So I watched the Bush speech, as promised, and I have to say I was a little put off by this statement:
“Alright, you liberal pussies- time to get your warface on! On to Syria!.”
Ok. Maybe I didn’t watch the speech. I had intended to, but right as it started and he was walking out, I got a phone call. I am going to wait until the transcript is out to read it rather than listen to the post-mortem from the talking heads. Those of you who did watch the speech, feel free to comment. When I read the transcript, I will weigh in with my thoughts.
Anyone going to watch Empire on ABC tonight?
*** Update ***
Text of the speech is below the fold. Video here. Another round-up here.
Thank you and good evening. I am pleased to visit Fort Bragg
Mike S
Don’t bother reading the transcript. There’s nothing new nor worth the time to read them.
Jon H
He couldn’t bring himself to say “We need you to enlist now.”
He gave some minimally inspiring words to those “thinking of enlisting”, but made no positive statement of need.
Thomas
You missed absolutely nothing. Bland, factless, nameless and sucking of confidence, if there’s any left. The only interesting point was that he managed to make Al Quaeda an opponent of free societies, rather than secular ones. The base doesn’t want to hear bad things about being against secular Babylon, that’s for sure.
Stormy70
I liked the speech, surprise, but I like Bush and was for the War in Iraq. Nothing Bush says will make a dent with the left.
I am enjoying the military wives putting the smackdown on Chrissy Matthews on MSNBC. Chris can’t help himself with the “woe is me” anti-war attitude. They are blowing his mind with their positive attitudes.
Mike S
Nothing Bush says will make a dent with the left.
What did he say that he hasn’t said a thousand times before? I could have gotten just as much info watching “Average Joe.” Was this really a “prime time” worthy speech?
over it
I thought the speech was ok. I would liked to have heard something new though. Why bother going Primetime with nothing new to say?
I think I am going to wait for HBO’s Rome.
Stormy70
John – I am not watching Empire, but I will be watching this in the fall. It promises sex, violence, and intrigue, just what any hawkish chick would want to see. :)
Stormy70
Over it – LOL great minds think alike.
Dean Esmay
It was a fine speech, and the aftermath of it will be positive. Not for Bush per se–indeed, it’s pointless to wonder about its affect on Bush. He’s not running for President. History will judge his legacy once he’s gone. There’s no more need to get into stupid “this hurts him or helps him” stuff. The question is whether it helps the troops, and the war effort.
Yes, it does both. No, it says nothing he hasn’t said before, except for the bit about encouraging young people to enlist and to be proud of that choice if they make it. But nothing new NEEDED to be said: we are committed, this is a just and moral cause, and the price of failure would be horrific.
It was absolutely right to hold it on prime time, and a good time to do it. As many people as possible need to see it. Unlike most of those of us who are plugged into politics in the blogosophere, everyday Americans needed reassuring. Most of them got that.
No, not the BDS-sufferers and the fascist sympathizers. Nothing will change those. But the waverers who needed bucking up got it. This is a good thing.
KC
Pointless pretty much. Will give some a boost, but I think it’s the same ‘ole song and dance for most people.
Mike S
No, not the BDS-sufferers and the fascist sympathizers
Who might those people be?
Tim F
everyday Americans needed reassuring
I must have missed the reassuring part. Regular Americans are concerned that Bush is woefully out of touch with the progress of his own war, and other than acknowledging the recruitment shortfall Bush just confirmed it. Folks have figured out that Bush declaring that sunlight shines out of his asshole doesn’t necessarily make it so.
Mike S
Comments from Ed Kilgore, a Democrat who supported the war.
hadenoughofthisyet
Bush repeated the claim that it was all about 9/11 several times, and at least twice suggested the war kept “terrorists” from attacking America.
Well then, I guess I would have one question that I would like to ask President Bush.
Would invading Iraq in 2000 prevented 9/11?
Reid
Short version: “It’s hard work. But we’re making progress. Thank you. And may God bless America.”
ppgaz
I think I listened (on the car radio) as closely as I could, and was listening especially for anything I had not heard him say before.
I did not hear it. Every phrase was a repeat.
Having said that, it was a speech he had to make, and he made it. I don’t think a single person will be moved by it, but I have no crystal ball.
I hate the man, on a personal and a political level. I hate the people around him who got us into this mess. I don’t believe him, and I don’t trust him.
However, I also think that continuing to try to bring some stability to Iraq is something we owe the Iraqis, our troops, and ourselves. We have to stay. Believe it or not, I hope that this speech will buy enough good will from the people to keep trying.
Mike S
However, I also think that continuing to try to bring some stability to Iraq is something we owe the Iraqis, our troops, and ourselves. We have to stay. Believe it or not, I hope that this speech will buy enough good will from the people to keep trying.
I can agree with that.
Jon H
“However, I also think that continuing to try to bring some stability to Iraq is something we owe the Iraqis, our troops, and ourselves. We have to stay. ”
Yeah, that’s why I opposed the whole stupid adventure from the beginning.
Jon H
“Some thirty nations have troops in Iraq, and many others are contributing non-military assistance.”
Alas, they’re probably outnumbered by the Coalition of the Kellogg Brown & Root Food Service Personnel.
CaseyL
I didn’t hear the speech. I read a transcript. Lots of 9/11 references, lots of the usual platitudes, another list of corner-turning milestones – the only part that looked interesting was the bit about “16,000 trained and equipped” Iraqi security forces, and the 2000 of them who’ve been killed.
He didn’t say whether the 2000 were part of the 16,000; nor whether the 2000 were killed fighting, or were blown up while waiting to go to work.
He didn’t say whether those 16,000 were fully trained, fully equipped; nor whether they’re reliable and competent, or have otherwise gone through any hard fighting winnowing process.
He didn’t give any recruitment numbers – not for US troops, not for Iraqi security forces. The target number for Iraqi security forces is 125,000-140,000. At the current rate, taking each of those 16,000 as proven, reliable, and unlikely to run away at some point, that’s 5 years before we reach the target number.
I notice he didn’t say anything about military adventures in other countries, like Iran or Syria. He didn’t even mention Iran’s recent election. I find that interesting, in view of the rumors that the Bush Admin is maneuvering behind the scenes to engage in some kind of military action against Iran. If things in Iraq were really going as well as Bush wants us to think they are, wouldn’t he have made some happy noises about threatening other members of the Axis of Evil?
ppgaz
I hear ya, Jon H. I am in exactly the same boat.
As much as I would love to see this thing tank and ruin Bush’s presidency, I can’t go that way. Building something that works over there is just vital to everyone’s interests … ours, the whole world. And we owe the Iraqi people every bit of fortitude we can muster right now. I hope to hell they can get their act together, put aside some of their old differences, and govern their country, and they must have our help to do it. Finally, if we fail to do this, we’ll end up with a worse mess and more of our troops in the way of more harm down the road. Failure is just not an option.
In the end, of course, speeches are not going to make this happen. What’s different now is that people are comparing what these guys say, to what they do, and to what the outcomes are. It’s what they do and the outcomes that matter now. I hope that the words are not empty.
You know, JonH, one thing the Founders didn’t write into the Bill of Rights was the Right to be Wrong. I think the country was wrong to go into Iraq. But, if we are to govern ourselves, and expect others to do so, we have to be better than our own mistakes. Mistakes are human. There’s still time to rectify this one if that’s doable. We don’t have to have been right in the first place, to be able to have the will to be right now.
Nathan Lanier
Bob Costas just reported on a CNN flash poll. 75% liked the speech. Something like that, paraphrasing.
Jon H
Bush is so right about fighting them over there, instead of over here.
Wasn’t it great, back in the 1980’s, when there wasn’t any Islamic terrorism at all, because they were all stuck to the flypaper in Afghanistan, fighting the Soviets?
That was awesome.
All we had to deal with was stuff like the Lockerbie bombing, and the Achille Lauro hijacking. But those were the Amish, or maybe it was the Mormons. I forget. But I know it couldn’t have been the Arabs, because they were stuck to the flypaper.
Halffasthero
I didn’t watch the speech. I headed to my sister’s house because she was making stir fry. I just thought I would pirate her computer to see if I missed any profundities. Glad to see everyone is keeping the faith and giving “Hot Air and Ill-Informed Banter.” j/k Tragically, the sister had control of the damned remote. Granted, it is her house, but to watch “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy”? Fuck me.
I am going back home shortly to hunt down that bottle of vodka I tugged on earlier tonight. Hopefully, I can kill the memory of that show with a good drunk. Hope yer already there Stormy, I will be joining you shortly. : )
rs
Shorter version of the speech:”9-11,9-11,9-11,9-11…”
Jimmy Jazz
It’s Summer. You don’t roll out new product in Summer, silly boy.
Strictly by coincidence, since Republicans never play politics with national security (they’re the serious ones), Iran will become a deadly threat to our very existence a few months before the ’06 election.
Boys of Summer
Stormy70
Half – I love that show. Haven’t watched in awhile, though. Alas, it is only coffee for me tonight, since I have to work in the morning. :( But my weekend starts tomorrow night, and I have a Mango Tequila that has been giving me the come hither look. I’ll definitely need it since I agree with some of ppqaz’s post above. Sigh.
JoshA
Stormy, Matthews voted for Bush in ’04. You don’t think he knew the viewpoints of the people he had before he had them on? He deliberately tilted the panel so it was all pro-Bush.
He said the same stuff he’s always said. No timetable, no less troops, no more troops, we’re at just the right amount.
Stormy70
Matthews has been against the war in Iraq from the gitgo, and sounds just like Sean Hannity. They both repeat the same talking points ad nauseum. I haven’t watched Matthews since February, and he trotted out the exact same statements disguised as questions, just like Sean Hannity does. Very annoying and boring.
Halffasthero
“Alas, it is only coffee for me tonight, since I have to work in the morning. :(”
Coffee? You are going to need something to offset that if you expect to get any sleep. You’re probably getting the “come hither look” loud and clear right about now. : ) I work late duty tommorrow so I am requisitioning myself something more from the cabinet since I can sleep it off.
And nothing against the show but I work with mostly women at the office where I hear about it non-stop along with “Queer as Folk.” I get to listen to them talk about the sex scenes of that show – during work. More vodka please.
BTW – ppqaz seems to have hit the nail on the head. I agree.
Mr Furious
Bush’s bullshit–Didn’t watch it. don’t plan on reading it. Don’t expect anything new from the speech or the dissections of it–from either side.
Iraq is a world of shit right now, and it is that asshole’s fault. That said, demands for exit strategies are posturing bullshit. Realistically we cannot just bug out and expect anythiung but worse repercussions than staying. I just wish someone else was in charge…
Caught up on “Into the West” tonight instead. This past weekend’s episode (part 3 of 6) was not as good as the first two, but still very good.
Mr Furious
Oh, I also agree, as usual, with ppgaz.
Jimmy Jazz
Et tu, Captain Freedom Fries?
Fledermaus
Anyone going to watch Empire on ABC tonight?
Crap, I missed it. I’m such a sucker for Roman history. Thankfully I can catch up next week. By the way, anyone here read Colleen McCullough’s series? (Yes, I know the writing sucks at times but still – she’s done her homework)
Fledermaus
Wait, nevermind about missing it, from the link
Tyrannus, Rome’s finest warrior, is undefeated in the arena and considered a champion among men. A slave since he was a young man, Tyrannus impresses Caesar with his fighting prowess and his popularity, and with his dedication to Rome. Caesar offers him freedom in return for his service and friendship. However the Senate puts up a vicious fight for power and manages to separate Caesar from Tyrannus’ protective grasp by sending the gladiator to one last match to the death.
Jeebus, when will Hollywood realize that the best stories about roman history do not IN ANY WAY involve gladiators (with the possible exception of Sparticus – the actual person, not the movie).
The Disenfranchised Voter
Stormy you are a complete bullshit artist if you actually think Matthews has been on the same page as Sean Hannity. Recently I have been watching watched Hardball, until I read that Chris Matthews said this:
“My big concern is, the longer you keep them, the angrier they get.
EVENTUALLY, YOU ARE$ GOING TO SEND THEM HOME. MAYBE THE SMARTER THING IS TO EXECUTE EVERYONE DOWN THERE, BECAUSE IF YOU’RE GOING TO SEND THEM BACK TO THE ARAB WORLD OR THE ISLAMIC WORLD ANGRY AS HELL AT US, THEY’RE GOING TO BE DOING DIRTY STUFF AGAINST US, RIGHT?”
Fuck Chris Matthews. This is not Communist China–as much as this peice of shit wishes it was–and anyone who believes in liberty would never agree to what Matthews said. He is an authoritarian peice of shit. Fuck all of you totalitarian assholes!
Anyways, Bush’s speech can be summed up by this: “9/11,9/11,9/11, war on terror, war on terror, the troops, the troops, “God Bless America”.
The guy is a fucking joke. He is as credible as Dick Cheney’s statement that the insurgency is in its “Last Throes”.
Kimmitt
With all due respect, if you’re going to torture someone for a couple of years, you really ought to kill him. It’s self-defense at that point, and it’s not like there’s some line of barbarism you’ve yet to cross.
The one line which got to me:
If our commanders on the ground say we need more troops, I will send them.
IN THE NAME OF ZOD, TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR ACTIONS JUST ONCE YOU FASCIST BOOB.
Thank you.
Jimmy Jazz
and his really cool name.
p.lukasiak
Bob Costas just reported on a CNN flash poll. 75% liked the speech. Something like that, paraphrasing.
the real question is how many people bothered to watch it. My guess is that the vast majority of Americans found themselves with “other priorities” as Dick Cheney would say. All of the press reports indicated that there would be “nothing new” in the speech, so unless you actually like watching Bush (and 47% now have an “unfavorable” view of Bush as a person) there was no reason to do so.
But the fact that there was nothing new strongly suggests that the speech will actually harm Bush, rather than help him. One smart commentator that I saw noted the fact that Bush kept talking about “fighting the terrorists” as if the indigenous insurgency in Iraq didn’t exist — let alone constitute the lion’s share of the forces we face. (And this kind of talk is likely to go down especially badly in the Sunni-majority Muslim world, where the indigenous insurgency is perceived as a fight for Sunni self-determination.)
CadillaqJaq
Bypassing the pros and cons regarding Bush or his speech, somewhere out there is a poll showing that a mere 6% of those polled want the U.S. to bail out of Iraq. That tells me something.
p.lukasiak
Bypassing the pros and cons regarding Bush or his speech, somewhere out there is a poll showing that a mere 6% of those polled want the U.S. to bail out of Iraq. That tells me something.
that is only the people who want to literally “cut and run”. 15% think we should be there for a few more months or less, and 33% think we should be there for a year or less.
Even I don’t think its feasible to leave Iraq in less than a year, but when 1/3 of the American people are agreeing with me, you know that Bush is in deep doo-doo.
****************
after reading the speech (I couldn’t bear to watch it) the phrase that strikes me as most apt is “a crisis in leadership.” Nobody needs to tell the American people what the stakes are in Iraq, and the risks involved in pulling out.
And we certainly didn’t need to hear the kind of misleading rhetoric that lead to the war from Bush last night. Bush’s refusal to differentiate between the Radical Islamic Fundamentalists who represent a threat to the US, and the indigenous insurgency that (up to now) shows no signs of wanting to attack the US outside the borders of Iraq, is just another sign that he is unwilling to level with the American people. We are really fighting two wars in Iraq — one against a Baathist/Sunni insurgency that would like nothing better than to see the US withdraw as soon as possible, and a second war against radical Islamists who are happy that we are providing them with the opportunity to kill American troops on their own turf.
What we needed to hear was an acknowledgemnt that the current plan isn’t adequate, and that the leadership recognizes that. What we needed to hear is that Rummy and Rice and Hadley and the rest of the neo-con jokers who got us into this mess are being cashiered, and replaced by competent people.
And what we needed to see was a leader who would spend some of his political capital on a call to service aimed at his supporters. We needed to see a leader who asked for more than just the “right” answers when Gallup and Harris and Pew come calling — we needed to see a leader who acknowledged that the sacrifices being made by our men and women in the armed forces should not be borne by them alone — that its unfair to demand that reservists serve two or three tours in Iraq — repeatedly risking their lives, leaving their families for a year, interrupting their career paths, and very often causing considerable financial distress — when there are hundreds of thousands of Bush supporters in college who don’t have families, and should be willing to serve in a war that they support wholeheartedly.
But all we got was the same old tired slogans….
That is a crisis in leadership.
Doug
Quitting is for losers.
At least that’s what I tell the folks over at AA.
moodyblue
Ruh-oh, looks like the military’s got a few ticked off liberals of its own.
http://takeittokarl.blogspot.com/
http://www.estripes.com/section.asp?section=125
Tom Grey - Liberty Dad
It was a fine speech.
No timetable for withdrawal; those calling for a timetable are esentially helping the terrorists.
p.luka “Nobody needs to tell the American people what the stakes are in Iraq, and the risks involved in pulling out.”
This is BS. The Left did NOT tell the US folk about the genocide after a US pull-out of Vietnam — nor has Cronkite nor other anti-War Leftists accepted that the Lefitst preferred policy meant millions murdered.
Pulling out is dumb, and dangerous, and as immoral as Bush I letting the anti-Saddam uprising get crushed.
He also said the terrorists are failing; that’s a bit new, too. If they were winning, what would Iraq look like? More like Fallujah after April 2004, but before November.
The Bush-haters are gonna keep hating, for no good reason — and their excessive demonization of Bush the person will be counter-productive.
Plus, as Iraq becomes a more confident democracy, perhas in a year to two years, most Bush-bashers will have moved onto something else.
Mike S
Plus, as Iraq becomes a more confident democracy, perhas in a year to two years, most Bush-bashers will have moved onto something else.
That’s right after we are flooded with flowers and parades, right?
Happy Talk baby. That’s what we need.
Kimmitt
Plus, as Iraq becomes a more confident democracy, perhas in a year to two years, most Bush-bashers will have moved onto something else.
If this does not happen, will you reconsider your implied position that those who think that Bush is an incompetent are wrong?
Tom Grey - Liberty Dad
It was a fine speech.
No timetable for withdrawal; those calling for a timetable are esentially helping the terrorists.
p.luka “Nobody needs to tell the American people what the stakes are in Iraq, and the risks involved in pulling out.”
This is BS. The Left did NOT tell the US folk about the genocide after a US pull-out of Vietnam — nor has Cronkite nor other anti-War Leftists accepted that the Lefitst preferred policy meant millions murdered.
Pulling out is dumb, and dangerous, and as immoral as Bush I letting the anti-Saddam uprising get crushed.
He also said the terrorists are failing; that’s a bit new, too. If they were winning, what would Iraq look like? More like Fallujah after April 2004, but before November.
The Bush-haters are gonna keep hating, for no good reason — and their excessive demonization of Bush the person will be counter-productive.
Plus, as Iraq becomes a more confident democracy, perhas in a year to two years, most Bush-bashers will have moved onto something else.
Tom Grey - Liberty Dad
(Sorry double post).
Kimmit: “if Iraq doesn’t become a better democracy within 2 years, will I agree Bush is incompetent?”
If this is your question, my conditional answer is “no” — I’ll agree that Iraqis deserve less and less support if they’re unwilling to take on more burdens to stop the terrorists.
Including RFID on all cars, and confiscation of houses from those families who allow terrorists to use their cars; and other reductions of civil liberties in order to stop the killings.
I’ll agree Bush is incompetent when more than 10 000 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq+Afghanistan while he’s President.
How few have to die for you to think he’s competent?
Sojourner
At a minimum, Bush has to stop lieing about everything if we’re supposed to think he’s competent.
Kimmitt
and other reductions of civil liberties
Mm, the sound of a broken record.