Mike Wallace questions Bush's 'validity': Wonders how president had 'guts' to launch Iraq war

Mike Wallace questions
Bush's 'validity'
Wonders how president had 'guts' to enter into war in Iraq

Along with fellow panelist Allen Neuharth – founder of USA Today and a World War II veteran – Wallace cited Bush's lack of military experience, unfavorably comparing him to George Washington.

Wallace also contrasted Bush with President Franklin Roosevelt, but, notes MRC, failed to acknowledge FDR lacked any military experience yet managed to lead the nation during World War II.

"George Washington was commander in chief and president of the United States," Wallace said. "Franklin Roosevelt was commander in chief and president of the United States. I don’t have to persuade anybody about the validity of those two guys."

MRC said Wallace's personal views comport with the disgust he showed toward President Bush in an April 18 "60 Minutes" interview with journalist Bob Woodward, proposing:

"The President of the United States, without a great deal of background in foreign policy, makes up his mind and believes he was sent by somebody to free the people – not just in Iraq, but around the world?"

During the Friday event, the "60 Minutes" correspondent said: "I don't know how we got into a position where our present commander in chief and the people around him had the guts to take our kids and send them on what seems to be – it sure is not a noble enterprise."

According to MRC, Wallace's comments came as he contrasted World War II with today.

"We knew what we were fighting for," he said. "We knew how important it was. We loved our country. We loved our commander in chief. We respected the people with whom we worked and we were caught up in a, as I say, in a mutual enterprise, if that's the word, the world needed but the Americans were able to bring and when finally Pearl Harbor came and we were, we finally got in, it was a damn good thing that we did."

MRC said while most in the audience applauded Wallace's sentiments, a few stood up and came forward to yell their displeasure. They were urged by the moderator to wait until the question-and-answer session.

Neuharth questioned if the Founding Fathers were wise to have made the president "the commander in chief of our military forces."

"They were right with George Washington," he said. "He had been a military person. But I'm not sure whether a non-military commander in chief, no matter which party he's from or no matter who he or she is, whether a non-military commander in chief has the background and the instincts to make a decision to take us to war."

More than 220 members of Kerry's swift-boat unit in Vietnam have signed a letter of opposition, organized by the group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

I just received this via e-mail. I think this is a good place to share it.

(This is from a National Guardsman from Denison, Iowa - back on leave)

As I head off to Baghdad for the final weeks of my stay in Iraq, I wanted to say thanks to all of you who did not believe the media. They have done a very poor job of covering everything that has happened. I am sorry that I have not been able to visit all of you during my two week leave back home. And just so you can rest at night knowing something is happening in Iraq that is noteworthy, I thought I would pass this on to you.

This is the list of things that has happened in Iraq recently: (Please share it with your friends and compare it to the version that your paper is producing!!)

-Over 4.5 million people have clean drinking water for the first time ever in Iraq.
-Over 400,000 kids have up to date immunization.
-Over 1500 schools have been renovated and ridded of the weapons that were stored there so education can occur.
-The port of Uhm Qasar was renovated so grain can be off loaded from ships faster.
-School attendance is up 80% from levels before the war.
-The country had it's first 2 billion barrel export of oil in August.
-The country now receives 2 times the electrical power it did before the war
-100% of the hospitals are open and fully staffed compared to 35% before the war.
-Elections are taking place in every major city and city councils are in place.
-Sewer and water lines are installed in every major city.
-Over 60,000 police are patrolling the streets.
-Over 100,000 Iraqi civil defense police are securing the country.
-Over 80,000 Iraqi soldiers are patrolling the streets side by side with US soldiers.
-Over 400,000 people have telephones for the first time ever.
-Students are taught field sanitation and hand washing tech niques to prevent the spread of germs.
-An interim constitution has been signed.
-Girls are allowed to attend school for the first time ever in Iraq.
-Text books that don't mention Saddam are in the schools for the first time in 30 years.

Don't believe for one-second that these people do not want us there. I have met many, many people from Iraq that want us there and in a bad way. They say they will never see the freedoms we talk about, but they hope their children will. We are doing a good job in Iraq and I challenge anyone, anywhere to dispute me on these facts.

If you like me are very disgusted with how this period of rebuilding has been portrayed, email this to a friend and let them know there are good things
happening.

Ray Reynolds, SFC
Iowa Army National Guard
234th Signal Battalion

This is true.

Bill Clinton says he would 'fight and die' for Israel
Sat Aug 3, 1:22 AM ET
NEW YORK (AP) - Former President Clinton ( news - web sites), who avoided the Vietnam War, told Jewish supporters in Toronto that he would fight and die to protect Israel if Iraq or Iran ever invaded.
"The Israelis know that if the Iraqi or the Iranian army came across the Jordan River, I would personally grab a rifle, get in a ditch, and fight and die," Clinton said to cheers at a Hadassah children's charity fund-raising dinner this week.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is a parody ...
What follows is a double-secret transcript of the induction interview between Bill Clinton and a recruiting sergeant of the Israeli army:

SGT: Name?

RECRUIT: William Jefferson Clinton.

SGT: Clinton? Is that a Jewish name?

CLINTON: No, sir. It's not. But some people say I was the first Jewish president.

SGT: President of what?

CLINTON: President of the United States. I was also the first Black president.

SGT: Ok. You have to answer a few simple questions. First: Do you have any military experience?

CLINTON: Yes.

SGT: Describe your military experience.

CLINTON: Well, I learned how to salute during the Transition back in 1992. I thought you were supposed to bend your thumb underneath when you saluted; but they taught me to keep my thumb next to my index finger. I got pretty good. I could really snap one off when I stepped off Marine One.

SGT: You never served in the United States military?

CLINTON: Oh! That! Hell, I was the Commander-in-Chief! Of course I served. I saluted and everything.

SGT: Have you ever been indicted?

CLINTON: Well, that depends on your definition of "indicted." I was never indicted by a grand jury.

SGT: Let me ask another way. Have you ever had to testify at your own trial?

CLINTON: No. Absolutely not. Never had to testify. Nope.

SGT: Have you ever had your license revoked or suspended?

CLINTON: Like, driver's license? No. Absolutely not. Nope.

SGT: Any other kind of license?

CLINTON: Suspended? No. Now, a fair-minded person would not consider having SURRENDERED a license - like a, um, I don't know, like, say, a license to practice law - for a brief period of time - a suspension, so, no. Absolutely not. Nope.

SGT: You said that you wanted to die for Israel?

CLINTON: That's not exactly what I said. What I said was "if the Iraqi or the Iranian army came across the Jordan River, I would personally grab a rifle, get in a ditch, and fight and die."

SGT: Did you know that neither Iraq nor Iran border the Jordan River?

CLINTON: Imagine that.

SGT: Did you know that Iraq would have to march all the way across Syria or Jordan before they got to Israel?

CLINTON: Hmm. Really?

SGT: And that Iran would have to cross Iraq AND Syria or Jordan before they got to Israel?

CLINTON: That far. Who knew?

SGT: Mr. Clinton what about the notion of Iraq launching missiles against Israel?

CLINTON: That would be bad.

SGT: But would that qualify as "coming across the Jordan River?"

CLINTON: No. I would have to say not. That would not qualify.

SGT: So it would take an actual soldier crossing the River for you to "grab a rifle, get in a ditch, and fight and die?"

CLINTON: I believe I said "army" the Iraqi or Iranian ARMY.

SGT: So, not a company?

CLINTON: Oh, no.

SGT: Battalion?

CLINTON: I don't think so.

SGT: A brigade? A division? A corps?

CLINTON: You know, I always wanted to ask the difference between a brigade and a division, but I had to practice that saluting.

SGT: Next -

CLINTON: And, there would have to be a ditch. An actual ditch. I said I would "get in a ditch." If there were no ditch, I believe a fair-minded person would agree that Israel had not kept its part of the bargain.

SGT: This is a desert. We don't have that many ditches.

CLINTON: Well, then ...

SGT: These men standing behind you. Are they willing to fight also?

CLINTON: I can't speak for them. They're my security detail.

SGT: (To a Secret Service Agent) Would you be willing to watch this man "get in a ditch, and fight and die?"

AGENT: (Not smiling) We've watched him do worse.

CLINTON: Say, on that point. In the Israeli army, female soldiers get into ditches, too, right?

SGT: (Stamping a form) Mr. Clinton. We'll get back to you.

CLINTON: Does this mean you won't accept me in the Israeli army?

SGT: Yes. That's what it means.

CLINTON: Whew.

-- END OF TRANSCRIPT --

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