Althouse: "I have expressed our country's desire to work with you but I appreciate you recognize the fact that the future of your country is in your hands."

June 13, 2006

"I have expressed our country's desire to work with you but I appreciate you recognize the fact that the future of your country is in your hands."

Bush in Baghdad.

Maliki's response: "God willing, all of the suffering will be over, and all of the soldiers will be able to return to their countries with our gratitude for what they have offered."

33 comments:

jeff said...: It's nice when deadlines don't allow for spin, isn't it?; 6/13/06, 2:04 PM
The Drill SGT said...: Good article.

John F. Burns has written some good stuff over the years. And anybody that has been expelled by the Red Chinese on suspicion of spying can't be all bad. Sound like he was chasing stories that they didn't want published.; 6/13/06, 2:13 PM
Anonymous said...: George Bush: but I appreciate you recognize the fact that the future of your country is in your hands."

Osama Bin Laden: If I were president, I would stop the attacks on the United States: First I would apologize to all the widows and orphans and those who were tortured. Then I would announce that American interference in the nations of the world has ended,

Fat Tony: "Nice store you got here. It'd be a shame if something were to happen to it

When the House and the Senate pass similar but not identical bills, they create a conference committee to work out the differences. When they both passed amendments to the "emergency supplemental" spending bill stipulating that none of the money could be used to build permanent bases in Iraq, the conference committee, behind closed doors this week, resolved that non-difference by deleting it.

This would appear to be a blatant violation of the rules of Congress and an unconstitutional voiding of the will of the people as expressed by their Representatives and Senators. But it can't appear that way to a people that knows nothing about it. And it does not appear that way at all to the journalists who inform the public of its government's doings. Even the minority members of the conference committee and the leaders of the minority party in Congress seem entirely comfortable with this course of events, although Congresswoman Barbara Lee has denounced the Republicans for it.; 6/13/06, 2:47 PM
Anonymous said...: OT but a followup to your anonymity/pseudonymity post of sometime back: you may wish to read Armando's account of why his personal information was found where it was.

http://www.swordscrossed.org/?p=182; 6/13/06, 3:03 PM
Sloanasaurus said...: Democrats when asked by the press repeat pretty much the same stuff that Bush says "We need to let Iraqis take over Iraq." The press never calls them on this. It would be great to have a reporter ask Nancy Pelosi how her plan to let iraqis run Iraq is distiguished from George Bush.

That is great news about the permanent base. Hopefully we will have a presence in Iraq for the next 50 years. Our presence will not only deter foriegn invaders and domestic attempts to topple the govenerment, but it will also increase the odds that we will support Iraq if things get difficult again in the future (unlike Vietnam where we pulled everyone out).; 6/13/06, 3:08 PM
Laura Reynolds said...: Q: poor Armando, couldn't stand the heat, but really how many "last" posts does he have in him?; 6/13/06, 3:22 PM
Hecla Ma said...: It would be interesting to learn how many Iraqis have named their baby George or some variant of it, or named it after a platoon. I recall reading one article about a baby named Georgia, but I haven't seen any more.; 6/13/06, 3:55 PM
Ricardo said...: I'm delighted to see that he's finally spent some time in a combat zone, even if just for six hours. Hopefully, he will be able to make use of the experience in his future decision-making.; 6/13/06, 4:02 PM
Anonymous said...: Al-Maliki, who didn't know Bush was coming until five minutes before they met, said that Iraq was "determined to succeed, and we have to defeat terrorists and defeat all the hardships.

We're making progress. Bush has been two Iraq twice now since mission accomplished, both times in secret, but the first time he wasn't even able to get out of the airport as he was too scared.

This time he was able to make a six minute helicopter flight to the green zone.

Hmm, I wonder how long it took a president to make an announced visit to Germany, Japan, or Korea after our victories there?; 6/13/06, 4:16 PM
Laura Reynolds said...: Truman went to Potsdam in July 1945, don't know if that was announced.

No president went to Japan until Ford in 1974, pretty sure that was announced.

We didn't have a victory in Korea but Ike went as president elect and as president.; 6/13/06, 4:32 PM
Simon said...: Quxxo:
"When the House and the Senate . . . passed amendments to the "emergency supplemental" spending bill stipulating that none of the money could be used to build permanent bases in Iraq, the conference committee. . . delet[ed] [this stipulation]. This would appear to be a blatant violation of the rules of Congress and an unconstitutional voiding of the will of the people as expressed by their Representatives and Senators. "

You do understand that when the conference committee is done, the House and the Senate vote again on that conference report, right?; 6/13/06, 4:34 PM
Anonymous said...: Once a bill has been passed by a conference committee, it goes directly to the floor of both houses for a vote, without an amendment stage by regular Congressmen. However, party leaders can insert new language after the conference bill is signed off on, as happened in December 2005, when language opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling and shielding the makers of viral vaccines was added.

Said the pieman to Simple Simon "Show me first your penny"
Said Simple Simon to the pieman "Sir, I have not any!"; 6/13/06, 5:43 PM
Away From The Brink said...: "Why is it more helpful to a man to see anger?"

"Lupus est homo homini, non homo, quom qualis sit non novit."

(A man is a wolf rather than a man to another man, when he hasn't yet found out what he's like.)

-- Plautus, ca. 184 BCE; 6/13/06, 5:44 PM
Away From The Brink said...: er, ah...

wrong thread

*blushes*; 6/13/06, 5:50 PM
altoids1306 said...: No bias? You must be kidding me.

Summary of the article: "Having had the dumb luck to actually get Zarqawi, Bush decided to go into Iraq to celebrate with the new government he installed. Because Iraq is a living hell on earth, he did even tell his hosts he was coming until after he arrived. His plane corkscrewed and dived to avoid enemy fire, and he was rushed in utter secrecy by the US military machine, as he surveyed the wreckage that was once a country. By some small miracle, he made it to the Green Zone alive. US and Iraqi troops will make another ineffective show of force, as every neighborhood in Baghdad is lawless. Oh, and bombs went off, because killing Zarqawi only fuels the cycle of violence.; 6/13/06, 5:55 PM
Bissage said...: IWT: Not at all. Not at all. I thought your comment right on point.

I read it as I was musing on the true nature of Quxxo.; 6/13/06, 6:43 PM
Bissage said...: P.S. True story. No snark.; 6/13/06, 6:45 PM
Bissage said...: P.P.S. That goes for you, too, Quxxo.; 6/13/06, 6:46 PM
Simon said...: Quxxo,
I'm really sceptical of that information. At first glance, I can find nothing supporting it in the rules and precedents of either chamber, and one precedent in the Hinds that flatly contradicts it. Do you have anything more reliable to cite?; 6/13/06, 7:22 PM
Anonymous said...: The only other source I could find that I could understand is here. It is simple, but it has a nice beat.; 6/13/06, 7:26 PM
Anonymous said...: precedent in the Hinds

I really don't want to know about precedents in the hinds. No matter how much you love the guy.

There were some amusing stories about Lyndon Johnson and his tailoring, but really now....; 6/13/06, 7:28 PM
Simon said...: ^ LOL.; 6/13/06, 7:39 PM
Anonymous said...: Altoids,
Well said. :); 6/14/06, 12:53 AM
LoafingOaf said...: This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.; 6/14/06, 3:25 AM
LoafingOaf said...: The US and other Coalition soldiers have my gratitude, too.; 6/14/06, 3:42 AM
goesh said...: He was crazy to go there - some jihadi could have turned him into mincemeat and then 'shotgun' Dick would be at the helm.........; 6/14/06, 7:04 AM
Der Hahn said...: Once Joq Strappe starts polluting a thread, remember to use your /irony and /sarcasm tags.; 6/14/06, 7:09 AM
The Drill SGT said...: LoafingOaf said...
Altoids: ...Bush decided to go into Iraq to celebrate with the new government he installed.

relax

Altoids is not a victim of BDS. He was reciting the undertone of MSM coverage using an over the top sarcasm; 6/14/06, 9:27 AM
altoids1306 said...: Thanks Drill SGT.

I should have made my sarcasm more explicit.; 6/14/06, 10:26 AM
Anonymous said...: Yes, I understood it as sarcasm--just close enough tho to be confusing.

Today at the press conference, for the umpteenth time:
Reporter: Do you think this is like Vietnam?
President: No.
Reporter: Why?

At least they didn't ask for an apology today.; 6/14/06, 10:31 AM
LoafingOaf said...: Eek! Embarassing. I'm so sorry I posted at you without paying enough attention. It was like 3 or 4AM, I was spaced out, and had just been in a Yahoo political voice chat full of people who talk just like that....; 6/14/06, 1:54 PM
altoids1306 said...: Loafingoaf:

No worries. It happens to everyone. But it does say something about the level of political discourse today, when sarcasm is so easily mistaken.

(As for Yahoo forums...never been there, and I never intend to. NYT/TNR/Slate is about as far as I'll go. For some reason, I love the Atlantic tho. Reminds me of what liberals pre-Bush were like.); 6/14/06, 3:15 PM
LoafingOaf said...: I usually only go to Yahoo voice chat for the baseball room. The political rooms are pretty scary! If you're a neo-Nazi or a communist, you'll be welcomed with open arms. Anything in between, you get booted. I think it serves a purpose though. Lets the really alienated and angry folks vent a little. Of course they think the NSA is monitoring their every word.; 6/20/06, 12:21 AM