Posted on 10/29/2003 10:58:03 AM PST by RJCogburn
Bush could have said something similar to Rumsfeld's comments when asked about this. Though still a softer defense than what I would have wanted, he at least defended Gen. Boykin's right to freedom of speech and religion.
Rumsfeld said:
"We do know that he is an officer that has an outstanding record in the United States armed forces."
"There are a lot of things that are said by people that are their views, and that's the way we live. We are free people and that's the wonderful thing about our country, and I think for anyone to run around and think that can be managed or controlled is probably wrong."
Gen. Myers said:
"there is a very wide gray area on what the rules permit" but that "at first blush, it doesn't look like any rules were broken."
Bush does not have the guts to fire the general. Instead, he is trying to squeeze him out and put pressure on him to voluntarily resign. Is this the action of a man who is acting on principles or someone who is nothing but a two bit politician?
Are those the same people that made the anti-Semitic remarks. Why should we care what they think? The general's comments aren't nearly as offensive IMO, but they have been spun that way by those with something to gain from a scandal.
I guess MacArthur was fired, but only because Truman wouldn't let him retake all of North Korea instead of insisting we wouldn't "acquire" anything above the 38th parallel. It always seemed to me that when China sent its hordes down and pushed us back the first time that it made the North fair game.
With respect to Islam, it probably is what one could call a heresy which has lasted much longer that any other one. There is no doubt that one faction of Islamic believers would shoot a Christian with the greatest of glee.
I suspect that the large majority of Islamic believers are more worried where the next meal is coming from. Those are tho people that we do not want to unduly agitate.
A) Terrorist muslims.
B) islam
C) The LA Slimes and other communist hate-America media.
D) Our fifth columnists.
E) All of the above
The losers will be honest, decent Americans.
And General Powel would fit where?
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So had Bush if there are enough voters with IQs above 105.
I think the General ought to do what he is paid to do and keep his political opinions to himself.
There's always a third party candidate as an alternative. We may not win elections but this is a way for the Republicans like Bush to pay close attention to the so-called base. Bush and the Republicans think that of all people we've got nowhere else to go and this gives them the license to use us, neglect us, and be ashamed of us.
I think it's time to support some of these third party candidates. Besides it seems that Bush would rather have the votes of the undecideds, the hispanics, and the muslims. So what are we, the Religious Right "wackos", staying around in the Republican Party for when it acts like it doesn't need us. And frankly, we don't get anything that we want from them anyway.
We deserve the kind of government and leaders we get. Some people here would say that they don't, because they vote Republican. Well you do, if you vote in Republican leaders and then do not hold their feet to the fire.
With power comes responsibility, it is never too much to expect a lot from Bush.
The only thing I can think of that Boykin might have done that's inappropriate was to give a "religious" speech about the war wearing his military uniform. I don't think he should resign for something minor like this.
Bush has done far more to antagonize the Muslims when he put his foot in his mouth a while back and used the word "crusade" to describe the war against the terrorists. Did I think he should have lost his job for that? No, because I know what he meant.
The Muslims and the Media are looking for any sorry excuse to be offended and if they are going to be offended it might as well be for the truth.
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