NYT: In Ohio, Iraq Questions Shake Even Some of Bush's Faithful

[Nambe]

New York Times

Jim Stock voted for George W. Bush in 2000 and says that if the election were held tomorrow, he'd vote for President Bush again. But he says he is troubled by indications that the White House used questionable intelligence about Iraqi efforts to buy uranium in Africa to push for war in Iraq. And he wants a fuller accounting.
"I'd like to know whether there was any deliberate attempt to deceive," said Mr. Stock, 70, a retired public school administrator. "My feeling is there was not. But there was an eagerness in the administration to pursue the battle and to believe information that wasn't quite good."

"It's painful to say," he added, "but I don't like where this is coming down."

If there are dark political clouds for Mr. Bush in this largely socially conservative region, they are forming around voters like Mr. Stock. Though they supported the war in Iraq, they now say they are growing uncomfortable with reports that the White House might have used inaccurate intelligence to justify it.

Many people interviewed here in the past two days said they did not question Mr. Bush's personal credibility. Still, they said, they wanted to know more about what happened and support Democratic calls for a Congressional inquiry into how suspect intelligence information got into the State of the Union address on Jan. 28.

"When you are taking lives, it should be nothing but the truth," Matt Zurkuhlen, 25, a business consultant, said outside a coffee shop in the Mount Lookout neighborhood here. "We rushed in there."
Americans are voicing increasing concerns about Iraq, national polls show. A CBS News survey conducted early last week before the political storm over unreliable intelligence intensified, showed that 56 percent of those polled believe the administration overestimated Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. Less than a majority said the war would be worth its costs if such weapons were not found, down from 56 percent in May. ---


Children's Environmental Health Under the Bush Administration

[Frances]

1. Obviously these people

are not getting all of the facts.

I think the reason Bush campaigned so hard to get a Republican Congress was because he intended to get into war by deceit, and he wanted to be able to block an investigation.

[fizzana]

3. There a million other reasons he also wanted a GOP Senate

such as judicial choices and cover for virtually anything else he wants to do,

[kainah]

4. the reason * campaigned so hard to get a Repug Congress

You're absolutely right, of course. He knew exactly who he wanted to have the subpoena power. Remember, he wants to be a dictator. He's said so.

[Old and In the Way]

2. Herd mentality politics, I think.

Seems a majority looks to see what the herd is thinking before they are willing to question their own belief system. Now that the herd is getting wise to what these crooks are doing, the transformation appears to be gaining momentum.

Sad that a 70 year old school administrater is only now starting to question what this administration has been doing to this country.

[Guaranteed]

5. Better late than never

:)

[Erika]

7. Yes.

Bush is being questioned by his own supporters. His "story" is unbelieveable.

[The Magistrate]

8. But He Will Turn Hard When He Does, Sir

These lies were too blatant; people will feel a real sense of personal insult as they come to appreciate them. People despise being frightened for no good reason. There is no success to the conquest of Iraq; it is success which people forgive almost anything for.

[Rhiannon12866]

19. I really hope that you are right

There has been so much that has gone on that has infuriated and appalled me. I just keep wondering why no one has called him on these blatant lies and deceptions. If this is the ``smoking gun,'' then I am grateful for it. Better late than never. But, as I was saying to someone recently, this is old news. We knew about this months ago. It's just taken this long for the media to finally wake up and begin reporting the truth.:-(

[revcarol]

9. Makes you wonder...

"Was those kids larnin'?" when he was involved with schools. One of the MOST IMPORTANT THINGS to teach kids is critical thinking.

But he still hasn't learned it.

[Lisa]

15. well, if he's been that long in the school system ...

... he should know how to spot a con, e.g. classroom cheating. We hope. This isn't the same thing as critical thinking, but for the present administration it may be almost as dangerous, to be caught out!

Maybe if someone explains the bit to him about Bush's people plagiarizing documents, and trying to pin the blame on someone else, he might make the connection!

[leesa]

13. My thoughts exactly about the school administrator

Exactly how naive can you be?

[theodoliticus]

6. Natives are getting restless

Time for the BFEE to call Osama and order up another terrorist attack.

[peterh]

10. these people of natural Faux watchers

, and by natural evolvement, have gradually deciphered that just maybe their fucking twit has a problem with the truth. Lets hope that they don’t have a beer in between.

[chrisesq]

11. This is actually more telling than the article shows.

One has to realize that the Cincinnati area is probably the most conservative area of Ohio, if not one of the most in the nation.

You can't throw a stone without hitting a car that has a "Bush/Cheney" bumper sticker in almost the entire city.

Hell, just a few short years ago they passed a law that basically said that the city of Cincinnati (whatever their legislative body is)cannot pass any law that gives homosexuals any protected status. Thats paraphrasing of course. But essentially, their city council or whatever the hell they have, passed a law, that prevents itself from ever passing any law that would give homosexuals any protection from discrimination. Not just now, but for the indefinite future.

How fucked up is that?

Anyway, to see that there is a glimmer of doubt in this city of Bushketeers is quite remarkable indeed.

[NYC]

12. I had a few conversations with someone in Canton, Ohio

after 9/11. The things she said horrified and frightened me. I was told we don't need an investigation (of 9/11) because we already know who did it.

When I complained about people being incarcerated by INS without cause, she immediately said I was more accepting of "illegal aliens" than she was. I had been talking about Canadians with visas, not "illegal aliens".

It doesn't seem the people in Ohio are open minded or willing to seek answers.

Edit: She considers herself liberal.

[Erika]

14. The Red and Blue States

You have to remember the states who voted for Bush are the sparesly populated states who get more money back from the feds than they pay in. They want their farm welfare, etc. continued with the democratic leaning states paying for it. They think that is just great. They don't even realize they are the true welfare recipients of our society and they want no end to their government benefits.

[chrisesq]

16. Not to be nitpicky...

But Ohio is one of the top 10 most populated states in the US

[hang a left]

17. well you know

alot of these people really love the guy. So they are biased, they are also hypnotized by the media. They are gonna give bush the benefit of the doubt, and they will buy into all the spin from the right. It is gonna take a little bit more to convince them. But the good thing is, is that they are keeping an open mind and asking questions.

[no_arbusto]

18. I always assumed Cincinnati was Democratic

I guess I always based my view of Cincy on Pittsburgh. I always saw the similarities (same stadium, same shitty football division, coal mining country to the south, same river, similar downtown etc...) and just assumed the cities were alike both physically and politically.

I was shocked to find the prevalence of televangelists (FireBall Ministries was my favorite) when I went there in 2002. They mention bankers in the NY times article, but I really don't remember Cincinnati being an upscale town. I guess my question is are the people more of the "fundy" type of conservative or more of the investment banker type?