Bush's battle cry wows Nat'l Guard

New York Daily News ^ | 2/18/04 | KENNETH R. BAZINET

[kattracks]

WASHINGTON - President Bush swooped into a National Guard base yesterday to deliver a chest-thumping defense of the Iraq war and his stewardship of the fight against terror.

"My resolve is the same as it was on the day when I walked in the rubble of the twin towers," he told National Guard members and their families in Louisiana, sounding a message he's banking will get him reelected.

"I will not relent until this threat to America is removed - and neither will you," he said to wild whoops from a sea of green uniforms.

Bush, whose own Guard service has been called into question by Democrats, seemed defiant in choosing the base. Two days earlier, the Republican crowed about his Guard service at the Daytona 500 as he inspected a stock car sponsored by the service.

"What a week. First, NASCAR. And today, Fort Polk, La.," Bush said.

Bush used his presidential pulpit to deliver his most spirited defense yet of his decision to go to war.

"My administration looked at intelligence information, and we saw danger," he said. "Members of Congress looked at the same intelligence, and they saw danger."

Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein used "weapons of mass destruction against his own people," he added, and since 1998, when Democrat Bill Clinton was President, it has been "the policy of the United States to change the regime in Iraq."

The President said the U.S. decided after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks it was time to play hardball with despots like Saddam, challenging him to show what he did with the banned weapons he had in the past.

"Saddam Hussein chose defiance. And we had a choice of our own: Either take the word of a madman or take action to defend America and the world. Faced with that choice, I will defend America every time," Bush said.

Fort Polk is home to the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, a workhorse unit in Iraq that has lost 12 member there. Of the 538 G.I.s slain in the country, 43 have been Guardsmen. Bush made no mention of a pending probe of prewar intelligence.

After his battle cry, Democrats avoided attacking Bush over his National Guard duty in the 1970s, instead taking aim at the disruptions he has caused Guard families by sending weekend warriors to Iraq.

"This administration has overextended our troops, broken his promise to America's veterans, deployed the National Guard indefinitely while leaving their families with financial hardship," Democratic presidential front-runner John Kerry said in a statement.

But Bush is banking on convincing America that the sacrifices have been worth it. "We have made America more secure," he told the crowd of more than 5,000.

With Richard Sisk

Originally published on February 18, 2004

[EQAndyBuzz]

"This administration has overextended our troops, broken his promise to America's veterans, deployed the National Guard indefinitely while leaving their families with financial hardship," Democratic presidential front-runner John Kerry said in a statement. "

And thank you, Mr. Kerry for being at the forefront to downsize our armed forces.

[GailA]

And just who downsized our military to make it so under strength? clintoon/albore is who. Some one repost the amount of troops and hardware we lost under slick willie and albore please!

[snodog]

Mr. Kerry it is called sacrifice, something the regular people understand, to continue our liberty. It is not a social means to further our political goals.

Liberty is my sacred duty, to self, family, and country.

[smiley]

.....bring it on, Kerry and DNC....you won't know what hit you until after Bush and the Republicans win 2004.

[Feckless]

"taking aim at the disruptions he has caused Guard families by sending weekend warriors to Iraq"

If Bubba didn't understand that check was not for weekends playing cards at the armory, he does now. Liberals will never understand.

[Redleg Duke]

And hey, Mr. Senator Dickhead! Who the hell started indefinite deployments of Guardsmen and women to the Balkans?

Let me give you a hit, that president thought he could play the sax!

[Drawsing]

Bush made no mention of a pending probe of prewar intelligence.

This is a typical journalism tactic to bring up something negative which has little or nothing to do with the topic. To illustrate: "While speaking to a group of evangelical ministers today, President Bush made no mention of Jim Bakker's time in prison."

[Future Snake Eater]

...instead taking aim at the disruptions he has caused Guard families by sending weekend warriors to Iraq.

Well, then, if they were sent to Iraq I guess they're not "weekend warriors" as you so condescendingly call them, are they?

[Dilbert56]

"The President, still refusing to address rumors he had stopped beating the First Lady, got on Marine One and headed for the White House."...The Biased Lamestream Media.

[MainFrame65]

NOT ONE WORD about how the speech was received by this "at risk" crowd, who would have booed the President off stage if they believed all of the garbage that this writer and his ilk have been peddling. But these were people who understand the risks and the rewards of defending ourselves against threats wherever they arise, and that frightens and bewilders the President's opponents.

[freeperfromnj]

.....bring it on, Kerry and DNC....you won't know what hit you until after Bush and the Republicans win 2004.

Here's a poll out today on the front page of the Asbury Park Press website (one of New Jersey's top newspapers) app.com:

If Sen. John Kerry is the Democratic nominee, would you vote for him or President Bush?

Bush 57.08%
Kerry 42.92%

[MaryFromMichigan]

To President Bush-

[kevkrom]

"Either take the word of a madman or take action to defend America and the world. Faced with that choice, I will defend America every time"

Amen to that. No UN "permission slips". No giving in to the "hate America" peaceniks on both the extreme right and left. Just simple, direct action against those who would do us harm.

[an amused spectator]

"Take Kenneth Starr, one of the most soft-spoken partisan bullies of the late 20th Century." - Kenneth R. Bazinet

...President Clinton said yesterday he and the First Lady "love each other very much" and are "working hard" on their relationship, adding that he has "no clue" whether she'll run for a New York Senate seat... Kenneth R. Bazinet

[Samwise]

I am listening to Greg Garrison. He and another man (Jed Babbit?) are discussing the fact that Bush volunteered to go to Viet Nam to rack up combat time. He volunteered, but was turned down because he was too inexperienced. By the time Bush had enough experience, the war had wound down and pilots were no longer needed. Garrison wants to know why no one is talking about pilots wanting combat time to move up the food chain.

Garrsion also says that Bush should just say that he did his time, he was proud of it, and he never bad-mouthed his country over it.

[mountaineer]

"My resolve is the same as it was on the day when I walked in the rubble of the twin towers"

I think it's important that the public be reminded of the Sept. 11 attacks whenever possible. Those squishy voters who now might be leaning to the Dem candidate must be reminded of how they felt back then, and how grateful they were at that time that Al Gore had not won the election. They knew then that Bush was the leader this country needed; in their current complacency, they should hear it again. If anyone here writes letters to the editor in support of the Bush campaign, remind the reader that - like Clinton - Kerry would eviscerate the military, leaving us even more helpless against terrorism.

[TruthNtegrity]

To say nothing about Clinton's forcing 40,000 Intel people out the door, early in his administration.

He changed how clearances are processed, moving it from its own agency into OMB with no money, no people, thus gagging the system. A simple Secret that used to take 6 months or less, now takes 2-1/2 YEARS!

And we all know how he allowed Stansfield Turner to gut HUMINT, to the point where we have NO ONE in any Arab cells, and are still climbing back from that one - in terms of language proficiency and operatives to work the problem.

Clinton was more dangerous to our safety than most people ever realize.

Oh one more thing. While we were suffering attack after attack overseas -Embassies, the Cole, and the 1003 WTC bombing, he kept saying "We will hunt down the guilty culprits and bring them to justice" while steadfastly doing nothing of the sort. Empty, empty words. The jerk.

[NYCVirago]

After his battle cry, Democrats avoided attacking Bush over his National Guard duty in the 1970s, instead taking aim at the disruptions he has caused Guard families by sending weekend warriors to Iraq.

Wait a minute -- Terry McAuliffe said on national TV that the National Guard wasn't even a part of the military. Now the Dems are whining about them going to Iraq? Talk about inconsistent!