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May 31, 2004

For the last year, Bush Jr. has insisted "no deals with terrorists." Bush Jr. called Cleric Muqtada al-Sadr a terrorist and put him on the “Wanted List” - I believe for murder.

Meanwhile, al-Sadr was seen on American TV twice a week holding news conferences.

Now Bush Jr. has cut a deal with al-Sadr and has taken him off the Wanted List.

Who can blame the Iraqis for not believing anything Bush Jr. says?

« April 2004 | Archives | June 2004 »

Of the 806 Americans killed in Iraq as of Friday, over 640 have died since Bush Jr.’s staged “Mission Accomplished” stunt.

« April 2004 | Archives | June 2004 »

May 28, 2004

For 24 hours Bush Jr.’s team was spinning that they had an excellent Prime Minister choice for Iraq.

Then the nuclear scientist and former prisoner of Saddam Hussein said no thanks.

The incompetence continues.

« April 2004 | Archives | June 2004 »

On Wednesday, Former Vice-President, and winner of the 2000 election, Al Gore filled in as a pinch hitter for John Kerry at New York University and delivered a blistering critique of the incompetent Bush Jr. team.

« April 2004 | Archives | June 2004 »

As more tapes came out, more Americans realize Republican Nixon was a fraud and a danger to the world. But Nixon is still Karl Rove’s favorite modern President.

« April 2004 | Archives | June 2004 »

May 27, 2004

I was very pleased to read that one of the 18 living paratroopers from the original 147-member of the Easy Company (101st Airborne) will join John Kerry this Saturday at the WWII memorial opening in Washington D.C.

Joseph Lesniewski was one of the original “Band of Brothers” that parachuted in the dark of night into France long before the first allied boat landed on D-Day (June 6, 1944). He recently said “I believe George Bush is messing things up with this war, the economy and with America’s veterans.”

Lesniewski, a decorated war hero, first met Kerry in Erie, Pennsylvania, where Lesniewski lives.

As a Vietnam veteran of the 101st Airborne, I am especially awed by what Joseph Lesniewski and his Band of Brothers accomplished. But they won a war during a time when everyone knew what was at stake, and our country had a President - Roosevelt - who didn’t lie to the American people.

Why did it take America 59 years to build a memorial to honor the Greatest Generation ever?

The official dedication is Saturday May 29 at 2PM eastern time, 11am California time or 1800 GMT and will be covered on most cable channels.

« April 2004 | Archives | June 2004 »

May 26, 2004

It would be reassuring to Americans to hear that Bush Jr.’s two daughters, who just graduated from college, were joining the military to fight terrorism.

Instead, they are going to work on the campaign with an unlimited expense account. I guess even the daughters were not inspired by their dad’s speech on Monday night.

« April 2004 | Archives | June 2004 »

Lt. General Sanchez, the top commander in Iraq, who was supposed to get a big promotion and take over the Southern Command out of Miami, is being “fired” with no new assignment announced.

Sanchez was most likely under orders from Rumsfeld to break all the rules regarding prisoners.

As with previous wars, like Vietnam, Americans who give 20-30 years to our country in the military get chopped at the knees by the failure of politicians.

The American people will fire Sanchez’s bosses -- Bush Jr. and Rumsfeld -- on November 2nd.

« April 2004 | Archives | June 2004 »

May 25, 2004

“As far as we’re (Iran and him?) concerned we’ve been entirely successful. That tyrant Saddam is gone and the Americans are in Baghdad. What was said before is not important.” Ahmad Chalabi, The Daily Telegraph (London), 2/19/04

Cheney, Bush Jr. and Karl Rove paid Chalabi almost $40 million dollars for his “intelligence gathering.”

Now, it turns out that Chalabi was also working for the Iranian government who had an old score to settle with Saddam Hussein for invading Iraq 20 years ago. (Newsweek, 5/31/04)

Evidently, Chalabi conspired to present false evidence to Bush Jr., about Saddam Hussein and WMD.

Now that he’s been fired and the U.S. raided his Baghdad office, Chalabi now says the U.S. occupation of Iraq “has been a failure.”

In the meantime, 5000 American have died or been wounded in Iraq, settling this old score.

« April 2004 | Archives | June 2004 »

May 24, 2004

In the 1968 election, with America stuck in Vietnam with no light at the end of the tunnel, Nixon said America needed a new team in the White House.

Nixon won, but four years later, America was still stuck in Vietnam. The Republicans weren’t the right team either.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi was right last week when she labeled Bush Jr. and his team incompetent.

America will get a new team on January 20, 2005.

« April 2004 | Archives | June 2004 »

Speaking of incompetence, how could Bush Jr. sit Ahmad Chalabi right behind The First Lady at the State of the Union, give him $27 million in cash (probably more), arm him and only now realize that he was giving sensitive intelligence to the Iranian government?

Bush Jr. and his team need adult supervision.

« April 2004 | Archives | June 2004 »

May 21, 2004

Two pictures on TV – one of women and children being buried and the other Dan Senor, Karl Rove’s flunky on site in Iraq, saying they were "insurgent fighters."

I recall General Westmoreland’s response when asked about the young Vietnamese girl fleeing naked from a napalm bombing.

Westmoreland, whom I met when I was in Vietnam, always blamed the media for distorting the Vietnam War. That was absurd, given that most of the time the press reports what the military tells them to report, including now in Iraq.

In a 1986 speech, Westmoreland claimed that the photo was a fake and that the 9-year old girl had actually been burned in a “hibachi accident.”

« April 2004 | Archives | June 2004 »

On Wednesday, another of Rove’s eunuchs, House Republican Speaker Hastert, attacked John McCain’s patriotism for asking a simple question in a Senate hearing about the latest $25 billion request by Bush Jr. for Iraq. What’s all that money being used for, McCain asked.

Hastert, like DeLay, like Cheney, like Wolfowitz, etc. are Rove’s eunuchs – all skipped military service but attack military heroes like McCain and Kerry.

« April 2004 | Archives | June 2004 »

May 20, 2004

I was saddened when the death rate of American troops in Iraq hit 500 a few months ago, in addition to hundreds of innocent Iraqi casualties. Now almost 800 Americans have lost their lives in Iraq.

What is the president doing about it? Insisting he will stay the course and continuing to hold fundraising events. Meanwhile, people are dying all over the Mideast.

Since Bush Jr. doesn't read newspapers and Air Force One probably only shows Fox News and sports, perhaps he isn't aware of the mess he's created.

America needs a new President.

« April 2004 | Archives | June 2004 »

"I want to thank Wolfowitz and Armitage, who are up here with us - two of the prettiest members of my administration" -- Bush Jr. at FBI headquarters, February 14, 2003.

« April 2004 | Archives | June 2004 »

May 19, 2004

As Bush Jr. struggles with his failed Iraq policy -- he's now waiting for the United Nations Envoy to come up with one -- John Kerry offers hope to the American people.

Kerry is crisscrossing the country talking about affordable healthcare, educational opportunities, tax cuts that will benefit 98 percent of us, and creating 10 million new jobs in his first four years as President.

And who could be better suited to bring stability to Iraq? John Kerry has been in combat and understands you need a strong military. More importantly, he knows that situations like this call for diplomatic and political solutions, as well.

« April 2004 | Archives | June 2004 »

"Tommy (General Tommy Franks) knows the lessons of Vietnam just as well as I do... He graduated from high school in '63 and you and I graduated in '64. We're of the same vintage. We paid attention to what was goin' on and ah, and so ah, - I think it was '64, wasn't it?" -- Bush Jr., talking to a reporter at a White House press conference, March 13, 20002.

« April 2004 | Archives | June 2004 »

May 18, 2004

The Bush Jr. administration is frantically attempting to discredit Seymour Hersh's latest New Yorker article, which says Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld authorized violent treatment of Iraqi prisoners.

But Hersh is an excellent reporter, and he's used to standing up to the government. In 1968, American soldiers massacred more than 300 innocent Vietnamese in the village of My Lai. At first, the Pentagon denied it. Then Hersh broke the story of what happened, winning a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting.

Iraq is clearly in total chaos. Abdel-Zahraa Othman, head of Iraq's Governing Council, was killed on Monday. Things are so bad there-- not enough troops, not enough armor, Iraqis furious at Bush -- that it appears no one is safe.

« April 2004 | Archives | June 2004 »

May 17, 2004

Here's another Bush Jr. crony who's in favor of the war in Iraq, and yet failed to serve when it was his turn.

Republican Congressman Tom DeLay of Texas wants to spend billions of dollars and send thousands more American troops to Iraq.

But when it comes to himself, Delay didn't believe in going to war. Here's what the Houston Chronicle reported a few years ago:

"(Delay explained that) so many minority youths had volunteered for the well-paying military positions to escape poverty and the ghetto that there was literally no room for patriotic folks like himself. Satisfied with the pronouncement, which dumbfounded more than a few of his listeners who had lived the sixties, DeLay marched off to the convention."

Ironic isn't it? Bush Jr. and his Republican team are pushing this wrongheaded war. They have no plan and almost 800 Americans are dead. Yet, most of them avoided military service and certainly none experienced combat.

Only Colin Powell was against invading Iraq. Probably because he knew what it would actually involve.

« April 2004 | Archives | June 2004 »

May 14, 2004

"Between now and the 30th of June, we know it's going to get worse" --General Richard Myers, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, New York Times, May 13, 2004

A year ago, Bush Jr.'s team said that we'd be down to about 30,000 troops in Iraq sometime in 2004. Now we're heading toward 150,000 soliders, and since we have few allies, most of them are Americans.

Is this what General Myers means by "worse?"

And is General Myers implying that things will suddenly be a lot better on July 1?

Both he and Rumsfeld have been disasters. They ought to resign.

« April 2004 | Archives | June 2004 »

"And most importantly, Alma Powell, secretary of Colin Powell, is with us."

Bush Jr., 1/30/03, referring to Powell's wife.

« April 2004 | Archives | June 2004 »

May 13, 2004

The father of Nick Berg, who was brutally murdered in Iraq, blames Bush Jr. and his increasingly incompetent administration for creating the circumstances that led to his son’s death.

Michael Berg told Associated Press that the U.S. military held his son in prison in Iraq for 13 days, forcing the family to go to Federal Court. The next day, Nick Berg was released. Soon after that, he was captured by the people who wound up killing him.

Why is the Bush administration denying that they imprisoned Berg?

Bush Jr. has America in a quagmire in Iraq. More and more people are dying, and more and more foreign leaders are not taking Bush Jr.’s calls. This has got to stop now. A good place to start would be for Donald Rumsfeld to resign.

« April 2004 | Archives | June 2004 »

May 12, 2004

In a very telling Washington Post article last Sunday, United States military officers admitted that the situation in Iraq is a mess.

When asked if the U.S. is losing the war, 82nd Airborne Division Commander Major General Charles H. Swannack said, “I think strategically, we are.”

Another general said he had two reasons for being angry with Bush Jr. and Rumsfeld.

“One is, I think they are going to break the Army.”

And the other?

“I don’t think they care.”

Some officers are now making comparisons to Vietnam, and they’re right. Once again, it looks like politicians (Bush Jr., Cheney, Rumsfeld, et al.) are wrecking the careers of military men and women who have loyally served their country for years by ordering them to lie about what is going on.

« April 2004 | Archives | June 2004 »

May 11, 2004

Donald Rumsfeld will turn over more photos of abused Iraqi prisoners to Congress, but will not release them to the public.

I thought Bush Jr. said a democracy is transparent, and that is what makes us different than countries in the Mideast.

Should these photos be censored? Should the cover-up continue? Will any military Officers be charged or will just the guys with one or two stripes take the fall?

« April 2004 | Archives | June 2004 »

Now here's a Bushism.

"Do you have blacks too?"

Yes, Bush Jr. actually said this to Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso back in November 2001 during a White House meeting.

« April 2004 | Archives | June 2004 »

May 10, 2004

On January 16, 2004 the Pentagon put out a press release about prisoner abuse in Iraq.

Three and a half months later, Americans found out about this shocking news when photos of torture and abuse became public. Bush, Jr. and his fellow Republicans claim that they didn't really know anything about it until last week.

This is a Nixon-like cover-up, and the cover-up is what led to Nixon's downfall.

At minimum, Rumsfeld should be fired immediately. Then, on November 2, voters can fire Bush Jr.

As for the "embeded" press, they should be ashamed of themselves for not investigating this story.

« April 2004 | Archives | June 2004 »

May 07, 2004

Only a few weeks ago, pundits were saying Bush Jr. was unbeatable. (Of
course, if they really knew anything, they'd all be millionaires.)

Then, several weeks ago, the same pundits decided that Bush Jr. had
"lost control of events" (In this case, they're right.)

Expect pundits and reporters to spend a lot of time dishing up inside
views about Bush Jr. versus John Kerry in the coming weeks, rather than
discussing what the American people and our troops need to hear.

Most of us should focus on raising money for Democrats, registering
Democrats to vote and building local, grassroots efforts. Make sure your
volunteer lists are updated and your e-mail lists are expanding. Keep in
touch with your activists and get the word out whenever there is
something going on in your area locally. The election is less than six
months away, it's the most important one of our lifetime, and we must be
ready to win!

« April 2004 | Archives | June 2004 »

May 06, 2004

New information has surfaced about Bush Jr. failing to show up for his physical while he "served" in the military in 1972.

CBS News reports that there are "several holes" in Bush Jr.'s records, especially concerning a missed physical that cost Bush his wings.

Sure, maybe the records were simply lost. Or maybe there are other reasons. Journalist James C. Moore suggests in Salon that alcohol or drugs may have played a part in Bush Jr. not taking the physical.

Hmmm. Perhaps instead of having his minions attack Kerry's military service in Vietnam, Bush should concentrate on his own record. It's time for him to sign a "release authorization form," which would make all of his documents available. After all, what's he got to hide?

« April 2004 | Archives | June 2004 »

May 05, 2004

Bush Jr. had weak plans for the invasion of Iraq and afterwards. With tragic photos of Iraqi prisoner abuse flashing all over the world, it's no surprise that Bush Jr. and his people are mishandling this as well.

The rising anger felt around the world every time Bush Jr. opens his mouth and the total ineptness he has demonstrated in this Iraq conflict is putting our troops in even greater danger.

I occasionally guarded enemy soldiers during my tour in Vietnam. I find the photos showing what happened under the watch of Bush Jr., Cheney and Rumsfeld deplorable.

America needs a new President!

« April 2004 | Archives | June 2004 »

May 04, 2004

On May 1, 2003, Bush Jr. was standing on an aircraft carrier under a banner that read "Mission Accomplished."

Did Bush Jr. or his minder Karl Rove have any inkling that just one year later they would in so much trouble that Bush Jr. would need to rent a bus and follow John Kerry around Michigan?

Bush Jr. spent $40 million in TV ads in March, and doesn't have much to show for it. Now Kerry has two great TV ads coming up: "Heart" and "Lifetime." Go to www.johnkerry.com to see them.

« April 2004 | Archives | June 2004 »

May 03, 2004

With over 130,000 troops in Iraq, Americans account for 86% of the approximate 151,000 “coalition” troops in Iraq.

Britain has only 5% at 7,800. Add Italy’s 3,000 and Poland’s 2,400 and you have 95% of the total troops.

Australia has only 800.

Of the 29 countries with troops in Iraq, 23 have fewer than 1,000 and 13 have fewer than 200 each.

And the U.S. is paying for most of them.

Bulgaria recently asked our U.S. troops to provide protection for their 480 troops.

Bush Jr.’s Coalition is a complete farce and it’s his own fault for alienating so many governments.