Why doesn't anyone mention that Bush doesn't sign any letters

[saracat]

dead soldiers families? People seem hot under the collar about Rummy, why not Bush? It was an issue that was brought up briefly a while ago and just dies.

[mogster]

1. I agree

Rumschweld is being set up for something (not that he doesn't deserve it) and I'll be damned if this isn't a ploy to take the heat off Bush himself.
Luckily, the Nimbwit defends his torture-prone pal - who else would do his dirty work?

But Bush doesn't sign letters, and you have to drag him screaming if he's to visit the wounded troops.

[buddysmellgood]

2. No one expects Bush to actually DO anything, much less write.

[TaleWgnDg]

7. Yah. Can Dumbya really hold a pen and make it move at the

same time? I'd venture no.



.

[NYC]

3. Yesterday on the television news, they said

while condemning Rumsfeld for not manually signing the letters that "even Bush..." signs the letters. I can't remember their exact words other than "even Bush".

[shraby]

4. So give them both a cookie...

there shouldn't have to be ANY letters. If it weren't for Bush and company there wouldn't be. Nuff said.

[saracat]

6. Maybe they think so. but I remember that the families were complaining

during the campaign that he used auto pen. They mentioned that FDR signed all the letters!

[Silverhair]

12. I have a hard time believing that.

Sorry, but if you are saying that FDR personally signed ALL the WWII military death letters, you are talking about a hell of a lot of letters. It would have kept him busy (During major battles) all day doing nothing but signing letters. When would he get the work of the Presidency done?

[saracat]

13. It seems like a lot to me as well. But that is what was said. There was

thread here about it. I will try to find it. If anyone has it please post it!

[Silverhair]

14. The USA deaths from WWII were:

Military only:
292,000 battle deaths
115,000 other causes

By the time of FDR's death in 1945, American casualty rate was greatly reduced as we then had overwhelming advantage. I couldn't find a breakdown for monthly casualty rates. So I will assume that Truman would have done the same think as FDR, and will use the total figure.

If we assume that he signed only battle deaths, that come out to an average of about 215 signatures a day. Naturally this would have clustered around the major battles, which would have meant times when thousands of letters per day would have needed signing.

And remember, FDR was NOT in good health. He would have been careful about the use of his energy.

Therefore, I will have to be shown strong evidence that FDR personally signed the letters.

[saracat]

24. Maybe they mean personally with the auto pen?I agree it sounds like too

many , but I just know what they said. I don't vouch for the veracity of the statement.

[NYC]

25. I don't say I believed them,

but I definitely noticed that they said it.

It would strike me as odd if Bush took the time to sign condolence letters.

[yurbud]

5. He can't read OR write

He has servants for that.

[radfringe]

8. he doesn't attend funerals either

so why should he "negoitate with himself" and sign letters too?

[blackangrydem]

9. Sen Hagel and others said that he did sign them. That was part

of the criticism of Rumsfeld. If the POTUS has time to sign, so should the SecDef.

[atommom]

15. But he doesn't do the condolence letters. What letters are they

referring to?

[txindy]

21. Hagel and other republicans

Not that they would have anything to gain by lying for Junior, right? :eyes: Please.

From David Hackworth's site, 'Soldiers For The Truth' (emphasis is mine): http://www.sftt.org/cgi-bin/csNews/csNews.cgi?database=Hacks%20Target.db&command=viewone&op=t&id=101&rnd=889.7678454123954

"I then went to about a dozen next-of-kin of American soldiers KIA in Iraq. Most agreed with the colonels’ accusations and said they’d noticed and been insulted by the machine-driven signature. One father bitterly commented that he thought it was a shame that the SecDef could keep his squash schedule but not find the time to sign his dead son’s letter. Several also felt compelled to tell me that the letter they received from George Bush also looked as though it was not signed personally by the president.

Dr. Ted Smith, whose son Eric was among the first 100 killed in Iraq, notes that the letter he received “from the commander in chief was signed with a thick, green marking pen. I thought it was stamped then and do even now. He had time for golf and the ranch but not enough to sign a decent signature with a pen for his beloved hero soldiers. I was going to send the letter back but did not. I am sorry I didn’t.” "

[China_cat]

10. Well, the ABC news yesterday

actually DID say that Bush signs condolence letters...that he signs all letters himself. Over a picture of him sitting there signing something.

Then they asked "if the president can sign these letters, why can't Rumsfeld?"

[saracat]

11. Well, Isn't that special! Thank you for the reply. I haven't been watching

TV so I didn't catch that. The media sounds like it is whoring away! I'll bet he uses an auto pen!

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

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

[txindy]

17. Wrong

He uses a stamp, just like Rumsfeld. Ask the people who received the letters.

Thanks for citing such trustworthy sources, though. Biden, Hagel, and Williams. **gag** You're kidding, right? Oh, wait. No, of course you're not. I keep forgetting there are people in this country who actually believe in them.

[tx_dem41]

18. Minor quibble: No one is saying that Rumsfeld used a stamp....

he used an auto-pen.

[Karenca]

19. YOU ARE SO WRONG

Bushitler does not know how to write.

[WMliberal]

20. NPR did something on it yesterday.

He has to use electric pens for most of it. He gets thousands of autograph reuests a day. I mean, he'd have to skip the back 9 in the afternoon or only vacation for 25% of his presidency to get them all in.

[tx_dem41]

22. But we aren't talking about "autograph requests"....we are talking

about letters to the families of dead soldiers.

[WMliberal]

23. they get stiffed too, of course.

It was actually originally about Rumfilled and how he does it, even with more time to do things like ACTUALLY sign the letters of condolence. The topic then naturally moved over to the other person who should be sending them out.