Bush Compares War on Terror to World Wars
 

SALT LAKE CITY - President Bush compared the fight against terrorism to both world wars and other great conflicts of the 20th century as he tried to reassure an increasingly skeptical public on Monday to support U.S. military involvement in Iraq.

With the anti-war movement finding new momentum behind grieving mother Cindy Sheehan, Bush acknowledged the fighting in Iraq is difficult and dangerous. But he told the Veterans of Foreign Wars national convention the fight is necessary to keep terrorists out of the United States.

As he did in last year's election campaign and more recently as war opposition has risen, Bush reminded his listeners of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 ? reciting the date five times in a 30-minute speech.

"We're not yet safe," Bush said. "Terrorists in foreign lands still hope to attack our country. They still hope to kill our citizens. The lesson of Sept. 11, 2001, is that we must confront threats before they fully materialize."

Besides his references to Sept. 11 and the war on terror, Bush also spoke of earlier global fights.

"In a single lifetime, many of you have seen liberty spread from Germany and Japan to Eastern Europe to Latin America to Southeast Asia and Africa and beyond," Bush told the largely gray-haired crowd.

"The generation of men and women who defend our freedom today is taking its rightful place among the heroes of our nation's history."

The speech was the first of two that Bush is giving this week to make his case for staying the course in Iraq. The second is Wednesday in Idaho, and in between Bush planned to take a day off at the Tamarack Resort 100 miles north of Boise.

On Monday, Bush spoke shortly before the Iraqi parliament failed to meet its second deadline to approve a draft constitution amid disagreements between different ethnic groups. Although earlier this month Bush said he believed the Iraqis should have met their original Aug. 15 deadline, he told the VFW that Americans understand the challenge of drafting such a document.

"We know this from our own history," he said. "The Constitutional Convention was home to political rivalries and regional disagreements."

Bush's arguments for war were not new, but they were his first public statements on the war since his national security and defense advisers visited his Texas ranch on Aug. 11. Since then, the limelight had shifted to protesters camping at a neighbor's ranch, asking that he bring the troops home immediately.

Bush had not left the ranch since Aug. 13, when he attended a Little League regional championship game in nearby Waco. He chose two Republican-friendly states in Utah and Idaho to re-emerge and make his case for continued war. People lined the streets of his motorcade route in Salt Lake City, many cheering and holding up signs such as one that said, "Honor the dead. Support President Bush."

But there also were anti-war signs and a few unfriendly gestures along the way. Hundreds of people gathered at an anti-war rally in Pioneer Park, about three blocks from the Salt Palace where Bush spoke.

Among them was retired Air Force Lt. Col. George Muller of Salt Lake City, who said he believed there has been a shift in the country's attitude toward the war.

"That's what it's going to take ? veterans groups, veterans and mothers who have lost kids speaking out," Muller said.

Bush has refused to meet this month with Sheehan, who lost her son last year in Iraq and left the camp near his ranch last week to tend to her hospitalized mother. She and family members of several other soldiers killed in Iraq met with the president in June of last year.

Celeste Zappala of Pennsylvania, another mother who lost her son and has been protesting with Sheehan, flew to Salt Lake City to speak at the rally. Zappala said the large turnout gave her hope for peace.

"It amazes me," said Zappala, whose son Sherwood Baker died while serving with the Pennsylvania National Guard. "I always thought of Salt Lake as a sleepy, conservative, buttoned-up place."

Bush didn't mention the Crawford protesters in his speech, but at both the beginning and the end of his remarks he spoke of the grief carried by the families of fallen soldiers. He said Americans owe it to the war dead to finish the task they gave their lives for.

More than 1,800 U.S. troops have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003. The deaths have taken a toll on national support for Bush, with an AP-Ipsos poll taken earlier this month showing only 38 percent approve of his handling of Iraq.



http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050822/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush

What an asshat.

Fuckin lame duck idiot.

Lame duck, warmonger, idiot that is.

i wonder if he really believes what he's saying...

Oh lord, I have heard it all now!!

"You sir are NO FDR" :)

yup, sounds like a Bush speech

Fear, Fear, Scare Tactics.... Most "normal" people are raised to belive the govt, president, etc.

Elected officials have lied in exteme cases tons of times in our 200+ years. WMD, Yellow Cake from Niger..........

god when is 2008?

does it matter if he does or doesnt believe it. Cheney has his hand up so far up Bush's ass there's no room for a brain.

And yet there is no 9/11-Iraq connection
:disgust

you really think anything is going to change?

Perception is more important than reality

no.. but this whole thing started cause some american kids threw some muslim kids shoes in a pond while they were praying.

"When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion, creatures bristling with prejudice, and motivated by pride and vanity." - Dale Carnegie

:1orglaugh :1orglaugh .

Pretty much... 2000 deads ... and it's the event of the year ... How many deaths in the rwanda genocide ? what about the armenian one ?

The war on terror is exactly like the world wars...well.. except the "tangible enemy" part.


*edit* actually, the War on Drugs and the War on Terrorism are very similar in that aspect.

Bush will gown in the history books as a fucking genius.

cuz

No one will ever print in a history book that the general public is comprised of fucking morons.

Well I invest so much time in politics, my party, issues, etc. I gotta hope and pray that whoever is elected in 08 will be alot better then this guy.

Who at best will go down in history when they write it up as a ok president.

While I bet he wanted to go down better then bush#1 and of course strived to be Reagan, those things will never happen.

God, will he even ever veto a bill??? hahahaha

i'm praying a Democrat wins in 2008...
just to see what sort of miracle solutions he/she implements to get shit in order.. hell I may even register to vote this time...

of course when nothing gets any better, democrats will always have the blame Bush defense to work with.

Well I do agree with some in my party that our leaders in the Dem. Side have not been always the greatest in there role as the Opp. Party..

Gotta give kudos to Sen. Fiengold yesterday on meet the press. He pretty much said let's get a time line down and bring the troops home.

He never supported the war in the first place... For potential canidates on either side, it's all about postioning right now for 08..

I hope we can win some house and senate seats in 06.. Btw, I also like Gov. Richardson of NM, but I think Hillary will win the nomination.

See sig.

some pics from Utah protest
http://images.fotop.net/albums/Sean8...t/DSCF2539.jpg
http://images.fotop.net/albums/Sean8...t/DSCF2573.jpg
http://images.fotop.net/albums/Sean8...t/DSCF2551.jpg
http://images.fotop.net/albums/Sean8...t/DSCF2541.jpg

I was talking about Bush and the mounting death count in Iraq and wondering out loud how bad it has to get before the majority starts asking when our troops are coming home. He said that his prediction was that unless something changes quickly, at the end of his term Bush will be responsible for more American deaths than Osama and the 9/11 attacks.

It's kind of an inflamatory statement, but I'm not sure he's not 100% correct. Look at how things are going with the Constitution vote in Iraq. Women may be worse off in Iraq than they were with Sadam in power as they lean towards a theocratic Islamic state. Each of the 3 major ethnic groups in the country are starting to cry that things aren't going to be fair for their group if the other groups have any say.

I just can't see any path but it getting a LOT worse before it gets any better. And all our Commander in Chief can do is talk about 9/11 and how we're fighting terrorists, but he forgets the part about how Sadam had nothing to do with 9/11 and there weren't terrorists causing trouble in Iraq until AFTER we invaded them. Our invasion was the perfect opportunity for radicalists to come in behind us and take over power. Now it looks like our choices for the future of Iraq is Terrorist Rule or Theocratic Rule. I'm not sure which is worse, but I know neither one of them are anywhere near the Democracy Bush is preaching.

I just hope someone can do something to slow down the damage or things are gonna get scary. Maybe what Bush really wants is the Rapture, not democracy! :upsidedow :1orglaugh

here is a documentary showing how bush speaches are created:

http://www.milkandcookies.com/links/23894/

after seeing this, it explains everything....

taking our sentiments on the streets will be the best that we could do.

He is actually the one bringing terrorism to his country.

here he is again trying his best to justify his sick ways but to no avail.

Richardson would be good. I might have voted for McCain given the opportunity in either of the elections Bush stole.

I didn't vote for him when he ran for governor of Texas. I don't understand how Bush ever got a single vote for president, much less getting "elected" twice. His own mother thought he was retarded.

I keep hoping someone will come forward with the evidence to show how corrupt this admistration is.

http://images.fotop.net/albums/Sean8...t/DSCF2541.jpg

thats soooo good.. this guy is nuts.. he doesnt bealive what he says because he has no clue what he is doing.. and his alzheimer's is the same shit but with different odor

smh :sleep

He has to be the dumbest President we ever had!!!

Who needs correct speeches, proper pronunciation and the ability to remember the names of things like your allies when you can just use fear tactics to win an election.