"War Messages That Don't Quite Match"

[GreenPartyVoter]

WASHINGTON -- Are the president and the Pentagon on the same page over the war in Iraq?

That question is percolating in Washington after President Bush twice in the last 10 days tried to clarify a message sent by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and military leaders.

After Rumsfeld and other Pentagon officials indicated their desire to shift away from discussing the struggle against terrorism as a "war" — saying it placed too much emphasis on military solutions to terrorism — Bush repeatedly used the word "war" in an Aug. 3 speech to conservative state legislators.

Then on Thursday, Bush dismissed as "rumors" and "speculation" reports that U.S. commanders were contemplating significant withdrawals of American troops from Iraq next year. His comments came after Army Gen. George W. Casey, the top U.S. military official in Iraq, and Army Lt. Gen. John R. Vines, the top ground commander, had publicly raised exactly that possibility.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0813-05.htm

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. How about THIS little gem?

"Will the president pull stakes and leave because of political pressure?" one White House official said. "The answer is absolutely no. If you look at presidents for the past 50 years, you'd be hard pressed to find someone — maybe Ronald Reagan — who would be as hard as nails on this."

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. And note how ** said the troops will never come home

"When that mission of defeating the terrorists in Iraq is complete, our troops will come home," he said Thursday.

Yeah, $hrub. There's just a finite number of 'em. Just shoot 'em all like fish in a barrel, slap the dust of yer hands, and yer home in time for beans and franks.

[GreenPartyVoter]

3. Kick

[DanCa]

4. I just would like to know why we went into war.

They keep changing the explanation. Something screwy is going on.

[GreenPartyVoter]

5. Let's hope Cindy gets us an answer to that.

[bryant69]

6. That won't happen unfortunately

Even if the President Meets with her (doubtful, but possible) she won't get many substatitve answers. Unfortunately.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[GreenPartyVoter]

7. no.. but we already know the answers, don't we? OIL, power, shoring

up the dollar, making big money for the military-industrial complex, chewing up poor people who were a "drain" on the state

[DanCa]

8. Cindy is such a brave person.

Not only did she endure the needless death of her son, she now has to face the wrath of the neocons. My heart breaks for this women.