Posted on 02/17/2006 12:23:12 PM PST by MillerCreek
TAMPA, Fla. - Appealing for patience, President Bush said Friday that Americans should not be discouraged by setbacks in Iraq and said the nation must realize that it is still at war.
The president said there is a "tendency of folks is to say this really isn't a war. People kind of want to slip to the comfortable."
But he said the nation still faces a ruthless enemy in Iraq that has no regard for human life.
"We shouldn't be discouraged about setbacks, short term setbacks, or the enemy's capacity to take innocent life, because we've seen democracy change the world in the past," Bush said.
His remarks reflected the tough-on-terrorism theme that proved so successful during his re-election campaign. White House aide Karl Rove already has advised Republicans to make national security the top partisan issue in the November midterm elections.
Bush spoke at a cruise ship terminal at the Port of Tampa, pacing the stage with a microphone in his hand. He spoke before an invited audience arrayed around him on all sides. Before his address, the president received an update on the war on terror in a private, hour-long briefing at the U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base which oversees forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
As of Thursday, Feb. 16, 2006, at least 2,272 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes six military civilians. At least 1,781 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.
Bush spoke before a friendly audience and took questions after his prepared remarks. The first questioner said the nation was blessed to have Bush as president. The next questioner referred to Florida Gov. Jeb Bush as "your great brother."
(NOTE: SO MUCH MORE IN THIS SPEECH BY PRESIDENT BUSH, NOT YET REPORTED IN ARTICLES BUT SOON TO BE, I'M CERTAIN...)
He said he was committed to border security, was opposed to amnesty, that the Southern border in Texas was "long" and difficult to...that he concluded that people were going to both "do the work that Americans aren't willing to do" (he said that twice) and that they're going to "sneak in" even if it's against the law to do so, and that, therefore, his solution was a "guest worker program" where illegal aliens could be employed in the U.S. "temporarily on the condition that they're here temporarily" (or to that effect several times)...
My continued exasperation for the President I do not regret voting for and would do so again if given the chance, my continued exasperation with this huge issue is that President Bush contradicts himself and defies logic on this issue. If the border, as Bush says repeatedly, is so difficult to patrol and manage, how is it that these many millions of illegal aliens are going to "just go home" after their "temporary" "employment" as "guests" concludes? And by what force of incentive are they going to do that? And if they're going to be employed in the U.S. "whether they're here illegally or not," what is any "guest worker program" going to mean to obstinance of that sort?
And, President Bush makes no acknowledgement of the fact that the people employing illegal aliens are responsible and culpable in this problem...and that what they are doing is breaking the law, along with illegal aliens themselves.
Just because people "will do it" (whatever it is) is no reason to ENABLE 'IT'. My frustration with President Bush's approach to this problem continues...and he didn't begin to discuss the threats to national security as to our "difficult" to patrol and manage Southern border, so, again, my frustration continues.
I am still quite thankful that President Bush is in the White House. I do wish he would face reality about this problem and consider hardline solutions, practical ones, that address the causes and the results of a massive illegal alien population in our country and more continuing to arrive every day.
Too bad the president himself lacks the committment to get it done...see: "Islam means peace", UAE controlling our ports, etc., etc.
Well, I did write about that...he repeated that statement twice, that illegal aliens (are) "most of them are here to work...do the work Americans aren't willing to do...do the work Americans aren't willing to do..."
Certainly implied by every possible means that the U.S. "needs" illegal aliens, translated to "cheap labor"...but my main sticking point here is with his failed reasoning. IF, as he says, the border is nearly impossible to monitor/patrol/maintain/secure, AND that illegal aliens are here because "most of them want to work" and "will cross the border anyway (even knowing it's illegal)" "to work," THEN HOW is any "Guest Worker Program" going to solve or resolve any of that?
Moreover, he's repeated that he is "opposed to amnesty" (repeated twice also), but that he thinks that "a guest worker program" that is constructed upon "a temporary" stay by "workers" in the country, HOW IS that NOT "amnesty" if and when he does not recognize nor penalize those who are EMPLOYING these people?
He is literally saying that he understands that the behaviors are illegal but that because "people will do it anyway" (violate immigration, employment laws and security considerations), that that means the country has to meet their ongoing violations with a sanctioning program.
AND, that, he admits the border is unruly and "difficult" to manage, then how is he going to implement any Program that relies on "temporary" presence in the country by illegals? He's literally admitting that they're here, he knows it, he knows they're being employed here, and that he is not identifying any process by which they can be returned to their origin NOR prevented from returning (border is "difficult"! and "they'll come here anyway"!).
No reprimand for those employing them (they're breaking the law)...no process by which people are to be returned to where they began but it's not amnesty!
It's nonsensical, circular, implausible reasoning from a point of the laws that regulate our nation, and, on all practical basis alone.
How DARE you criticize the President in a time of war!!
//sarc
/// because you're correct.
It took almost 80 years to beat the reds and that was with out a shot being fired for the last 50. It won't be easy, but democracy will hang in there and get'er done.
Yeah ... committment of key Dems to lunatic asylums.
Give a great number of them green cards and they can demand higher wages, even get unionized. Where's the use in having them then?
That puts me in mind of all those Clinton speeches where he took all those tough questions from right-wing critics. (/irony)
"Bush spoke at a cruise ship terminal at the Port of Tampa..."
I wonder how many speeches he'll be making in the future from any port if port operations are transferred to the United Arab Emirates(and security compromised).
But he said the nation still faces a ruthless enemy in Iraq that has no regard for human life
Not only in Iraq,but here in America we have the same people RIGHT HERE--RIGHT NOW!!They had a crowd of 'em protesting yesterday in NEW YORK CITY not far from Ground Zero with poster stating the people of the USA days were numbered.They threaten us every day boldly mocking us from England that there's gonna be another 9/11 and another subway blowup in London.I don't know how much more an enemy could describe themselves,that's damn plain and simple these Muslim people are ruthless and have no regard for life other than their own.
Now they have leaders of nations(US included) apologizing over drawing some phony cartoon that they had no control over in the first place.I'd say--Muslims are in full control of just about every nation right now.They are setting up for their"kill the infidel thing".I predict(now,only because the Islamist Muslim are telling us that their gonna do this)that we are gonna have a mass murder of our people here in the states assimilar to 9/11 or greater.I don't think American people are gonna be ready for it though.Because I still see people that want to just blame happenings on other people.We cannot depend on our government to do every little thing for us.We have to start taking care of business as individuals again.We have too much government as it is.Less government,more the people.They can't do what you and I want,they always will screw it up.
If we have a big destructive happening here---with some fighting in the streets with Muslims like England and France have--we'll see a great mutiny among our boys in Iraq.Because ain't nobody gonna keep 'em from coming home to take care of Business.
But,they haven't been by my house yet.It would be their mistake.
Exactly right...and then we'd have -- if this theory is to be believed -- then we'd have illegal aliens not willing to do the jobs that Americans are not willing to do and then where will we be. Ha.
Yes, agreed...been discussed through the last night and early morning hours, as to those muslims "protesting" um, America at Ground Zero in N.Y. on Feb. 01.
We really MUST contain muslims. They do intend by philosophy and culture to eliminate anyone else who'se not of their philosophy/mythology. That's their only message that anyone I've ever read or discussed this with takes from all that they opine: destroy everyone else who isn't an islamofascist. I think they have their satan demi-god to blame for that.
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