Iraq: Bush Vows to Punish Iraqi Insurgents (says, "Bring them on!")

AP via Yahoo! News ^ | 07/02/03 | SCOTT LINDLAW

[TigerLikesRooster]

White House - AP

Bush Vows to Punish Iraqi Insurgents

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By SCOTT LINDLAW, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - President Bush (news - web sites) pledged Wednesday that the United States will deal harshly with those who attack American troops in Iraq (news - web sites), and said such violence will not undercut his resolve to keep Americans there until stability is restored.

"Anybody who wants to harm American troops will be found and brought to justice," Bush said at an impromptu news conference at the White House. "There are some who feel like if they attack us, we may decide to leave prematurely. They don't understand what they're talking about if that's the case."

Increasing attacks have killed more than 23 U.S. soldiers and wounded dozens more since Bush declared major combat over on May 1. On Tuesday, assailants traveling in a vehicle in central Baghdad fired a rocket-propelled grenade at a U.S. military vehicle, wounding three soldiers. Another grenade slammed into a U.S. truck on a road south of Baghdad, injuring three soldiers, one of whom died at a field hospital overnight.

"There are some who feel like that, you know, the conditions are such that they can attack us there. My answer is bring them on," Bush said. "We got the force necessary to deal with the security situation."

[MaxPlus305]

what you fail to grasp is that the President IS in the line of fire, He is our Warrior in Chief so to speak and this nation is at war we need a plain-spoken Leader to rally our troops and to mobilize the nation behind those troops. I personally do not feel that Bush is a bureaucrat, he is a Man of Action!

I had no idea the White House was as bullet-ridden as the streets of Bagdhad. Someone must do something about that.

But seriously, you know what I mean. If the Iraqis have the balls and bullets to actually "bring it on", it won't be Bush's life that is directly in danger.

[MaxPlus305]

No, Kerry is a traitor! He may have been a good man while in the military but he has become a corrupted treasonous demonrat politician and therefore he has lost all credibility with decent Americans.

I don't disagree. I was just using him to point out that being in the military, or even being a military hero, doesn't mean you are the only one who can have a valid opinion about military matters. Anyway, this is all just a bickering over semantics and word choice and nothing to fly into a flame war about.

[MississippiMan]

Up to now, Mosques have been off limits. That ROE should be gone shortly. Bush has just given his Field Commanders a green light to go and get some.

Bet a hundred you're wrong. NO way Bush will make mosques fair game.

MM

[Pukin Dog]

Why dont we just see? Save your money, bubba. We are all friends here.

[MississippiMan]

Hey, I didn't say a hundred WHAT. Hehehe. Bet one hundred Denurian credits?

MM

[Skywalk]

I would say that a war zone is different than normal civil society, so while I don't like midnight raids or check points, it makes sense for an occupying force. In fact, they are necessary.

As for destroying their infrastructure, this is incorrect. Very little damage was done to their infrastructure, and what issues have existed with water and electricity have been the result of Ba'athis or terrorist actions to sabotage the occupation. That does NOT equate to us obliterating their factories, utilities, etc.

[MaxPlus305]

On the other hand, it's hardly a great alternative to leave the country in chaos when some Iranian zealot could take over and turn it into a breeding ground for terrorists. Stability in a nation does not just happen overnight.

[Skywalk]

Well, I could tell the difference between Fedayeen Saddam/Al Qaeda and a force that freed me from a guy that put people in shredders. EVen the most negative and paranoid Iraqi can't think that Americans are putting Iraqis into shredders or having them tortured for fun.

Internationalizing the force might alleviate some of that resentment you speak of, but we can't just leave now. Even the Iraqis don't want that, according to the polls there.

[Skywalk]

Yeah. I tend NOT to believe the image portrayed by the media as they have been consistently negative.

So, do you believe BBC or people in-country?

[Skywalk]

By the way, I'm not accusing you of being a BBC/Commie-symp, just saying that it's not as bad as they are making it out to be, just as Israel is nothing like what they portrayed them to be.