BUSH STARTS DAY ON HIGH 'NOTE'

New York Post ^ | 6/29/04 | DEBORAH ORIN

[kattracks]

[snip]

"Mr. President, Iraq is sovereign. Letter was passed from [U.S.-led Coalition chief L. Paul] Bremer at 10:26 a.m. Iraq time. — Condi," Rice's note read.

Bush yanked out a black pen and wrote back, "Let freedom reign!" —and then cupped his hand around his mouth to share the good news with Blair, his closest ally and the leader who, like Bush, risked his political future on Iraq. Bush also made it clear he'll support Iraq's new leaders if they take tough measures to crack down on terrorists like Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, blamed for a spate of bombs and gruesome beheadings.

"They can't whip our militaries. What they can do is get on your TV screens, cut somebody's head off in order to try to get us to cringe and retreat. [Iraq's new leaders] will not cower in the face of such brutal murder. Neither will we," he said.

The transfer of power is a political boost for Bush, particularly since Iraq's new leaders have warmly thanked the coalition.

[snip]

[kattracks]

[kassie]

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Hawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

[alwaysconservative]

Thanks for posting this! And I also liked Orin's last comment: "The transfer of power is a political boost for Bush, particularly since Iraq's new leaders have warmly thanked the coalition."

Apparently, she is the only one willing to acknowledge it in print.

[PogySailor]

No kidding. Both local papers (Tampa Tribune & St. Pete Times) had a "yes, but" headline this morning.

[DustyMoment]

Ya know, it occurs to me that the terrorists are still fixated on their "Blackhawk Down" strategy - hoping that some terrible behavior on their part will cause us to back down and run. They still don't seem to understand that Clinton isn't the President anymore and that Americans only get angrier when we see innocent people being slaughtered.

Their barbaric beheadings have only made us madder and more determined to wipe them out. Angering Americans has never been a smart move as these terrorists are learning.

[Tailgunner Joe]

U.S. President George W. Bush receives a note, informing the president "Iraq is sovereign," from U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld (C), during the opening working session of the NATO Summit at the Istanbul Convention and Exhibition Center in Istanbul, Turkey, June 28, 2004. The president returned the paper to its author, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, after writing, "Let freedom reign." Secretary of State Colin Powell is at right. REUTERS/Larry Downing