Posted on 09/15/2006 5:56:19 AM PDT by Blue Turtle
developing
(Excerpt) Read more at drudgereport.com ...
I love it when our beloved President calls on the odious David Gregory. The result is always a hidden smirk by our Presdient and hidden whimper by Gregoire.
McCain doesn't think he needs our votes. He thinks he has enough "moderate" Republican votes and cross over Democrats but he's too stupid to figure out that while he may get a few "moderate" votes the Rats are going no where near him in the end. He tried this technique in '00 and it didn't work.
Cheers from my Diet Coke.
I was told on another thread that McCain said he doesn't care if his position on this matter makes people not vote for him in the future (or, presumably for the presidency).
Freepers are thinking by '08 he'll split with the Republican party, pull a Ross Perot and run as an independent.
That was a good zinger, but my favorite was to that NY Times woman and her, "we're a friendly paper" remark. I believe her name is Stolberg. I laughed so hard tears rolled down my cheeks when he retorted (can't remember his exact quote)!
I think they ought to play tapes of the bible, morning noon and night. 24/7.
joke
moderate republicans= fence straddlers!
The president said "I'd hate to see an unfriendly newspaper" or something to that effect.
"I'd hate to see an unfriendly one."
Yeah, Gregory's normally such a fair, balanced, completely impartial journalist, who can imagine him not getting aloge with a Republican president? */sarcasm*
Oh. Thanks! LOL
McCain gave ship locations in return for medical treatment before he was tortured. He excuses himself by saying that the ships had moved from their positions.
Bush wants 'clarity' on interrogations
By TERENCE HUNT, AP White House Correspondent
WASHINGTON - Facing a GOP revolt in the Senate, President Bush urged Congress on Friday to join in backing legislation to spell out strategies for interrogating and trying terror suspects, saying "the enemy wants to attack us again."
"Time is running out," Bush said in a Rose Garden news conference. "Congress needs to act wisely and promptly."
Bush denied that the United States might lose the high ground in the eyes of world opinion, as former Secretary of State Colin Powell suggested.
"It's unacceptable to think there's any kind of comparison between the behavior of the United States of America and the action of Islamic extremists who kill innocent women and children to achieve an objective," said Bush, growing animated as he spoke.
Bush's comments came a day after Republicans on the Senate Armed Services Committee broke with the administration and approved a bill for detention and trial of foreign terrorism suspects. Bush claims the measure would compromise the war on terrorism.
He is urging the Senate to pass a bill more like a House-passed one that would allow his administration to continue holding and trying terror suspects before military tribunals.
Bush said he would work with Congress to resolve the disputed language, but stood firm on his demands.
"If not for this program, our intelligence community believes al Qaida and its allies would have succeeded in launching another attack against the American homeland," he said.
"Unfortunately the recent Supreme Court decision put the future of this program in question. ... We need this legislation to save it."
The high court earlier this year struck down Bush's current arrangement for trying detainees held at the U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Bush said that it was vital to change the law to protect intelligence professionals who are called on to question detainees to obtain vital information. "They don't want to be tried as war criminals. ... They expect our government to give them clarity about what is right and what is wrong."
He called it an important debate that "defines whether or not we can protect ourselves. Congress has got a decision to make."
Meanwhile, foreign ministers of the European Union on Friday called on the United States to respect international law in its handling of terror suspects after Bush acknowledged his country had run secret prisons abroad.
"We reiterate that in combatting terrorism, human rights and human standards have to be maintained," said Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja, speaking on behalf of the 25 EU ministers. "We acknowledge the intention of the U.S. administration to treat all detainees in accordance with the provisions of the Geneva Convention."
Four Republicans, led by Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record), R-Ariz., joined Democrats on Thursday on the Armed Services Committee and voted 15-9 for the measure that Bush opposes.
"As we work with the international community to defeat the terrorists and the extremists to provide an alternative to their hateful ideology, we must also provide our military and intelligence professionals with the tools they need to protect our country from another attack," Bush said. "And the reason they need those tools is because the enemy wants to attack us again."
The dissident group led by McCain — and backed by Powell, Bush's first-term secretary of state — said Bush's approach would jeopardize the safety of U.S. troops.
Powell said Bush's proposal to redefine the Geneva Conventions would encourage the world to "doubt the moral basis of our fight against terrorism" and "put our own troops at risk."
It was Bush's first news conference since Aug. 21, when he said the Iraq war was "straining the psyche of our country" but that leaving now would be a disaster. Bush has made the struggle against terrorism and the war in Iraq the top issues in the November elections, hoping to persuade voters that Republicans are better than Democrats at protecting the country.
Bush's voice rose and he chopped the air with his right hand several times as he spoke on Iraq. He denied anew that the surge in sectarian violence meant a civil war.
On other subjects, Bush:
• All but acknowledged one of his top domestic priorities — immigration law overhaul — was essentially dead for now amid disputes on Capitol Hill. When will there be action? "I don't know the timetable. ... My answer is as soon as possible is what I'd like to see done."
• Said he will signal at the United Nations next week firm U.S. opposition to delaying nuclear negotiations with Iran. "I have made it clear that we will sit down with the Iranians once they verifiably suspend their enrichment program. I meant what I said." He said he won't meet with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who also will be at the United Nations next week.
• Cited a "level of frustration" with the United Nations, both on dealing with the humanitarian crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan and with spending its money wisely.
• Responded, "I wouldn't exactly put it that way" when asked if he agreed with comments by House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, that Democrats "are more interested in protecting the terrorists than protecting the American people." But, he said, "there's a difference in attitude" between Republicans and Democrats.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060915/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush
We could get the Pope to make a few tapes.
I was so happy to see that all the alphabet networks also covered his press conference, although they are probably gnashing their teeth that they did so after he mopped everyone one of their liberal @sses up in a matter of minutes.
Our President did an outstanding job and I've never been prouder of him.
Al-Qaeda's "soldiers" do not take prisoners in the traditional sense. They decapitate the people they grab on TV for all of us to see. What the hell is wrong with these three Senators? McCain was tortured while a POW of Viet Nam - they were signatories to the Geneva Convention - WHY IS HE ARGUING LIKE THIS?
Not a bad idea. Except the liberals would hate it: "church & state!"
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