Posted on 08/12/2006 12:59:12 PM PDT by Wolfstar
_ Tuesday, the President will participate in a National Security Council and Homeland Security Council briefing at the National Counterterrorism Center in McLean, Virginia. He will have a meeting with the counterterrorism team, attend lunch with the counterterrorism and homeland security teams, and also meet separately with the homeland security team. According to White House Press Secretary Tony Snow, these are long-scheduled meetings, and are not a reaction to the recently discovered plot to blow up flights between Britain and the United States. However, the investigation will be part of their discussion.
_ Wednesday, the President will travel to York, Pennsylvania, where he will participate in a tour of Harley Davidson vehicle operations. He will also participate in a roundtable on the economy and attend a Lynn Swann for Governor reception.
_ Thursday, the President will sign HR4, the Pension Protection Act of 2006, at the White House. Later in the day he will travel to Camp David.
_ Friday, GWB will participate in a meeting with his economic advisers. He will spend Saturday at Camp David and return to the White House on Sunday, the 20th.
What other theme could there be this Saturday, just two days after the magnificent work the United Kingdom did in breaking up a monstrous terrorist plot to take down multiple airliners? Today's photo essay tells a story that will be more fully told in the years to come, but photos can be uniquely revealing at any time.
Rarely on the world stage are such close professional, personal, and consequential bonds formed between two national leaders such as the remarkable relationship between the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the Honorable Tony Blair, and the President of the United States, the Honorable George W. Bush. (This thread is a tribute to both of them. I place Mr. Blair's name first here only in the same sense as one puts a guest in one's home first.)
Certainly other comparable pairings occurred in the vast sweep of human history: At the birth of our country, the unlikely duo of Washington and Lafayette formed both a life-long friendship and political alliance that eventually brought France into the War for Independence on the American side. Closer to our own time, Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, while perhaps never truly friends, nevertheless formed a very close alliance that towered over their era and won WWII. More recently, Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher formed a life-long friendship and political alliance that defeated the Soviet Union.
Those relationships (and comparable parings going back as far as Antony and Cleopatra) certainly have make their mark on world history. But there is something quite unique about the bond between Tony Blair and George Bush. Something that is at once easy to see in these photos, and yet difficult to capture in words. The best way I can put it is that they truly appear to have become like brothers and yet more.
In their respective domestic politics, the two men could hardly be more different. We American conservatives surely would chafe under Mr. Blair's domestic policies, which would have a home in the American Democrat Party. Nor are the two men in total lock-step in international affairs. Yet, as the photos on this thread will clearly show, the two have formed a deep, comfortable friendship that is likely to last their entire lives. And, on the central issue of our times, international Islamofacist terrorism, these two men certainly have provided rock-solid world leadership on a par with that of Roosevelt and Churchill.
Unlike the definitive ending to WWII, we are not likely to know how the story of these times plays out for decades to come. Yet we do know now that these two great men -- I use great here in a sense far larger than mundane politics -- have given their all. They've tried their best and then some. They have done everything possible to protect the peoples of the United States and United Kingdom from the monsters that walk among us. Through it all, they seem to fit each other like a comfortable pair of gloves with the fingers intertwined, each giving support and strength to the other.
The "Brothers 'B' " have freed tens of millions, handing those people not a paternalistic neo-colonialism, but a chance to make or break their own futures. In other words, true freedom. Those critics who constantly wail about the Iraq "quagmire" either refuse to or genuinely can't get it: True freedom means the Iraqi people must make of their own country what they will. If they want it to be awash in blood, it will. If they want to restore it to "Garden of Eden" beauty, they can. They are free to choose. Free will. What God bequeathed to us all. This is what George W. Bush and Tony Blair have given to the peoples of Afghanistan and Iraq -- a chance to exercise their own free will.
Putting their careers and, in a real sense, their lives on the line, the team of Bush and Blair have made excruciatingly hard decisions in the face vicious opposition (a couple of small examples included here so the photo essay is complete in the story it tells). After Thursday's events, at long last opinion is being written that they have been vindicated. (See this editorial from Investors Business Daily: Vindicated.)
What those freed from the yoke of tyranny by these men (and the blood of the troops they lead) will make of their opportunities, only time will tell -- and it's up to them to write the final chapters in this story.
Same here
Yes priceless indeed. The NY Times and most of the left have been trashing Bush on Musharraf since 911.
Meanwhile, what Masharraf has done in that God forsaken country to help in the WOT has been invaluable.
Now this took some time and thought to organize and I love every bit of it. Huge thanks.
***When Blair first took office, I didn't have a high opinion of him. I thought he was Clinton-light: say anything to please a crowd, but do nothing.***
He won me over soon after Dubya was elected the first time, when he said that, unlike Clinton, when Bush speaks he MEANS what he says. And I think that was exactly how Bush won Blair over.
Oh I agree. It's different when you have to "live with" a certain leader instead of greeting him as a guest.
But the fact that Blair defied the kooks in his own party to stick with President Bush tells me a lot about his character, politics aside. I think that's what will endure.
LOL!
What's a cam walker?
dmd25:
Thank you for posting the blurb from Newsweek (?) concerning the President's experiences at the G-8 . . . fascinating!
MUST READS:
BUSH MAKES PROMISE TO DEAD SOLDIER'S MOM
Says He'll Get Her Reports on How Son Died
CLINTONVILLE, Wis. (Aug. 12) - Nearly three years ago, Beth Karlson's son died in Iraq. Barely a day after meeting with President Bush, the mother said Friday that she's much closer to getting some answers about the incident that killed her son.
Beth Karlson, who met privately with Bush on Friday, said the president told her that he would look into her son's death in Iraq and get her the report.
"We just got off the phone with the White House. It is in the process," she said Friday. "I am not bashful. When you got his ear, you might as well do something."
Karlson said she was among some families of soldiers killed in Iraq who had private meetings with Bush at an Oneida police station Thursday during his trip to Green Bay that included a fundraiser for Republican U.S. House candidate John Gard.
Her son, Army Staff Sgt. Warren S. Hansen, 36, was one of 17 soldiers killed when two Blackhawk helicopters collided above Mosul on Nov. 15, 2003.
Karlson, 63, said that during her and her husband's "very personal" meeting with the president, she brought up her frustration in obtaining the official Army report about the crash.
Karlson said Bush promised that he would look into the matter and get her the reports.
"IT WAS A VERY PRIVATE MEETING AND THAT IS THE WAY WE WANT TO KEEP IT," she said Friday. "HE IS A WONDERFUL MAN. HOW MANY OTHER PRESIDENTS HAVE SAT DOWN WITH THE FAMILIES? NONE THAT I KNOW OF."
[Read the AWESOME article and ignore the bogus poll (or vote, whichever makes you feel better); just remember, small groups of leftist computer geeks 'hit' these on-line polls and 'cast' thousands of leftist votes, individual 'voters' don't have a chance!]
http://articles.news.aol.com/news/_a/bush-makes-promise-to-dead-soldiers-mom/20060811120509990011
THE DEFINITIVE STATEMENT ON THE UN RESOLUTION BETWEEN LEBANON AND ISRAEL -- FROM CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS
Israel made clear what they wanted from their war from its beginning. It wanted their soldiers returned and the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah and move them out of the sub-Litani region. The Israelis want an end to Hezbollah's capability to shower rockets down on their cities. Those goals fit within Israeli political reality, which will abolutely reject another long occupation of Lebanon, considered by many as their Viet Nam. These limited goals may have made some of their international supporters despair, but the Olmert government does not want to fight the combined armies of Arabia again unless absolutely necessary, and that time has not yet come.
In this context, George Bush delivered the best deal he could to meet those goals. He fought the UN to a stalemate while allowing Israel a free hand to conduct military missions against Hezbollah positions and leadership, creating some diplomatic backlash against the US as a result. When France tried to weasel its way into the good graces of the Arab states supporting Hezbollah, Bush made sure they did so by themselves, and then forced them back. In the end, the resolution calls for the solution that Israel wanted all along, and it commits the UN to provide enough forces to at least have a chance of successful implementation. Bush also made sure that the Israelis did not have to leave Lebanon until that force replaced them despite loud calls for immediate withdrawal, allowing Israel to protect its retreat.
My point, therefore, was that George Bush could hardly be blamed for delivering almost everything Israel wanted out of this war, and doing so with unanimous UN Security Council approval. In fact, the result should be seen as something of a diplomatic accomplishment. Israel set the goals, and we delivered. If the result is unsatisfactory, then I believe it is unfair to blame George Bush for demanding a war that Israel did not want to wage.
Posted by Captain Ed at August 12, 2006
http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/007781.php#trackbacks
BUSH'S FORTITUDE ON THE MIDDLE EAST
By Ed Koch
The war now raging in Lebanon should not surprise anyone. For many years, Hezbollah, which is funded, equipped and ideologically supported by Iran and Syria, has made it crystal clear that its goal is to conquer Israel, expel its Jewish inhabitants, and place the entire land under Islamic rule.
. . . According to The New York Times, President Bush made the U.S. position clear, "Speaking to reporters from his ranch in Crawford, Tex., President Bush called for the resolution's speedy adoption, but made clear that the main sticking point -- Lebanese insistence that the draft be altered to require Israel to withdraw troops immediately -- was nonnegotiable."
In my judgment, when history evaluates George W. Bush's position in the pantheon of presidents, he will be compared with Harry S. Truman. Bush's fortitude in recognizing the danger of Islamic fundamentalism to the U.S. and, indeed, the Western world, and his awareness of the need to win this war of civilizations is remarkable. He deserves the applause of all Americans and in time he will receive it.
You can read the entire article at
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2006/08/bushs_fortitude_on_the_middle.html
BUSH 'BELIEVES CONFLICT IS A US-IRAN PROXY WAR'
By Edward Luce in Washington
Washington's foreign policy elite is engaged in a bitter tussle between "neoconservatives" and "realists" seeking to influence George W. Bush's stance on the Israel-Lebanon crisis. The neocons increasingly have the upper hand.
Former and current administration officials say that George W. Bush feels more strongly and is more engaged in support of Israel's military assault on Hizbollah than on any other question. They say Mr Bush feels passionately that the US should support Israel in what he sees as the frontline in the global battle between democracy and terrorism.
You can read the entire article at
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14305782/
THE CEASE FIRE RESOLUTION
By Mark Noonan at 09:07 AM
. . . Some are upset with this - I'm not.
It pegs guilt for the war right where it belongs: on Hezbollah. It demands the release of captured Israelis unconditionally, but does not address, other than in very general terms, any release of captives held by Israel. Hezbollah is unlikely to accept it - Hezbollah is called upon to immediately cease hostilities and undergo disarmament; Israel is merely called upon to cease offensive military actions. If Hezbollah fires a single rocket, or gives any indication that they won't disarm, then Israel can "defensively" take whatever measures are necessary.
All in all, its an excellent agreement: some sort of cease fire resolutuion had to come out of the UN; there was just no way to avoid it, unless the United States was prepared to veto. As that would be politically as well as morally wrong - we must never forget that any chance at peace must be grasped, and let the men of violence and hatred show by their actions who wishes to continue the war - we had to sign on to something. This resolution essentially boxes Hezbollah in, puts the Lebanese government on the spot and allows Israel sufficient flexibility to continue destroying Hezbollah.
This is what we get when we have clear-headed adults running our foreign policy - put the Democrats in charge, and we would have had a deal to provide Hezbollah with new missiles to replace the old on the understanding that they promise to never use them against Israel...
http://blogsforbush.com/
I was thinking about that the other day. Look at all the books written about Churchill. Even he couldn't fit his own autobiography into just one book. There was just too much to say.
Bravo
A dinghy for the man who ... well, you know :)
It's this black boot looking thing. The bottom is plastic and it straps around my leg. It goes almost up to my knee. It's supposed to keep my ankle stable but let me walk on it at the same time.
LOL
I saw someone else call you that, thought I'd try it :)
Hi, EG! Good to see ya.
Onyx, I'm glad FreeReign mentioned this. I meant to tell you way back near the beginning of the Dose that your information was very helpful. I had totally forgotten about that leftist attack on Dubya.
Oh my goodness! Thank you, sweet snugs!
I love it, love it, love it, times twelve!
Hi Si!
Ya my real life Bro started the Purp nickname on FR Snarlin' Cub Bear uses it now too...LOL!
You are # 3 to do so...
Ya = yeah
Oh, OK! Thanks for telling me what a cam walker is. And the best of good luck on your new job. Let us know how it's going.
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