`Mission accomplished': Bush brag or Demo fib?

U.S. News- Washington Whispers ^ | 09/29/03 | Paul Bedard

[Pokey78]

After weeks of Democratic assaults that President Bush was a nitwit for declaring "mission accomplished" in Iraq during his May 1 landing and victory speech on the USS Abraham Lincoln, the White House is bidding to set the story straight. The issue should be a simple one: Bush never uttered those words. "The president," argues communications boss Dan Bartlett, "said exactly the opposite: The mission continues." But Bush stood under a banner declaring "mission accomplished." Why? Bartlett says that the Lincoln's captain had the banner made up to thank his crew for the longest-ever carrier tour, not to declare the war over. "It is something the troops are really proud of," says Bartlett. "Of course they can hang the banner." But the picture was all the Demos needed. "On TV," he says, "they never play the [sound] bite of the president, they just show the image with the banner." Democratic polls show that the public buys their spin, which doesn't really surprise Bartlett. "Look, perception becomes reality," he says. "But the facts don't back it up."

[Galtoid]

It is time to indeed set the record straight on a whole lot of issues. I sense Karl Rove is back from vacation.

[ForGod'sSake]

"On TV," he says, "they never play the [sound] bite of the president, they just show the image with the banner." Democratic polls show that the public buys their spin...

Now there's a shocker!

Media dipsticks! Carrying the Dims mail.....still.

FGS

[Finalapproach29er]

That sign was for the carrier group!!!!!!!!!!! It was not for the whole military!!!! Why is this so difficult for people to understand?

[Starstruck]

Somebody just photoshop the banner to read the "the mission continues". Pass it around enough and who knows what the real banner read. Perception becomes reality.

[kiki p]

Sorry, but this is lame. This is a team that plastered *Made in the US* stickers over *Made in China* stickers at a factory speech. They don't miss the details. The banner would NOT have been there if they didn't want it to be. They would have been better off saying nothing about it.

[martin_fierro]

Please post the roster of Saddam thugs captured/killed to date.

The fight isn't finished, but we're making excellent progress.

[mystery-ak]

They don't understand because they haven't heard it on network news..

[GrandmaPatriot]

Here is the entire quote. If only the media would play it, but alas, I'm asking too much of the demonews outlets.

"The battle of Iraq is one victory in a war on terror that began on September the 11th, 2001 and still goes on."

and another one from that same speech:

"Our mission continues. Al Qaida is wounded, not destroyed"

[CyberAnt]

I don't agree the public buys the spin. I think the last number was 65% of the public believe we are doing a good job in Iraq and that we need to stay until the job is finished. If the public believed the spin - there's no way the number would be 65%.

[bushfamfan]

Well, time for them to release transcripts of the actual speech, make commercials of the speech where he said the "mission continues, remains dangerous, though we have gotten rid of the regime". Typical and expected that the Demonrats are trying to twist what was actually said in that speech and claiming the administration had that banner put up. The administration and Republicans could counter it and are going to need to repeatedly. A good comparison would be VE and VJ Day and if there were US casualties after those days. Bush never declared the war over, but the success of getting Saddam Hussein out of control in Iraq. It has been nasty with casualties continuing in Iraq, but they are also attempting to spin this to Bush saying stuff he never did.

[ForGod'sSake]

I don't agree the public buys the spin.

Well, Bartlett didn't seem to have any problem with the Rats poll; I presume he didn't have a rebuttal. His reply(and a phrase I really am sick to death of hearing) "Perception becomes reality", says a bunch. I don't deny that our numbers are still fairly strong, though not as good as they were. A testament to the Red Zone's awareness of the media's shilling for the Dims?

Regards,

FGS

[Future Useless Eater]

ok, here it is...


UPDATED here - Iraq's 55 14 Most Wanted Scoreboard

[Coop]

The banner would NOT have been there if they didn't want it to be.

Sure, the team left the banner up. Because it was a ship's banner that had nothing to do directly with the President's visit. And the President said exactly the opposite of what the banner said. But that means little to the Hypocrats.

[AgThorn]

Having a son that was on the USS Abe, I absolutely agree with this, i.e. that the banner was put up as an acknowledgement that their 10 month mission was accomplished and time to go home ...

However, what's with Harpers? They have some paragraph that claims that Scott McClellan (White house press secretary) admitted that they did create the banner and send it to the carrier. Is this just the "Harpers", i.e. another leftist rag, or is there any fact to this?

http://www.harpers.org/AbrahamLincoln.html

[colorado tanker]

Well, the mission WAS accomplished.

Wars involve lots of missions and objectives. This mission was to invade Iraq, advance to and take Baghdad, seizing the country and deposing the Baathist regime. Our troops succeeded in tough fighting implementing a brilliant battle plan by Gen. Franks and his staff. This talk about nothing being "accomplished" is an insult to the troops who accomplished that mission.

President Bush was right to honor the sailors of the Abe and all the troops who succeeded in taking Iraq and deposing Saddam. And he was right to wear his flight suit - he earned that right when he earned his wings.

Now we're on another mission - subduing Baathist and terrorist resistance and giving democracy a start in Iraq. And there will be many more missions in this war.