Posted on 08/24/2005 8:59:31 AM PDT by GeorgiaYankee
2005-08-24) -- An internal White House memo, leaked today, indicates how President George Bush initially planned to address Cindy Sheehan's question: What "noble cause" did my son die for?
The draft memo includes suggestions from White House communications staff, followed by several paragraphs apparently handwritten by the president.
While handwriting experts from CBS News continue to pore over the document to verify its authenticity, here is the text of the president's alleged response to the grieving Mom whose protest has captured the hearts of America's journalists.
Dear Mrs. Sheehan,
You have asked me to identify the noble cause for which your son died. I have not answered you personally out of respect for the nobility of your son's sacrifice.
Being president forces me into the spotlight, but I would rather stand in the shadows of men like Casey Sheehan.
Directing national attention on my response to your protest creates a distraction from what matters. The focus of our attention, and our admiration, should rest on people like Casey Sheehan, who stand in the breach when evil threatens to break out and consume a helpless people.
The running story on the news networks should be the valiant efforts of our troops -- the merchants of mercy who export freedom and import honor. They trade their own lives for the sake of others.
As a result, we live in a nation where a woman can camp outside of the president's house and verbally attack the president for weeks on end without fear of prison, torture or death. And the number of nations where such protest is possible has multiplied thanks to the work of our military.
You ask for what noble cause your son died?
In a sense he died so that people like you, who passionately oppose government policies, can freely express that opposition. As you camp in Crawford, you should take off your shoes, for you stand on holy ground. This land was bought with the blood of men like your son.
Now, 25 million Iraqis cry out to enjoy the life you take for granted. Most of them will never use their freedom to denigrate the sacrifice of those who paid for it. But once liberty is enshrined in law, they will be free to do so. And when the Iraqis finally escape their incarceration, hope will spread throughout that enslaved region of the world, eventually making us all safer and more free.
The key is in the lock of the prison door. Bold men risk everything to turn it.
Mrs. Sheehan, everyone dies. But few experience the bittersweet glory of death with a purpose -- death that sets people free and produces ripples of liberty hundreds of years into the future.
Casey Sheehan died that freedom might triumph over bondage, hope over despair, prosperity over misery. He died restoring justice and mercy. He lived and died to help to destroy the last stubborn vestiges of the Dark Ages.
To paraphrase President Lincoln, the world will little note nor long remember what you and I say here. But it can never forget what Casey Sheehan did during his brief turn on earth. If we are wise, we will take increased devotion to that cause for which he gave the last full measure of devotion.
Our brave warriors have blazed a trail. They have enstrusted the completion of the task to those of us they left behind. Let's, you and I, resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain.
Let's finish the work that they have thus far so nobly advanced.
Sincerely, George W. Bush
yranatteringnabobofnegativism
read later
Uh, Turkey comes to mind. As to the ultimate pipe dream you talk about; that ended FOREVER with the fall of the Ottoman empire.
Many points of view coexist here. They are debated, analyzed, cussed, and discussed. Talking points that are repeated without cite by relatively fresh participants tend to have mountains of scorn and disdain heaped upon them.
Fox and Friends in the morning had Trent Lott so while I channel surfed AWAY from lott, I saw a CNN somebody saying bush lost his chance to talk to sheehan.
This keeps in line with the fact the left NEVER wanted sheehan to meet with president bush, now they must be afraid he would actually do it and come out as the good guy again.
It is from scrappleface. That should be disclaimer enough. ;o)
Please let me know if you want ON or OFF my Viking Kitty/ZOT ping list!. . .don't be shy.
I am new to the FR. I have not posted a general post as of yet. All of you need to be aware of something:
This morning my daughter was on the net researching Pres Bush on the Wikipedia site, a free encyclopedia websit that anyone can edit. We found under the Bush page, a stop sign and statement that says "NEUTRALITY DISPUTED". It just lists basic facts about the president. I noticed no such statement under his copredessesors. I was rather concerned since alot of kids use this site. When you google a topic, Wikipedia gives many results.
I felt that this is such a shame.
I did not claim it was autherntic. I put this in the comment section, post 1
"Written by Scott Ott of Scrappleface"
Doesn't that count as a disclaimer?
Troll....
Seconded!
Uh with all due respect to your gazing into the future, I would hesitate in calling a prediction "reality" unless your name is Jeanne Dixon.
A prejudice liberal..imagine that.
I knew it was fake when reached this sentence. The president would never use such a stupid metaphor.
There was just on Fox some guy from one of (former) Russia's Stans who was saying that even tho they have a 40-44% Muslim population, they have a market economy. So, iyamspartakus might be wrong. S/he made me think and make mental notes. That is good.
If all we are to see here (FR) is the party line, then FR will no longer be the place for intelligent discussion, and, yes, learning.
For the record, I disagree with iyamspartakus, but I did learn something. (Now, if I were a Dem, I could probably justify a Nazi expletive hurled your way, but I'm not, and I'm German and getting pretty darned tired of the overuse of that epitaph! After a while, it looses its effectiveness thu miss-use)
Wow. I am speechless.
Most people with at least room temperature IQs recognize Scrappleface as a source of satire. Too bad you fall well short of being one of them.
Get a grip -
Indeed.
Sounds like wishful thinking. Maybe your dreams will come true. Unlike you, I hope not.
Huh. And all this time I thought her son died because the CIA screwed up and convinced us all that Iraq had WMDs.
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