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Bush Paints Democrats As Defeatist on Iraq
Las Vegas Sun ^ | February 01, 2006 at 0:40:59 PST | JENNIFER LOVEN ASSOCIATED PRESS

Posted on 02/01/2006 12:45:32 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach

WASHINGTON (AP) -

0201dvs-state-union President Bush, opening the fall campaign season, is painting Democrats as defeatist for criticizing his march to war in Iraq and protectionist for questioning new trade deals and tax-cut extensions.

Grumbling Democrats looking for advantage in Bush's weak poll numbers and burgeoning scandals in GOP congressional ranks refused to cede center stage as the president laid out his 2006 priorities Tuesday night in his fifth State of the Union address.

Encumbered by some of the lowest approval ratings of his presidency, Bush hoped to take charge of the agenda at the start of a year that will see races for most of Congress and 36 governorships.

Bush has been beset by criticism that his optimistic messages of recent years haven't squared with the worries many Americans feel over high energy and health care costs, the costly and deadly Iraq war and continuing terrorist threats. He acknowledged the anxieties of "a period of consequence," while still expressing confidence in the future.

"Sometimes it can seem that history is turning a wide arc, toward an unknown shore," he told a joint session of Congress and a national prime-time television audience. "We will finish well."

As has become traditional, Bush was hoping to capitalize on the attention surrounding the year's biggest speech by delivering a recap Wednesday in Nashville, Tenn.

In Tuesday's speech, the president, hampered by big budget deficits, offered a modest program. He declared that America must break its long dependence on Mideast oil and rebuked critics of his stay-the-course strategy for the unpopular war in Iraq.

"America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the world," Bush said.

Rejecting calls for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq, he said, "There is no peace in retreat." He also slapped at those who complain he took the country to war on the erroneous grounds that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction.

"Hindsight alone is not wisdom," Bush said. "And second-guessing is not a strategy."

Bush declared "the state of our union is strong and together we will make it stronger." But Democrats said Bush was living in a fantasyland.

"It just wasn't credible to hear him talk about making America more secure and honoring our troops or making America energy independent or making health care more affordable without hearing him explain why he's done just the opposite for the last five years," said Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

"Our country is ready for change and a new direction," Democratic Party head Howard Dean said.

Figures on the sidelines gave a look at the nation's sharp divide over Iraq. Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a fallen soldier whose summertime vigil near Bush's Texas ranch reinvigorated the anti-war movement, was arrested and escorted from the visitors section of the House gallery after causing a disruption just before the president spoke.

First lady Laura Bush, meanwhile, had among the guests in her box the relatives of a Marine killed in Iraq.

The partisan mood in the packed House chamber was evident as Bush turned, over halfway through his remarks, to Social Security, the subject of his signature initiative from last year's address that was indefinitely cast aside after even Republicans balked.

Democrats stood in unison to cheer the president's acknowledgment of congressional inaction on his proposal to add private investment accounts to the government retirement program - an idea nearly universally opposed by Democrats.

Republicans then took their turn, delighting with loud applause in Bush's finger-wagging rejoinder that "the rising cost of entitlements is a problem that is not going away."

Bipartisanship erupted briefly as the president went on to make his modest call for the creation of a commission, made up of members from both parties, to examine the impact of the retirement of the baby boomer generation on Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

He invited Democrats as well as Republicans to provide "good advice" on the mission in Iraq and praised "honorable people in both parties" who are proposing to strengthen ethical standards amid the influence-peddling scandal surrounding disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

But even as the president steered away from directly targeting Democrats, he left no doubt he was drawing clear distinctions with the other party, and will continue to do so as the campaign progresses.

He warned against the danger to the nation's future economic vitality of choosing to "shut ourselves off from trade and opportunity," a reference to overwhelming Democratic opposition last year to the new Central American Free Trade Agreement.

He termed it irresponsible to allow "a massive tax increase" if previously passed cuts, set to expire, are not permanently extended.

Many of the solutions Bush offered were repackaged versions of ideas he has sounded from the beginning of his presidency.

He announced a competitiveness agenda that is the focus of travel later in the week to Minnesota, New Mexico and Texas. The initiative, a total of $136 billion over 10 years, includes training for 100,000 math and science school instructors and greater public spending on basic science research.

Bush proposed greater tax benefits for health saving accounts, in which people who purchase high-deductible coverage can contribute money tax-free to 401(k)-like savings plans.

---

On the Net:

White House: http://whitehouse.gov

Democratic Party: http://www.democrats.org

--


TOPICS: Extended News; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: sotu
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1 posted on 02/01/2006 12:45:33 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
Encumbered by some of the lowest approval ratings of his presidency

...although not as low as Congress'...

2 posted on 02/01/2006 12:48:17 AM PST by Howlin (Why don't you just report the news, instead of what might be the news? - Donald Rumsfeld 1/25/2006)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

Yet, there is a difference between responsible criticism that aims for success, and defeatism that refuses to acknowledge anything but failure. (Applause.) Hindsight alone is not wisdom, and second-guessing is not a strategy. (Applause.)


I thought this was PERFECT.


3 posted on 02/01/2006 12:48:42 AM PST by motormouth (no g'news is good g'news.)
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To: All
Activist Cindy Sheehan Arrested at Capitol

*************************************************************

Sheehan was taken in handcuffs from the Capitol to police headquarters a few blocks away. Her case was processed as Bush spoke.

Schneider said Sheehan had worn a T-shirt with an anti-war slogan to the speech and covered it up until she took her seat. Police warned her that such displays were not allowed, but she did not respond, the spokeswoman said.

4 posted on 02/01/2006 12:49:33 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach (History is soon Forgotten,)
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To: Howlin

News on the Sheehan arrest above - #4.


5 posted on 02/01/2006 12:51:49 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach (History is soon Forgotten,)
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To: All
Here is the negative stuff:

Americans React to Bush Address

No reporters name attached to this...

6 posted on 02/01/2006 12:54:57 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach (History is soon Forgotten,)
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To: Howlin
Bush: "The problem is not going away." (points at Democrats who applauded themselves.
7 posted on 02/01/2006 1:02:24 AM PST by WestVirginiaRebel (The Democratic Party-Jackass symbol, jackass leaders, jackass supporters.)
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To: All
Decent report here:

Bush: U.S. Must Get Free of Mideast Oil

8 posted on 02/01/2006 1:03:08 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach (History is soon Forgotten,)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

"polls"

I love it: the left has a skewed poll and Bush is "encumbered" by it. Nov 2 was just last year folks - like 3 months ago - that's not enough time for Bush, who won with a majority of voters, to suddenly be scraping in the 30's. That's just stupid.


9 posted on 02/01/2006 1:03:41 AM PST by mudblood
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To: WestVirginiaRebel

That was stupid on their part!


10 posted on 02/01/2006 1:04:10 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach (History is soon Forgotten,)
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To: mudblood

Ugh..I have no idea why I posted that. I've been up on an install all night and am a bit whacked out. 2005 was last year wasn't it? Please forgive, and more importantly, forget...


11 posted on 02/01/2006 1:05:22 AM PST by mudblood
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach; WestVirginiaRebel; onyx; Mo1; Peach; Miss Marple; kcvl; cabojoe
She speaks!

Dear Friends,

As most of you have probably heard, I was arrested before the State of the Union Address tonight.

I am speechless with fury at what happened and with grief over what we have lost in our country.

CindySheehan's diary :: ::
There have been lies from the police and distortions by the press. (Shocker) So this is what really happened:

This afternoon at the People's State of the Union Address in DC where I was joined by Congresspersons Lynn Woolsey and John Conyers, Ann Wright, Malik Rahim and John Cavanagh, Lynn brought me a ticket to the State of the Union Address. At that time, I was wearing the shirt that said: 2245 Dead. How many more?

After the PSOTU press conference, I was having second thoughts about going to the SOTU at the Capitol. I didn't feel comfortable going. I knew George Bush would say things that would hurt me and anger me and I knew that I couldn't disrupt the address because Lynn had given me the ticket and I didn't want to be disruptive out of respect for her. I, in fact, had given the ticket to John Bruhns who is in Iraq Veterans Against the War. However, Lynn's office had already called the media and everyone knew I was going to be there so I sucked it up and went.

I got the ticket back from John, and I met one of Congresswoman Barbara Lee's staffers in the Longworth Congressional Office building and we went to the Capitol via the undergroud tunnel. I went through security once, then had to use the rest room and went through security again.

My ticket was in the 5th gallery, front row, fourth seat in. The person who in a few minutes was to arrest me, helped me to my seat.

I had just sat down and I was warm from climbing 3 flights of stairs back up from the bathroom so I unzipped my jacket. I turned to the right to take my left arm out, when the same officer saw my shirt and yelled; "Protester." He then ran over to me, hauled me out of my seat and roughly (with my hands behind my back) shoved me up the stairs. I said something like "I'm going, do you have to be so rough?" By the way, his name is Mike Weight.

The officer ran with me to the elevators yelling at everyone to move out of the way. When we got to the elevators, he cuffed me and took me outside to await a squad car. On the way out, someone behind me said, "That's Cindy Sheehan." At which point the officer who arrested me said: "Take these steps slowly." I said, "You didn't care about being careful when you were dragging me up the other steps." He said, "That's because you were protesting." Wow, I get hauled out of the People's House because I was, "Protesting."

I was never told that I couldn't wear that shirt into the Congress. I was never asked to take it off or zip my jacket back up. If I had been asked to do any of those things...I would have, and written about the suppression of my freedom of speech later. I was immediately, and roughly (I have the bruises and muscle spasms to prove it) hauled off and arrested for "unlawful conduct."

After I had my personal items inventoried and my fingers printed, a nice Sgt. came in and looked at my shirt and said, "2245, huh? I just got back from there."

I told him that my son died there. That's when the enormity of my loss hit me. I have lost my son. I have lost my First Amendment rights. I have lost the country that I love. Where did America go? I started crying in pain.

What did Casey die for? What did the 2244 other brave young Americans die for? What are tens of thousands of them over there in harm's way for still? For this? I can't even wear a shrit that has the number of troops on it that George Bush and his arrogant and ignorant policies are responsible for killing.

I wore the shirt to make a statement. The press knew I was going to be there and I thought every once in awhile they would show me and I would have the shirt on. I did not wear it to be disruptive, or I would have unzipped my jacket during George's speech. If I had any idea what happens to people who wear shirts that make the neocons uncomfortable that I would be arrested...maybe I would have, but I didn't.

There have already been many wild stories out there.

I have some lawyers looking into filing a First Amendment lawsuit against the government for what happened tonight. I will file it. It is time to take our freedoms and our country back.

I don't want to live in a country that prohibits any person, whether he/she has paid the ulitmate price for that country, from wearing, saying, writing, or telephoning any negative statements about the government. That's why I am going to take my freedoms and liberties back. That's why I am not going to let Bushco take anything else away from me...or you.

I am so appreciative of the couple of hundred of protesters who came to the jail while I was locked up to show their support....we have so much potential for good...there is so much good in so many people.

Four hours and 2 jails after I was arrested, I was let out. Again, I am so upset and sore it is hard to think straight.

Keep up the struggle...I promise you I will too.

Love and peace soon,
Cindy


Kos

DU
12 posted on 02/01/2006 1:05:40 AM PST by Howlin (Why don't you just report the news, instead of what might be the news? - Donald Rumsfeld 1/25/2006)
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To: Howlin
He then ran over to me, hauled me out of my seat and roughly (with my hands behind my back) shoved me up the stairs.

She's lying:


13 posted on 02/01/2006 1:08:17 AM PST by Howlin (Why don't you just report the news, instead of what might be the news? - Donald Rumsfeld 1/25/2006)
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To: Howlin

I don't see any hand-cuffs in the photo....


14 posted on 02/01/2006 1:24:34 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach (History is soon Forgotten,)
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To: Howlin

These people never get out of the 1960's do they?


15 posted on 02/01/2006 1:27:45 AM PST by fortheDeclaration (Gal. 4:16)
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Comment #16 Removed by Moderator

To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
Bush Paints Democrats As Defeatist on Iraq

I think the Democrats are the ones that painted themselves yellow, and Bush said, "Hey look their all yellow!"

17 posted on 02/01/2006 1:32:53 AM PST by Echo Talon
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To: Echo Talon

ROFL!

Good one!


18 posted on 02/01/2006 1:40:44 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach (History is soon Forgotten,)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
maybe a more honest headline would be

Bush points out the obvious: Democrats are Yellow

or
Bush points out the obvious: Democrats are defeatists

or
Bush tells us what we already know: Democrats are the equivalent of a STOP SIGN.

19 posted on 02/01/2006 1:52:17 AM PST by Echo Talon
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

Hang in there George...you piss me off on a lot of domestic issues...but you kick ass on terrorism....


20 posted on 02/01/2006 2:04:47 AM PST by AngelesCrestHighway
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