The new political analyst at NBC (sorry, I forgot his name), told Tim Russert on Meet the Press a couple of weeks ago that Bush is getting heat from GOP congressmen/strategists too. They want him to yield somewhat to the Democratic demands, enabling them to, in effect, "buy in" to the disaster. As the election nears, the blame could be shared.

Sick, huh?

Americans bought into failure when they elected Bush, both times!

Yes Prez Bush, the American people voted for failure twice,and unfortunately you're what the rest of us received.

Please answer this:

News Item: "An Army sergeant is complaining that the U.S. flag flew at half-staff last week at the largest U.S. base in Afghanistan for those killed at Virginia Tech, but the same honor is not given to fallen U.S. troops there and in Iraq. . . ."
No. It is Bush administration policy to sneak our war dead home from overseas without public honors.

This is done out of respect to pollsters and focus groups.

Kenny B,

W. will get his veto sustained this time around but Republicans in Congress are saying that he has until August to get his civil war fixed otherwise he'll lose their support and his "nation building" days will be over.

what is with this guy? He is SO in denial. And is he not the most stubborn person on the planet?

Last I heard, we didn't vote to have trillions of our tax dollars wasted on a moronic war.

And please explain how being in Iraq is for "my freedom"?

I live in the US; I already have freedom.

No, the American people didn't vote for failure. They voted for Bush. But what they got was failure.

Every time this president mentions 9/11, someone needs to remind the public it happend on his watch - he failed to prevent it after repeated warnings.

No, americans did not vote for failure....since over half of us didnt vote to elect GW Bush as president, and nobody got to vote on "our" desicion to go to war in Iraq, "not voting for failure" is a pretty easy thing to say for most of us. (just wish it was as easy to live with)

"Bush: Americans didn't vote for 'failure'"

Your right Mr. Bush, which is why they DIDN'T vote for Republicans. Now, Democrats, with all of their political capital, are calling your bluff and removing the purse from the war effort.

You seems to think that cooperation and success means only one thing : DO IT MY WAY!

Well, we did that for 6 years and you took America to hell in a hand backet, so no one cares about what you say anymore (Thank God for that!)

Obviously, I voted for failure.

George Bush in one sense is right in saying that "Americans didn't vote for failure". That is actually well-documented, as George Bush lost the popular vote in 2000. He's right, we didn't vote for him, and he is a failure.

Nelson Schmitz

I voted Republican for every presidential election except two. The first was to get your father out of office after he raised taxes. The second was to vote against the war and get you out of office. Unfortunately, this didn't happen. Your misbegotten policy of war will last until you are gone from office. The chances of a Republican taking office and continuing your policy is nil. I guess we'll have to choose the lesser of two evils, a Democratic president and class warfare for the next four to eight years.

Bush should admit to a mistake and get our troops out of Iraq. Given his past history, the man is too bone-headed to do that. There is a civil war raging and we can’t stop it. Iraq needs to get through this on their own.

It is constantly anoying to see W refer to ending the war as "failure", "defeat","retreat" or "lost". The reality is that we are done with Iraq and should have left years ago. What was the mission? who knows, it was ill conceived, lacked planning, with no specific mission or plan for withdrawal. W keeps referring to not leaving our enemies a home, and yet Al Quida have moved into Iraq as a permanent base which can openly attack American soldiers. The entire Iraq ordeal is a complete failure for which Mr. Bush is responsible. Last November we voted for change, change to end the war, this could have been done with honor and respect, instead Mr. Bush insists on predicting failure. It is his personal failure he has mislead this country and failed as a leader.

Bush is like a Pit Bull. Even though he has no chance of winning the fight, he's just not going to let go. This is only tarnishing our reputation in the world community even more than it already is.

It sickens me that there aren't more people calling for his impeachment. We need to get him and his lackies out of office NOW. He can't be re-elected so he's doing whatever he wants irregardless of the circumstance. I wouldn't be surprised if he tries to cancel the next presidential elections using the "time of war" clause.

We didn't vote for failure? Well we didn't vote for the war either!

The Iraq war is creating more people that hate the US, that's for sure.

The whole "we have to fight them in Iraq so we don't fight them at home" argument is a sham.

Secure the borders and ports.
Find Bin Laden.

Stopping terrorism requires a huge criminal investigating organization, not an invasion and occupation of your military in a foreign land, especially one that has little or nothing to do with your terrorist investigation.

Has our military created more terrorists in Iraq?
Is there a difference between an insurgent and a terrorist in Iraq?
What is the insurgent vs. terrorist balance?

If you don't think the public should be up in arms about the US involvement in Iraq then you’re not listening and all the while you will resort to name calling and bashing the dissent to protect your honor for supporting incompetent leaders who push cursory policies.

If you think this war in Iraq is a "war by all those who love freedom" you are sadly mistaken.

Iraq is a fool’s war. Getting out of the fools war will require the fools to be ousted, being replaced by folks who can actually reason.

The end of the polarization of America is near.

As always, Bush didn't get it. The change the people wanted was a reduced presence in Iraq. He says he listens, but he never does.

Of course, many insurgents oppose the Iraqi government because they feel it's nothing but a puppet for the US. Anti-western sentiments are high. To me, it seems that the insurgency will never die down until the US leaves. I suspect the presence of the US military is doing more harm than good.

president BUSH IS A GREAT MAN Did we forget more people voted for him then any other president ever IT IS A GREAT MISTAKE FOR PEOPLE TO NOT STAND BEHIND THERE PRESIDENT .OUR ENEMY(PEOPLE THAT HATE AND LOVE TO KILL YOU) ALL THIS BUSH BASHING

The American people did not vote for an escalation but rather an end to a war we never should have started. The Dems are not surrendering, just trying to stop the needless deaths of Americans. How many lives are the administration willing to sacrifice in this "never-leave-never-surrender" policy? You simply can not defeat terrorism with military force when that very same military occupation causes the proliferation of terrorism. It's naive to think so. I think that's the whole problem here- the simple-mindedness in which this whole affair was devised and executed.

For the cost of this war we could have had what, free health care? Free college for anyone who wanted to go? A manned Mars mission? An "Manhattan Project" style electric vehicle development program to get us off gasoline?

We get none of that now.

The opportunity cost of the war in Iraq will be felt in the USA for generations.

We all need to pay close attention to who votes against the veto override.

How can bush constantly claim to have any clue what the american people want, if he did have a single clue he would not have an approval rating of less than 30%, which is ridiculous. Get a clue dubya nobody agrees with or supports your strategies. Why should we be responsible for Iraq? make their own government step up and take responsibility all al-maliki does is go along to get along and campaign like an american politician, he makes sure to "stand" up to us every now and then to tell us what we can't do in his country yet he does nothing!

The only thing "failed" is this presidency. Need proof? Just ask someone in the Gulf States region STILL trying to recover from Katrina. Still can't find any WMD? Maybe O.J. can help.

Retired Army Maj. Gen. John Batiste said "our military alone will never establish representative government in Iraq. The administration got it terribly wrong and I applaud our Congress for stepping up to their constitutional responsibilities."

This was, at one point, President Bush's righthand man. And to think, the veto powers under this administration have been used so sparsely then, when faced with blatant realities (unseemly as they may be) it is the administration's trump card.

Day by day I find myself wondering the true intentions of displacing the man Bush 41 put into power. The continued violence in Iraq amongst Iraqis, today's killing of dozens of US men and women, and no visible benefit to our Republic juxtaposed to the president's stern position is awing.

If this comes to a veto, I will pay close attention to whom my rep supports.

Signed,
Loyal Citizen to the USA

80 t0 100 soldiers die in iraq in one month
the freedom we getting is 3585 sould metting
thir maker thats freedom bush kill like crack does

Every time this president mentions 9/11, someone needs to remind the public it happend on his watch - he failed to prevent it after repeated warnings.

WRONG. Try William Jefferson Clinton and his 8 years of panty raids. Bill Clinton left the back door open for the terrorists and the Red's to march into the US. How about giving away secrets to China? Precision ball bearings are just one of the many Top-Secret items the old Billy Bob gave away. Want another? Top Secret missile guidance systems. Want another? Defense plans of Taiwan, troop strengths, umbrella strategies, and on and on. If anything, W. made this country a stronger and more independent country from foreign oil. Get the facts right before you open your stupid yapper!

What America wants is not important. Only what George W. wants is important and nothing will change until his term is over sadly. What a sad situation and look at all the baggage he is creating for the next one who takes office.

We didn't vote for failure,
but we got it anyway !!!
.

80 t0 100 soldiers die in iraq in one month
the freedom we getting is 3585 sould metting
thir maker thats freedom bush kill like crack does

Excuse me, Who is talking of failures? the MOTHER of all failures!

Bush is correct for once. We didn't vote for failure - the Supreme Court forced it upon us.

No, we didn't vote for failure....but then WE didn't decide to go into Iraq either. That was the decision of this administration. The FAILURE is in THIS ADMINISTRATION to listen to the people.

I think that both good and bad have come out of this war. But honestly, it's war. There are really no winners in any war.
Here are the problems we presently face:
1. If we pull the troop out too soon, America will be ridiculed for abandoning Iraq.
2. If we pull the troops out too late, America is an agressor, and is riduculed.
We continually try and help other countries, and regardless of what we do or how we do it, we are rebuked, even by our own. For America, no matter what country where, helping appears to be a thankless job.
I support our troops, they do so much and ask so little. Since we lose no matter WHEN we pull the troups out, we need to think of what is best for those troops.

HOW DARE this president speak to what I supposedly voted for!

Bush keeps trying to label Congress's efforts to wind down this war as "micro-managing". By extension, what is he saying... that only the military can decide when to end a war? That sounds like a recipe for never-ending war.

Failure, Mr. Bush, would be to continue to throw American lives and treasure into this conflict that does not have a military solution, while our presence continues to be the biggest terrorist recruitment ad possible. We are creating far more terrorist than we are eliminating over there... and spending $10 billion a month to do it. THAT is failure.

OK Georgie,
Americans didn't vote for you the first time and we got failure, nonetheless. Four years later, we were deceived and bullied into voting for you and -- again -- failure. And if we were to "vote" on each of the Bush League "policies", we would've gotten failure each and every time. So where do you get off saying that we didn't vote for failure? Hell, what does it matter what we vote for anymore? We can continue to receive failure as long as you and your jackals are still holed up in the White House.

Toodles!

Bush is a moron, when is he going to wake up and get our troops out of there? The spending has gotten out of control, the losses are mounting, we need to bring them home before another Virginia tech happens. We need to fix home before we get involved in civil wars, or we'll have another one here too.

So...do you think that the American public have learned the real lessons?
- That pre-emptive war is immoral?
- That Gunboat Diplomacy doesn't work?
- That we have no business meddling in the affairs of other nations, and that every time we have done so has been a disaster? (Hint: Google 'Mohammed Mosaddeq' or 'Salvador Allende')

To me, Bush exemplifies the arrogance and ignorance of American culture. I can't wait to see the back of him and his whole crew.

Per Dear Leader:

“A lesson of 9/11 is that allowing terrorists to find a sanctuary anywerhe in the world can have deadly consequences on the streets of our cities,’’ the president said. “It would embolden our enemies and confirm their belief that America is weak… It would be an invitation to the enemy to attack America and our friends around the world.’’

----

Actually, Dubby, most Americans and most of the world are capable of more complex thought than you can muster. No one in their right mind believes that America is "weak" or that withdrawing from this mess would be a sign of weakness. The world's best poker players sometimes fold; the world's best football teams sometimes punt. They do so because it's the best thing to do under the circumstances and positions them for ultimate victory, not because they are weak.

The Bush quote that actually had me laughing was that politicians should not impose on the military trying to do its job(!). Isn't that a daisy? This privileged cretin and his band of neo-con no-shows try to re-fight Vietnam (with oil fields) and wind up quoting the Johnson and Nixon administrations almost verbatim. Pity there's no one willing or able to tell him that petulance isn't decisiveness, stubbornness isn't courage and playing dress-up for a carrier landing to declare victory doesn't mean it's so.

Bush is going to try to bull his way through this AND hang on to Gonzales, too. He's making impeachment look less radical all the time.

First of all the American majority voted for Gore not Bush. Bush was not elected to ofice he was appointed by the supreme court. And why is anyone surprised that he is a failure as president? Look at his track record. He has run every business he has been in charge of into the ground, all while lining his own pockets at the expense of others. Case in point, the Texas Rangers. The American people should have seen this coming. I pray there is a change in '08.

Three unwinnable wars (Korea, Vietnam,Iraq)since the end of WWII. Every time we have done this it has weakened the USA militarily, morally, strategically, politically and economically...both at home and in our relationship to the rest of the world. These three guys, Truman, Johnson and Bush have devastated the United States with their bullheaded, small-minded, anti-intellectual, small-town, provincial attitudes towards the world. America cannot afford to put any more cowboys in the White House. Never mind that these people are an embarrassment to the nation and shame us by their ignorance in front of the rest of the world. We flat-out cannot AFFORD to have any more of these anachronistic, small-town politicians at the helm of this ship! There IS something to be said, however, for the maxim that people get the government they deserve. If that truly IS the case, then this is what we have reaped: a 3rd unwinnable war against an implacable, suicidal enemy. No exit strategy. No clear "PLAN" for why we are there. No power to "change" anything in the Middle East. The whole world is laughing at the USA. The guerrilla war goes on inexorably, no matter what America does.Is THIS what the American people voted for? The answer is a resounding "YES"! They voted for all this misery and all the lies and all the death and destruction when they voted for George W Bush (who, by the way, IGNORED warnings about Al Qaeda until AFTER 9/11).

Nor did we vote to spend $419+ billion on a war of lies.

We didn't vote the the deaths of 3,200 + Americans for a war of lies. Nine new deaths just today.

We didn't vote for stripping and watering down the civil liberties that are thecornerstone of our democracy.

We didn't vote for an Attorney General who expects us to believe his memory equal to that of an alzheimer's patient when it comes to explaining pratices in the Justice Department that lack any test of moral or ethical framework if they are not downright violations of law. And not surprising, Bush has the audacity to express his confidence in him.

Failure lives and works at 1600 Pensylvania Ave. and we are all paying a hefty price for it.

Bush fails to realize that stability in Iraq was possible (unfortunately) only by the "foot on the head" method of the man he caught and handed over for hanging. We searched for two years or so for "weapons of mass destruction" in Iraq and found none before Bush's invasion. He attacked the wrong country. Iraq could have been a tool against Iran. He has done a severe disservice to America, engendered ill-will around the world, and wasted billions of dollars into debt. Very unfortunate.

However mistaken may have been the invasion of Iraq (and it is easy to say that it was, with hidnsight) it is sad for friends of America to see your nation divided to the extent that a section of the nation is taking action to bring about the surrender of their own forces. This used to be called treason.
Ted in Canada

Americans did'nt vote for failure. Americans did'nt vote for BUSH! The supreme court installed him!

Gosh, I do love it when bush tells me that I’m voting for failure (as if I’d ever vote for that moron). As a Vietnam veteran, it’s almost as good as being called a traitor by our egg-sucking, yellow, 5 deferment coward of a vice president.

I think it time for a grass roots movement to get this man and his croonies out of office. They are a bunch of carpetbagger, flim flam men. Not one word that comes out of thier mouths is to be believed. I once heard a story that the best way to beat a lie detector test is to just lie about everything. That is what this bunch is doing. The agenda for this administration has always been this, Leave Office Rich. Nothing else matters, not you, not me. Not your sons nor your daughters. Volunteers For America, Start A Revolution.

Bush is an isolated entity. Because he lacks the capacity for self reflection, he apparently sees no need to honor the will of the electorate.

It's the same old dysfunctional behavior and thought forms over and over again from this stubborn narcissistic idiot.

I'm sick of not having my voice, votes, and hard earned tax dollars respected by this inept public servant and his corrupt administration.

“The American people did not vote for failure . . ." It's a pity that that is exactly what they got -- in Iraq and at home. And look at the mess in Afghanistan -- somehow, Bush et al forgot about finding Bin Laden and now we Canadians are left to bury our dead. Nice one!

Another big-media ballyhoo about yet another alleged 'showdown". Prediction: this "showdown" will be just as much of a damp squib as the "showdown" the Swamp ballyhooed a couple weeks ago, when the Dems couldn't even pass their cut-and-run measures, let alone give the president a chance to veto them.

Meanwhile, in the real world, this from a serving soldier:

“The Surge Is Working”

"1st Lt Matthew McGirr USMC wrote: ... I have a basis for a comparison of the current situation based on my experiences in this town two years ago as well as today, April 24, 2007. As you know this war torn city was once the worst city in Iraq. Today, the citizens of this city are taking a stand against those extremists and foreign fighters who are focused only on destroying any chance at a secure and stable future. Those Iraqis who once fought against us are now joining the ranks of the Iraqi Police forces. They are taking up arms against the foreign fighters. They are cleaning up their streets and making an attempt at forming a structured government. They have come to see us as facilitators of peace and allies in the defense of their streets. Because of this they have become targets for the insurgents, yet they continue to show resolve in the face of terrorism. We are gaining ground. This city is undergoing a sea change. To pull stakes now will cause this city, the Al Anbar Province, and all of Iraq to fall into the hands of thugs and terrorists."

from patdollard.com

You'd hear more of this soldier's point of view if Tribune reporters talked to serving soldiers, rather than politicians and their flacks ...

Don Decker -

Mr Bush is not a great man. He is however, like you, an idiot in denial.

David

Although Americans did not vote for failure, it is quiet unfortunate that not only failure is what was given, but deceit came along with it through the present president. His voice is really telling the state of his mind, and where his true concerns lies. He seems to know what the Amercian people want but doesn't make provisions for supplying it so far as Iraq is concerned.

Well, what is our gold in Iraq? There is no water, electricity,doctors, and zero safety for normal Iraqi people. I think most American have clearly understand by now why we are in Iraq. But our government is still studying. I hope they would understand soon.

Mr. Bush, I think you have done enough damage. We constantly get people of other nations asking us "why did you vote for Bush again? he's a disaster." So if the US has given you that chance to come back again into the Oval office, don't you think you owe it to them to do a good job? Oh that's right, you won by a total fluke. And thanks to you, US has lost respect from other nations. You meddle in other nations' business, you're hell-bent on this war with Iraq despite everyone saying it's a bad idea and it has proven to be disastrous. You have no respect for our troops, you keep sending them to Iraq and they keep dying. Must I remind you again that more people have died in Iraq than the number killed on 9/11? You can still save your dignity if you admit you're wrong, pull out of Iraq and RESIGN!

Although Americans did not vote for failure, it is quiet unfortunate that not only failure is what was given, but deceit came along with it through the present president. His voice is really telling the state of his mind, and where his true concerns lies. He seems to know what the Amercian people want but doesn't make provisions for supplying it so far as Iraq is concerned.

Assuming that what the President is talking about is the results of the Democratic Party's takeover of the majority in Congress, he's correct -- we didn't vote for failure.

What we voted for was change. We voted for a change in tactic in Iraq, a change in that we wanted Bush to start addressing his office as though he was President rather than Emperor of the United States, and a change in the myopic cronyism he's been engaging in for the past 6-and-change years.

What we've gotten in place of what we voted for was the President assuming it's just "business as usual" for him and his administration.

Americans didn't vote for failure in 2000. Failure was dealt unto us by the Supreme Court. Somehow, in 2004, enough of the proverbial and ignorant "we" did vote for failure. It's time to make things right in this country. Our current leader has chosen time and again to ignore and abuse the will and good faith of America. The American people cannot forget that we make the decisions in this country, and not some double-digit IQ'd "decider". It is truly a shame that we cannot now vote for removal due to mental incapacity and send this idiot and his "gang that couldn't shoot straight" out of town on a rail.

Americans didn't vote for failure, he says?

Is this FINALLY an admission that he stole the election?

It's about damn time.

What has become terribly apparent is what the military strategist knew all along. That the process of nation building is not done with guns alone, just as our nation was not built on guns alone. The facts are clear that the people of Iraq do not want to live as a unified government. There are three separate sects of citizens fighting amongst themselves to separate. The hubris of the US policy in supplanting our form of government on those who expressly reject it and holding together a toothless Iraqi government with the bodies of American soldiers must stop. We can make America safer and pull out of Iraq. We must foster better human intelligence domestically and abroad, while using preemptive diplomacy. Creating better security at home and better diplomacy abroad is what has kept America safe for the majority of its existence. No matter how hard we fight and how many countries we go to there will always be people who do not like America. The failure of this administration has been in dealing with those people solely with violence rather than with diplomacy, backed by a military option. What has become most evident in the past six years is that the U.S. is failing in preemptive diplomacy and counter intelligence and as a result Americans are dying at home and abroad without an adequate response from their government. This administration has lost the faith of its citizens and its credibility internationally. My hope is that with time and personnel changes we can restore both of those pillars of Americana.

Dirty Politics: To repeatedly suggest that only democrats would dare to consider withdrawing from the Iraq war thereby causing further division of a mighty nation.

the only answer is impeachment! Bush and Cheney! I did not vote for this man. He should be held accountable. Also, the Supreme Court should be held accountable for the 2000 election. They put him into office. Shame on them for failing to up hold the constitution. Bush has corrupted the entire government system. We need to contact our representatives and demand impeachment soon! There is an impeachment movement in U.S. but the main stream media gives minimal coverage. Get on the Internet and type in Bush and Cheney impeachment and you will see this movement.

Just one question Mr. Decker-

What color is the sky in your world?

r-paul said:

WRONG. Try William Jefferson Clinton and his 8 years of panty raids. Bill Clinton left the back door open for the terrorists and the Red's to march into the US. How about giving away secrets to China? Precision ball bearings are just one of the many Top-Secret items the old Billy Bob gave away. Want another? Top Secret missile guidance systems. Want another? Defense plans of Taiwan, troop strengths, umbrella strategies, and on and on. If anything, W. made this country a stronger and more independent country from foreign oil. Get the facts right before you open your stupid yapper!

Posted by: r-paul | Apr 24, 2007 11:47:42 AM
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Ex President Bill Clinton took responsibility for his administration. The Bush team should do likewise.

The Bush team is in denial. They have to be. America's credit card is likely maxed out, yet those "conservatives" are saying "what? me worry".

It looks like if you are in the employ of AMERICA, you had better think that you are in the employ of the Bush team. Politics first!! And why do those who support the Bush team need to call others names?

The Bush team has presided over the worst scandals in decades - maybe even longer. No sooner do they get done with one, than another pops up. And it looks like the Bush team has yet to see a scandal that it does not like.

The Bush team now owns the hijacked Iraqi war. Others dared try to help get the Bush team out of CHAOS. The Bush team seems to be saying "NO HELP WANTED" ... except for America's wallet. The Bush team wants America's credit card.

And now, those 300,000 Americans are "in hock" to the tune of about $30,000 each. The OLD CONSERVATIVES would never do that and neither did President Bill Clinton.

Running in place for four years, with a final output of CHAOS means help is needed. Yet, "no help wanted" except for America's wallet. America should keep its mouth shut and its wallet open. Otherwise America may get called "faschist sympatheizers".

The United Nations, is saying that Iraq needs humanitarian help. The Bush team is mum. The United Nations is saying, there is a civilian exodus from Iraq that is comparable to what happened in 1948 - the Bush team is mum.

Actually a Bush team member just recently pointed a finger at another country's humanitarian problems. Should not humanitarism begin at home.

Speaking of talent/skill, what major project did the Bush team complete in reasonable time with a reasonably respectible performance. I know of none - except perhaps those HUGE profits of BIG oil. For some reason, the Bush team does not trumpet that accomplishment. Mums the word.

I am truly disheartened by the rhetoric of those in the "Comments" section of this website. How is it possible, in a nation that offers free public education to its citizens,that so many people have sunken to replacing thought with sophistry and common sense for what is, if the truth be known, rage at President Bush (stemming from the 2000 election.) One cretin even suggested that Bush is responsible for the tragedy of 9/11 even though the cause of the disaster was the incompetent Clinton Administration (which cut the military, which passed legislation forbidding the FBI and CIA to share information, and which refused to take Bin Laden out even when the Somalis offered him to the administration. Of course, a prerequisite to being a liberal is to disregard all inconvenient historical facts, so what should we expect. As for this war, let's be clear. We won the war but we are losing the peace. Based upon a decade of inteligence reports from not only the CIA but also French, British and Russian sources, we led a coalition of 34 nations into Iraq ONLY AFTER 14 SEPARATE U.N. RESOLUTIONS!! By the time we finally acted, the WMD's were gone (to Syria) and the chronic anti-U.S. left began having their Neo-Viet Nam wet dreams. Now these dirty Democrats want to violate the U.S. Constitution by usurping executive authority and try to direct the war from the Congress. (My sons are over there, and they do not want command decisions made by political prostitutes and sycophants.) EVEN IF Congress wants to mandate a timetable for cutting and running, it is utterly STUPID to give the timetable to the enemy. Have these people never negotiated a contract? How in the world do you justify giving your strategy to the other side? Again, however, we are not talking about intelligent people or loyal Americans. We are talking about Democrats whose lust for power overwhelms all concepts of patriotism and intelligent debate.

The Bush Administration is Americas most powerful advisary and largest failure.

Okay, Who is going to pay the USA the Billion of dollars we spent in Iraq ? The money stolen by the Iraqi politicians and the companies which were placed in Iraq by our administration without bids etc. Iraq is rich in oil and when they finally start producing oil do we have a plan to recoupe our money or are our children and their children going to pay for a war which they had nothing to do with. What we should be doing now is setting up a plan to recover our billions so our children do not pay for a country which will be joinng OPEC and ripping us off with oil prices. I am sure the big oil companies will be there to set up their operation and the companies which profited will move out of the USA to avoid paying taxes.

We have to stay until the mission is complete!
I can't recall what the mission is but I stand by my decision not to retreat in face of 4 years of failed policy. Give the "surge" a chance. Nothing else has worked and whats another couple of hundred billion dollars and some more lives lost? We are a nation at war. A war we didn't have to start but now that we are in it and we continue to fail at every turn lets just keep telling the American people that we need to be there so Hoboken,N.J. and Toledo, Ohio. don't get attacked.........Where do I go to throw up?

I am compelled to respond to the Comments by "Rod", not only because they prove my earlier point about the true source of the Bush-bashing (i.e., the 2000 election) but also because they display typical liberal ignorance of the Constitution, the facts, and the law. OK Rod, I will explain it to you one more time:
First, the New York Times and NBC financed their own recount of the Florida election results (disputed ballots and all) and, to their dismay, Bush won Florida by 600 -plus votes after all. The results were made public here and in the back pages of the Times.
Second, the U.S. Supreme Court did not "hand the election" to Bush, I know this because I am an attorney and I worked on the case! The issue before the U.S. Supreme Court centered on the concept of "separation of powers", with the issue centering on the authority of the Florida Supreme Court to rewrite a state election statute. Try reading the opinion, Rod, including the big words.
Third, the media failed to accurrately report how Florida law works. In Florida, the Secretary of State serves as the Supervisor of Elections for the state,but each of Florida's counties elects its own supervisor who actually creates the ballots, appoints poll workers and manages the collection and counting of ballots. These county officials are independent and cannot be completely controlled from Tallahassee. The "problems", strangely enough, all surfaced in Democrat-controlled counties where local Democrat Party officials designed the ballots, operated the voting machines and counted the votes. NO REPUBLICANS WERE INVOLVED!
After the election, DEMOCRAT county officials kept "finding" more DEMOCRAT votes. Coincidence??? By the way, several thousand absentee MILITARY BALLOTS from our servicemen and women (including both of my sons) were conveniently "misplaced" or "misdirected" by the Democrats, who then went to court to stop military ballots from being counted. Gee, Rod, you haven't mentioned that at all. Why not?
The six Democrats on the Florida Supreme Court tried to order a recount (a 6-1 vote on party lines) and two of the Democrats were overheard boasting and laughing at the Fla-FSU football game that they had "elected Gore".
It is time you people got off of the issue of the 2000 elections . You do not know what you are talking about. Of course, isn't that the very definition of a liberal?

I am compelled to respond to the Comments by "Rod", not only because they prove my earlier point about the true source of the Bush-bashing (i.e., the 2000 election) but also because they display typical liberal ignorance of the Constitution, the facts, and the law. OK Rod, I will explain it to you one more time:
First, the New York Times and NBC financed their own recount of the Florida election results (disputed ballots and all) and, to their dismay, Bush won Florida by 600 -plus votes after all. The results were made public here and in the back pages of the Times.
Second, the U.S. Supreme Court did not "hand the election" to Bush, I know this because I am an attorney and I worked on the case! The issue before the U.S. Supreme Court centered on the concept of "separation of powers", with the issue centering on the authority of the Florida Supreme Court to rewrite a state election statute. Try reading the opinion, Rod, including the big words.
Third, the media failed to accurrately report how Florida law works. In Florida, the Secretary of State serves as the Supervisor of Elections for the state,but each of Florida's counties elects its own supervisor who actually creates the ballots, appoints poll workers and manages the collection and counting of ballots. These county officials are independent and cannot be completely controlled from Tallahassee. The "problems", strangely enough, all surfaced in Democrat-controlled counties where local Democrat Party officials designed the ballots, operated the voting machines and counted the votes. NO REPUBLICANS WERE INVOLVED!
After the election, DEMOCRAT county officials kept "finding" more DEMOCRAT votes. Coincidence??? By the way, several thousand absentee MILITARY BALLOTS from our servicemen and women (including both of my sons) were conveniently "misplaced" or "misdirected" by the Democrats, who then went to court to stop military ballots from being counted. Gee, Rod, you haven't mentioned that at all. Why not?
The six Democrats on the Florida Supreme Court tried to order a recount (a 6-1 vote on party lines) and two of the Democrats were overheard boasting and laughing at the Fla-FSU football game that they had "elected Gore".
It is time you people got off of the issue of the 2000 elections . You do not know what you are talking about. Of course, isn't that the very definition of a liberal?

We are talking about Democrats whose lust for power overwhelms all concepts of patriotism and intelligent debate.
Posted by: mark menser | Apr 24, 2007 12:57:49 PM

Funny how well that sentence works by changing just one single word.

We are talking about Republicans whose lust for power overwhelms all concepts of patriotism and intelligent debate.

Or we could be even more accurate & make it a reflection of the real world.

We are talking about Democrats & Republicans whose lust for power overwhelms all concepts of patriotism and intelligent debate.

I voted for Bush the second time. Not because I liked him a lot but because I REALLY didn't like the other guy. What a mistake! I wish I could take my vote back. Bush is a stubborn, ignorant jackass. Please Dems pick a good candidate this next time around. Then I won't have to vote for any war mongering Republicans again.

Every time this president mentions 9/11, someone needs to remind the public it happend on his watch - he failed to prevent it after repeated warnings.

WRONG. Try William Jefferson Clinton and his 8 years of panty raids. Bill Clinton left the back door open for the terrorists and the Red's to march into the US. How about giving away secrets to China? Precision ball bearings are just one of the many Top-Secret items the old Billy Bob gave away. Want another? Top Secret missile guidance systems. Want another? Defense plans of Taiwan, troop strengths, umbrella strategies, and on and on. If anything, W. made this country a stronger and more independent country from foreign oil. Get the facts right before you open your stupid yapper!
Posted by: r-paul | Apr 24, 2007 11:47:42 AM

R-Paul,

Is it your assertion that 9/11 DID NOT occur under Mr. Bush's watch? If so, who was President on that day? (Richard Bruce Cheney would be an acceptable answer)

As for your meandering spin about Taiwan and what not, taking your spin at face value, what does that have anything to do with Al Qaeda? Are you saying that the precision ball-bearings are somehow involved in the 9/11 plot, or that the Chinese were actually the ones who conducted the operation?

Among many many many other things, Zaccharias Mussaoui's computer with reams of 9/11 plans was in FBI custody, but the Bush Administration refused to authorize its search until after 9/11. If people like Richard Clarke and Colleen Rowley were listened to instead of marginalized, the plot very well may have been disrupted. If Mr. Bush explicitly warns the FAA of the dramatic increase in chatter about airplane hijackings and the associated memo "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S.," maybe the plot is disrupted.

But, of course, blaming Mr. Clinton is a sure bet, as he cannot defend himself with actions. He did not get a chance to stop the attack, but yet the blame is pawned off on him by dead-enders with no capacity for logic or reason. The majority of Americans would have preferred that Al Gore was Commander-in-Chief that day. And you can take it to the bank that had 9/11 occurred on his watch, he would have been hung from the town square and ridiculed as a traitor. For Mr. Bush, he's got lackey apolologists such as yourself to continue defending the indefensible.

GEORGE W BUSH WAS THE PRESIDENT ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2001. HE DID NOT STOP THE ATTACKS. This is an easily verifiable fact, but apparently not to r-paul and the other dead-enders.

Every time this president mentions 9/11, someone needs to remind the public it happend on his watch - he failed to prevent it after repeated warnings.

WRONG. Try William Jefferson Clinton and his 8 years of panty raids. Bill Clinton left the back door open for the terrorists and the Red's to march into the US. How about giving away secrets to China? Precision ball bearings are just one of the many Top-Secret items the old Billy Bob gave away. Want another? Top Secret missile guidance systems. Want another? Defense plans of Taiwan, troop strengths, umbrella strategies, and on and on. If anything, W. made this country a stronger and more independent country from foreign oil. Get the facts right before you open your stupid yapper!
Posted by: r-paul | Apr 24, 2007 11:47:42 AM

R-Paul,

Is it your assertion that 9/11 DID NOT occur under Mr. Bush's watch? If so, who was President on that day? (Richard Bruce Cheney would be an acceptable answer)

As for your meandering spin about Taiwan and what not, taking your spin at face value, what does that have anything to do with Al Qaeda? Are you saying that the precision ball-bearings are somehow involved in the 9/11 plot, or that the Chinese were actually the ones who conducted the operation?

Among many many many other things, Zaccharias Mussaoui's computer with reams of 9/11 plans was in FBI custody, but the Bush Administration refused to authorize its search until after 9/11. If people like Richard Clarke and Colleen Rowley were listened to instead of marginalized, the plot very well may have been disrupted. If Mr. Bush explicitly warns the FAA of the dramatic increase in chatter about airplane hijackings and the associated memo "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S.," maybe the plot is disrupted.

But, of course, blaming Mr. Clinton is a sure bet, as he cannot defend himself with actions. He did not get a chance to stop the attack, but yet the blame is pawned off on him by dead-enders with no capacity for logic or reason. The majority of Americans would have preferred that Al Gore was Commander-in-Chief that day. And you can take it to the bank that had 9/11 occurred on his watch, he would have been hung from the town square and ridiculed as a traitor. For Mr. Bush, he's got lackey apolologists such as yourself to continue defending the indefensible.

GEORGE W BUSH WAS THE PRESIDENT ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2001. HE DID NOT STOP THE ATTACKS. This is a verifiable fact, but apparently not to r-paul and the other dead-enders.

No, the American People voted for Gore.

The Supreme Court gave them Failure.

I DONT BLAME BUSH ANYMORE....I BLAME THE AMERICAN PEOPLE FOR STAYING SO QUIET AS THEIR SONS AND DAUGHTERS CONTINUE TO GET SLAUGHTERED FOR ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. NOBODY WILL EVER THANK US FOR OUR INVOLVEMENT IN THE MIDDLE EAST...REMEMBER VIETNAM?

Of course the population number should have been 300,000,000

Mark Menser,

Are you aware of the Bush team's performance in office?

Mark Menser, I hope your sons come home safely and soon from Iraq so they can start having the kids that will pay for this folly, along with their future generations. That is, if the US hasn't gone belly up for squandering her wealth and resources to be the world's bully.

James,

Don't forget that the media is also complicit. They helped the administration market this war to the American people. They didn't ask difficult, pertinent questions at the time.

An atmosphere was allowed to prevail of "you're either with us or against us." Anyone who questioned the actions of the government was "unpatriotic". The media is at fault for allowing this atmosphere to prevail.

James:

I concur. We've been woefully apathetic. Lazy. Whiney. And have failed miserably to live up to our civic and moral duty to hold elected reps accountable. We've allowed Bush et al to run roughshod over the constitution. Now we need to cease playing the mannequin role, and step-up...Show some backbone. SOme real ove of country and countrymen.

We should be sharing ideas on how we can get our soldiers home post haste. What ye thinketh?

James,

I agree. The right wing early on knew they had to "win over" the press. And to a significant extent, they did. Columnists became cheerleaders and evangelists for the right wing cause.

During the Guantanamo Affair, a federal judge said the President operated outside his authority. Up pops two columnist from main stream newspapers saying that behavior should help the President at the polls.

That is trying to lower America's ethics to sewer level.

Mark Menser,

There are no WMDs. There never was WMDs. The "document" declaring the existence of WMDs was a FAKE! Its source was Niger. It next went to Italy. There is an account that says the fogery then wound up in the American Embassy. Interestingly enough this was the fall of 2002 - months prior to the Bush team's State of the Union address.

Even some in the Bush team's intelligence community said a Niger uranium connection to Iraq looked real suspicious. Some in the intelligence community wondered how Niger could manage to sneak out 500 tons on uranium oxide, without attracting the attention of the French who managed the facility.

But the Bush team is different.

The Bush team had a source that said the British also had knowledge of a Niger uranium connection.
And here is where it gets fuzzy. Was the British source also the same FAKE Niger document?

Mark Menser said:

"Now these dirty Democrats want to violate the U.S. Constitution by usurping executive authority and try to direct the war from the Congress. (My sons are over there, and they do not want command decisions made by political prostitutes and sycophants.) EVEN IF Congress wants to mandate a timetable for cutting and running, it is utterly STUPID to give the timetable to the enemy. Have these people never negotiated a contract? How in the world do you justify giving your strategy to the other side? Again, however, we are not talking about intelligent people or loyal Americans. We are talking about Democrats whose lust for power overwhelms all concepts of patriotism and intelligent debate".

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Where were you in 2003 when at least one of the Bush team's members wanted to know how the Bush team was going to "manage the peace"? Did you rail at the Bush team for having a quicky(no reference to your word "prostitute") in and out plan for Iraq.

Did you not think something was "bad wrong" after the civilian government was removed with nothing to take it place? That is utterly unsmart. The Bush team went in to Iraq with a single goal in mind...get Saddam Hussein.

That would effectively remove a sitting government. What was it replaced with? There was a senior British diplomat in Iraq who said he could not find a single General who job it was to form a new government.

And you want that leadership to keep on keeping on? Would you say the Bush team has been effective in Iraq? You would likely be hardpressed to find any job that the Bush team would use as a "poster boy".

You certainly have a personal interest in this war. And your sons are likely doing a good job - their lives and their mission depends on it.

The United States Congress is also a part of the American government. Its job is defined in the U.S. Constituton. Congress controls the Nation's purse strings. That was intended as a check on the Executive Branch.

But the framers of the Constitution quite likely never imagined an Executive Branch like the one we have.

Your sacrifice is already great. But what would you do if you were bankrolling the Bush team's war performace and you could see no end in sight to their war effort. Would you standby forever in the hope that they wll eventually learn how to do it right? I think not.

So...Mark is an attorney who worked for the Bush campaign. Based on current knowledge about the inner workings of the Bush destroyed Justice Department we can now surmise that he is a know-nothing crony with has zero credibility!

Hey Dubya or should I call you a Whacko who just gets up in the morning and try to full fill all his whims. When the UN has proved that there are no WMD's in Iraq then what in the world made you go into Iraq. You are calling this as War for Freedom. Can you please explain what kind of freedom? Are you trying to free our Soldiers and innocent Iraqi people(who didn't have anything to do with terrorism nor they have to do anything with you) from their lives. Above all I have never seen such a stubborn guy who just want to do what he wants ignoring completely what the people of America wants. I think too much love from your parents have made a rotten human being. They should have tighten the leash on you when you were young and we wont be dealing right now with a brat like you. I have a suggestion before the people of America finally decide to Impeach you just RESIGN and go to your Texas Ranch, where anyways you spend most of the time vacationing when the middle class and the Soldiers struggling to live, and be a Cowboy and enjoy Bull fights to satisfy your compulsions of fight and bloodshed.

Why is it that nothing - nothing, can persuade the Bush team to reveal the contents(sanitized) of Mr. George Tenets terror document delivered to the White House two months prior to 9/11/2001?

That was likely just the kind of document the Bush team was thinking about when President Bush said if there was a threat, he would not wait around for terrorist to strike - he would strike first.

Does that document belong to the Bush team or America?

As a person that has voted for a republican maybe once and that wasn't president, I think the dems passing this is a good thing. I do want our people to get the funding they need too though.

I don't take it as a + for the dems on the other hand. They are only doing this to keep political support they would lose by failing to do what they should, impeach. They do not want to impeach, so they do this.

In that way, it is using our troops to meet their political goals, which doesn't say good of them.

If they really had any intention of making things better, they would impeach bush, and get to work on securing our borders, bringing our troops home, and helping our country heal. They don't do of this.

The right wing won over the press because the Israel Lobbies thought it would be good for the US to go to war with Iraq.

It wasn't about us. Its the way our government works.

------------------
First, the New York Times and NBC financed their own recount of the Florida election results (disputed ballots and all) and, to their dismay, Bush won Florida by 600 -plus votes after all. The results were made public here and in the back pages of the Times.
-----------------

And both of those studies did not reverse the flawed butterfly ballot votes to which it has been statistically proven caused thousands of votes destined for Gore to go to Pat Buchanan. Buchanan's election day results on the butterfly ballot were 4 times better than on the non-butterfly absentee ballot for Palm Beach County.

When ALL Florida abnormalities are considered, there is no way that Bush truly carried Florida.

Bravo! He's right, ya know. And since when have we not considered others when referring to our freedom? Who says we shouldn't? Bush is right on target. Let terrorists and tyrants remain in power and we risk our own security. The best defense is a good offense, and this is what we form. Yup, ending this wa