Mr. Bush praised Mr. Rumsfeld’s supervision of the military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan and his attempts to revamp the Pentagon bureaucracy. “I’m pleased with the progress we’re making,†Mr. Bush said during the interview in the Oval Office. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/01/washingt...artner=homepage October's "progress": 105 dead American troops, unknow numbers of others. Names of the dead removed by request. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105
Sobering. Isn't he the one that takes surprise visits there in the middle of the night so no one knows he's there? Why not take a tour with the troops?
The republicans keep asking"do you want us to win"? I think a better question is "Do you want your kid over there"?
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(danoday @ Nov 1 2006, 05:35 PM) [snapback]342213[/snapback]</div> Sorry to hear that. Two more families that will have a dark holiday season.
I did a little research on Bush's and Cheney's investments; based on what I could find, they're both expecting the markets to tank in the next 1-3 years. Perhaps they're not as sure, in private, about the outcome of the War and its possible effects on the domestic economy...? The man's smugness is absolutely repugnant to me.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Beryl Octet @ Nov 1 2006, 05:55 PM) [snapback]342181[/snapback]</div> Thank you. Is the Pentagon still banning photos of the returning coffins?
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Pinto Girl @ Nov 1 2006, 04:21 PM) [snapback]342232[/snapback]</div> Funny story...just a few weeks after junior took office I was coming back from Mexico at the US border. I was retained for in depth questioning. While waiting for the officer to check my credentials, I was stationed just below a smug smirking-chimp photo of junior. I quietly said to my traveling companion "Look at that smirking prick who looks like he just stole an election". The guard thought I was talking about him and came sailing over the desk and put me in a headlock and began screaming at me. My traveling friend (a staunch republican who works at Los Alamos Labs) rescued me by telling the 'official' that I was 'just a sore-loser San Francisco Liberal' and was referring to the photo, not to the officer. The guard begrudgingly released me and went back to his computer and checking my ID. Next he checked my friend's ID. All was going OK till he realized our ID's showed the exact same birth date (we were computer matched roommates in college) upon which time he again went all aggressive official and had us both detained till the ID's could be further investigated. Naturally, our ID's were real and we were eventually released.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MarinJohn @ Nov 2 2006, 02:35 PM) [snapback]342615[/snapback]</div> :lol: couldn't have happened to a better CHUMP! lol
On the far-away island of Sala-ma-Sond, Yertle the Turtle was king of the pond. A nice little pond. It was clean. It was neat. The water was warm. There was plenty to eat. The turtles had everything turtles might need. And they were all happy. Quite happy indeed. They were... untill Yertle, the king of them all, Decided the kingdom he ruled was too small. "I'm ruler", said Yertle, "of all that I see. But I don't see enough. That's the trouble with me. With this stone for a throne, I look down on my pond But I cannot look down on the places beyond. This throne that I sit on is too, too low down. It ought to be higher!" he said with a frown. "If I could sit high, how much greater I'd be! What a king! I'd be ruler of all that I see!" So Yertle, the Turtle King, lifted his hand And Yertle, the Turtle King, gave a command. He ordered nine turtles to swim to his stone And, using these turtles, he built a new throne. He made each turtle stand on another one's back And he piled them all up in a nine-turtle stack. And then Yertle climbed up. He sat down on the pile. What a wonderful view! He could see 'most a mile! "All mine!" Yertle cried. "Oh, the things I now rule! I'm the king of a cow! And I'm the king of a mule! I'm the king of a house! And, what's more, beyond that I'm the king of a blueberry bush and a cat! I'm Yertle the Turtle! Oh, marvelous me! For I am the ruler of all that I see!" Dr. Suess
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Pinto Girl @ Nov 1 2006, 06:21 PM) [snapback]342232[/snapback]</div> Deficit spending, housing bubble over, we seem to only make burgers and cruise missiles... Not sure I blame them on that. I keep hearing about this, but don't know quite what to make of it http://baltimorechronicle.com/2006/110206CARMICHAEL.shtml Given the rapidly multiplying constellation of crises and criticisms hitting his presidency in its metaphorical face, President Bush has taken the extraordinary step of investing in a tract of private real estate. For the past week, the international press has been spellbound by reports that Jenna Bush, the president’s daughter, has negotiated a real estate transaction in upper Paraguay for a huge ranch even by Texas standards. Now international speculation presumes that the Bushes have taken the advice of their family’s consigliores to maintain a bolt-hole hideaway just in case of the eruption of problematic or discomforting political developments in their homeland.
Oh yeah, using dead soldiers to further your personal anti-Bush propaganda.... ...real cool. Why don't you post up pics. of their bullet ridden/maimed bodies, better yet, blow those pictures onto huge poster boards, and parade around DC screaming about how Bush is to blame for this criminal act. That'll likely land you on CNN, at which point, you'll have earned the right to call those who don't serve "chickenhawks".
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Mystery Squid @ Nov 2 2006, 02:03 PM) [snapback]342672[/snapback]</div> Please; calm yourself. That's certainly not my intent, in any case. My goodness. Is it wrong to be concerned that people are being killed, while we continue to struggle with the basic definition of "victory" and "defeat," and while we still have not decided upon a realistic exit strategy...one that can be quantified so that we *all* can tell if we really "won" or "lost"? What's happening here is a discussion between individuals with differing viewpoints. The expression of these is how compromise is reached and how progress occurs. Perhaps if more of this was enabled, we wouldn't be so deadlocked as a country. I, for one, am willing to consider others' viewpoints and modify my own...but inflammatory language is counterproductive. Even if you're just having fun playing Devil's Advocate. And, ummmm, [blushing] the only people I refer to as 'chickenhawks' are older homosexual men in 'May/December' relationships.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Pinto Girl @ Nov 2 2006, 02:22 PM) [snapback]342692[/snapback]</div> True. Death is always the ultimate undesireable outcome. Don't forget the hundreds of thousands dead iraqis that, according to Bush & Co, would have enjoyed democracy.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Pinto Girl @ Nov 2 2006, 04:22 PM) [snapback]342692[/snapback]</div> No way, don't attempt to justify this as either "concern" or "discussion". Concern is one thing, likewise discussion, it could have easily been stated as a statistic, or figure, such as, "This month alone, 105 soldiers have been killed....", but NOOOOOOOO, the actual names were used, along with a picture of Bush in some specifically, intentionally designed, macabre anti-Bush propaganda piece. There is NO defense, or discussion in this sense, only a well deserved fist in mouth and foot up nice person. :angry:
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Mystery Squid @ Nov 2 2006, 02:32 PM) [snapback]342699[/snapback]</div> The actual names were used because actual fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters died because of the incompetence of the guy in the photo. You want macabre? What about Bush still bringing up 9/11 in the context of the war in Iraq? That is sick and dysfunctional.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Mystery Squid @ Nov 2 2006, 02:32 PM) [snapback]342699[/snapback]</div> The picture is from the interview in question. Thanks for your input!
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Mystery Squid @ Nov 2 2006, 02:32 PM) [snapback]342699[/snapback]</div> For the record, I'm not defending the histrionics of either side. I'm a proponent of discourse, period. And I'd rather not to tolerate its disruption. By anyone. The tremendous 'anti-Bush' emotional sentiment is only helping to close down Republicans, as their vitriolic attitude does to the Democrats. I think that none of this is good for anyone, except those who would like to see the decline and fall of the United States of America. A house, divided, can not stand.
Pro-war types cannot stand the reality of war - actual names, actual pictures of children's bodies dismembered by cluster bombs in Iraq, Lebanon, Afghanistan. A basic technique of war is to sanitize it through abstraction - exactly what Mr. Squid is advocating. War is not an abstraction; it is shattered, charred bodies. And yes, the same goes for the horrific attacks of 9/11. I hope the criminals responsible for those attacks will face justice some day.