremony, we pay tribute to Patricia Barbee’s contributions to our program. We expect to see the efforts of Yellow Bird on Wing (her Native American name) continue to soar."

[alphafemale]

12. "Canned Speech" to a "Coached Audience" bombs

How low on the "Suck Meter" can he go?

[nostamj]

17. stay tuned

* redefines suckiosity every waking second

[Wapsie B]

18. Gosh if this keeps up,

the BFEE won't even allow the military's votes to be counted next year.