The President's speech

[Pam]

I am surprised that no one has started a thread on this yet. What did everyone think? Do you agree with the surge? I know this will surprise some people but I don't. I don't think this will work and I am ready for a pull-out. I imagine Sara (Edwina's secretary) is probably picking herself up from the ground about now.

[mugsy]

I think the man is a flaming idiot. We don't need to send in 20,000 more troops and put them in harm's way for his bloody ego. I understand that they are fully aware of the risks when they sign up and go to boot camp, but, that doesn't mean you have to send them just to send them and try and make yourself look better. He is truly acting like the lame duck president that he is.

[Marigold2]

I agree with Mugsy totally. As a mom with two sons who were in the military, one is in the reserves still, Bush is the biggest mistake ever made by the American people. Sending in more of our children to be killed, it's horrible. When there is a car accident and someones child dies everyone is upset and sends prayers and good thoughts. When one of our soldiers die people just say "oh that's too bad" and usually that is it. We as a people don't think about the family, really think. Dear God they have lost their child. For what? My heart breaks when I think of all the moms, dads, children, wives who have lost someone. It is time for Bush to go hunting with Cheney. Maybe if he got shot he would understand some of the pain inflicted on others.

[Vela]

I think they should drop Bush from a helicopter into the middle of a gun battle in Iraq.

[lizbud]

I don't think it will work.I think it's a case of too little too late. :(

[lvpets2002]

:) :o Thank you mugsy Very Well Said.. I do think this man blows out more HOT Air than my Oven..
I think the man is a flaming idiot. We don't need to send in 20,000 more troops and put them in harm's way for his bloody ego. I understand that they are fully aware of the risks when they sign up and go to boot camp, but, that doesn't mean you have to send them just to send them and try and make yourself look better. He is truly acting like the lame duck president that he is.

[elizabethann]

This is a never-ending war. My heart breaks for the men & women who are dying over there.

[Sevaede]

I agree with everything that everyone has already said. :)

[mike001]

Yep, so do I. Bush is a total disgrace to the US.

[Edwina's Secretary]

Every Sunday I turn to the section in the LA Times that has the obituraries of the soldiers who died during the week in Iraq. I read them. I tell my husband about them. I think about the parents, spouse, children, siblings and friends of those killed. And my heart aches for them.

But I cannot know how they feel. I have never lost a child or a spouse or a parent or a sibling. Neither has GW. He cannot know how they feel either.

I wish, as he continues to send the youth of this country off to a senseless war, he would stop saying that he knows how the families feel.

And Pam....I always knew you would come around... ;) ;) ;)

[Pam]

This is truly George Bush's Viet Nam. I remember those days all too well, and my hubby was in the USAF while that was going on. Thankfully he never had to go there.

The war in Iraq involves so many soldiers now that hardly a hometown is not affected. At my church we have a weekly prayer list for our servicemen with a notation of where they are serving. Increasingly you see *Iraq.*

Sara, I still don't think he went into Iraq knowing that there were no WMD because he would know that it would all come to light eventually. I believe he was poorly advised. That said, it's time to wrap it up over there and let the Iraqis fight for their own country.

[ramanth]

I didn't watch his speech but heard on the radio how his plan was to send more troops and my heart just sank.

I don't understand his reasoning of how sending 20,000 more over there will bring them all home sooner. :confused: :(

Can't Congress or the House shoot this idea down?

[Karen]

I know enough to know that I don't know what should be done. But at this point, unless I heard something from military commanders on the ground in Iraq, I don't think I'd believe anyone politician's solution.

I know there is no easy answer.

I wish there were.

That said, I don't think throwing a "mere" 20,000 troops at the issue will solve a thing. We've had that many more soldiers over there before. It's been years. The situation on the ground is abysmal in much of the country, and where things are improving (surely there must be some places, right? We have thousands of our people boots on the ground, and have for years now ...) we never get to hear about it.

Mommy, why can't they get along? Can we put everyone in separate corners and give them all a "time out" until they agree to play nice? What do you mean there aren't enough corners?

[Edwina's Secretary]

Bush has only listened to advisors who told him what he wanted to hear. Anyone who disagreed with him, you may remember, was "aiding the terrorist, Unamerican, traitor, coward."

Presidents Lincoln and Roosevelt had members of the loyal opposition in their cabinets. Bush showed the door to anyone who did not agree (such as Powell...) He is PROUD he does not listen to the news or read newspapers. Protesters are restricted to "First Amendment" areas where he does not have to see or hear them. Audiences are vetted to ensure only those who hold his views are allowed.

Bush chose his advisors and he chose to listen to them. There were other opinions out there. But not ones he wanted to hear. So he didn't listen.

There is plenty to go around....but ultimately...he is the leader...he is responsible.

[sparks19]

Yes he is a moron. but he is not the only president to send people overseas to fight. Even when Bill was in office there were ALWAYS people overseas fighting and dying. No matter who is in office our men will continue to be sent to overseas places to fight and die. perhaps not on this scale but 1 or 1000 I don't think it matters.

I don't think the answer now is to pull out. We are in too deep. I fear that will only make things worse.

[Edwina's Secretary]

No matter who is in office our men will continue to be sent to overseas places to fight and die. perhaps not on this scale but 1 or 1000 I don't think it matters.




A. women are being sent as well and...

B. I think it matters very much if you are the one doing the dying....

[sparks19]

A. women are being sent as well and...

B. I think it matters very much if you are the one doing the dying....

I didn't mean just men lol don't be so literal :P

and what I meant is.... 1 death is just as bad as 2 deaths and 10 deaths or 1000 deaths.... it is all devestating and someone is always losing someone they love. death is death and it's always sad to lose anyone.

[lizbud]

I didn't mean just men lol don't be so literal :P

and what I meant is.... 1 death is just as bad as 2 deaths and 10 deaths or 1000 deaths.... it is all devestating and someone is always losing someone they love. death is death and it's always sad to lose anyone.


Yes, you sound all broken up about it too. Geeze.

[sparks19]

Yes, you sound all broken up about it too. Geeze.

:rolleyes:

yes cause over the computer you can REALLY hear what I sound like or what I am thinking

I myself have never been in the presence of war or horrific death. but my husband has many times and I see the effects it has had on him. of course none of these were in Iraq. this was before that ever started. I also see how his father still struggles with the deaths he witnessed in vietnam. Death is always tragic no matter if it is one person or thousands and how it affects the people still living.

don't act like you know how I am feeling or what I am thinking just by some stupid words on a computer screen.

[mugsy]

In too deep...yes we are...however, it doesn't appear that the hole is getting any less deep...just the opposite. Mike is a Desert Storm vet and even HE now thinks we need to get out of there. We are not making any sort of progress anymore.

And as far as every president sending people into harm's way...tis true, however, there appears to be no sort of organized plan by this imbecile and his cronies. Yes, Bill did send troops...but, not to the scale of this. And those troops are still there too...how soon we forget the troops in harm's way in Bosnia, Korea, Afghanistan, etc...

[BOBS DAD]

I did not vote because like Karen, I must admit that I am not sufficiently knowledgeable enough on the subject to "really" know what the answer is. Is it more troops??? If we are going to send them, then I hope it is. But I really can't say... by saying that I do not have enough information, I do not mean that I haven't been following the news. What I mean is that I do not know the day to day details and the real situation on the ground and in the field - the sort of information that the President and his advisors have access to.

What I do know that if he feels that this is now the answer, then he was very slow on the draw and "really should not have been telling the American people" all the way up to the eve of the past election, that "everything was going well and that we were making great progress". Based on that obvious lie, I am reluctant to trust his assessment and subsequent future plans.

I wish the troops luck and Godspeed.

[RICHARD]

After biting my tongue for a minute..
Yep, it's easy for me and idiots like baba boxer - I again apologize for the state of Cah lee fuh nee ah and for being part of the AHs that have unleashed that biatch on the world- I do not have kids too old or too young to send to their deaths. That should make my opinion as valid as hers.


My vote?

Let's pull out-Militarius Interuptus :confused: :eek: :( and let the rest of he world know that we can't finish a job that we started.

Did you notice that most of the propaganda from the terrorists sounds suspiciously like the Left talking points?

Run away.....and give them a chance to mass their forces at the gate.

---------------------------


All the AHs in congress (or most of them) all wanted more troops to be sent out to Iraq, now they don't want anything to do with the escalation.

And you have "those people" like Baba Boxer and her slimy ilk who only serve to inflame the topic by continuing with their name calling and disrespect for their fellow politicos.

I think womem are more apt to follow the direction of the winds of opinion because a dress and bikini underwear give you a better idea as to which way you need to face....

And if someone has a fire burning downwind you don't get smoke blown up the canyon.

Had we sent TOO many troops in the first place we wouldn't be giving ourselves rectal exams in 2007....now, let's turn our heads and cough...to see if we have the cojones to finish the job-instead of biatching about why it hasn't been completed yet.

Love you all!

[Edwina's Secretary]

know that we can't finish a job that we started.

The problem is....no one seems to know any more what the job is that we started....or how we will know if it is ever finished....

[trayi52]

I would like to know what the job was in the first place. I just never knew why we were over there!

Willie :)

[Logan]

I voted "yes", that I agree with more soldiers. But I think if we are going to stay in Iraq, it is going to take a heck of a lot more than 20000 additional soldiers to the do the job, and do it quickly, and I think that we either need to see the Iraqi soldiers take charge, with our support, or start dropping bombs (said with my tongue in cheek........). I think the absolute worst thing that this country could do is retreat from Iraq before the war is won. Of course, I will also admit that I would not want a child of mine, or my husband or myself to be there. That is pretty damned selfish of me, isn't it?? The thing that concerns me most is that I don't know how the people of Iraq feel.....did they want intervention or were they resigned to the life they had under Saddam. Are they convicted? Do they want justice and democracy in their country? I just don't know. This is a confusing issue and it disturbs me that we went there to start with, without feeling comfortable with our chances of a quick in and quick out, as it happened in the early 90's.

I keep sending it to my Lord in prayer. I don't know what else to do.

[RICHARD]

The problem is....no one seems to know any more what the job is that we started....or how we will know if it is ever finished....


Like the old saying goes,

If I have to explain it, no one will understand. :eek:

[Edwina's Secretary]

Like the old saying goes,

If I have to explain it, no one will understand. :eek:

In other words...you haven't a clue!

[zoey]

Sending 20,000 more troops will cost an addtional 5.6 billion. The U.S. govt. just seems to think there is a bottomless piggy bank here. Everyone I know is struggling financially. The economy is NOT good. I think this war is stupid. :mad:

[mugsy]

One of our senators from Indiana, Evan Bayh, along with Hillary and a representative from NY are in Iraq this weekend to see how serious the top Iraqi officials are about trying to fix their country. Should be interesting!!

[Edwina's Secretary]

One of our senators from Indiana, Evan Bayh, along with Hillary and a representative from NY are in Iraq this weekend to see how serious the top Iraqi officials are about trying to fix their country. Should be interesting!!


If you want to read something really interesting about the situation..."Imperial Life in the Emerald City" by Rajiv Chandrasekaran......

[Giselle]

Okay, maybe I'll be the first one to admit it, but I haven't paid attention at all to the Iraq war until recently (and that was mostly because it literally took over most of the publications I read).

However, I have paid attention recently and, the way I see it, America is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Pull out now and leave Iraq literally in shambles (which WE, in a large part caused) or send in a surge and HOPEFULLY lessen the civilian killing and HOPEFULLY allow the Iraqis to form their own armies and to regain control. The way I see it, we choose for the Iraqis - civil war or American surge?

As a northern Californian living in a very liberal area, of course I hate Bush. And of course I hate this war. But, honestly, I think a surge might be the better of the two evils.

[RICHARD]

In other words...you haven't a clue!

My dear Watson...


We had bunk info about Iraq, because some idiot didn't want to let some inpectors in.

Our Air Force was fired upon by Iraqi AA batteries.

We went in for OIL, which I am still waiting for.

We under estimated the reaction to the people of Iraq.

We are the biggest most badass country in the world and we can do anything we want. :confused:

And the Lost Angeles Times is the biggest fish wrapper on the planet.