Bush Ignores Soldiers' Burials

[Search Party]

Christopher Scheer, AlterNet

President Bush has not attended the funeral of a single U.S. soldier
killed in Iraq. And veterans are starting to notice.

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=17079

[Tim4319]

1. Soldier Killing before wedding

A soldier on the helicopter shot down in Iraq was planning to get married while on leave. I hope I am doing this right! Read the article for more details.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,102201,00.html

[bleedingheart]

2. he doesn't care that they are dying for oil

and he doesn't want to risk a mother asking him why her son or daughter is dead...it might make him defensive and whiney...

[rusty charly]

3. the NY times has a front page story about this

Issue for Bush: How to Speak of Casualties?
By ELISABETH BUMILLER
November 5, 2003

WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 — When the Chinook helicopter was shot down on Sunday in Iraq, killing 15 Americans, President Bush let his defense secretary do the talking and stayed out of sight at his ranch. The president has not attended the funeral of any American soldiers killed in action, White House officials say. And with violence in Baghdad dominating the headlines this week, he has used his public appearances to focus on the health of the economy and the wildfires in California.

But after some of the deadliest attacks yet on American forces, the White House is struggling with the political consequences for a president who has said little publicly about the mounting casualties of the occupation.

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/05/politics/campaigns/05STRA.html?hp


but for all their efforts at "balance", like allowing the repugs the last word on the raygun movie contretemps, here there is no dissenting view. they couldn't find one person who disapproved? not one family with a dead son who was upset with this?

especially galling was the spin that chimpy was avoiding funerals to respect the privacy of the military families... riiiiight....

[lovedems]

4. Of course, he is to busy fundraising and vacationing

come on, we have known for 3 years where his priorities lie! Why bother with a funeral when he hadn't been to Crawford in at least a month! Unfortunately, there are more important things to the Chimp than dead soldiers (like the corporate tax breaks right around the corner)

[nono]

5. Talked to a soldier about Iraq.

I was at the hospital and met a young man who was on leave from Iraq. I couldn't help asking him how things were going, He said Soldiers were dying everday, and lots of cover up going on that he had been forbidden to talk about now, but it would come out soon to the american public.