QUOTE OF THE DAY: "THE PRESIDENT: This progress is not easy, but it is steady. And no fair-minded person should ignore, deny, or dismiss the achievements of the Iraqi people. (Applause.)
And our debate at home must also be fair-minded. One of the hallmarks of a free society and what makes our country strong is that our political leaders can discuss their differences openly, even in times of war. When I made the decision to remove Saddam Hussein from power, Congress approved it with strong bipartisan support. I also recognize that some of our fellow citizens and elected officials didn't support the liberation of Iraq. And that is their right, and I respect it. As President and Commander-in-Chief, I accept the responsibilities, and the criticisms, and the consequences that come with such a solemn decision.
While it's perfectly legitimate to criticize my decision or the conduct of the war, it is deeply irresponsible to rewrite the history of how that war began. (Applause.) Some Democrats and anti-war critics are now claiming we manipulated the intelligence and misled the American people about why we went to war. These critics are fully aware that a bipartisan Senate investigation found no evidence of political pressure to change the intelligence community's judgments related to Iraq's weapons programs.
They also know that intelligence agencies from around the world agreed with our assessment of Saddam Hussein. They know the United Nations passed more than a dozen resolutions citing his development and possession of weapons of mass destruction. And many of these critics supported my opponent during the last election, who explained his position to support the resolution in the Congress this way: "When I vote to give the President of the United States the authority to use force, if necessary, to disarm Saddam Hussein, it is because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a threat, and a grave threat, to our security." That's why more than a hundred Democrats in the House and the Senate -- who had access to the same intelligence -- voted to support removing Saddam Hussein from power. (Applause.)
The stakes in the global war on terror are too high, and the national interest is too important, for politicians to throw out false charges. (Applause.) These baseless attacks send the wrong signal to our troops and to an enemy that is questioning America's will. As our troops fight a ruthless enemy determined to destroy our way of life, they deserve to know that their elected leaders who voted to send them to war continue to stand behind them. (Applause.) Our troops deserve to know that this support will remain firm when the going gets tough. (Applause.) And our troops deserve to know that whatever our differences in Washington, our will is strong, our nation is united, and we will settle for nothing less than victory. (Applause.)"
ENJOY YOUR VISIT TO SANITY ISLAND!
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Shoot! Fast, but not fast enough.
Greetings! Thanks for the ping!
Yes! Speech, too. Thanks.
Ahhhhh, Sanity Island...and I have a new tagline!
Oh WOW. What a SPEECH!! What a PRESIDENT!!
He's fighting back!!!
I heard the President's speech from start to finish. It was excellent. I'm with him 100%.
Hi Mike....Mike and I watched the Prez's speech today and it was greattttttt!.....now, please Mr President....keep saying it....your troops love hearing from you...
Oh, thanks for The Dose! What a great speech! I am also quite pleased with Scott McClellan's shot across the bow to Kennedy! Ha!
Thanks for the super pics. I was so proud of our President Bush today.
~ mrs tiggywinkle .. nephew Michael is in the Navy
~ WomanofStandard .. a dear friend's sons, Troy (Air Force) in Italy and Tyler (Army) at Ft. Bragg, NC
~ leenie312 .. son Nicholas is in the Marines
~ rintense . . friend's brother, Brian Z.
.. friend, Matt (who is a Freeper), deployed to the Mid-East
~ AF_Blue .. active-duty AF
~ fc2tomschermuly (Navy) he is a FReeper, as is his sister (mjaneangels@aolcom) and their father is a lurker
~ EuroFrog .. husband, SSG Mike, deployed to Kuwait
.. SSG Kris, friend of SSG Mike in Kuwait
~ annyokie .. son, Ian (Navy)
~ azGOPgals friends friend, Jeremy who is in the 10th Mountain Division
~ FresnoArmyBrat .. a cousin
~ Jim Robinson .. two nephews
~ tinacart .. best friend's son, Cody - 4th Infantry
~ bigghurtt .. 5 years in the Army, soon-to-be Special Forces
~ JulieRNR21 ..... friend Betty's grandson, Matt, in US Army
~ ladyinred .. Josh, newly deployed to Iraq
.. Also, Josh's sister Pamela
.. their mother now has 2 children over there and one who has just returned home
~ ntnychik .. the members of the 10th Mountain Division (which will be in Iraq for the long haul) and their families
~ Pan_Yan & Pan_Yans Wife .. friend, Mike, stateside now but expects to go back to Iraq in late winter
~ hoosier_RW_conspirator .. son Jake
~ Jaguar Girl .. nephew Jimmy is serving in the Air Force
~ Kewlhand Tek, a FReeper, is currently serving in Iraq
~ St.Mark .. nephew, somewhere between Syria and Fallujha (Marines); and son, in Twentynine Palms CA in training (Marines)
~ savagesusie .. son Cory is in Afghanistan
~ Militiaman7 ..... son, Jonathan, who is a FReeper, is in Afghanistan with the Virginia Army National Guard.
~ jonsie .. son Ryan has been in Iraq as a medic with 1st Cav since Sept. 2003, he is now guarding the green zone
~ elder5 .. brother-in-law W0-2 Brian F., Army Reserve Chopper pilot, on his 2nd tour in Iraq
~ Kate of Spice Island .. son has been sworn in as a Marine Reserve in the delayed entry program as he finishes up high school
~ Don'tMessWithTexas .. 2 brothers-in-law in the service
.. a Lt.Cmdr in US Navy deployed in Guam
.. a Major in US Army deployed in the Sunni Triangle outside Baghdad.
~ notpoliticallycorewrecked .. scoutmaster of our BSA troop, Rick (Army National Guard). His unit will be leaving for training in Sept. and shipping over to Iraq before the end of the year though he will not be going with them.
~ Texas Princess .. nephew Roland, (Air Force), currently stationed in Korea
~ an anonymous FReeper .. son, Stephen (Army), in Baghdad
~ Kentucky .. has a request for prayer from a Marine Mom whose son, Ramsey, is in Iraq
~ snowtigger .. Peter, 1/24 INF (he drives a Stryker armored vehicle) .. just shipped out to Mosul
~ homemom .. Kelsey, a young lady now serving in Iraq
~ mamaduck .. cousin, Carl, is a Sargeant Major stationed in FL right now and will deployed to Iraq after the new year
~ Pippin .. nieces husband, Sung, (Air Force and brand new American citizen) is deployed to S. Korea
..niece, Melissa, is in the AirForce, currently stationed in GA
~ Blue Scourge .. a Freeper (Air Force), leaving for basic training
~ Collier .. friend, Jim, father of 3 girls....Iowa National Guard, currently in Afghanistan
~ GOP-Pat .. cousin's husband Tommy, retired from sheriff's department in July to volunteer to go to Iraq to train the Iraqi troops.
~ SE Mom .. son Tommy, 101st AB, home now in Florida undergoing chemotherapy
~ Severa .. husband, Jason (FR screen name Hostel), USN P-3 Aircraft Mechanic
.. .. brother Wes, USAF First Lieutenant
.. .. Jason's cousin David, 101st Airborne
~ MontanaCowgirlCop .. brother Ted, who is an 18-year-old Marine medic overseas right now
~ FReeper MikeinIraq
~ reformed_dem .. brother Drew is in Iraq
~ gatorbait .. brother-in-law John (Army) and nephew Andrew (Marine) in the mid-East
~ nelibeli .. nephew Tres (Army), is serving his 2nd deployment to Iraq (he volunteered to go back!)
~ pGfwabf .. son Mark (Marines) has been assigned state-side duty after graduating from boot camp.
~ It's_me_K.E.T. .. son, Brian (U.S. Army), deployed March 6 to Iraq for 13 months.
~ FreedomHasACost .. brother Ted (Marines) is in the Middle East
~ arbee4bush .. daughter Kristen (Freeper KB4W) training for loadmaster C-17 US Air Force.
~ hoosier_RW_conspirator .. son, Jake (Army) deployed to Afghanistan
~ hoosier_RW_conspirator .. friend's son, Danny (Army) awaiting deployment for 2nd tour in Iraq
~ DebWisconsin .. nephew will complete his basic training soon and then go for his specialty training
~ jch10 .. son, Maury, US Army, who is in Qatar, soon to be in South Korea before returning home
~ GVgirl .. son Nathan, active duty, California National Guard
~ herewego .. brother-in-law Robert has just left for Iraq
~ FReeper stompk has re-enlisted, this time in the Army Reserves after serving active duty in the past in the Navy, and hopes to be serving in the War on Terror soon as a medic
~ jtill .. Vic, Youth Minister at her church, will be leaving for Iraq for one year
~ BUSHdude2000 .. brother currently stationed at Fort Drum, NY, will be going to Iraq in August
~ TruthNtegrity .. Friend from church has returned from the mid-East. Retired Navy pilot hubby trying to get his wife to retire but she is committed to helping the military in her field of expertise and wants 2 more years to support the WoT.
~ Prophet in the wilderness .. nephew (Marines) has returned home from Iraq but has shipped out elsewhere.
~ LUV W .. son David is a Captain in the Air Force, currently on deployment in the mid-East
~ ntnychik .. friend's son, Erik, an Army Ranger, on second tour in Iraq
~ from hoosiermama
.. George, in Iraq
.. Bill was home but is heading back to Iraq
.. Dan, our teacher, is still working stateside and his son has been accepted to one of the Military academies (West Point I think).
.. Brad is doing his second tour in Iraq
.. Tre, from work, has reinlisted and is currently working stateside.
~ PhiKapMoms daughter, Jennifer, U. S. Navy; Jennifers husband, Tyler, U.S. Navy both currently deployed
~ Happy2BMe .. son Aaron has returned safely from Iraq (having been awarded a Bronze Star), though quite a few from his Arkansas National Guard unit made the ultimate sacrifice. Prayers for their families.
~ CyberAnt .. nephew Jody (USMC) awaiting deployment orders
~ Jet Jaguar (U. S. Air Force) - Republic of Korea
~ Sea2ShiningSea Chad, her adopted soldier
~ Marysecretary .. Jerry, a dear friend's only son, is going to Iraq
~ RoseofTexas .. Richard from Texas left for Iraq this past Feb.
~ Reagan79 .. brother, Chris, a Marine Reservist from MS, is in Iraq
~ JulieRNR21 .. a friend's grandson, Wesley in the USAF, is in Iraq
~ Slip18 .. nephew, Allen (USMC), is expecting to soon be deployed for his fourth tour of duty in the mid-East
~ Himyar ..... son, Robert (Air Guard), is home from the mid-East but volunteered for more active duty in the states
~ repubmom .. son Brian has finished basic, Airborne training and is now in Selections for Special Forces
~ TruthNtegrity .. cousin's son, Andy, is a Firstie (senior) at the US Navy Academy, and passed Phase 1 of qualifying for pilot training.
~ BonnieJ .. cousin Doug (Army) will be returning to Baghdad by December
~ BonnieJ .. cousin Josh will be going to Afghanistan with the Green Berets by the end of summer
~ OldSarge .. a FReeper, Kentucky National Guard, is deployed to the mid-East
~ SuziQ .. nephew, Alexander, an Apache Longbow pilot in Afghanistan
~ SuziQ .. cousin Johnny serving with the MS Natl. Guard in Iraq
~ SuziQ .. Chrissy, a West Point graduate and the daughter of friends, serving in Army Intelligence in Iraq
~ SoldiersPrayingMom .. son Greg is in Iraq
~ Marine_Uncle ..nephew LCpl Steven (USMC) currently in Iraq, second tour
~ StarFan .. son's friend Scott (USMC) just ended basic and will be deployed to Mid-East soon
~ Warriormom ..requesting prayers for the family of the Navy Seal in Afghanistan whose death has been confirmed
~ Warriormom .. updates prayer requests for Thomas Howes, Marc Gonsalves and Keith Stansell, CIA agents whose plane crashed in Columbia two years ago and are being held captive by the FARC according to a State Dept. briefing on June 27, 2005.
~ Kate of Spice Island .. cousin, Kenneth, US Navy in California
~ Keith Matthew Maupin, the soldier who was taken hostage and whose whereabouts are unknown. Prayers for his well-being and for his safe release and for strength and courage for his family.
~ Scott Speicher from Desert Storm
~ shezza .. husband in Afghanistan, brother in Germany (med-evac crew bringing wounded troops to Walter Reed), sister-in-law in Afghanistan
~ N8VTXNinWV .. brother-in-law in Afghanistan, brother in Germany (med-evac crew bringing wounded troops to Walter Reed), sister-in-law in Afghanistan.
~ notpoliticallycorewrecked .. Kenny (Marines) is going to Iraq in August. Please remember his mother, also she is having a very difficult time with this.
~ pGfwabf .. nephew Sam (Marines) leaving for Iraq in September
~ jtill .. Bob, who is the son of her friend Bess
* ~ patriciaruth ..
.. In Tal Afar - James
.. In Mosul Thomas
.. In Kirkuk Antonio, George, Brad, *Tim
.. In Baghdad Keith, Karl, Phillip, Terry, Barry, Michelle, Michael, Sheila, Lysandwr, and Rebecca
.. In Bagram, Afghanistan Erica
..* In Irbil, Dave
* ~ hoosierkitties .. brother Philip is currently at Groton, CT, training for submarine duty
* ~ Jewels1091 .. Ross, friend of daughter, is about to deploy to Iraq for a year (his third deployment in the War on Terror and hes only 23!)
* ~ marylina .. friends son, Brandon (Navy), has returned from the Middle East and is now in San Diego, awaiting Navy Seals school
* ~ Jen's Mom .. daughter SPC Jennifer is in Ramadi where she is a medic
* ~ mtngrl@vrwc .. son Sean deployed to Iraq
* ~ those helping with disaster relief after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
* ~ TexKat .. son, SS Khevin (US Army), is currently in Iraq
* ~ Gosh I love this neighborhood .. grandson is in Germany after a year in Iraq and his Dad (National Guard) is being sent to Kosovo.
* ~ Ladysmith .. brother's fiance's son, Shane, is in Iraq
* ~ JFC .. nephew Micah who is a Marine fighting now in Iraq.
* ~ saberpride .. son's friend's dad, Don and his Michigan National Guard unit, currently in Iraq.
* ~ hoosierpearl .. friend Robert, has returned home safely from Afghanistan.
* ~ Kate of Spice Island .. Sister-in-law, Deanna, USAF stationed in Alaska
* ~ Kate of Spice Island .. no longer on classified assignment
* ~ MozartLover .. son Ev and his National Guard unit have deployed to the Mid-east
* denotes change to the list (an addition or sometimes, thankfully, someone who has come home safely)
***The Former Amphibious Automobile crash test dummy, Ted Kennedy,...***
LOL!
Hey, Mike!
Just logged on. I'll read the Dose so far and get back to you.
Good evening
A very powerful speech today. Thanks for the thread and ping. :)
I am so proud today. Finally the President fought back against these reprehensible leftists who are not on our side, but the side of our enemy! And then Scott, what a great statement. I am loving this!
Thanks to all of our Vets and those serving now! I love you all! Thanks Mike!
another thread some here might enjoy visiting briefly is Cinnamon Girl's coverage of speech w/related pix
she has put a lot of effort into it & it is worth viewing IMHO
WOO HOOOO......Whitehouse firing on all CYLINDERS today!!!! Thanks Mike.....and HAPPY VETERANS DAY especially to those who have fought or are fighting for our FREEDOMS~!!
Thanks so much for the pics. The Presidents speech today was EXCELLENT. Now if he can just keep up the momentum and slam the daily lies of the left.