In a sign of desperation one week before mid-term elections that could effectively end his Presidency (six years too late), George Bush attacked a decorated military veteran in an effort to win votes.
Responding to criticisms by Sen. John Kerry that Bush and the administration didn't bother to study about Iraq, didn't bother to do the proper background work, or try to find out about the situation prior to invading Iraq. Bush ignored Kerry's criticism and lied about what Kerry said, implying that criticism of Bush are criticisms of the troops.
And in a further sign of desperation, according to the Washington Post, the White House tipped off television networks to when Bush would attack the military, so the comments could be carried live and make the evening news.
What Kerry actually said was "Education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. And if you don't, you get stuck in Iraq."
So did Bush make the most of educating himself on whether there were WMDs in Iraq? Did he study hard enough regarding the situation in Iraq. Did he figure out the smartest approach to the situation? No, and so what happened? Bush got the military stuck in Iraq.
How anyone could think this was a criticism of the troops is unbelievable. However, Sen. John McCain bought into the lies, perhaps in hopes that by selling his reputation he can be President some day. In reality it will more likely raise questions about his ability to be a leader. For if he can't determine the meaning of such a statement than he has no business being president.
But this type of dishonest approach is typical of conservatives and the White House. However one has to wonder if anyone will figure out that if Bush believes that if Kerry's attack on Bush is an attack on the troops, then Bush's attack on Kerry is also an attack on the troops.
In actuality, the attack on Kerry is closer to attack on the troops since he actually served in a war overseas and Bush ended his military career with questions regarding whether he went AWOL in order to avoid a medical exam.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Thursday, October 19, 2006
GOP Enlists Osama to Help with Mid-Terms
With the mid-term election only two weeks away, and polls showing the potential for the Democrats retaking the House and possibly the Senate, the Republican Party has called on an old ally to help them win elections.
As others on the web pointed out, on Oct. 29, 2004, just four days before the U.S. presidential election, al-Qaeda leader Osama bin-Laden released a videotape denouncing George W. Bush. Some Bush supporters quickly spun the diatribe as "Osama's endorsement of John Kerry." But behind the walls of the CIA, analysts had concluded the opposite: that bin-Laden was trying to help Bush gain a second term.
With it uncertain whether Osama would be willing to assist the Republican in 2006, reports in the Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune say the GOP has decided to enlist him in ads. While the ads has lots of references to terrorists, and implies that Democrats would be a bad choice.
But what it doesn't say is that the GOP's Cut and Run strategy in Afghanistan has emboldened terrorists and it's Stay and Die strategy in Iraq has only lead to the deaths of many American's and Iraqis.
One could only imagine where the world would be today if the administration had taken the war on terror seriously and actually gone after the people who attacked the United States on September 11. Instead they went off on another directions, requiring the US to basically give up on the War on Terror before it was won.
Perhaps the reason the Administration didn't go after Osama is that if they captured or killed him then Iraq would not be viewed as part of the war on terror and being able to attack Iraq was more important that winning the war.
As others on the web pointed out, on Oct. 29, 2004, just four days before the U.S. presidential election, al-Qaeda leader Osama bin-Laden released a videotape denouncing George W. Bush. Some Bush supporters quickly spun the diatribe as "Osama's endorsement of John Kerry." But behind the walls of the CIA, analysts had concluded the opposite: that bin-Laden was trying to help Bush gain a second term.
With it uncertain whether Osama would be willing to assist the Republican in 2006, reports in the Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune say the GOP has decided to enlist him in ads. While the ads has lots of references to terrorists, and implies that Democrats would be a bad choice.
But what it doesn't say is that the GOP's Cut and Run strategy in Afghanistan has emboldened terrorists and it's Stay and Die strategy in Iraq has only lead to the deaths of many American's and Iraqis.
One could only imagine where the world would be today if the administration had taken the war on terror seriously and actually gone after the people who attacked the United States on September 11. Instead they went off on another directions, requiring the US to basically give up on the War on Terror before it was won.
Perhaps the reason the Administration didn't go after Osama is that if they captured or killed him then Iraq would not be viewed as part of the war on terror and being able to attack Iraq was more important that winning the war.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
National Debt Up $574 Billion
The U.S. national debt increased by more than $574 billion in the fiscal year ending September 30, a $20 billion increase over the previous year, according to figures from the Department of Treasury.
The Bureau of Public Debt reported that the national debt was $8.506 trillion as of September 29, the last business day of the fiscal year. The government had ended the previous year at $7.932 trillion, an increase of $553 billion over the year ending September 30, 2004.
This marks the fourth consecutive year that the national debt has increased by more than $500 billion and fifth that the increase was more than $400 billion. The last time the national debt increase was under $100 billion was in 2000 when Bill Clinton was President and the debt increased by only $17 billion.
One unusual note about the 2000 increase was that in the two weeks prior to the end of the fiscal year and the two weeks after the end of the fiscal year, the national debt ranged from a decrease of $12 billion from the previous year to an increase of $6 billion. Only on the last day of the year did the debt increase reach $17 billion.
The administration and the press, such as the Washington Post, are reporting that the federal deficit "fell" to a four-year low in the budget year that just ended at $247.7 billion.
The Post did report that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projects that the deficit for the current budget year will rise to $286 billion. Over the next decade, the office forecasts that the deficit will total $1.76 trillion.
One of the reason the administration reported lower numbers is that they were able to use Social Security to mask the deficit.
The Bureau of Public Debt reported that the national debt was $8.506 trillion as of September 29, the last business day of the fiscal year. The government had ended the previous year at $7.932 trillion, an increase of $553 billion over the year ending September 30, 2004.
This marks the fourth consecutive year that the national debt has increased by more than $500 billion and fifth that the increase was more than $400 billion. The last time the national debt increase was under $100 billion was in 2000 when Bill Clinton was President and the debt increased by only $17 billion.
One unusual note about the 2000 increase was that in the two weeks prior to the end of the fiscal year and the two weeks after the end of the fiscal year, the national debt ranged from a decrease of $12 billion from the previous year to an increase of $6 billion. Only on the last day of the year did the debt increase reach $17 billion.
The administration and the press, such as the Washington Post, are reporting that the federal deficit "fell" to a four-year low in the budget year that just ended at $247.7 billion.
The Post did report that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projects that the deficit for the current budget year will rise to $286 billion. Over the next decade, the office forecasts that the deficit will total $1.76 trillion.
One of the reason the administration reported lower numbers is that they were able to use Social Security to mask the deficit.
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