Posted on 08/31/2004 10:55:04 AM PDT by arkady_renko
Mark Oliver
Tuesday August 31, 2004
The US president, George Bush, does believe America will win the war on terror after all despite his damaging remarks yesterday to the contrary.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said today that Mr Bush "will make it crystal clear ... that we will win the war on terrorism by continuing to take the fight to the enemy".
This standpoint was in marked contrast to Mr Bush's comments on NBC television yesterday. He was asked whether America could win its "war on terror", and replied: "I don't think you can win it. But I think you can create conditions so that those who use terror as a tool are less acceptable in parts of the world."
Bush opponents had pounced on the remarks, which were a volte-face from the president's usually more bullish rhetoric about terrorism.
Mr Bush, who has described himself as a "war time president", will further try to repair the damage with a speech tonight in Nashville, Tennessee, to the American Legion, the country's largest veterans organisation.
Asked today by reporters whether the war on terror could be won, the Democratic presidential candidate senator John Kerry replied, "Absolutely".
Senator John Edwards, the Democratic vice-presidential candidate, said yesterday: "After months of listening to the Republicans base their campaign on their singular ability to win the war on terror, the president now says we can't win the war on terrorism."
Some commentators have predicted that homeland security and the threat of terrorism will be the biggest issue at the ballot box in November's presidential elections.
As the four-day Republican national convention headed into its second day at Madison Square Garden in New York under extremely heavy security, Bush supporters scrambled to explain the president's comments.
First lady Laura Bush, who is scheduled to speak at the convention tonight, defended her husband, saying on ABC's Good Morning America that "this isn't a war with a country where you're going to have a surrender at some point, but the fact is, as we look around the world, we are already winning the war on terror".
The governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, is also speaking at the convention tonight and was expected to salute Mr Bush's record as commander in chief.
In yesterday's opening session, Republicans invoked the memory of the September 11 2001 attacks as a test of Mr Bush's mettle as a strong and decisive leader.
Rudolph Giuliani, the former mayor of New York, likened the president to Winston Churchill and Ronald Reagan. He said: "Since September 11th President Bush has remained rock solid ... we need George Bush more than ever."
Yeah! The Trolls are out in force. It's the GOP Convention, I'm sure.Thanks for the post there. I found the Admin Mods pulled the plug on another loser.
With all due respect, Bush screwed up by saying you can't win the war on terror. He wouldn't be correcting himself if he hadn't screwed up. He was hardly in top form on Matt Lauer yesterday morning, and now he's revising and extending his remarks. Hardly a flip-flop, but a clarification.
Never tell your citizens you can't win a war. It's demoralizing. Tell them the war will last many many years but we will not lose, we will take the fight to the enemy, and on a daily basis we shall prevail.
His comment was taken out of context and misreported. He clarified his position this morning, he didn't change it. But you knew that.
Lovely plant!
Looks like adamk got the ZOT.
Looks like adamk got the ZOT.Yep!
The PH band aid deal has all those dirty panties wadded up over at DU.
I changed her diet and she quit making those. They were very smelly.
I pointed out to Sean Hannity, considering him asked VP Cheney this question, that we don't need a formal surrender and treaty from the terrorists.
It will be enough to insure that they'll be cowering in caves, trembling in fear at the sound of jet engines, rather than lounging by gold-plated swimming pools planning their fully-financed attacks.
It will be enough if they are rendered as toothless and irrelevant as American Communists, the KKK, and the Anarchists - reduced to raving in vain against a power far beyond their wildest dreams, scraping for funding and volunteers, occasionally breaking a few windows or throwing a few punches when they conveniently congregate thus making it easier for the police to arrest them.
The Bush administration has not only attacked their infrastructure in Afghanistan & Iraq, but also their finances through FBI busts of front groups and individuals.
We'll have won when their adherents are nothing more than smelly vagrants handing out their literature on San Francisco street corners, like the American Communists.
George W. Bush will be reelected by a margin of at least ten per cent
Makes me almost wonder if President Bush does this on purpose, knowing he's setting a trap.I think when the time comes for his speech, he will deal with this tempest in a teapot head on.
George W. Bush will be reelected by a margin of at least ten per cent
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