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Post by MProffitt on May 28, 2004 7:37:42 GMT -5
OP-ED COLUMNIST A Speech That's No Joke By BOB HERBERT
Published: May 28, 2004
It has always been easy to make fun of Al Gore. But if there's any truth to the thunderous criticism he's turned loose on the Bush administration this week, it's time to dispense with the jokes and listen seriously to what the man is saying.
If Mr. Gore is right, the nation is faced with a crisis of leadership that is perilously close to an emergency.
........... Perhaps letter to this writer might be in order to say "finally, someone is finally listening and it not like he has been trying to warn us". Al Gore was warning us in the 2000 election, but no one was listening, everyone was too busy being the mouthpiece of the GOP.
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Post by Listening on May 28, 2004 7:58:49 GMT -5
Al Gore continues to lurch from disaster to disaster. First, Mr. Gore endorsed Howard Dean for president, only to see the Dean campaign promptly tank. Then he endorsed a cheesy disaster movie about global warming that Gregg Easterbrook, the pro-environment senior editor of The New Republic, says is "beyond laughable." Now Mr. Gore has turned his attention to the war on terrorism, an area in which the administration he served didn't exactly constitute a profile in courage.
Mr. Gore turned up at New York University Wednesday with a raging speech against the Bush administration's foreign policy. He called for the resignations of five senior Bush aides, including National Security Adviser Condi Rice. Democratic consultants cringed when Mr. Gore said the Bush foreign policy was "based on domination of the rest of the world" and failed even to mention the name of Nick Berg, the American who was beheaded by terrorists as a direct challenge to the country's stomach for the Iraq fight. In fact, Mr Gore continues to come across as a poor sport who hasn't gotten over his 2000 defeat and is bent on petty revenge. Many Democrats wish they could find a way to keep Mr. Gore in a closet somewhere until November. His bellowing denunciations of Mr. Bush may fire up the Democratic base, but most voters will be left scratching their heads at what has caused the last Democrat nominated for President to become unhinged.
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Post by The Admiral on May 28, 2004 9:28:40 GMT -5
Al Gore never was elected president or held any other real executive responsibility. His willingness to criminalize the Bush administration Wednesday for everything that has been frustrating or disappointing in the Iraq war is, at bottom, the attitude of a legislator--that is, one-out-of-535, a man who never experienced direct responsibility for making something good and constructive come out of intractable realities. Iraq is a "catastrophe," he declared prematurely in his NYU speech. Everyone involved has brought "dishonor" on the American nation and military. Never mind that thousands of American troops, workers and ordinary Iraqis are still there plugging away to make sure it comes out right in the end. In Mr. Gore's mind, the mess at Abu Ghraib trumps all the other stakes the U.S. has in the war in Iraq. Mr. Gore is a lifelong pretense, so it's not surprising that he falls back on a tired, tinny Vietnam reflex that criticizing a U.S. president in wartime is always a morally superior pose. What a contrast was Bill Clinton's speech at Kansas State University last week. Mr. Clinton acknowledged that many students in the audience probably opposed the war in Iraq, but he quickly shushed their cheering, saying, "This is thinking time, not cheering time. If immediately you decide that somebody who sees a whole new situation differently than you must be a bad person and is somehow twisted inside, then we're not going to get very far in forming a more perfect union." Let's see, where do I begin to point out your factual inaccuracies? I guess I'll start at the beginning. Inaccuracy #1: Al Gore was never elected president Fact: Al Gore not only won the popular vote in the US but also received more votes than Bush in Florida and thus should won the electoral college vote by a significant margin. Inaccuracy #2: Al Gore has never held any position of executive authority. Fact: Al Gore was US Vice President for eight years and as such wielded considerable executive authority under the widely reported "troika" arrangement wherein Bill, Hillary and Al shared executive power. In that capacity, Gore drove the REGO program which reduced federal government headcount to its lowest level in 40 years (remember when the private sector was hiring?) and personally saved the Kyoto Accord negotiation at the eleventh hour, as well as playing a major role in the military and diplomatic decisions regarding US intervention in the Balkans. He also played a major executive role in the environment, including working with the head of the EPA (Carol Browner?). Your assertion that Gore has no executive experience is laughable on its face. In addition, Gore serves as a board member on many important companies, including Apple. Inaccuracy #3. Declaring Iraq a catastrophe is premature. Fact. More lives have been lost in Iraq than any military action since Viet Nam. The final dollar cost of Iraq is presently unknown but it is sure to be in the hundreds of BILLIONS of dollars. The invasion of Iraq has led to a great recruiting victory for Al Qaida and other terrorist groups: story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=6&u=/ap/20040525/ap_on_re_eu/al_qaida_6 The occupation of Iraq has led to expansion of the worldwide terrorist network. Terrorists are pouring into Iraq because of the chance to kill Americans. Al Qaida has been able to regroup because we lost focus on Afghanistan and Pakistan. The USA is now held in the lowest regard around the world, including among our allies, since polling has meaasured such opinion. I'd say catastrophe is a pretty accurate word. Inaccuracy #4: Gore said that everyone involved has brought "dishonor" on the American nation and military. Fact: Gore placed no blame on the troops in general, but rather praised their courage. I defy you to quote the speech to show any blaming by Gore on the troops, other than a few individuals at Abu Ghraib. Even on that scandal, most of Gore's criticism was directed at the policy makers at the top. Inaccuracy #5: Gore said the mess at Abu Ghraib trumps all the other stakes the U.S. has in the war in Iraq. Fact: He simply didn't say anything like that. I challenge you to quote such a statement. Put up or shut up. algoredemocrats.com/Inaccuracy #6: Mr. Gore is a lifelong pretense. Fact: Gore, unlike Bush, volunteered for Viet Nam. Gore unlike Bush, has SUCCEEDED at every position he has held in the public and private sector. Bush's only success was as an owner of the Texas Ranger's, a position he got by virtue of his father's name and at which he succeeded by taxing the people of Arlington for a new stadium. Unlike Bush, Gore has never lied to the American people. Unlike Bush, Gore has never disenfranchised black voters (South Carolina and Florida, at least). Inaccuracy #7: Bill Clinton spoke at Kansas State University last week. Fact: Bill Clinton spoke at Kansas University in Lawrence, Kansas last week. Inaccuracy #8: Bill Blinton contrasted Gore's remarks by being nonpartisan. Fact: Clinton spoke at TWO gatherings last week in Lawrence. I attended both. While the first one was generally nonpartisan in tone, he was much more candid at the second one, before Democrats. At that reception/fundraiser he decried the insanity of Bush's fiscal and foreign policies. Even at the first talk he made it clear that military conquest was not an option, that negotiation recognizing interdependence is the only ultimate solution. Honestly, you freepers make it too easy!
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Post by earthmother on May 28, 2004 10:28:18 GMT -5
Thanks for straightening this person out, Admiral. It's a dirty job, but somebody's gotta do it!
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Post by GSC Admin on May 28, 2004 14:27:10 GMT -5
Trolls are so stupid, not to mention right wing ones. Good come back Admiral!
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Post by MProffitt on May 28, 2004 14:40:42 GMT -5
It truly amazes me how vindictative, nasty, and down right mean people of this country have become. It embarrasses me, as an American first that, the hate and divisions between the parties seems to have become nastier and meaner each year since a Democrat took office after Bush Sr. and now that Bush Jr. is in power, and his party control all three houses of this nation, this country has become the worse for it.
Al Gore did not report anything new in his speech, its all been there in the press and reported in government documents, reports and hearings, in printed and radio and television media. All of it, the abuses, the chain of command, who was responsible and who gave the orders, the costs of life and treasury, the cost of world opinion, the increased threat due to our reckless engagement, the war profiting, highly respected Republicans questioning the judgment of their leaders. All of it has been right there in front of people's noses. What does it take for people to wake up and realize their loyalty to a party has been used, betrayed and counted on?
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Post by GSC Admin on May 28, 2004 14:46:16 GMT -5
Yea, you have idiots like Sean Hannity saying Gore is a danger to America by speaking out. Wow, free speech is a danger. That is truly republican talk. He asked a real republican last night, Bob Dole, if he thought that Gore speech would be demoralizing to the troops and Dole said he wouldn't go that far. God bless Bob Dole. If only every republican was like him, our nation would be a lot better off. If all Democrats were like Gore, our nation would be perfect!
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Post by MProffitt on May 28, 2004 15:06:15 GMT -5
On Hannity own website he had, for a short time, a poll on who would you vote for Bush, Kerry or Nadar. Before he pulled it Kerry was winning over Bush 75% to 25%!
There has been alot of self-examination going on in the major printed press of late over their coverage of this War, and this Administration. Times are changing, a little too late. They have already cost us a great President, a better America, thousands of American and Iraqi lives, the baby boomers retired security, and our children's future, no to mention the respect and honor this nation once had in the World community and future history books. Our children's children we learn how far too many of us, of this generation, allowed this to happen.
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Post by MProffitt on May 28, 2004 15:08:33 GMT -5
Opps! Sorry for the double post.
P.S. Thanks for fixing the problem and letting me back in on the site.
Great responses for Gore!
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Post by The Admiral on May 29, 2004 3:38:59 GMT -5
Bilge Pump, when are you going to learn that your version of the truth is the wrong side of history. #1 Gore wasn't and never will be president, no matter how you twist it. I guess you will go to your grave angry. #2 Hillary was not elected! She had no power! Al had no power! Ultimate authority resides with the president. So,Gore is a corporate whore by his association with Apple?!? Really, you should have been awake in civics class. #3 The terrorist have been at war with the US for 10 or more years, we haven't been at war with them during that time. I would rather have the terrorist where our military can desrtoy them, rather than the terrorist destroying our infrastructure, economy and citizens. Using your measure of lost lives and dollars spent, you would consider any war a catostrophic failure. #4 "How dare they subject us to such dishonor and disgrace! How dare they drag the good name of the United States of America through the mud of Saddam Hussein's torture prison!" #5 The statement in the post is: In Mr. Gore's mind, the mess at Abu Ghraib trumps all the other stakes the U.S. has in the war in Iraq. Refer to #4 as proof. #6 Bush's ANG unit was flying and fighting in Vietnam. Gore was on the ground with a minder to keep him out of harms way. A minder put there by his father Al Gore Sr. Really, why are you ashamed of receiving anything from family? I defy you to point to one report, or court case where a black voter was disenfranchised with malice in SC or FL? #7 Kansas, Kansas State. #8 Democrats have mastered the art of speaking out of both sides of their mouth. #1 Al Gore was not only duly elected, he IS my president. There are plenty of banana republics where the candidate who got elected was not inaugurated. Now the US falls into that category as well. Whether you like it or not, that is the way the world views the election. People (including leaders) around the world not only consider Bush a moron but as an illegitimate president. #2 Hillary had no power? Gore had no power? Did you read any newspapers in the 1990s? Ever hear of Hillary's health care initiative? Kyoto? It was a real troika and it has been widely reported. Read Woodward's book on the Clinton administration or any other informed source and you will learn they ran the first administration as a troika. You are embarassing yourself by arguing against the facts. #3 The best defense is a good offense. We need a real focus on Afghanistan and Pakistan. There is this network headquartered there. It is called Al Qaida. You should look into it, it was in all the papers. They planned and executed 9/11. Their leader is Osama Bin Forgotten. Bush let him get away in 2002 and then decided to invade Iraq and let Al Qaida regroup. Invading Iraq was as meaningful to the war on terrorism as invading Canada or Timbuktu. BTW, WWI, WWII, Korea, Bosnia and Kosovo were all successful US wars, not catastrophes. #4 Now you're clearly lying or you're as dumb as Bush. Your original claim was that Gore blamed every American in Iraq for the dishonor. Here is what you said: "Iraq is a "catastrophe," he declared prematurely in his NYU speech. Everyone involved has brought 'dishonor' on the American nation and military." Now I quote Gore IN CONTEXT, so that you can't lie about it. Notice that he NEVER blames the troops in general and he puts the blame squarely on Bush and his advisors. "How dare they blame their misdeeds on enlisted personnel from a Reserve unit in upstate New York. President Bush owes more than one apology. On the list of those he let down are the young soldiers who are themselves apparently culpable, but who were clearly put into a moral cesspool. The perpetrators as well as the victims were both placed in their relationship to one another by the policies of George W. Bush. How dare the incompetent and willful members of this Bush/Cheney Administration humiliate our nation and our people in the eyes of the world and in the conscience of our own people. How dare they subject us to such dishonor and disgrace. How dare they drag the good name of the United States of America through the mud of Saddam Hussein's torture prison." So are you lying or just as dumb as Bush? Or both? #5 Try again, Freeper Brain. Your quote of Gore, expressing righteous indignation at Bush et al. for the policies that led to the prison scandal, does not imply that the scandal therefore trumps any national security interest we now have in Iraq. Your conclusion simply doesn't follow from the quote. #6 Bush's unit may have gone to Nam, but little Dubya was too busy snorting coke and working on Republican campaigns in Alabama to go. No matter how you slice it, he's a chicken hawk. The Gore "minder" story is a right wing myth. If Gore Sr. had the power to get him set up for protection in Nam, how come he couldn't control WHEN Gore was sent? Gore, Jr. was held stateside an unusually long time after enlistment because his father was up for re-election as Senator from Tennessee in a close race. Nixon didn't want Gore Sr. to have the PR value of a son in Viet Nam, so Gore wasn't shipped out until after the election of 1970. WARNING: The Surgeon General has determined that reading Newsmax and other right wing mythology will turn your brain into mush. As to black voter disenfranchisement in Florida, I give you the link you asked for below, with streaming video. Watch and weep. If you can't watch streaming video, go to gregpalast.com and you will learn how innocent black voters were taken off the Florida registration list on purpose. Tens of thousands of them. The streaming video is about 15 minutes long. Note at minute 13 the interview with Clayton Roberts, Katherine Harris' lieutenant. When confronted with a smoking gun memo that he and Harris lied to the Florida Civil Rights Commission, Roberts ripped off his microphone, ran into his office and called the cops! Reporter Palast was then escorted out of the building by Florida State Troopers. Ever hear anything about that on Newsmax? news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/cta/progs/newsnight/palast.ram #7 I'll take your eye-rolling as a concession that you had the facts wrong. KSU is in Manhattan, Kansas. KU, where Clinton spoke (and site of the Dole Institute) is in Lawrence, Kansas. I'll concede that this was your only INNOCENT mistake. #8 Democrats have mastered the art of fiscal discipline. We are also better on foreign policy. If Gore had been president we might have stopped 9/11. We would definitely be safer right now because we wouldn't have gone into Iraq. We'd be after Bin Laden, with a lot more troops in Afghanistan than Bush has seen fit to deploy.
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Post by ErinB on May 29, 2004 3:50:23 GMT -5
Admiral, You rock!
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Post by MProffitt on May 29, 2004 7:31:16 GMT -5
Voter Disenfranchisement not just a Florida/Black issue, but by far it was black communities that suffered the worst of it and not just in Florida. Tennessee might we considered worse than Florida on that issue: .............. The Justice Department's intervention in three Florida counties, which it accuses of violating voters' rights in the 2000 presidential election, deals mainly with would-be voters who needed "language assistance," according to letters released by the counties. www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A1529-2002May23¬ Found=true June 9, 2001 This disenfranchisement disproportionately affected African-Americans. Statewide, based on county statistical estimates, African-American voters were approximately nine times more likely than white ones to have their ballots rejected. www.nytimes.com/2001/06/09/politics/09HIGH.html?ex=1085976000&en=08919de730eb172 3&ei=5070 This happened to my 18 year old daughter for her much anticipated first time voting, in Seminole County where she had registered at college (Seminole County (primarily Republican) was sued for voting violations - allowing Republicans unsupervised access to the election offices): "Other people submitted their registration applications well before the deadline, but were told by poll workers on Election Day that there was no evidence of their registrations. Rights Panel Criticizes Florida's Bush, Harris Justice Dept. Probe of 2000 Vote Is Sought By Robert E. Pierre Washington Post Staff Writer Saturday, June 9, 2001; Page A03 The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights yesterday approved a report that harshly criticized Florida leaders for allowing problems during last November's presidential election, disenfranchising countless Floridians, the majority of them African Americans. www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A41429-2001Jun8¬F ound=true Better yet, try this site - there's a full listing of links, stories, reports, for your selection: Investigations into Voter Disenfranchisement www.failureisimpossible.com/needtoknow/votehearings.htm ------------------------- Or, if you truly want to know the truth - just google search it for yourself, and you will discover a new world of countless articles, reports, civil lawsuits, governmental investigation reports, governmental hearings and commissions reports, and court settlements, up the ass. ----------------- But, after posting all this information I have the thought that you are quite possibly one who does not want nor do you care for the truth - You either already know the real truth of it and chose not to acknowledge it, opting instead of accepting it, as certain extreme and loud Republicans (not all Republicans) would lead you to believe, as a diablolical plot of lies by "evildoers" against pResident Bush and the Republican Party, (its their rightous me against them thing), or you are one of those FoxNews listeners who still think we went to War over WMD and the pResident was right and the WORLD was wrong, and that we found WMD's and that Saddam was the one who caused 9/11 or whichever revised reason of the week it is today, which I would say "WAKE UP" and change the channel, or the rose colored republican glasses you wear and view the world from is so blindly partism that you can not see what's in front of your face, again I would say WAKE UP" this is happening to our country to our fellow citizens to the World which we are a member of! But to give you the benefit of the doubt - you may just be uninformed - I mean it does require some work on your part to keep track of what our government is doing since the press failed this country in the last 14.5 or so years. There is a lot of soul searching being done in the media and within the Republican Party - about how we got where we are - and they are not liking what they see. I'm sorry its Democrats, who certain Republicans want you to believe, are continually being forced to bring the blatant problems this Administration has caused to the public light - but you know its not just Democrats - alot of those "traitorous, unpatriotic, disgrunted, out of the loop" Republicans, civilian heads of Government Departments, numerous Military Leaders are some of the ones that are saying the worse of it, and perhaps thats what troubles you most - It's not always about winning - its about the safety of this country and its citizens and the world which we all owe a duty to. If people would just forget the partism stuff that has been dividing us and be Americans first - we would not be where we are! Al Gore had the guts to put in all together in an in your face listen and weap speech! Don't attack the messenger!
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Post by The Admiral on May 29, 2004 8:22:55 GMT -5
#1 In your #1, you say Gore was elected, then in #8, you go soft by saying "If Gore had been President...". Starting not to belive your own words? #2 Hillary Care is soooo successful!! Care to point out the part of the plan that she implemented that has done the most for America? #3 We are going on the offense in the middle east as a good defense for our country. Glad to see you believe in what is being done to defend our freedom. #4 I pulled that quote from the Al Gore Support Forum of his speech. Maybe you should give it a read: algoresupport.proboards19.com/index.cgi?board=newsalerts&action=display&thread=1085577079#5 That quote and countless others show the democrats are more concerned about power than national security. Care to point out where they are more concerned about national security? Even the american public trusts the republicans to handle national security better than democrats 6# The link doesn't work, just like your logic. The civil rights board convened in FL, and there was not one valid case brought forward. #8 Just like they stopped the Kobar towers, the 93 WTC bombing, the USS Cole? Clinton and Gore have tried to hijack the millineum capture, when in fact the border gaurd was never notifed and it was her training and personal initiative alone that made the capture. The more you talk, the more you prove that any education you received, didn't work. Someone did you a diservice by not making you pay attention in school. #1 Gore was elected but not inaugurated. Everybody on this forum seems to understand that distinction but you. Gore is my president, period. That pretzel-choking, bike-crashing chimp never will be. #2 My favorite right wing tactic: when you lose the argument, change the subject! The original issue was whether Gore had executive experience. I assume you are conceding that point. If not, please cite a source demonstrating who other than Gore was behind Kyoto and the REGO program. You freepers are all alike. When you're beaten by logic and facts you change the subject. That stuff only works when you can constantly interrupt or get Sean Hannity to protect you. On a level playing field, you guys don't have a prayer against informed liberals. We stick to the point. As Ronald Reagan used to say "Facts are stubborn things." Welcome to reality. #3 Gore pointed out in 2002 why Iraq was the wrong war at the wrong time. We need offensive operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Bush just doesn't get it. He doesn't like to be confused by the facts. That's why so many retired US generals are speaking out against him. Remember when we were going to get Osama "dead or alive," a long time ago? How many times has Bush said that in the last year? Zero. #4 You must have been taught to read by Dubya. Go back and find where I ever challenged the ACCURACY of either quote. But don't look too long, because I didn't. What I did was rebut your interpretation of Gore's quote. In my last response I repeated BOTH Gore quotes, but in CONTEXT. Your lame attempt to refute something I didn't say is another right wing tactic. I will take your nonresponse as an admission that Gore never said that all the troops in Iraq brought dishonor on America. It was laughable when you said it and you have done nothing to disprove my rebuttal. #5 Congratulations!!! You finally made one accurate statement. You said the American public trusts Repubs more than Dems on national security issues. This has been true for decades. See, when you say something accurate I have the ability to honestly concede the point. Try it some time, it's fun! That's the good news for Bush. Historically that disparity has been huge, around 30 points difference. The bad news is that margin has SHRUNK dramatically under Bush. The difference on foreign policy between Kerry and Bush is now about ten points. Kerry has closed the gap by a large margin, although I think it has a lot more to do with Bush's incompetence than Kerry's policy pronouncements. Now you asked for an example where Dems were better than Repubs. I'll give you two: A) the Balkans. A lot of Republicans opposed the war and said Clinton was wagging the dog. But in Bosnia and Kosovo we stopped genocide and helped Muslims defend themselves. Gore played a major role in the decision to intervene. B) Terrorism. Refer to Richard Clarke's book to see why Clinton/Gore was more effective on terrorism than Bush/Cheney. Thank God the public is starting to wise up. #6 The link just worked for me, using Real Player. So I think the problem is on your computer. You might also want to check the BIOS in your brain because I have detected other problems there! Also, what MProffitt said!!! #8 For the real story check out Richard Clarke's book. He is a Republican, like McCain, who cares more about national security and the truth, than protecting an incompetent frat boy.
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Post by earthmother on May 29, 2004 8:38:48 GMT -5
Alpha Male--To paraphrase a former NY State Senator (yes, a Democrat), "All people are entitled to their own opinions. They are not, however, entitled to their own facts."
Get your facts straight or just come right out and say these are your opinions. You'll never get away with posting untrue "facts" about Gore on this site. ;D
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Post by MProffitt on May 29, 2004 8:42:43 GMT -5
Check these out while your at it: New reports question war on terror Have US efforts really swelled Al Qaeda's ranks? by Tom Regan | csmonitor.com While officials of the FBI and the Justice Department of the US were telling citizens this week to prepare for possible terrorist attacks over the summer (although Thursday there appeared to be some confusion among US officials over those warnings), a well-known strategic think tank and two human rights organizations were questioning the direction and value of the US-led war on terror. They alleged that the war was actually leading to increased terrorism around the world. Early in the week, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), a London-based think tank, released its annual survey of world affairs. The Associated Press reports that the IISS claims that, far from being undermined by the war on terror, Al Qaeda "has more than 18,000 potential terrorists scattered around the world and the war in Iraq is swelling its ranks." Driving the terror network out of Afghanistan in late 2001 appears to have benefited the group, which dispersed to many countries, making it almost invisible and hard to combat, the report said. The US occupation of Iraq brought Al Qaeda recruits from across Islamic nations, the study said. Up to 1,000 foreign Islamic fighters have infiltrated Iraqi territory, where they are cooperating with Iraqi insurgents. www.csmonitor.com/2004/0528/dailyUpdate.htmlZinni, Clancy Team Up for Iraq War Criticism NEW YORK — A brand name author with many admirers in the military criticized the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, citing it as proof that "good men make mistakes." That same writer said he almost "came to blows" with a leading war supporter, former Pentagon adviser Richard Perle (search). Zinni has openly attacked the war, but Clancy reluctantly acknowledged his own concerns. He declined repeatedly to comment on the war, before saying that it lacked a "casus belli," or suitable provocation. "It troubles me greatly to say that, because I've met President Bush," Clancy said. "He's a good guy. ... I think he's well-grounded, both morally and philosophically. But good men make mistakes." But even as an envoy, Zinni spoke out against invading Iraq, regarding it as disastrous for Middle East peace and a distraction from the war against terrorism. On Monday, he said getting rid of Saddam Hussein was not worth the price. "He's a bad guy. He's a terrible guy and he should go," Zinni said. "But I don't think it's worth 800 troops dead, 4,500 wounded — some of them terribly — $200 billion of our treasury and counting, and our reputation and our image in the world, particularly in that region, shattered." In discussing the Iraq war, both Clancy and Zinni singled out the Department of Defense for criticism. Clancy recalled a prewar encounter in Washington during which he "almost came to blows" with Richard Perle, a Pentagon adviser at the time and a longtime advocate of the invasion. "He was saying how (Secretary of State) Colin Powell was being a wuss because he was overly concerned with the lives of the troops," Clancy said. "And I said, 'Look ..., he's supposed to think that way!' And Perle didn't agree with me on that. People like that worry me." www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,120823,00.html US made mistakes in Iraq, Wolfowitz admits May 19, 2004 - 6:02PM Page Tools Email to a friend Printer format Related Paul Wolfowitz's speech Washington: A Pentagon architect of the Iraq war said the Defence Department underestimated its enemy, failing to predict how resilient Saddam Hussein and his government would be. In a rare admission of pre-war miscalculations, Deputy Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said today it's impossible to say how long a large American military force will have to stay in Iraq after political power is handed to Iraqis on June 30. Wolfowitz, one of the Bush administration's key advocates of the Iraq intervention, spoke at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, the latest called by lawmakers worried about the handling of the war and reconstruction so far and about its plans for the future. www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/05/19/1084917648312.htmlWar critics astonished as US hawk admits invasion was illegal Oliver Burkeman and Julian Borger in Washington Thursday November 20, 2003 The Guardian International lawyers and anti-war campaigners reacted with astonishment yesterday after the influential Pentagon hawk Richard Perle conceded that the invasion of Iraq had been illegal. www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1089158,00.html WASHINGTON - As members of Congress head home today to face their constituents over the 10-day Memorial Day recess, many Republicans leave anxious about the war in Iraq, disheartened by President Bush's sagging approval ratings and worried that dissent within their party is undercutting their message at a crucial time. With the elections 5 1/2 months away, polls show that gasoline prices have become a rising concern of voters and that the war has left many skeptical of President Bush's policy in Iraq. Doubts are growing about the president's overall leadership, surveys show. At the same time, infighting has broken out in Republican ranks, especially between the House and Senate. Republican leaders are irritated that some of their own are breaking ranks to oppose the party's stance on the budget and to criticize the administration's handling of the Iraq prison abuse scandal at a vulnerable time for Bush. Some Republicans say they are fearful not only that Bush's stock is falling, but also that their party's ideas are getting lost in a tangle of administration setbacks. www.baltimoresun.com/news/printedition/bal-te.congress21may21,0,6334362.story?coll=bal-pe-asection Conservatives criticize Bush for Iraq policy President Bush speaks to the American Conservative Union on Thursday in Washington. Bush said he is committed to bringing democracy and stability to Iraq. Evan Vucci the Associated Press President Bush is facing sharp dissent from his conservative base about the war in Iraq that could force him to change course or risk losing critical support for his re-election campaign. news-leader.com/today/0514-Conservati-87637.htmlBETWEEN IRAQ AND A HARD PLACE Bush Persistently Hawkish as Republicans, U.S. Allies Criticize Plans for Iraqi Invasion by Greta Knutzen, FTW Staff Writer www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/082702_iraq.htmland it goes on and on and on........... Yet everyday it get worse, and more Americans and Iraqis are dying.
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