HELEN THOMAS: "Dubya Makes His War Pitch" (SF Chronicle)

[kpete]

Published on Sunday, January 15, 2006 by the San Francisco Chronicle
Dubya Makes His War Pitch
by Helen Thomas


In a speech to the friendly Veterans of Foreign Wars Monday, Bush derided the war's detractors, saying Americans know the difference between "honest critics" and "those who claim we acted in Iraq because of oil, or because of Israel, or because we misled the American people."

That was an interesting commentary by Bush. Some of us waited breathlessly to hear him say what really impelled him to invade Iraq on March 19, 2003 -- but he didn't oblige. His previous rationales -- that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and that Iraq had ties to the al Qaeda network -- have turned out to be bogus.

..................

Bush's new emphasis is on "winning" the war and "complete victory" is questionable and suggests that he has a military triumph in mind. That's not going to happen in Iraq, where U.S. military leaders repeatedly stress that a political solution is the key to ending the conflict there. Part of the solution should be the withdrawal of U.S. forces.

Bush also claims to welcome next month's congressional hearings on his explosive order to eavesdrop on Americans without court approval. Those hearings will be "good for democracy," the president insists.

What would really be good for democracy is for the American people to know what the president is up to -- and why.

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0115-21.htm

[FightingIrish]

1. I think he called the American people obscene and repulsive.

* quote: "I can understand people being abhorrent about war..."

Definition of abhorrent: offensive to the mind; "an abhorrent deed"; "the obscene massacre at Wounded Knee"; "morally repugnant customs"; "repulsive behavior"; "the most repulsive character in recent novels"

[Lerkfish]

2. citizens are obscene to dictators.

[ROakes1019]

3. abhorrent

It's hard to figure out what this chump is saying but, in this case, he truly seems to be saying that people, some people, are simply abhorrent. As an English teacher I'd always maintained that if the audience had to wrestle with what the speaker means, as opposed to what he says, than the speaker has failed at communication. Anyone want to vote for Bush as the new Reagan, the great communicator?

[peony]

4. On NSA hearings, Bush seeks political gain, what else?

I think he sees an opportunity to campaign on his perceived strength on national security and turn the tables on Democrats by painting them as soft on terrorism, etc. However, the polls have narrowed between Democrats and Republicans on national security, and GWB's poll numbers are about half of what they were after 911. Also, it seems to me the Democrats need the most incisive and articulate constitutional lawyers at these hearings in order to best the Administration. One of them was at the Alito hearings, but can't recall his name.

[formercia]

5. Impeaching Bush and Cheney would be good for democracy too.