[Ingtar]

They are not afraid to use the word "jihad."

[Uncle Fud]

Deus Vult, baby.

[Land_of_Lincoln_John]

Eisenhower'r WWII memoirs were "Crusade in Europe." That word has broad implications.

[gcruse]

- President Bush regrets using the word "crusade,"
with all its historical connotations of religious war,
to describe his campaign against terrorists, his spokesman said Tuesday.

More malaprops.  Where is Peggy Noonan?

[Revolting cat!]

No freaking apologies! War isn't about parsing words!

[jrherreid]

Does that mean we ain't fenna get medieval on they asses?

[MizSterious]

So...now we must also be p.c. in fighting wars? Sheesh.

[NittanyLion]

Ari should have told them his intent was obvious - the word was not used in a religious connotation. Then he should have told them if the best thing they have to do is parse Bush's words they can all go to hell.

[RJCogburn]

Absolutely a poor choice of word by Bush.

It's okay to acknowledge a mistake when one is made.

Really. It's okay.

[Sir Gawain]

Give me a break. PC still runs rampant.

[PISANO]

Politically Correct BS!! I am sick of it! Word police....thought police when will this nonsense end?

[uncitizen]

Here we go again. Apologizing for a word. This is sickening. Words don't hurt anything. Jets hitting buildings hurts something.

[Osinski]

I am up to here with this friggin political correctness. I'm sorry a sikh was killed today by some ignorant bastard who thought he was a muslim. That doesn't mean that we as a nation aren't under attack within and without by terrorists and extremists who happen to be Islamic, trying to cram the jihad down our throats. I say HELL no. This week, I am suspicious of non-American arabs. This is not racism, it is common sense. The rules have changed. This is a war. Had Bush not shut down air traffic the horror would have be unfathomable. As it stands, we as Americans are threatened at home and abroad by muslim extremists. If I say I'm on a crusade to protect me and mine from this scourge and some muslim is offended, too friggin bad. Get a clue that although Bush may want to tone down the rhetoric, I'm not ready to. Hell there are 5,000 people whose families are just getting the realization that their loved ones aren't coming home ever again. I give a shit about offended.

[2ndMostConservativeBrdMember]

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[dead]

Despite the headline, there is no quoted text of an apology. There is the quoted statement that Bush "regrets" that people are reading other meanings into the statement that he did not wish to convey.

"Crusade" was not the most appropriate word for Bush to use, and "apologizes" was not the most appropriate word for the headline writer to use either.

[Rustynailww]

this is a sign that we are weaseling out of our duty. the real war will be by the goverment on our freedoms.

[The_Reader_David]

On behalf of Eastern Christendom, I accept our President's apology.

I remind my fellow FReepers that "Crusade" does not ring very well in the ears of Orthodox Christians. We remember the seige of Constantinople by the First Crusade, the Sack of Constantinople by the Fourth, and the Teutonic Knights in Russia, and the replacement of Orthodox bishops in the Patriarachates of Antioch and Jerusalem by force, even though they were in communion with Rome at the time. (The Pope of Rome graciously apologized recently, and we were very happy that his apology was broad enough to include all I have mentioned, not just the Sack of Constantinople.)

[CubicleGuy]

The country that apologizes first, loses.

Did France beat us to the punch, at least? (Technically, though, a surrender really can't be called an apology, I suppose...)

[tm22721]

How about bringing him out in full armor with a horse, lance and shield ?

BUMP

[imperator2]

I think that Christians and Jews should start a movement to destroy the Moslem holy sites of Mecca and Medina if the Moslem nations do not make effort to catch Bin Ladin.

We can fight fire with fire.