Posted on 04/04/2007 4:49:14 PM PDT by silent_jonny
President and Mrs. Bush left Washington today and traveled to Fort Irwin, California. There the president met with troops and observed several training exercises that are being developed specifically for operations in Iraq.
President Bush then had lunch with the troops and their families, thanking them for their service and for the many sacrifices they have made.
The president and first lady are scheduled to arrive at their home in Crawford, Texas late tonight to begin their Easter vacation.
In other news, President Bush named Sam Fox to be the new US ambassador to Belgium. (related thread)
Democrats had denounced Fox for his 2004 donation [$50,000] to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. The group's TV ads, which claimed that Sen. John Kerry exaggerated his military record in Vietnam, were viewed as a major factor in the Massachusetts Democrat losing the election.… Recognizing Fox did not have the votes to obtain Senate confirmation, [President Bush] withdrew the nomination last month. On Wednesday [today], with Congress out of town for a spring break, the president used his power to make recess appointments to put Fox in the job without Senate confirmation.
This means Fox can remain ambassador until the end of the next session of Congress, effectively through the end of the Bush presidency.”
LOL!
Enjoy your visit to Sanity Island
Vice President Dick Cheney (speaking in an interview with Ann Compton): ... Congress has a role to play. They are responsible for appropriating funds. But there's an area, once they cross over a line, that's pretty well drawn in the Constitution that says, under I think it's Article Two of the Constitution, the President is the Commander-in-Chief. He's the one who makes the decisions about the use of military force, how they're deployed, when they're deployed, what purposes they're deployed for.… it's not just a question of Congress appropriating funds and either supporting or not supporting the effort, you begin to get in the area where, in fact, they are trying to usurp the ability of the President to make those basic decisions, as well as, I think, to interfere with the activities of our troops on the ground in Iraq.
Q Speaker Pelosi is in Damascus. Will there be -- will there be repercussions, negative repercussions from her visit today?
I think it's unfortunate. The fact of the matter is, Bashir Assad has been a -- I don't want to say -- a bad actor, in many respects … There have been inside Syria, obviously, a flow of jihadists, terrorists, going into Iraq to participate in the conflict inside Iraq.
… Nancy Pelosi is basically a -- what Jeane Kirkpatrick used to call a "San Francisco Democrat." She's a liberal, those are her views, nothing wrong with that. I think it's wrong, but that's her world view. And we're bound to have major disagreements, and we do. (Transcript)
Photo of the Day:
President Bush stands with troops for a group photo as he visits the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., Wednesday, April 4, 2007.
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What?!?!?? President Bush and First Lady have left for Crawford for Easter Vacation? Oh no they di-’int! ;-p
Love pictures of President Bush with the troops! Great POD!
The toaster is yours :)
… it’s been 58 days since the President requested funding for our troops. He's disappointed Congress left Washington without finishing their work. The President can sign a bill anywhere, anytime. Our troops are waiting for that money, and the President is waiting for a bill that doesn't tie the hands of our commanders on the ground.~ Press Gaggle by Gordon Johndroe
On board Air Force One
April 4, 2007 (Transcript)Last Week, The Defense Department Notified Congress That In Order To Meet The Force Protection Needs Of The Marine Corps And The Army, It Is Borrowing Funds From Other Important Marine And Army Procurement Programs. This borrowing means using funding intended for medium tactical vehicle replacement, Humvees and Humvee equipment, the tactical communications modernization program, and upgrades for other vehicles.
… The President Has Made Clear For Weeks If Either The House Or The Senate Version Of The Emergency War Spending Bill Comes To His Desk, He Will Veto It.
If Congress fails to pass a bill to fund our troops, the American people will know who to hold responsible.
~ Office of the Press Secretary, White House
April 4, 2007 (click for more information)
From a thread posted by our very own Mystery-AK:
The United States is expanding its two major detention centers in Iraq with the expectation that the new security crackdown in Baghdad will add hundreds and perhaps thousands of prisoners to the 17,000 it holds, U.S. military spokesmen said.The U.S.-led military coalition in Iraq runs two large prison facilities: Camp Bucca in southern Iraq, and Camp Cropper outside Baghdad. Camp Bucca today holds 13,800 Iraqi detainees …
Mystery’s son, Jonathan (Milo828) is stationed at Camp Bucca.
top 20????
Good evening!
Arriving at Andrews Air Force Base, President Bush waves as makes his way to Air Force One.
I should have kept my browser open
President Bush shakes hands with troops as he visits the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., Wednesday, April 4, 2007
President Bush shakes hands with Iraqi's who are helping train U.S. troops on Iraqi culture at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif. Wednesday, April 4, 2007.
Hey, look Mom. I WON! I WON!
Hi there, Jonny
Thank you, Kaslin. Better luck next time.
President Bush looks at an unmanned aerial vehicle as he visits the National Training Center at Fort Erwin, Calif. Wednesday, April 4, 2007.
President Bush watches a remote control robot used for disarming bombs during his visit to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif. Wednesday, April 4, 2007.
It’s little hidden stories like this that you know the surge is working....thanks for posting the link.
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