Posted on 05/01/2007 2:40:20 PM PDT by doug from upland
Because today is the fourth anniversary of the commander in chief landing aboard the USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN with the famous "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" banner, the enemies at home are going to attempt to use it for political purposes. I don't think I need to name the enemies at home. We all know them well. They are the ones who see defeat as politically beneficial to them and will do whatever they can to embolden the enemy and hurt our troops.
To get to the truth of the story, I phoned the media office of the 2nd Fleet in Norfolk, VA. The man who had the answers for me and graciously returned my call was Captain Conrad Chun.
"When something of such high level is planned, such as the landing of the commander in chief on the ship," said Chun, "there are several planning meetings. At one of the meetings was the idea for a banner that said MISSION ACCOMPLISHED." The mission in this case, was the mission of the USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN. The men and women aboard the nuclear-powered carrier accomplished their mission and stayed out for a record time -- 290 days. It was a very long cruise for them.
The banner specifically was designed to celebrate and memorialize the ship's successful deployment. According to Chun, they had no way to make the banner aboard the ship, so the White House was asked to have it made for them.
"There are still those who will doubt the story," said Chun, "but after speaking to those on the ship, I have no doubt that is how it happened."
On a side note, Godspeed to my former son in law Josh who is on the Nimitz now. Go, Navy!
Sooooo, when Ari Fleischer said that “they” (the White House press flacks, presumably) did it, he was, what? Full of it? Lying? Ad-libbing?
Being four years late, and a couple of bucks short isn’t helping the White House’s credibility. Particularly in the face of Ari’s pronouncement. (And some anonymous Navy officer, four years after the fact, is going to erase the then White House Press Secretary’s statement for the record?) Not that, with one thing or another, that they have much credibilty remaining.
I’m all for setting the record straight, but this is pathetic.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan told CNN that in preparing for the speech, Navy officials on the carrier told Bush aides they wanted a "Mission Accomplished" banner, and the White House agreed to create it.
"We took care of the production of it," McClellan said. "We have people to do those things. But the Navy actually put it up."
http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/10/28/mission.accomplished/
We are supposed to be conservatives. It’s the liberals who have the chronic inability to take responsibility for what happens. The hostile media is a problem, but it’s not the cause of the inept and incoherent communications by the admin.
And this isn’t just a shot at Dubya’s terrible speaking skills - in fact, he isn’t as bad as he is made out to be. It’s a shot at their whole style at getting the point across. It’s a stinker.
Ari Fleischer seems to have a different take on the question.
“We put it up. We made the sign. But I think it accurately summed up where we were at the time, ‘Mission Accomplished’ ... the mission was to topple Saddam Hussein.”
Ari Fleischer, former White House press secretary
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/04/30/politics/main614998.shtml
In any case Saddam was out and that mission was accomplished.
That is your opinion, not fact.
And not a very viable opinion, either.
It also means your ship may not be going home, but it’s not staying there. If not home, then somewhere worth going.
Where are the photos of the POTUS from that day??????????????????????????
Nice to get some validation.....I’ve been saying that for 4 years; That it was the USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN’S who’s mission was accomplished!
Why the White House never responded? seems to be par for the course.
Then why don't we have 80%+ of Freepers calling for his impeachment now?
I think your view of this is foolish. Yes, there have been huge problems in Iraq, some of which should have been predicted and dealt with up front. We made a terrible mistake by allowing al Sadr to continue to operate. They shouldn't have sent the Iraqi military home from the start. We shouldn't have held in jail for months and years countless Iraqis who committed no crime and had no evidence against them. Our soldiers should not have had the hands tied the way they have.
But wars aren't clean things, and when you're making your plans the enemy is making his plans. Sometimes your plans work and sometimes the enemy's plans work.
But Iraq was the right next move in the War on Terror, and finishing the job there is the smart thing to do. If you think otherwise, then you've been duped by the MSM and Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.
see tagline
Bumpity.
An important piece of info that was/is/will be buried by the leftists in the media, as it’s a real “inconvenient truth”.
I agree with the first part 100%, and agree with your second part 66+%. We lost control of Congress, yes, but we can win it back. That being said, I don’t see us winning it back anytime soon.
As for the larger war, that’s why it is essential the next president be clear, cogent, and convincing on the issue.
HILLARY THE RODHAM, NOW I’M JUST PLAIN CLINTON
SAYS BUSH’S SPEECH TO NAVY CREW WAS A POLITICAL STUNT
And pray tell what would The Hillary know about political stunts?
The Commander In Chief goes to the USS Abraham Lincoln to talk to his all-aboard-buddies and she calls it a political stunt!
Oh, she’s talking about that sign. The one that said “Mission Accomplished.”
There it was — right out there in plain view — for all the world to see.
And why not? If it were her in the driver’s seat and it had been her idea to oust Saddam Hussein and give an entire country back to its people, she’d have done no less.
But now, all of a sudden, the politicos seem to have gotten the idea that the people of Iraq weren’t worth it. That freedom only works when it’s here in the United States.
And better yet, freedom only really counts if the correct party is in power. We can’t have no double sided balance of power. What’s Hillary’s plan? To take out the middle aisles in the halls of congress?
Somehow I don’t think that’s what the framers of the constitution had in mind.
And I also think that the politicos ought to get their houses in order and stop all the bickering. They promised the American public that there would be more civility in the 110th Congress.
Haven’t seen it yet.
Maybe they don’t speak in four syllable words yet. Civ-il-i-ty. Would be a good word for all of them to learn, don’t you think?
Everyone knows that the way you welcome warriors home is by spitting on them, not by flying a banner thanking them for their service.
Thanks doug. FINALLY the truth is out. Our distasteful, truth twisting, out and out fabricating presstitutes and their bosses in congress and senate have carried this lie too long. I do wish the President, his staff and the republicans had the brass to rebut these lies.
The people who scream the loudest for the impeachment of the president are those who never have to actually do anything and be responsible for it, but live and thrive on hindsight regarding the actions of others.
People who have had to work hard, be responsible for making things happen and bear loads under pressure understand that life is not a recipe you can throw together in a bowl and have it come out perfect.
I have found that those who have borne responsibility are less prone to 20/20 hindsight. They are more likely to find out what went wrong, set about fixing it and assigning blame a lower priority.
Just an observation of human nature.
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