Newsweek sums up Bush's speech, 25 words or less: "forget about the DSM"

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

Osama and Saddam
President Bush once again linked 9/11 with the U.S. invasion of Iraq, but the approach poses serious political, personal and practical risks.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8404125/site/newsweek/

June 29 - Just in case anyone was reaching for the remote, President George W. Bush hit his keynote as early as he could while still being polite. After thanking the troops at Fort Bragg, N.C., on Tuesday night, the first two lines of his speech were blindingly simple. “The troops here and across the world are fighting a global war on terror,” he said. “The war reached our shores on September the 11th, 2001.”

In other words: forget about the Downing Street memos and Colin Powell’s now discredited speech at the United Nations. This is one war, against one enemy, making Iraq simply a continuation of the hunt for Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan. Or, as Bush put it, “Iraq is the latest battlefield in this war.” He might as well have stood in front of a picture of the Twin Towers.

It’s easy to see why this approach is so attractive to the White House. The president’s response to 9/11 remains a potent memory in public opinion. So potent that it still drives the only positive numbers in the president’s performance ratings. Bush has disapproval ratings of more than 50 percent on the economy, energy and health care, according to the latest Gallup poll. On Iraq, 58 percent disapprove of his handling of the war. But on terrorism, the president has maintained the support of the people: 55 percent approve of his performance.

There are only three major problems with Bush’s latest attempt to tie Iraq to 9/11. One is political, another personal, yet another is practical.

[LightningFlash]

1. Oh you mean 55% of right-wingers....

....If that's all you were interviewing. And most of them are like Cory, who fucking live on a college campus sheltered away or in the rural south house!!!! What a god damn surprise! :eyes: :eyes:

And for those of you republicans who do serve your country, and democrats also, thanks for having the courage these hypocrites don't have. :mad:

[Benhurst]

2. His response to 9/11? Reading a childish story about a goat?

Flying around like a chicken with its head chopped off? Delivering a pedestrian speech days after the fact?

[Kahuna]

3. EXACTLY!!! That;'s what I said. that speech was to get the public..

on his side as his ratings slip and the "i" words begins to get bandied about. By themselves, bush doesn't care about the polls now. It's not like he has to worry about stealing another election...for himself. He's worried about his ratings getting so low that the Dems get emboldened to try and impeach his butt.

[gratuitous]

4. It drives the president's "only positive number" for performance

Yet, oddly enough, Newsweek's weekly snapshot of the conventional wisdom always seems to have Chimpy with an "up" arrow. Thanks for the hard, in-depth analysis there, Newsweek. You have all the depth of the kiddie's wading pool.

[PretzelWarrior]

5. this is an excellent piece. hope a lot read it

and get a few more converts.

[Cha]

6. bushrove opened up the Middle East

for Terrorists' recruitments like no other time in history.

Iraq didn't have terrorists before they was Bombed back to the Stone Age..Now it does, big time!

rove wants the country to think bush is so brain dead that he doesn't know osama bin hidin' was the villian behind 9/11..who hasn't been caught yet because as one DUer says..the republicans/some dems with bush leading the way became a Lynch Mob..I'm paraphrasing here.

Oooop! They got the wrong guy and opened up a gigantic, on the job, terrorist training organization.

[Amonester]

7. So, enraging more than a billion Muslims (torture & murders)...

and effectively turning a decade+ long peaceful-and-poor Iraq into a terralist training camp for future worldwide expansion and attacks

maintained

the support of 55 percent????????????????

is it just moi, or... :wtf: