Bush appearance stuns troops gathered at airport for Thanksgiving [good]

[truthisfreedom]

once again, bush stalls troops and endangers lives for a photo-op
-------------------------------
http://highmarkfunds.stockpoint.com/highmarkfunds/newspaper.asp?Mode=aws&Story=20031127/331w6995.xml

Bush appearance stuns troops gathered at airport for Thanksgiving
 
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Nov 27, 2003 (AP WorldStream via COMTEX) -- It was the biggest of holiday surprises.

<snip>

At that moment, Bush strode forth from the wings in an Army track suit emblazoned with a 1st Armored Division patch. The bored crowd shot immediately from their seats and whooped. As he surveyed the crowd, a tear dripped to the president's cheek.

"I was just looking for a warm meal somewhere," Bush said, to another whoop. "Thanks for inviting me to dinner."

After his speech, Bush waded into the crowd, shaking hands, dispensing hugs and posing for photos.

<snip>

But other soldiers grew angry that their departure from the airport was delayed for an hour, while they waited for Air Force One to depart. Finding the door barred, about 50 troops got into a shouting match with the soldier blocking their exit. The streets of Baghdad were too dangerous to delay their departure any longer, they shouted.

"Do you have any idea how many IEDs are on this road?" one soldier shouted, referring to improvised explosive devices or roadside bombs. "I have to get back to my base. I don't want to lose a soldier because the president wants us to sit here."
<snip>
By JIM KRANE Associated Press Writer

[RedSock]

1. what's on the menu?

y'all got any wild turkey? wink wink

As he surveyed the crowd, a tear dripped to the president's cheek.

damn, there goes dinner. :puke:

[UpInArms]

2. no shit

:puke:

this is yet another negative moment in the long list of negative moments that I shall have to attempt to find a "mental douche" for -

a tear????

I am so gagged by his histrionics that I cannot bear it -

so who in the hell wants to go and have a beer with this fake weeping pillar of salt????

gack!!!!

my head cannot expell the thought of what he represents at this moment

:nuke:

(edited because I cannot type with this much anger and disgust)

[loudnclear]

3. OK, who is going to tell the truth about this photo op?

Bush went to Iraq because he knew that Hillary was headed there after her visit with Sen Reid to Afghanistan. You know, Afghanistan of the forgotten war on terrorism.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

53. Not To Be Shamed Nor Upstaged By An Uppity Senator Clinton....

bush goes to Bagdad

[izzie]

4. ost us a lot but what a great move. All Prez need a war.

No one can top this.Did he start the war for photo-ops or jusr cashing in?

[moderateindependent]

5. Don't Miss This Quote From His Trip

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20031127/ap_on_re_mi_ea/bush_iraq&cid=540&ncid=716

Yahoo news (above) includes a quote from a soldier saying ""He's got to win in '04. No one else can prosecute this war like he can," said Capt. John Morrison of Butler County, Pa.

Remember, just three days ago the President banned reporters from interviewing troops here on American soil during his trip to Ft. Carson (see story here http://moderateindependent.com/v1i15mediaassault.htm ) Now, he let just his one hand-picked person get a pure campaign commercial quote. If the Dem 04 hopefuls don't nail him with this, they don't deserve to win.

[Malva Zebrina]

17. I don't understand what the hell this soldier is talking about

does anyone? Prosecute what war?
Do these troops think they are in a war still, after he declared that combat was over?

What the hell do they think and why? Are they being given some drugs?

Howcome there is such a disconnect between what the troops think and what we back home here, who are opposed to the invasion of weak countries in order to get what they have, think?

[sventvkg]

28. Look fron my Army experience I can tell you the troops believe

What they are brainwashed and told to believe..If the party line is that the war is just and Bush is great, it's hyped, they are lied to and they believe it. A Ground trooper, Anyone below E6 or O3 has to be gung ho and have eyes only on the objective on hand. They have tunnel vision and believe what they are told. It is NO suprise to me that many soldiers support Bush and think what we are doing is right. However, I can see many support unit soldiers and Non-Spec op super-troopers out there who would dissent in a War situation. This is what we are seeing in Iraq and not to mention the Reserve/Guard troops. They are the most disconnected and less indoctrinated thus less likely to tote the party line.

[PennyLane]

39. From My Perspective........

I care for the wounded soldiers and just in dealing with this faction
of the military, it seems to be evenly split.

[davhill]

50. The war on terrorism, of course

They think they are bringing the war to the enemy instead of having them attack us on US soil. As long as there are no major attacks here a lot of people will continue to believe this convenient fiction.

[LiberalFighter]

30. What was that soldier promised?

Someone should check his voter registration to find if he is registered as a Repug

[newyawker99]

35. Hi moderateindependent!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Southsideirish]

6. Rove must have choked on a turkey gizzard when he heard that HIllary

was going to Iraq and planned to eat with the troops in the mess hall.
I bet he ran like hell, grabbed ole Dopey by the short hairs and frog marched him into Air Force 1.
Voila - a few hours later - SHRUB is eating with the troops in the mess!!!
Friggin' unbelievable!

[PennyLane]

40. You Know.......

Hill thought........." Freakin' copy cat!"

[rocktivity]

7. You've made my day, Truthisfreedom

I understand Bush has come and gone already. How long was he there?


rocknation

[EFF BrandyWine]

8. He was there for 2 1/2 hours.

He tried to overshadow Hillary but that's impossible. Do you think this visit qualifies as the "Political Play of the Week?" Idiot!!!

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Hawkeye-X]

54. Nah..

but it'll make him #1 on Conservative Idiots when it comes back in two weeks... Hell, Elad should release a Special Edition of Conservative Idiots today and make everyone happy for a week. :)

Hawkeye-X

[truthisfreedom]

37. hey, you're welcome. after thinking about this all day, i'm convinced

that what bush did was a terrible risk to our country... to threaten the security of our entire nation for a single high-risk photo op in a dangerous front-line war location is absolutely unthinkable. it really doesn't matter how many precautions he took... the value of his morale-boosting act was not offset by the risk to our nation's security. there is no greater national treasure that we have at any one moment than our freedom (which bushco is threatening with his constant constitution-bashing) and to protect that freedom, we need secure leadership. on thanksgiving 2003, g.w. bush needlessly threatened the security of this country for the purposes of forwarding his election campaign, at the risk and expense of the American taxpayer.

this reckless "cowboy" approach shows how dangerous a man bush is. he doesn't think about what's best for this country. he lets karl rove place our entire nation at risk to forward the cause of the PNAC.

here's another article that talks a bit about the Dem's reactions to bush's latest reckless stunt:
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/28/politics/campaigns/28DEMS.html?ex=1070600400&en=db55ae7c3ba2b953&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE

In this context, the Democratic candidates sought to stand with Mr. Bush in his gesture of solidarity, while not letting go of the issue of how he has handled the war since the fall of Baghdad. Chris Lehane, an adviser to General Clark, praised Mr. Bush for the trip, but said, "He also has a responsibility to offer us a real success strategy in Iraq so we can get our troops out of there so they don't have to spend future Thanksgivings in Iraq."

[Ctuser]

45. Bush is a fratboy

I wish people would stop calling that east coast born ass fratboy a cowboy that is an insult to cows and hell to boys in general. He is a weasel rat fratboy ferret from New Haven CT and we aren't proud of it up here. sorry all you rats, weasels and ferrets out there.

[Ferretherder]

46. Apology accepted.

Peace.

[burrowowl]

9. Go to CNN's Wolfie

and vote in poll!

[0007]

14. Up with the link mate, if ye want me to vote, 'eh?

[Vitruvius]

15. Link:

http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/wolf.blitzer.reports/

[Malva Zebrina]

18. this question is a trick question

If one says yes, it was "worth the risk" they one can be said to be supporting Bush.

If one says no, it was "not worth the risk" then one can be said to be supporting Bush.

Wake up--the poll is fixed.

[Gloria]

36. Exactly, it's a rigged poll!

eom

[leesa]

31. You mean the bogus question "was it worth the risk?"

How do you answer something like that. I wish the traitor Bush was hogtied and wisked away to a trial for war crimes followed by a trial for treason followed by the ultimate sentance for treason and crimes against humanity, but it wasn't one of the choices.

[meegbear]

10. He bravely ran away

Bravely ran away, brave brave Sir Georgie ...

[leesa]

11. What a disgusting piece of shit this coward is! I have extreme difficulty

feeling ANY compassion for the ignorant soldiers who support this lying, greedy, immoral bastard.

[INTELBYTES]

19. It was a PR stunt nothing more.

It was stupid, but it wasn't not cowardice. Even spending two and a half hours on the ground, being such a rich target, he had to either be insane or balls of steel, but to say it was cowardice is just ludicrice. Our troops deserve our respect and support. It's their leader that I despise.

[leesa]

32. Oh please! The little shit travels in a bubble.

I am sorry but even soldiers have to open their eyes. They don't get a free pass. They know there are no WMD. They know there is no Al-Quaeda link. They know this scam in Iraq has not one thing to do with 9-11.
If many of them are telling the press they have problems with the lies from this administration, you can bet your ass they know, but like most of America they want to think their shit doesn't smell.

[davhill]

47. Biggest risk was

Getting knocked off and leaving the country stuck with a madman for president instead of a fool.

[Norbert]

38. Whose to say shrubs advance team

didn't find the freeper/cheerleader types and put them in the camera front lines for the photo/op. Rove isn't stupid. He reads the newsaper clippings and knows soldier morale in Iraq isn't good and he knows that he must put the spin on.

[Carolina]

49. hate to admit it

but so do I. I talked to a young man recently who was in the service during the Clinton years and just recently got out. He told me how many guys he served with hated Clinton and love Bush. Moreover, they spoke openly of their disdain for COC Clinton ... so much for servicemen not be allowed to do so. Anyway, we talked about how we could not understand it and then chalked it up to the media-GOP propaganda machine which demonized Clinton and adulates Bush.

Still, there was a vengeful (okay, so I'm human) side of me that felt, well if that's how they feel, they deserve what they get. If they're that stupid, they deserve their misleader.

Can't any of them see what we see? Don't any of them read?

[ConcernedCanuk]

12. Anyone notice how the Master of Ceremonies led up to Bushie's entrance ??

. . went something like this

. . "Let's see if we have anyone senior to address you"

. . I guess he's "senior" because he is older than all of them,

or because he is "Commander in Chief" when he got that title by default when he was "selected" as pResident.

And where did Junior get that "Army" jacket?

He certainly didn't "earn" it - or did he keep one from his AWOL days ?

OK - I figured it out - it's from his "Photo-Op" Wardrobe ?

Oh yah, where was that stupid lookin' dog he carries around all the time ?

(sorry Dawg, ya keep bad company)

[SOS]

13. Muskie

In 1972 the Manchester (NH) Union Leader trashed Ed Muskie's wife in an editorial. Muskie later stood on the steps and shed a tear for the pain this vile newspaper inflicted on his family.
He was finished on the spot.
Unstable! Weak! Emotionally unbalanced! screamed the Nixon cheerleaders.
Why can Bush shed tears but not a Democrat?

[stevedeshazer]

20. *ding*

Great point. And don't forget when Dukakis was ambushed by a question asking how he would feel if his wife were raped.

[leesa]

33. Because Republican tears are not real. Easy question.

[styersc]

16. The troops have Sen Hillary Clinton to thank for this trip.

Had the Junior Senator from NY not traveled to Afghanistan for the holiday- the 'resident and Chief would be snug at home in Texas.

[Name removed]

22. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[roguevalley]

23. Hildebeast?

Ah, the smell of freeper in the morning...

[drscm]

24. Jessica

If 1983 is your birthday, why aren't you serving your country in Iraq?

[PaDUer]

25. That 1983 freep..

would shit purple..wait, am waiting to see the threads from freepville once the cards start arriving..they're going to be running for cover..

[kodi]

26. of course, you have given as much to the country as sen. clinton?

why of course you have.

btw a two hour whistle ass tour of an iraqi airport is not comparable to a few days where the war on terrorism is actually being fought.

[lancdem]

27. Junket?

Hildebeast? Hmmm...

[snippy]

29. Bush is a child-like commander-in-chief.

He loves to play dress up and surprise adults with his apparent precociousness. He loves to play cowboy and talk like a wild west sheriff. He loves to taunt enemies from whom he is shielded. He wants life to be a costume party and he thinks he always should be the guest of honor. If Bush was my child I would discipline him.

From the article:

The surprise was terrific," Bremer said, beaming. "Operational security was great. It was quite an operation. We've been working on it for months."

Was there nothing else of more importance the US forces and provisional government in Iraq could have been doing during this time?

[PennyLane]

42. So......

......."We've been working on it for months."


Do we believe Bush pissed on Hill's parade, or she pissed on his?

[goforit]

34. It sounds like they want the prez to stand on the front line.

The military families will see right through this
fiasco.

[PennyLane]

43. The Whole Place

Sounds like it's "Front Line!"

[emad]

41. Shameless electioneering - funded by the US taxpayer to boot!

I expect it kept Hillary in Afghanistan off the front pages

[dArKeR]

44. The 'Secret' is the 10,000 wouned that are being hidden by Bush!

Let's hear the Media Whores publisize that secret!

[moondust]

48. Turkey day indeed!

His election campaign should be paying for these stupid human tricks.

[bobthedrummer]

51. What an arrogant cowboy

who lied to the world and to the People in the first place along with Blair to "liberate" Iraq.
The son of a bitch that all this is on visits the troops in another photo op worthy of Howard Hughes IMHO.

[leftchick]

52. "A Photo-op with All the Trimmings" ......

.......I Love Aljazeera! That is the actual caption to this photo. I wish we had a free press....