Bush's Speech on the Lincoln

I didn't see the speech because i was at class, but it's good to hear he addressed what he did. I appreciate your somewhat objective description aswell.

 

I didn't watch it because I perfer to read the transcripts. Too many applause breaks during bush speechs for my liking. It gets ridicules when he speeks in front of congress.


I read that he had a sign in the background that said mission achomplished. This follows his standard m.o. on addresses; Make sure you have a big sign in the background so that the viewer is constanly reminded of the message of the day. Funny using a battleship as backdrop for the first shots of election '04

 

I was still at work, so couldn't see it live.

Here is a link to a page that has video
of the landing and the speech.

video of landing and speech

 

Bush himself is harmless, its the people behind him you should worry about.

 

I view this speech as more of a bookend to his first speech after 9/11 - the "we will make no distinction between the terrorist and those that harbor them" speech, then first shot in the re-election.

Bush will never be a great verbal speaker, but what he lacks in eloquence he makes up for with determination and decisiveness. I want to find a transcript to highlight the parts that stuck out for me.

 

Full transcript here.

transcript of speech


Here are some of the quotes that I'll remeber:

The character of our military through history, the daring of Normandy, the fierce courage of Iwo Jima, the decency and idealism that turned enemies into allies is fully present in this generation.



Everywhere that freedom arrives, humanity rejoices and everywhere that freedom stirs, let tyrants fear.


That terrible morning, 19 evil men, the shock troops of a hateful ideology, gave America and the civilized world a glimpse of their ambitions. They imagined, in the words of one terrorist, that September the 11th would be the beginning of the end of America.

By seeking to turn our cities into killing fields, terrorists and their allies believed that they could destroy this nation's resolve and force our retreat from the world.

They have failed.



In these 19 months that changed the world, our actions have been focused and deliberate and proportionate to the offense. We have not forgotten the victims of September the 11th, the last phone calls, the cold murder of children, the searches in the rubble. With those attacks, the terrorists and their supporters declared war on the United States, and war is what they got.




Any person, organization or government that supports, protects or harbors terrorists is complicit in the murder of the innocent and equally guilty of terrorist crimes. Any outlaw regime that has ties to terrorist groups and seeks or possesses weapons of mass destruction is a grave danger to the civilized world and will be confronted.

And anyone in the world, including the Arab world, who works and sacrifices for freedom has a loyal friend in the United States of America.




We are committed to freedom in Afghanistan, Iraq and in a peaceful Palestine.


This last one is significant. It implies to me that he will make a stong effort to get a peace agreement with an indepentant state of Palestine. This and N. Korea are the most important steps in the next (phase III) of this effort. IMHO.

 

QUOTE]Originally posted by Jacen McCullough

I still disagree with Bush's policy. I still think he lied about WMD's. I still think he's dangerous, and I still pray that somebody rises to the challenge to take him down in 2004. With that said, it was (for the most part) a quality speech. [/QUOTE]

These words are powerful and carefully chosen.

"The battle of Iraq is one victory in a war on terror that began on September the 11th, 2001 and still goes on."

-Not a war, but a battle. Not only did he omit mention of the United Nations, he never referred to basic respect of INTERNATIONAL LAW, cementing our unilateralist posture.

So who else can expect battle?

"From Pakistan to the Philippines to the Horn of Africa, we are hunting down Al Qaida killers. "

-But that's all. For now.

"In these 19 months that changed the world, our actions have been focused and deliberate and proportionate to the offense. We have not forgotten the victims of September the 11th, the last phone calls, the cold murder of children, the searches in the rubble. With those attacks, the terrorists and their supporters declared war on the United States, and war is what they got. "

-Implicitly claiming Iraq was responsible for 9-11, thereby justifying his war. Insulting to those who died. Morally bankrupt, but unsurprising.

"And wherever you go, you carry a message of hope, a message that is ancient and ever new. In the words of the prophet Isaiah, ``To the captives, come out; and to those in darkness, be free.''

-And closing with a fundamentalist appeal to old-time religion to obviate the need for rational justification to start an unprovoked war.


How did we ever let this happen to us?

 

Re: Re: Bush's Speech on the Lincoln

Bingo! We have a winner.

 

I'm not sure which part of the war against Iraq is more obscene...the bogus WMD excuse, the bogus free the Iraqi people excuse, or the giddiness with which the Bushies swim in the blood of the 9/11 victims and use that as an excuse.

Well, actually I do know. It's the latter.

 

Re: Re: Bush's Speech on the Lincoln

I know - the white male dominated, cigar smoking, evil cabal plotting to overthrow JPs world.

 

What part of 911 didn't you get? The first, second, third or fourth plane? Or did you take that as a cue to torch the flag and go sign up with the French army?

 

Why not take it for what it was ---

a speech to thank the soldiers, sailors, airman and Marines

a little panache and grandstanding thrown in

a speech to remind the sailors of the Lincoln (who have been at sea a hell of a long time) that they are going home to their families

a speech to remind us all of the American lives lost - last time I checked he was the American Commander in Chief

a speech to clearly delineate our position to any other state directly or indirectly connected to terrorism - state sponsored

lying about WMDs? No I disagree - lots of work to be done with inspecting lots of sites.

 

Re: Full transcript here.

I'm waiting on Israel's response to this part of the speech.

My take is that Bush just named Palestine as a separate country.

 

The part where Saddam Hussein is more culpable than the Saudi royal family.

 

Re: Re: Full transcript here.

He has done this before. In a meeting with Putin in May '02 he made a similar statement.

 

One thing at a time Dave.

 

and the reason we are departing Saudi air base with our forces for Qatar is .....??

ding ding we have a winner - that is right - displeasure with current policies and the security environment .... Yep that is an endorsement of their current position.

 

So that move MUST be preparation for attacking Saudi Arabia. Because if the President's rhetoric is consistent with his recent conduct, we should be "regime changing" the Saudi Royals. Any day now. Yup, once daddy severs his business relationship with the Royals and the Bin Ladins, we can fully expect the execution of another battle to uproot one of the primary sources of 9-11. Any day now.

"We have not forgotten the victims of September the 11th, the last phone calls, the cold murder of children, the searches in the rubble. With those attacks, the terrorists and their supporters declared war on the United States, and war is what they got. "

 

Re: Re: Full transcript here.

Hey, anus, where you been the last couple of years? A Palestinian state is a foregone conclusion, even the Israelis have signed on already.

 

Some of you liberals sound like little whiny beeyotches. You can't just say it was a good speech and move on. Then you wonder why Americans have discarded leftist trash since 9/11...because you come off as unpatriotic little weasels who can't be depended on to preserve national security. I've noticed that the politically astute Dems have gone on record as saying it was a fine speech and the little whiny aholes who are still bitter about the 2000 election continue to commit political suicide.

 

I don't understand what your saying here. How does the fact of the terrorist attacks disprove leftist arguements?

you come off as unpatriotic little weasels who can't be depended on to preserve national security.
Is the entire country now enlisted in the Bush family's feud with Saddam?

 

Its Friday night and you must be in rush to prepare for a date-rape, but where exactly are those weapons of mass destruction? Since you've taken upon yourself to "preserve national security", I thought I'd ask you.

Whiney, weasely, umpatriotic, ahole bitch. Not you man. I'm just riffing on that neo-conservative slam poetry you shared earlier. Or is this what you're gonna whisper in your date's ear tonight?

 

1. Saudi's do not have WMD.
2. Saudi's do not oppress their people as blatantly
3. Because the same anti-war people will not let us increase the caribou population by drilling in ANWR, we are dependent on them for oil.