Posted on 09/26/2006 5:28:04 PM PDT by silent_jonny
President Bush and President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan held a press conference in the White House East Room today.
First Lady Laura Bush spoke at fundraisers for Republican congressional candidate Joy Padgett in Granville, Ohio and for Ray Meier in Utica, N.Y.
Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice met with Indonesian Vice President Muhammad Yusuf Kalla at the White House.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld arrived at Mother Teresa airport in Tirana. He will take part at the meeting of defense ministers of southeast Europe that will be held on September 27 in Albania.
Enjoy your Tuesday visit to Sanity Island
Quote of the Day:
Question from Jennifer Loven, Associated Press (possibly the dumbest question ever asked by the press): “Even after hearing that one of the major conclusions of the National Intelligence Estimate in April was that the Iraq war has fueled terror growth around the world, why have you continued to say that the Iraq war has made this country safer?”
President Bush: “… You know, to suggest that if we weren't in Iraq, we would see a rosier scenario with fewer extremists joining the radical movement requires us to ignore 20 years of experience. We weren't in Iraq when we got attacked on September the 11th. We weren't in Iraq, and thousands of fighters were trained in terror camps inside your country, Mr. President [Karzai]. We weren't in Iraq when they first attacked the World Trade Center in 1993. We weren't in Iraq when they bombed the Cole. We weren't in Iraq when they blew up our embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. My judgment is, if we weren't in Iraq, they'd find some other excuse, because they have ambitions. They kill in order to achieve their objectives.”President Karzai: “Ma'am … terrorism was hurting us way before Iraq or September 11th. The President mentioned some examples of it. These extremist forces were killing people in Afghanistan and around for years, closing schools, burning mosques, killing children, uprooting vineyards, with vine trees, grapes hanging on them, forcing populations to poverty and misery.
They came to America on September 11th, but they were attacking you before September 11th in other parts of the world. We are a witness in Afghanistan to what they are and how they can hurt. You are a witness in New York.
Do you forget people jumping off the 80th floor or 70th floor when the planes hit them? Can you imagine what it will be for a man or a woman to jump off that high? Who did that? And where are they now? And how do we fight them, how do we get rid of them, other than going after them? Should we wait for them to come and kill us again? That's why we need more action around the world, in Afghanistan and elsewhere, to get them defeated -- extremism, their allies, terrorists and the like.
Photo of the Day:
Friends, Allies, Brothers
Hi.
Good evening everyone and prayers for our President.
That's a GREAT photo... I hope there are some of him with the firey look in his eyes :-)
And another for MamaB too :)
Wow -- mystery... you're first again!
Congratulayions!
couldn't resist when I saw it was you...hi, kiddo
Awww...I like that picture.
After opening statements by both leaders, they begin taking questions. The first is from the aforementioned Jennifer Loven (left). 
Bump that, young lady.
Prayers for our GREAT POTUS.
He's had a GOOD day.
ok, i'm watching dancing with the stars - WHY DON'T YOU HAVE A THREAD GOING!!!! BTW, I bought Clay Aiken's new CD today and it's great.....
That was an absolutely great press conference today. Both Pres. Bush and Afghani Pres. Karzai were direct, articulate, and passionate without any offensive yelling or finger-waving (ahem: Clinton, anyone?). I'm so happy Pres. Bush is leading us in this difficult time, and glad that we have allies like Pres. Karzai in the war against islamofascism.
What a day the two Presidents had. They were both wonderful. Great first photo, too!
Hi, Jonny
Some days I LOVE the most stupid question in the world when asked by a member of the MSM. They say and print those same thoughts constantly, but when they ask the PRESIDENT and the president of Afghanistan about it, THE WORLD hears their answers.
(And those were some doozies of answers.)
Ohh, thanks for the Dose.
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