I give him credit for the PR move From: Bush Asks U.S. to Help Military Personnel White House advisers denied any political motive for the trip. I guess if you are going to tell a lie make it the biggest one you can. This emperor has no clothes.
Apperently from an Iraqi in Baghdad. ...Bush was in Iraq on the 27th. He made a fleeting visit to Baghdad International Airport. Don't let the name fool you- Baghdad Airport is about 20 minutes outside of Baghdad. It's in this empty, desert-like area that no one is allowed to go near. No one knew about it until he was gone and then we were all saying, "Huh? What was that about?!" Everyone here sees it for what it is- just a lame attempt to try to look good. We actually expected him in Iraq during his Asia tour- he was bound to stop by for a good gloat. I just think the whole thing could have been a little bit less transparent (and I expected it would occur closer to elections). Seeing him on tv was amusing- so why did he have to sneak into and out of Iraq with such secrecy? Why didn't he walk the streets of the country he helped 'liberate'? Why didn't he at least *hover* above the country he 'liberated'? He constantly claims the situation is much better now than pre-war, so why isn't he taking advantage of our excellent security situation?! We all sat there, watching him garble out the usual stream of words and shook our heads… he's just as much of an ass in Baghdad as he is in Washington. I am curious about how the troops felt about his presence though… I'm sure the hand-picked group in the airport were elated, but I can't help but wonder about the troops stuck in Tikrit, Najaf, Falloojeh or Mosul… I imagine they'd much rather be at home. The most amusing thing about his visit was watching Chalabi and Talabani jumping up and down at the airport, cheering and clapping as Bush made the rounds. Muwafaq Al-Rubai'i, also a member of the Governing Council, was just embarrassing- he was standing on tiptoe and clapping like a 5-year-old watching a circus clown. Later, he gushed about how happy the Iraqis were and how delighted the whole country was going to be, like he would know, almost as inaccessible to Iraqis as Bush himself is. Bush must be proud today- two more 'insurgents' were shot dead in Ba'aquba: two terrorist sisters, one 12 years old and the other 15. They were shot by troops while gathering wood from a field… but nobody bothers to cover that. They are only two Iraqi girls in their teens who were brutally killed by occupation troops- so what? Bush's covert two-hour visit to Baghdad International Airport is infinitely more important… Note: To all of you who sent me Eid greetings- thank you. The number of emails was unbelievable. I'll try to respond soon- be patient- the electrical situation has been a nightmare. http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/
Actually it seems it was Card's idea, and W wasn't too hip to the idea. -------------------------------- Aides Prodded Reluctant Bush on Iraq Trip By Adam Entous CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) - For a president fond of a tough-guy image, George W. Bush was uneasy when an aide casually asked him, "You want to go to Baghdad?" With Bush safely back at his Crawford ranch on Friday, White House supporters seized on the U.S. Thanksgiving Day visit to Iraq as a public-relations coup that could boost troop morale and Republican fund raising. But the trip -- one of the most secretive by any U.S. president -- also highlighted how precarious security remains in the Iraqi capital, captured by U.S. forces in April. Despite unprecedented precautions, the president slipped into Baghdad under cover of darkness on Thursday to minimize the risk of being targeted by surface-to-air missiles and was confined to the heavily guarded airport throughout his 2-1/2-hour stay. "Obviously there continues to be a security problem in the triangle around Baghdad," Bush's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, said in Crawford. One day after the president left Iraq, another high-profile visitor, New York Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, toured Baghdad to meet with troops and top officials from the occupation administration and aid groups. It was White House chief of staff Andrew Card who first proposed the surprise trip -- not the president. "Andy (Card), as he often does, said (to Bush) almost in passing: 'Thanksgiving's coming up. Where do you want to go? You want to go to Baghdad?"' Rice recalled, and the planning got under way. Seven months after his dramatic landing in a flight suit on the USS Abraham Lincoln with its "Mission Accomplished" banner, Bush conceded about the Iraq visit, "I was the biggest skeptic of all." http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20031128/us_nm/bush_iraq_dc_14
I believe Bush’s trip was a great morale boost for the troops as well as a savvy political move. Most of the sensible posters on this board feel this way as well. H. Clinton’s trip was less of a troop morale boost and there were political motivations obviously, but she was actually doing some business while in Afghanistan and Iraq – Bush cannot say the same.
I never wrote that GWB's Iraq trip was made only for political motives. But there was certainly some political motives in his trip (or why bring the cameras). For the White House to deny the obvious is laughable.
Visiting the troops is important...lifting spirits with his presence is important to what they are trying to do...a noble cause indeed. Naysayers will complain, cry, whine, and swine...They will insult the President and decry every action and I am proud of that because we are fighting to keep that right to them... America has always been and will be a fighting country...and those most noble and righteous will continue to fight against terroistic elements and threats to our freedoms...
Can you explain how the war in Iraq protects our right to free speech. I really want to hear that argument. Hopefully you can cite some armed Iraqi incursions onto American soil, some documented Iraqi plots to invade America, etc.
Well, first of all you have to accept that this is part of the War on Terror. I don't know if you see it that way, but Bush and many respectable people certainly do. If you make that connection, then it's pretty clear. The ideology of the Islamic fundamentalists leaves no room for free speech.
No, I don't see it that way and the vast majority of the world doesn't see it that way. This is why there's no NATO stamp, why there's no UN stamp, and why even with begging and bribing we can't get meaningful numbers of troops to help us out of the mess we've created. You know who the whole world agrees is part of the war on terror? Osama Bin Laden, the guy who's on the back burner while we go play around in Iraq. I find it funny that we have 100,000 troops in Iraq yet we have probably a tenth of that in Afghanistan even though we suspect Bin Laden is still operating in the border region. That is just priceless. What I do see is that any time any American forces are engaged for any reason all across the world we get the "fighting to protect our freedoms" tag line regardless of why forces are actually engaged. In this case it's being used to rally support for a President who's record shows he consistently undermines the support the troops mantra he professes.
In the ideal terroristic world, there is no free speech, or anything free...Look at Iraq before...Their terroristic regime leader of Saddam, terrorized people, other countries, and killed them for the slightest whiff of ill-speak by anybody... This is what terrorists want if they win is for control, and abolishment of any so-called rights...including your right to live...Those killed in 9/11, if alive would have had differing opinions on the war on terror...I'm sure many of those killed would have been against the war and might have spoken out...if they wern't killed...Now, because of the terroristic deeds, their voices are never more...There is no doubt in my mind, Saddam was friendly and it is even evident that he publicly praised terroristic endeavors...His facination with mass destructive weapons, and his orgasim-like thrill with actively killing his own people was signs of clear danger of what this mad man would do if the evidentiality of the power he sought came to fruition...I feel completely justified by the facts that this is no doubt, part of the war on terror, and the fight for your rights as a citizen of the United States...
...to take a break from the tired, oedipal right wing Hillary-fetishism that is so very relevant... In the intervening 48 hours the President made his stopover, 1 American, 7 Spanish, and 2 Japanese soldiers were killed by resistance/loyalist/terrorist/whatever attacks As fun as it is to argue about this, Nixon and Johnson in Vietnam didn't ultimately mean sh-t either. I'd be hard pressed to believe this has any lasting significance other than as a photo op. Good for him for going. Now it's over.
It was positive in that it was probably a short term morale boost for the troops there, but you're right about the ultimate change, with the stupid short sighted policies we have had going on - the long term outlook is cloudy and since the Bushies have tied their future to this, we are stuck there with miniscule help, and are losing the countryside in Afghanistan. Saddam was an evil person, but for everyone who says Iraqis are better off without him, apparently *women* in general are in limbo, free but trapped because of the world's most dangerous streets since we are not providing security as we are obligated to as occupying power, and the Islamic urge to suppress women is going unchecked. http://www.msnbc.com/news/989180.asp Security in Iraq continues to be a major issue for coalition forces, aid organizations and civilians. But for women, the lawlessness poses additional challenges given the rise in incidents of rape and kidnapping since the fall of Saddam Hussein. Since Iraqi police and coalition forces are stretched thin, women have been forced to make changes - including quitting their jobs or forgoing school - to stay off the streets and away from their potential dangers. Furthermore, in some cases if a woman is a victim of crime, her family will kill her in order to restore honor.
so much for morale ===================== <b>Bush's morale-boosting Baghdad visit doesn't make up for urge to go home, say troops</b> BAGHDAD (AFP) - Just a day after US President George W. Bush flew into Baghdad to feed 600 of his troops the traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinner, soldiers at the same base were offered a rare musical evening but the Bush high had failed to outlast the impromptu visit. Some 200 soldiers belonging to the 1st Armored Division, which patrols the area around the Iraqi capital, gathered in one of Baghdad international airport's cold and wet hangers to listen to an hour-long concert performed by fellow troops and featuring Christmas carols and patriotic songs. But the mood was quiet, bordering on somber, inside the large corrugated-iron hall with some troops yawning the evening away or even falling asleep. Despite the deafening roar of landing choppers, performers bravely went on with their renditions of "Jingle Bells" and "Silent Night". "You have to understand that some people are not used to that kind of music," confessed Specialist Sclyna Penick, almost apologizing for her fellow troops' apathy. "It was not exactly rocking and rolling tonight. It's like, you know, this music is for older people," said the young woman. But Penick, unlike most at the concert, still had a broad smile on her face and all 50 stars and 13 stripes of the US flag in her eyes. "I helped cook and serve the dinner for President Bush," she said. Sergeant First Class Mark Wouters said he got to shake the president's hand. "I have got a picture taken with him!" he beamed. "It was so inspirational. When he walked in, everybody was so excited," he added. Wouters said the post-Bush high had failed to touch many of those who did not get to dine with him "because I think most troops in fact do not know the president was here." "We have access to TV but not every day," said Wouters. Lieutenant Shelley Walsh had yet another explanation: "I think people were sincerely and quietly listening to the music, she said. As to why the head of 1st Armored Division, Brigadier General Martin Dempsey, had failed to elicit much laughter when he went on stage and mimicked the band's conductor in a comic rendition of "Sleigh Ride", most troops here said they were simply tired and eager to go home. "We've been here for seven months. It's tough, especially with the holiday season coming. We miss our loved ones," said Walsh. Sergeant Felix St. Luce hit out at the "depressing" mood of the night's entertainment, saying it had done nothing for his or his comrades' morale. "The music was bad, the acoustic sucked, the atmosphere was depressing," said the young man who originally comes from the Caribbean. "Where I come from, we know reggae music, we know what uplifting music means." Sergeant Ted Pledger concurred. "I want to go home, most of us have been here for seven months. I need something to boost my morale and tonight did nothing for me," he said. Asked if Bush's visit had strengthened their resolve, Pledger joked: "What do you mean? It was nothing like Michael Jackson," visibly unaware of the pedophilia charges pressed against the once pop idol. "Yeah, it was just another visit," said St. Luce. "Don't get me wrong, we appreciate him coming but we still need to go home," said Pledger. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm.../wl_afp/us_iraq_army_music&cid=1512&ncid=1480
Well, she is on the Armed Services Committee, so I would think quite a few active troops give a rip... particularly those working in the Pentagon.
The trip was a great morale booster for the troops and a great PR move by Bush. They will obviously use images from the Thanksgiving trip instead of the GI Joe carrier landing. I find it interesting that most Iraqis dismiss the trip since Bush refused to meet with any of them.
A better question how many people that are actually troops, the people that actually do the fighting, have a grip with Clinton? Any one even remotely higher up gets involved in the beauracatic elements of the whole structure. I think the trip is a good motivational tool for the troops. I think that Bush did take a risk and it was a commendable act. There's not doubt about that in my mind. But judging from the article above, I think a better motivation would be telling the troops that they can start going home since there will be coalition forces coming in since Bush is willing to compromise with our allies. I think another thing that would motivate the troops a heck of a lot more is telling them we will be adding to their benefits for the job they are doing instead of cutting them.
What really makes me mad is this. Bush is cutting the troops benefits while signing the new medicare bill. Why? because the other senior citizens are more likely to vote than the younger troops that are fighting and dying. That to me is the greatest travesty. Bush did what he did to get votes. I support our troops and think they deserve a lot more benefit than the older folks right now, but they get the crap end of the stick since they don't vote as often as a whole.
