GOOD!

Damn glad to hear it!

www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/special_packages/iraq/7367719.htm

President's foes caught off-guard by trip to Baghdad

By Adam Nagourney
The New York Times


With his Thanksgiving Day excursion to Baghdad, President Bush moved to regain control of an issue that Democrats have increasingly viewed as a political liability -- reinforcing his commitment to the war while displaying solidarity with troops his rivals had accused him of neglecting, Democratic officials said Thursday.

The surprise visit stunned and confused his rivals, who struggled -- in the midst of Thanksgiving dinner -- to balance praise for the president's gesture with renewed criticism of his Iraq policy, which they said would be among his greatest vulnerabilities in next year's election.

"It's nice that he made it over there today, but this visit won't change the fact that those brave men and women should never have been fighting in Iraq in the first place," said Jay Carson, a spokesman for Howard Dean, one of the harshest critics of the war among the nine Democrats vying for the party's presidential nomination.

Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts issued a statement saying that the trip was "the right thing to do for our country." But, he added: "When Thanksgiving is over, I hope the president will take the time to correct his failed policy in Iraq that has placed our soldiers in a shooting gallery."

David Axelrod, a senior adviser to Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, described the visit as a "daring move and great politics" but added: "I think these kids need more. I'm sure they were buoyed by his coming, but they need more."

The trip came at a time of rising criticism of the president for not attending the funerals of the returning war dead. It also came in the same week that Bush met with families of 26 soldiers killed in Iraq, and thus appeared to be a concerted effort by the White House to deal with a political problem.

And now, in a single day, Bush may have managed to supplant what has become the single most problematic image of him in this war: the picture of him swaggering across an aircraft carrier in front of banner reading "Mission Accomplished."

That image, which already has shown up in an advertisement by Kerry attacking the president, now seems likely to be overtaken by the picture of Bush, his eyes glistening with tears, addressing cheering troops on Thanksgiving Day.

It was a moment fraught with imagery that was certainly a central subject of discussion at Thanksgiving tables.

Even aides to Democratic presidential candidates expressed grudging admiration for this White House's political skills.

"Those guys can do some pretty smart stuff sometimes," a senior adviser to one of the Democrats said.

Matt Bennett, spokesman for retired Gen. Wesley Clark, said: "We're not going to throw stones at the guy for trying to do a nice thing for the troops. When the president goes and spend times with the troops, that's a good thing."

One of the most prominent Democrats in the field, Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri, who helped author the congressional resolution that led to the war, declined to comment on the trip.

In this context, the Democratic candidates sought to stand with Bush in his gesture of solidarity while not letting go of the issue of how he has handled the war since the fall of Baghdad.

Clark adviser Chris Lehane praised Bush for the trip but said: "He also has a responsibility to offer us a real success strategy in Iraq so we can get our troops out of there so they don't have to spend future Thanksgivings in Iraq."

Jano Cabrera, a spokesman for Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, said: "In fairness, visiting with the troops is exactly what a commander in chief should do. That said, we hope that he's also reassuring them that the administration will eventually have a plan to win the peace and bring our troops home soon."

Bennett, the Clark spokesman, expressed skepticism that Thursday's events would remove the issue of the war and Bush's handling of it from the table next year.

"They made their bed with that 'Mission Accomplished' trip, and that's going to be around for a long time," he said. "That's not the last ad you will see with that. I will guarantee you that whoever the nominee is will have that image up."

Well, it's nice theatrics and he has [b]every[/b] right to go but if it was for polls or votes then it was for the wrong reasons.




[devil]

I hope it caused a few commies to choke on their turkey. Evidently Gephardt could not even speak.

 

Still spouting your normal incoherent ramblings, I see. I also see you can't refute  my statement with nothing more than [b]your[/b] usual "ca-ca"! Well, if anything, you [b]are[/b] consistent.

Bill ([b]Always[/b] amused by the Hun's incoherent ramblings) Tidler Jr.

I just watched the Bush visit on TV. I wonder what the reception\reaction from the troops would have been if one of the commie candidates had walked into the room?

I don't do anything with the  "Nine Dwarves and the Wicked Witch of Chappaqua." Maybe you should get off whatever you're on. Hmmm?
As for you being "my hobgoblin", that's just more wishful thinking  from someone that is "simply ate up with himself."
Have a nice day, Hun and go sleep it off.
[:D]




[devil]

I've criticized GW for being too liberal, and was thinking yesterday 'business as usual' when I read about Thanksgiving in Crawford.
This trip had been planned for a couple months.
He stood in line for his ration and actually served food himself.
I'm impressed.

I think he did it for troop moral.  I think it will help with polls and votes also which is an added bonus.  

But its not like the shit spanking cunt berry dems are marching out anyone with a pulse in 04 anyway.

Remember how everyone had to be disarmed when Klinton showed up around our troops?

It amazes me that the leftest talking heads are so "concerned" for the military they despise. They are the only ones complaining about what our troops are subject to in Iraq, not our AWESOME troops themselves. It's all politics from the left. GWB made a gutsy and sincere gesture out of genuine concern and apprieciation for our troops. Piss on the leftists!

Well said Choser..I concur.

My Christmas wish this year is for all the liberals to just please just shut the FUCK up. These clowns just can't be happy unless they are IN CHARGE.

The POTUS did a great thing for our country and our troops. Why can't you folks just leave it as it is?

Sometimes I just shake my head and tsk-tsk at how pathetic some of you folks sound.

P.S.

That "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" banner on the carrier where the Prez landed was for the mission the carrier was tasked with.

So it was either theatrics or pollwhoring? Those are the two choices you offer.

You choke on any notion that it was a genuine effort to provide a little morale and welfare boost to the troops, something Clinton, with all his military adventurism, could never seem to find the time to do, even in places where there was no constant violence against Americans.



[rolleyes][devil][rolleyes]

Me thinks not.

[img]us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/afp/20031128/capt.sge.jja63.281103103208.photo03.default-311x345.jpg[/img]


Hmmmm... Klinton ever this thankfull? Where is Monica so we can ask?

--LS

The libs/Dems would be out of place if they weren't whining about something.



I think that was a just a show, like everything else, but still GWB Jr. showed up, which good in my book. 27 hours in the air, I can barely stand flying from coast to coast, I hate flying.