Bush Tells Troops 'Life Is Better' in Iraq as Handover Nears

[kskiska]

MacDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla., June 16 - Two weeks before the handover of sovereignty to a new Iraqi government, President Bush told thousands of American troops here and around the world on Wednesday that "a democratic, free Iraq is on the way" and insisted that despite the daily toll of the insurgency the country's economy was growing and "life is better."

Mr. Bush's speech here at the headquarters of the United States Central Command, which oversees operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, came only a day after a poll of Iraqis commissioned by the American-led Coalition Provisional Authority painted a very different picture, one in which the occupation is overwhelmingly unpopular and sentiment is rising for American troops to leave the country.

Yet to the cheers of troops here, and others connected via a video link in Bagram, Afghanistan, and a hangar at the Baghdad airport, Mr. Bush insisted that over the long run Iraqis would be grateful for the occupation, which he likened to the American reconstruction of postwar Germany. After the handover of power on June 30, he said, American troops will take on the role of "supporting" Iraqi forces, and he insisted it would become clear that the insurgents were "not fighting foreign forces, they're fighting the Iraqi people."

(snip)

Mr. Bush's aides are increasingly apprehensive about the drop in his approval ratings that polls indicate are largely attributable to his handling of Iraq and the prisoner abuse scandal. Publicly, they express confidence that those numbers will recover once Iraq settles down. Privately, they say, they are uncertain it will settle down in time for the election.

more…
http://nytimes.com/2004/06/17/politics/17bush.html

[PartyPooper]

1. What utter BULLSHIT!!!

This lying fucker-in-chief should be brought to trial for war crimes!

He has killed over 800 Americans and 10,000 innocent Iraqis PLUS there are thousands more who are maimed and wounded!

There's no infrastructure...and, the "terrorists" have flocked into the country since Junior's illegal invasion.

And, everything is hunky dory?

Fuck you, mr. pResident!

:grr:

[grytpype]

2. I cannot f*cking wait to get rid of this guy.

Everyone, but every-f*cking-one, knows he is f*cking up, but he insists on carrying along like everything's fine.

When he falls, he's going to fall hard. Very hard.

[number6]

3. 'Life Is Better' in Iraq as Handover Nears

:crazy::crazy::crazy::crazy::crazy:
:eyes: :smoke:

[DS1]

4. I'm ~sure~ the troops give a shit about Iraqis at this point

If it means coming home, great. If not, why should they care?

This isn't troop bashing, but it is how I'd likely feel if I were over there.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

18. The 10 day forecast:

Daytime High /
Overnight Low (°F) Precip.
Tonight
Jun 18 Clear 80° 0 %
Sat
Jun 19 Sunny 109°/81° 0 %
Sun
Jun 20 Sunny 109°/79° 0 %
Mon
Jun 21 Sunny 109°/76° 0 %
Tue
Jun 22 Sunny 108°/76° 0 %
Wed
Jun 23 Sunny 108°/76° 0 %
Thu
Jun 24 Sunny 109°/77° 0 %
Fri
Jun 25 Sunny 108°/76° 0 %
Sat
Jun 26 Sunny 107°/75° 0 %
Sun
Jun 27 Sunny 106°/75° 0 %


I see tempers growing shorter....

[Triana]

5. Has anyone asked the Iraqis about that?

Someone did:

http://www.aboutbaghdad.com

...and they are telling an entirely DIFFERENT story! Somebody's LYING and I don't think it's the Iraqis!
___________

Does THIS look 'better' to you?

Pollution Chokes the Tigris, a Main Source of Baghdad’s Drinking Water
http://newstandardnews.net/content/?action=show_item&itemid=481

or THIS?

Electricity in Iraq Remains Below Pre-War Levels
http://newstandardnews.net/content/?action=show_item&itemid=345

Those people STILL don't even have basic services there! They still have no jobs, no electricity or potable water in many areas - in 100 - 110 degree heat.

Better? I DON'T THINK SO!

(on edit: added links)

[Tight_rope]

6. I've finally figured it out. Bush is not trying to convince the people...

he's trying to convince himself.

It's like the "Little Red Train That Could" I think I can! I think I can!...I think I can get away with this. I think I can get away with 9/11. I think I can get away with telling all those lies about WMD, I think I can get away with trying my part in the corrupted Enron scandal. I think I can get away with fucking up the US, I think I can get away with fucking up Iraq.

Bush, sorry to tell you but "YOU CAN'T". There's is a True God and he/she is watching your every move.

[TahitiNut]

7. I demur. I strongly believe DimSon is a pathological Narcissist ...

... who's daring people to contradict him. He's addicted to the reactions of others and cannot know his self other than by those reactions. In insisting the black is white or war is peace he's attempting to define (and control) the reaction and thereby define (and control) his self. For him, the "world" is sane when 'friends' agree with him and 'foes' dispute him. Far from being a uniter, he thrives on a division that's a consistent 'friend' v. 'foe' dialectic - through which he receives his narcissistic supply.

I believe he's fundamentally incapable of independently telling 'right' from 'wrong' - consumed as he is in feeding on reaction. For him, there really is no line between 'fact' and 'faith'; the words themselves are mere conveniences in soliciting reactions. Further, I don't believe he has any concept whatsoever of something 'wrong' with greed - for him, serving self is all there is and since there's nothing else, he doesn't even understand what it means versus anything else. ("Fish will be the last to discover water.")

[maggrwaggr]

8. he's right. Life is much better for these folks:

[Kool Kitty]

9. Everything is wonderful in W-Land, isn't it?

Not a cloud in the sky, birds chirping, happy children playing, the tortured screaming and pissing themselves, the car bombs exploding, the IEDs bursting in air, ah.....Just another beautiful day in Mr. W's neighborhood. Has anyone really asked this poor excuse for a human being exactly who the country is being handed over to?

[Rex]

10. Lies, lies, and more fucking lies!

nt

[Razoor]

12. what a idiot!

Bush* needs to think again. I dont see how car bombs going off almost every day= life is just fine in Iraq and our soliders dieing because of it. November cant come quick enough.

[lebkuchen]

11. The Iraqis have electricity less than half the time as when under Saddam

How is life better? No lights, plenty of torture, daily bombings, no security, no jobs. How does Bush measure "better?"

[MurrayDelph]

13. I've got it. It was a punctuation problem.

* didn't say "a democratic, free Iraq is on the way"

He said "a Democratic-free Iraq is on the way"


btw, If he DID mean the first one, how can he be claiming that a FREE
Iraq is on the way, when he is already claiming that freedom is there?

[saigon68]

14. TELL THAT TO THE AMERIKAN GOLD STAR MOTHERS

Their chidren died for nothing more than HALLIBURTON Profits.

To those about to enlist in this adventure

YOU WILL DIE LIKE A DOG FOR NO GOOD REASON.

[leftchick]

15. Hey chimpy*, tell that to this fellow....

An Iraqi man lies wounded in hospital after a car bomb explosion outside a recruiting center in Baghdad, June 17, 2004. A suicide car bomber killed 35 people and wounded 119 at an Iraqi military base on Thursday as guerrillas intensified a bloody campaign to sabotage plans for U.S.-led occupation to give way to Iraqi rule on June 30. REUTERS/Ali Jasim

[saigon68]

16. kick

[symbolman]

17. And then to

compare it to post war Germany..

sick asshole.. he's supposed to have majored in History isn't he?

I was glad that Reagan died and ruined Bush's Normandy speech, his comparisons to a REAL war with REAL Despots was disgusting..

[0007]

19. sheesh! what world is junior living in? Does he indeed think

the troops are that dumb?

"Markets are beginning to thrive, new businesses have opened, a stable new currency is in place, dozens of political parties are organizing, hundreds of courts of law are opening across the country," he said. "Today in Iraq more than 170 newspapers are being published." (only if they print what Bremer will approve)

Why did they shut down al Sadar's news paper?

[saigon68]

20. He's packing the WHITE STUFF up his Nose

Nose candy for a chimpanzee

[Lugnut]

21. My head is ready to explode!

I want to laugh and cry at the same time. :crazy:

[Berserker]

22. The troops could

be standing knee deep in shit and the warrior pResident would tell them how wonderful they have it and the neo-cons would back it up saying it's also a cure for athlete's foot.