Bush repeats vow to strike terrorists

http://www.washingtontimes.com ^ | June 19, 2004 | James G. Lakely

[mastercylinder]

Bush repeats vow to strike terrorists By James G. Lakely THE WASHINGTON TIMES Published June 19, 2004 FORT LEWIS, Wash. -- President Bush, under fire from critics who say he exaggerated ties between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda, yesterday reiterated his post-September 11 doctrine that warns states harboring terrorists that they are subject to attack.

[tbpiper]

( *)(* ) MY EYES!!

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

ALL: MUST READ COLUMN BY DAVID HOROWITZ

[Grampa Dave]

The Washington Times
www.washingtontimes.com

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Bush repeats vow to strike terrorists
By James G. Lakely
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Published June 19, 2004

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FORT LEWIS, Wash. -- President Bush, under fire from critics who say he exaggerated ties between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda, yesterday reiterated his post-September 11 doctrine that warns states harboring terrorists that they are subject to attack.

"I laid out a new doctrine which said if you harbor a terrorist, you are just as guilty as the terrorists," Mr. Bush said to hundreds of enthusiastic soldiers at this base near Seattle. "When the president of the United States speaks, he must mean what he says."

Mr. Bush also pointed out that Abu Musab Zarqawi, an associate of Osama bin Laden's responsible for the deaths of hundreds in post-Saddam Iraq, was given safe haven and medical treatment in Iraq before the war began.

Zarqawi also is believed to be responsible for the beheading of American contractor Nicholas Berg in May.

"By the way, he was the fellow who was in Baghdad at times, prior to our arrival," Mr. Bush said. "He was operating out of Iraq. He was an al Qaeda associate."

The president's critics, including Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry, have accused the Bush administration of having "misled" the country about the justifications for the Iraq war.

The Bush administration also contended that Saddam had chemical and biological weapons that could be passed on to terrorists for strikes in the United States but, so far, large caches of such weapons have not been discovered.

Mr. Bush had a strong ally on the stage with him to help defend the war -- Arizona Sen. John McCain, who Mr. Bush defeated in a hotly contested presidential primary in 2000.

Mr. McCain, a Vietnam War veteran who the Kerry campaign tried to woo to the vice president's slot on the Democratic ticket, stood by Mr. Bush on the threat posed by Saddam and his overall execution of the war on terror.

"The events of September 11, 2001, beyond the immeasurable grief and suffering it caused for thousands of American families, was a battle cry that summoned America to a war we vaguely knew was going on but hadn't really comprehended how near the threat was and how atrocious were the purposes and plans of our enemies," Mr. McCain said.

Many news media outlets reported the findings of the commission examining the September 11 attacks as debunking links between Saddam and al Qaeda, but the commission's two chairmen said that coverage was wrong.

"I must say I have trouble understanding the flap over this," commission co-chairman Lee Hamilton, a Democrat, said Thursday. "The vice president is saying, I think, that there were connections between al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein's government. We don't disagree with that."

The fresh political assault on Mr. Bush's handling of the war on terror comes at a time when the president's poll numbers are on the rise.

A recent poll by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press showed Mr. Bush received a boost in public opinion in the wake of the death of President Ronald Reagan, a conservative icon. His personal approval rating, taken during the weeklong state funeral, rose from 44 percent to 50 percent.

[txhurl]

Look how W refers to Zarqawi in the past tense: "By the way, he was the fellow who was in Baghdad at times, prior to our arrival," Mr. Bush said. "He was operating out of Iraq. He was an al Qaeda associate.

Maybe we DID flatten him yesterday in Fallujah in the air strikes.

[SeeRushToldU_So]

Dang, do you think the Washington Times gets that not everyone in the USA is a stupid dolt and doesn't listen to what they say?

They actually are trying to present a "Fair and Balanced" story. But it is because Lee Hamliton stood up and spoke about the screwy logic of the NewYork Slimes and their conclusion that Sadamn didn't fly a plane into the World Trade Center.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

The president's critics, including Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry and virtually the entire establishment media have accused the Bush administration of: blah, blah, blah...

[struwwelpeter]

"When the president of the United States speaks, he must mean what he says."

THE BALLAD OF THE GREEN BERETS

Fighting soldiers from the sky,
Fearless men who jump and  die.
Men who mean just what they say,
The brave men of the Green Beret.

[Peach]

Good catch, txflake. I hadn't caught onto that at all.

I MUST read more slowly and type more slowly as well. I'm a terrible typist and tend to read too quickly and play backgammon games in between.

[bereanway]

Bush needs to hammer home the "Bush Doctrine" (just what he's doing here) in an unapologetic, forceful, consistent manner. The country needs to be reminded this a war on terror against an enemy which ultimately seeks to destroy us and all we stand for, not just a war against WMD's although that's included.

Get over the WMD's, they were once there but they've been moved. He needs to dictate how this war is framed and do so in unwavering manner. Let the press whine about the WMD's. Consistent, forceful leadership will win out.

[txrangerette]

The speech was given before the
Fallujah strike, not following it.

[txhurl]

I know, Friday. Still, it gives me hope.

[txrangerette]

If I'm mistaken, please correct.

[Alia]

Ha! That album was a part of my upbringing.

[not2worry]

I am sure that as President Bush told us there are things we will know and things we will never know in this war or terror. Thank God for our Special Ops, they are the silent and courageous heroes, IMHO, that America will never be able to say THANK YOU to face to face for protecting and serving our Country.

[txrangerette]

I understand.

Perhaps he was projecting toward
the Strike.

[txhurl]

Did you dance at Kilgore? My high school, McCullough, in The Woodlands, sent lots of our dance girls (Highsteppers) to Kilgore.

[upchuck]

Hey master, you been around here a little more than a month and still don't know what a <p> is, huh?

Go play in the sandbox ^ for awhile, willya?

[Alia]

I have just returned from visiting a location where there are a number of Special Ops servicemen. We all went to a rodeo -- and these guys rode the bulls! ($10, and no forms to fill out). Anyway, I took them to dinner afterwards. Yes, I did thank them. And their response is similar to so many servicemen responses I get when I thank them: They brush it off; say it was their job; "did what I was supposed to do"... BUT I do get to see that very wonderful glow in their eyes - it's a flash -- but I thrill to see it. These men and women really do appreciate being thanked. Very, very much.

Out of the very many I've gotten to chat with -- not a single one of these was a braggadocio.

[not2worry]

You are one of the lucky ones!

Thanks for telling them "Thanks" and letting us who will never have the opportunity to do so, have some insight into these wonderful Americans.