Posted on 11/11/2005 4:58:59 PM PST by smoothsailing
Bush Charges Critics of Iraq War With 'Rewriting History'
By Randy Hall
CNSNews.com Staff Writer/Editor
November 11, 2005
(CNSNews.com) - During a Veterans Day speech at a military installation in Pennsylvania, President Bush charged that "it is deeply irresponsible" for those who criticize the war in Iraq to "rewrite the history of how that war began."
At the U.S. Army depot in Tobyhanna, Pa., Bush said on Friday that "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.
"These baseless attacks send the wrong signal to our troops and to an enemy that is questioning America's will," the president added, noting that soldiers fighting in Iraq and other places around the world "deserve to know their elected leaders who voted to send them to war continue to stand behind them.
"Some Democrats and anti-war critics are now claiming we manipulated the intelligence and misled the American people about why we went to war," he said, even though a bi-partisan Senate investigation "found no evidence of political pressure" to change the intelligence community's assessments of Saddam's weapons program.
"More than 100 Democrats in the House and the Senate who had access to the same intelligence voted to support removing Saddam Hussein from power," Bush stated. And "while it's perfectly legitimate to criticize my conduct of the war, it is deeply irresponsible to rewrite the history of how that war began."
Critics of Bush's foreign policy "also know that intelligence agencies from around the world agreed with our assessments of Saddam Hussein," the president said.
"They know the United Nations passed more than a dozen resolutions citing his development and possession of weapons of mass destruction."
Bush also stated that extremists seeking to destroy America and other modern governments must be defeated because the "murderous ideology of Islamic radicals" is the great threat of the 21st century.
Noting that Al Qaeda and other terror groups have attacked not only the United States but also places like London, Indonesia and Jordan, the president noted that these violent acts do not represent the true philosophy of Islam.
"Whatever it's called, this ideology is very different from the religion of Islam," he said. "This form of radicalism exploits Islam to serve a violent political vision."
The president also affirmed that Iraq is the central front in the war on terrorism, stressing that terrorist leaders have said that nation serves as "the greatest battle" in al Qaeda's war against humanity.
"These militants believe that controlling one country will rally the Muslim masses, enabling them to overthrow all modern governments in the region and establish a radical empire that spans from Spain to Indonesia," Bush said. "Some may be tempted to dismiss these goals as radical or extreme. They are radical and extreme, but they cannot be dismissed."
However, the president did not overlook the reason for his speech: the celebration of Veterans Day and "the 25 million 'vets' who have worn the uniform of the United States of America" and fought bravely against "evil men" in the past who "consumed whole nations in war or genocide.
"At this hour, a new generation of Americans is defending our flag and our freedom in the first war of this century," Bush said to the estimated 2,500 people in attendance, including depot personnel, military families, veterans and community leaders.
After stating that America's war on terror began on Sept. 11, 2001, the president noted that "no act of ours invited the rage of killers and no concession, bribe or appeasement will change or limit their plans for murder.
"On the contrary, they target nations whose behavior they believe they can change through violence," Bush said.
"Against such an enemy, there is only one effective response: We will never back down, we will never give in, we will never accept anything less than complete victory.
"Throughout history, tyrants and would-be tyrants have always claimed that murder is justified to serve their grand vision," he noted. "And they end up alienating decent people across the globe.
"Tyrants and would-be tyrants have always claimed that regimented societies are strong and pure until those societies collapse in corruption and decay," Bush said.
"Tyrants and would-be tyrants have always claimed that free men and women are weak and decadent until the day that free men and women defeat them.
"We don't know the course our own struggle will take or the sacrifices that might lie ahead," the president added. "We do know, however, that the defense of freedom is worth our sacrifice. We do know the love of freedom is the mightiest force of history. And we do know the cause of freedom will once again prevail."
Hear, Hear!!!
SPREAD THE WORD!
I believe the only difference between Vietnam and ww2 is americans seen the carnage on tv during vietnam. They got propaganda during ww2
I have always been on the conservative side but more so after 9/11.
Clinton and his henchmen are busy re-writing history. They are replacing Monica Lewinsky with Todd Kiminsky as a tribute to the gay base.
Unbelievable.
"I wish he had called into account the slimy MSM also!"
No sooner than the president finished his speech, the talking heads at CNN attacked him for the possibility of twisting the truth about pre war intelligence, and for his blunt criticism of the Democrats, which they see as a sign of weakness for the administration... but the Democrats can attack Bush at every turn and CNN will never say this is a sign of weakness for the Democrats. What a double standard! It's appalling what passes for news on that network. It's more like they don't report the news but, rather, 'frame' the news so it fits their sleazy agenda.
From now on lets call this Lib's attempt at denying they voted for the war as "THE PARADE OF THE LITTLE RED HENS"
It is time to call for the Senate to officially censure the disloyal senators such as Ted Kennedy. Call your Senator.
Just leave innocent patriotic hens out of it. ;)
"It is time to call for the Senate to officially censure the disloyal senators such as Ted Kennedy. Call your Senator."
Actually, I am a Canadian but I would if I was an American.
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