Posted on 12/12/2003 12:43:29 AM PST by kattracks
Edited on 05/26/2004 5:17:49 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
December 12, 2003 -- WASHINGTON - President Bush said yesterday there's a "very simple" reason that countries like France, Germany and Russia are getting shut out of post-war contracts in Iraq - they didn't risk any lives there.
"The taxpayers understand why it makes sense for countries that risk lives to participate in the contracts in Iraq," Bush told reporters at the White House.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1037672/posts?page=51#51
Examples of countries which did not support the US going into Iraq nor did they provide soldiers:
Bahrain
Egypt
Jordan
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
United Arab Emirates
Turkey
Walk quietly Dubya' but carry a BIG stick!
I don't think so. It just deeply saddens them.
Perhaps soldiers weren't part of the agenda, however allowing access to our military for a local platform was, no?
The taxpayers understand why it makes sense for countries that risk lives to participate in the contracts in Iraq
That is not risking lives.
Good point yonif, however willfully risking lives in combat could be a more proper way to state such. After all, command central was under attempted attack and wasn't CC in Qatar? Also Kuwait experienced a "silkworm" which they wouldn't have experienced without the coalition presence.
IMHO, they were part of the coalition for providing support under risk of terroristic dissension for providing such support.
Perhaps I'm stretching yonif, but I don't believe I am.
President Bush, denounced by Old Europe and Old Europe Democrats as a Yankee Imperialist Invader Plundering Iraq For Profit, Thursday came under even harsher attack, with Old Europe saying it wants in on Bush's Yankee-Imperialist-Invader-Plundering-Iraq-For-Profit schemes -- or else (or else they'll stamp their feet and go crying to Kofi Annan, which they did). Germany, Russia, Canada and France -- wonderful U.S. allies who fought the U.S.-led effort to topple Saddam -- complain that Bush hurt their feelings by keeping them from making money with U.S.-financed Iraq reconstruction projects, totaling $18.6 billion. Old Europe calls it an outrage that the U.S. would reward countries which helped the U.S. by sending soldiers and money to Iraq -- while denying U.S. taxpayer money to countries which sent neither soldiers nor money to Iraq. (How could Bush snub the French this way after all the wonderful loyalty they'd shown as recently as the American Revolution!).
But don't get Old Europe wrong, says Old Europe, which hotly denies it's only interested in the money. No way. They say all they want is to help Bush succeed in Iraq -- really! But now, with their feelings so terribly hurt, Old Europe may even say no to Iraq debt relief (money Old Europe wasn't ever going to see anyway). But this has nothing to do with money either -- honest!
Sen. John F. Kerry, whom rumor has it served in Vietnam, strongly backed the French position. "I think limiting (expletive) contracts ... is an enormous (expletive) mistake. I think it (expletive) borders on the (expletive) stupid," said the Old Europe Democrat and '04 contender Thursday, campaigning in his home state of Massachusetts, with polls in neighboring New Hampshire showing him locked in a tight race with the flu outbreak. Kerry, furious that Bush would shut out Old Europe from Iraq reconstruction money, voted to shut out the U.S. from Iraq reconstruction money in a recent Senate vote (the vote on the $87 billion for Iraq and Afghanistan. Bush should've told the Democrats the $87 Billion was aid to France -- not one of them would've voted against it).
But Kerry wasn't the only Democrat mad as hornets at Bush for 'snubbing' the French, who say they were completely surprised to learn of Bush's endorsement of the Pentagon policy from wire reports. "I was always taught in Connecticut to believe that good politics is good manners," Sen. Christopher Dodd told the New Haven Register. "Not to call (the French) or the other (countries), ... not to even pick up the phone, that's hard to understand."
New Haven Register: "Asked why he thought (Bush) snubbed him (in favor of Coalition allies), (French president Jacques Chirac) said, 'You would have to ask (Bush), because I am the same person today that I was (in 2000) ..."
The Los Angeles Times reports Chirac's "office did not receive any calls from (Bush's staff) until ... well after news of the planned endorsement (of Pentagon bidding policy on Iraq) had surfaced."
"'We didn't get a heads-up,'" a Chirac spokesman said, according to the Times. "'Neither (Chirac) nor the staff were aware this was going to break. We saw it on TV, like everyone else.'"
Oh, wait -- that's Joe Lieberman spokesman Dan Gerstein; he's talking about Gore's endorsement of Howard Dean. So was Christopher Dodd. Sorry 'bout the mix up, Freepers.
Anyway, like Old Europe, Democrats say it's shocking that Bush would seek to make any distinction between countries which helped and countries which didn't help topple Saddam. Democrats say the U.S. must offer Old Europe an Olive Branch and try to make up for all the harm Old Europe tried to do to us. (Democrats also say it's shocking that Bush decided to rescind tariffs on European steel -- this is no time to offer Europe any Olive Branches!)
"Let me make sure everybody understands," said Bush, answering questions from reporters at the Cabinet Room Thursday, that "men and women from our country, who proudly wear our uniform, risked their life to free Iraq. Men and women from other countries, in a broad coalition, risked their lives to free Iraq. And the expenditure of U.S. dollars will reflect the fact that U.S. troops and other troops risked their life."
"Sir," said one reporter, "Chancellor Schroeder says international law must apply in this case. What's your understanding of the law?"
"International law? I better call my lawyer," Bush shot back. "He didn't bring that up to me," said Bush, alluding to a telephone conversation Wednesday with the German leader, who took the occasion to complain about not being able to make any money from U.S. reconstruction contracts. (But it's not about the money -- honest!)
Frankly, I think this whole brouhaha could be put to bed in a heartbeat. Wanna get the French uninterested in Iraq reconstruction money? Tell 'em...
*No Iraq reconstruction money may be used to rebuild statutes of Saddam, nor his torture chambers
*No Iraq reconstruction may be used to resupply the Fedayeen with anti-aircraft missiles
*Remind the French Iraq is a war-zone
*Some Iraq reconstruction money must be used to erect statutes of George W. Bush and distribute Ann Coulter dolls to Iraqi childrenIf that doesn't work, if the Democrats are still angry, tell the French they'll get reconstruction money just as soon as Howard Dean unseals his records in Vermont.
;-)
Anyway, that's...
My two cents...
"JohnHuang2"
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