Sunday Morning Talk Show Thread 11 Apr 2004

Various big media television networks ^ | 11 Apr 2004 | Various Self-Serving Politicians and Big Media Screaming Faces

[MEG33]

Cici referred to the Newsweak poll as if it were the "true,definitive,last word" poll.

[CedarDave]

The RATS don't care if one attack against Bush works or not. The whole Kerry strategy is just to ATTACK, ATTACK, ATTACK...

True, True, True!! And who do we have out there responding to them? Senile ex-Senators like Slade Gordon or milktoast Lugar. What we need are our own attack dogs! Where are they?? And we need the President on the attack too. Come August, he'd better not spend the month on vacation!! We all know he delegates, which is good for governing, but I agree with some of what was said on MTP -- he needs to be much more visible and command the airwaves. How else can we overcome the liberal media? They're spending all the time bashing Bush, but he's at the Ranch in Crawford. It's almost as if he and the rest of the Republican party doesn't care about this election!! If that's the case, he and the Republican Congress will take the country down with them if his and their inaction on the political front lead to losses in November.

[CedarDave]

With maybe one exception, the Pubbies on the commission are all spineless weenies. And the President appointed them! By trying to appear nonpartisan, he ended up with a commission that on the one hand is toothless (the Republicans), or kicks him with both feet below the belt (the RATS).

At some point the President needs to direct that same strong sense of purpose he is using to defeat the terrorists to the opposition party and the media so that he can be re-elected.

Again I have to agree with some of the MTP panelists this morning: He seems disengaged with the political process, and if he waits too long to become reengaged, it may well be too late to recover.

[CedarDave]

Bad, wasn't it?!

[CedarDave]

It's really disheartening to see them rolled over again and again when such shoddy tactics are being used by the RATS and all the Republicans would have to do is dig in and fight back and they'd win this thing in a day. Why are the Republicans such whimps on this issue? Why? Why? why?

A question that needs to asked again and again and again. It almost seems as if the Republicans don't care about this upcoming election. Tell a lie often enough today and it becomes truth tomorrow.

[CedarDave]

Why does it seem that the President is not fully engaged with this election campaign?

[justshutupandtakeit]

This Commission has zero to do with CFR. How absurd.

You think the RATmedia is ever constrained in making up LIES from whole cloth? How naive.

[CedarDave]

It's just that I'm angry about the lack of support the President seems to be getting from elected Republicans. As for the ones on the commission, they are a laughing stock, in my opinion.

Totally agree with your sentiment.

[CedarDave]

There is an old saying, "God helps those who help themselves". I don't know where it comes from, but I believe that the President and the Republicans have to take a much more active and aggressive role in this campaign if they want to be reelected.

[maica]

You say President Bush is disengaged.

I say the networks have practically issued a blackout regulation against his appearances. If you do not happen to live in a 'battleground' state, you will not even be seeing his commercials.

Do you think he is spending his time in a hammock?


***
In case you missed these remarks --




For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
April 11, 2004

                           April 11, 2004 Remarks by the President to the Travel Pool
Fort Hood, Texas


10:15 A.M. CDT

THE PRESIDENT: Happy Easter to everybody. It's our honor to have celebrated this holy day with family members whose loved one is in Iraq. Fort Hood has made a mighty contribution to freedom in Iraq and to security for the country. I value my time with the family members and those who sacrifice on behalf of the country.

Today I ask for God's blessings for our troops overseas, may He protect them and may He continue to bless our country.

I'll answer a couple of questions. Scott.

Q Thank you, Mr. President. We're coming off a week in which dozens of American soldiers have died. We've seen images of incredible violence and chaos. Should Americans brace for weeks, or months of this? Do you expect it to abate soon? And, also, what's General Abizaid telling you about how many more troops he'll need, if any?

THE PRESIDENT: Yes, I've spoken to General Abizaid twice in the last four or five days. He knows full well that when he speaks to me that if he needs additional manpower he can ask for it. He believes, like I believe, that this violence we've seen is part of a few people trying to stop progress toward democracy. Fallujah, south of Baghdad, these incidents were basically thrust upon the innocent Iraqi people by gangs, violent gangs.

And our troops are taking care of business. Their job is to make Iraq more secure so that a peaceful Iraq can emerge. And they're doing a great job. And it was a tough week last week, and my prayers and thoughts are with those who paid the ultimate price for our security. A free Iraq will make the world more peaceful. A free Iraq is going to change the world. And it's been tough, and our troops are -- our troops are performing brilliantly and bravely.

Q Do you think it's going to ebb soon?

THE PRESIDENT: It's hard to tell. I just know this, that we're plenty tough and we'll remain tough. Now, listen, obviously, we're open minded to suggestions -- members of the Governing Council wanted a chance to move into Fallujah and see if they could bring some order to the gangs and violence. And as you can tell, our military is giving them a chance to do so. Obviously, I pray every day there's less casualty.

But I know what we're doing in Iraq is right. It's right for long-term peace. It's right for the security of our country. And it's hard work. And today, on bended knee, I thank the good Lord for protecting those of our troops overseas, and our coalition troops and innocent Iraqis who suffer at the hands of some of these senseless killings by people who are trying to shake our will.

Yes, sir.

Q Mr. President, could you tell us, did you see the presidential -- the President's Daily Brief from August of '01 as a warning --

THE PRESIDENT: Did I see it? Of course I saw it; I asked for it.

Q No, no, I'm sorry -- did you see it as a warning of hijackers? And how did you respond to that?

THE PRESIDENT: My response was exactly like then as it is today, that I asked for the Central Intelligence Agency to give me an update on any terrorist threats. And the PDB was no indication of a terrorist threat. There was not a time and place of an attack. It said Osama bin Laden had designs on America. Well, I knew that. What I wanted to know was, is there anything specifically going to take place in America that we needed to react to?

As you might recall, there was some specific threats for overseas that we reacted to. And as the President, I wanted to know whether there was anything, any actionable intelligence. And I looked at the August 6th briefing, I was satisfied that some of the matters were being looked into. But that PDB said nothing about an attack on America. It talked about intentions, about somebody who hated America -- well, we knew that.

Yes, Dave.

Q Just to follow up on that, Mr. President. There was, in that PDB, specific information about activity that may speak to a larger battle plan, even if it wasn't specific. So I wonder if you could say what specifically was done, and do you think your administration should have done anything more?

THE PRESIDENT: David, look, let me just say it again: Had I known there was going to be an attack on America, I would have moved mountains to stop the attack. I would have done everything I can. My job is to protect the American people. And I asked the intelligence agency to analyze the data to tell me whether or not we faced a threat internally, like they thought we had faced a threat in other parts of the world. That's what the PDB request was. And had there been actionable intelligence, we would have moved on it.

I'm not exactly sure what you're referring to in the PDB, but if you're referring to the fact that the FBI was investigating things, that's great, that's what we expect the FBI to do.

Q Wasn't that current threat information? That wasn't historical, that was ongoing.

THE PRESIDENT: Right, and had they found something, they would have reported it to me. That's -- we were doing precisely what the American people expects us to do: run down every lead, look at every scintilla of intelligence, and follow up on it. But there was -- again, I can't say it as plainly as this: Had I known, we would have acted. Of course we would have acted. Any administration would have acted. The previous administration would have acted. That's our job.

Q Are you satisfied, though, that each agency was doing everything it should have been doing?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, that's what the 9/11 Commission should look into, and I hope it does. It's an important part of the assignment of the 9/11 Commission. And I look forward to their recommendations, a full analysis of what took place. I am satisfied that I never saw any intelligence that indicated there was going to be an attack on America -- at a time and a place, an attack. Of course we knew that America was hated by Osama bin Laden. That was obvious. The question was, who was going to attack us, when and where, and with what. And you might recall the hijacking that was referred to in the PDB. It was not a hijacking of an airplane to fly into a building, it was hijacking of airplanes in order to free somebody that was being held as a prisoner in the United States.

Okay, thank you all. Happy Easter to everybody. Thank you.

END 10:22 A.M. CDT

---

Return to this article at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/04/20040411-1.html

[Just mythoughts]

"This Commission has zero to do with CFR. How absurd.

You think the RATmedia is ever constrained in making up LIES from whole cloth? How naive."


Not sure what you are talking about in particular, do not recall that I ever said that "this commission" had anything to do with CFR.

[CedarDave]

You say President Bush is disengaged. I say the networks have practically issued a blackout regulation against his appearances. If you do not happen to live in a 'battleground' state, you will not even be seeing his commercials. Do you think he is spending his time in a hammock?

I live in a battleground state and I see three anti-Bush commercials to everyone for him. (Most are by anti-Bush groups; not directly by Kerry).

In case you missed these remarks --

They were entirely appropriate for today. However, somehow, sometime soon, he and the campaign staff have to neutralize the continued media bashing of him or else we can kiss it all goodby. (Just now on the news, they quote McCain [who was on MTP] as saying the President should have taken more action as a result of the August memo -- the press has taken [out of context of course] just one quote of McCain interview with the intention of showing the President in the most unfavorable light possible.)

[maica]

You make good points. What do you suggest he and/or we do to neutralize the antiBush media?

[blackie]

We are winning ~ the bad guys are losing ~ trolls, terrorists, democrats and the mainstream media are sad ~ very sad!

~~ Bush/Cheney 2004 ~~

[justshutupandtakeit]

#5 clearly linked the CFR to the Commission. You didn't mean it?

[Just mythoughts]

"#5 clearly linked the CFR to the Commission. You didn't mean it?"


OH you are using CFR for campaign fiance reform.... I thought you were talking about a totally different CFR.

You bet I mean "The Commission" is campaigning for JFKerry and every other liberal candidate running for election this election. There is no other possible explanation for the method and manner in which this "The Commission" put forth Richard Clarke as the "second coming".

Clarke's sole purpose for this "The Commission" was to discredit President Bush over making him appear obsessed with the war in Iraq. The "media" whores were in on the campaign against President Bush, that is why I referred to it as campaign finance reform, no candidate had to spend a dime on the free publicity.
____________________________________________________________
It is what McCain/Feingold Campaign Finance reform has brought us. "The Commission" the investigative arm of liberals in an attempt to destroy President Bush's strength, his credibility.

5 posted on 04/11/2004 5:18:56 AM PDT by Just mythoughts

[justshutupandtakeit]

I don't think anyone would disagree that for the RATmedia the Commission is The Get Bush Commission with nothing to do with 9/11. I have no idea what other CFR you referenced in the first post.