While CNN’s Peter Berger and other analysts are busily advancing Bush’s speech which starts at 10am, let’s consider what Bush will say. Touted by the White House as a “major speech,” Bush will speak on “progress of the war in Iraq and the broader conflict against terrorism.” (CNN).
Allow me to predict: Al Qaeda Syria Al Qaeda Iran Al Qaeda Syria Syria Syria bad bad bad. Oh, and Al Qaeda. (Then lots of Freedom, Freedom Freedoms! With a big dash of “stay the course!”)
Along with the morn, a realization dawned on me today:
Bill O’Reilly’s diatribe against Syria’s al-Assad (while interviewing a stunned General Wesley Clark) — and his call to “take out” the Syrian president (Media Matters Video/Transcript) — was as calculated as Pat Robertson’s recent call for the assassination of Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez.
You’ll recall Pat Lang’s post of Sept. 15. * Say it isn’t so… Please.*: “This guy [an Assad critic] is nobody in Syria but the Neocon, Jacobin crowd are pushing him as a neo-Lincolnesque figure. That nobody, promoted to the press, was interviewed through MEMRI: “”Leader of the Opposition Reform Party of Syria: “The Syrian Regime Is Nurturing Terrorism”; “We in Syria Need Peace More than the Israelis.”
Hmmm .. Bill O’Reilly planting the “Syria seed” in the FOX audience’s brain … MEMRI touting an opposition leader … the Bush administration bleating non-stop about the Al Qaeda infiltrators across the border from Syria … the huge offensives by the U.S. military along the border.
So do you think, like me, that Bush and his buddies like O’Reilly are building up Syria as the next boogeyman for the U.S. average Joe to latch onto?
And we all know what follows a flood of boogeyman propaganda from the Bush regime. BOMBS. And lots of dead civilians.
BUT WAIT! Syrians and human rights lawyers are complaining that Assad is cracking down on Jihadists:
The Jamestown Foundation suggests, much as human rights lawyers here do, that Asad has been cracking down of Jihadists and anyone the regime thinks might assist them. Judging from comments posted on the Syrian jihadi websites, the Jihadists are upset with the Syrian regime. Some state that President Assad is “licking the American boots” and has stepped up the campaign against the mujahideen over the last few weeks with “many clashes and sieges and arrests of large numbers of brothers.” For several months now the Jihadist websites have been debating whether to begin operations against the Syrian regime.
This Jihadist outrage supports the picture that Razan Zeitouneh has already painted for us of crack-down against Jihadists which has been going on for months. (Syria Comment, Oct. 5, 2005)
President Assad is “licking the American boots” ? Huh. A “crack-down against Jihadists” that’s been going on for months? Huh.
Frankly, if I were Assad, I’d be busily licking all the American boots I could while I frantically re-stock my deepest bunker.
Let’s listen to the real terrorist shortly, and see what HE has to say. Watch via the White House video or C-SPAN, or on TV via CNN, MSNBC, or C-SPAN.
Here’s what I’d love to see: CNN interrupting Bushy’s speech with “BREAKING NEWS” – Karl Rove Has Just Been Indicted.
Well, Susan. You know that we have to fight them over there so we don’t have to fight them over here.
These days, unfortunately, the “them” threatening the ongoing viability of the country seems to include the BushCo administration as well as potential external threats.
Major new Terrorism news. Terrorists are now using the Internets to communicate. “Two-way communication.” Eeks. Tribbers = Terrorists???
Speak for yourself, BJ!
Susan. This is two-way communication we are having. We could fall within the sweep of this speech. And with us not being “with him.” Who knows?
I was teasing you 🙂 But you’re being serious, and I’m sorry!
I am so sarcasm impaired. I mean. I use it just find. But I can’t spot it to save my life. Especially in writing. And especially on the internet.
It is like one of those autistic people who can play the piano but are tone deaf I think.
It will help when I enter my paranoid stage of life, coming soon, if I follow in my father’s footsteps.
But, for now, I can laugh, when people say — I was just kidding goof. 🙂
I accidentally rated your comment a “3”. Ugh. I hope that is correctable.
Yuo’d better pray it’s correctable, buster.
Tries again. Hopes he gets it.
Hey, did you know your initials are BJ?
Taking bets on how many times he says “progress”.
I’m guessing 6.
Can someone live blog? I have to fix something in the story.
global campaign of fear with a global campaign of freedom! the “ruins of tyranny” .. ohhhh.
So far he’s said freedom 5 times, evil 3 times and progress once.
He named off places around the world that have been hit with terror attacks – showing us the foreign names (twice) he can pronounce.
New meme: “Islamic radicalism”
Past few months we seen terrorism in London. Sharmel-Shaik. Bali.
Seems like random acts of violence. But there attacks serve a clear and focused ideology. A set of beliefs that are evil but not insane. Ilamo-facism. Radical terror. Exploitative of Islam.
Did he just pronounce fascism like faux-chism ???
Their philosophy denies all religious freedom.
Attacks other traditions they regard as heretics.
They spread propaganda and provide financing and technical assistance to local assistance.
Some groups are in regional groups associated with Al-Queada. Still others in local cells, inspired by Islamic Radicalism. All inspired by same philosophy.
These Islamic Radicalists have openly stated their goals.
End U.S. interests in the Middle East because we stand in the way of their interests. They want to drive the infidels out of their lands. They hit us and expect us to run. But now is not like Beruit and Mogadeshu.
I think he’s said “radical” about 10 times now…
He said Bin Laden – drink!
The Ilsamic Radicalists want to use the vacuum U.S. created in Iraq, to take over a country.
They acheived this goal for a time in Afghanistan.
Now they set their sets their sites on Iraq. Bin Laden says they need to win in Iraq. We must recognize it as a central front in our war on terror.
The Ilsamic Radicalists believe that success in Iraq will inspire the Ilamic peoples. To create a empire from Spain to Indonesia. They will then get WMDs and blackmail our country into ??? defeat???
The Civilized World has fought Hitle Stalin and Pol Pot, though they’ve caused great damage. Evil men must be taken seriously. We must stop them.
the terrorists were never in Iraq until you put them there.
Defeating them is hard because it thrives like a parasite on the suffering of others.
They exploit the resentful. Recruit through radicals mosques, these pawns of terror.
They multiply the radicals power through ideoology. Learn on Internet to make roadside bombs and launch RPG.
Influence is also assisted by helpers and enablers (see — Tribbers susan)… no syria an Iran.
This speech is making me laugh — everything he said since “these men should be taken very seriously and must be stopped before their crimes can multiply” could be describing himself and his cronies….
Unfucking believable –they sperad propaganda, they fuels local conflicts, etc. etc.
In psychology they call this “projection”, where a person transfers his own characteristics onto others.
Bush as been doing this for most of his adult life.
He’s obviously pushing this global WoT threat by naming all of these cities and countries – probably a message to get them to commit more resources to Iraq.
The use corrupted charities. They are strengthed by those who funk Radical Islam in unstable parts of world.
Helped by arab news media that insite anti-semitism and conspiracy theories.
Some have argued that they are helped by U.S. in Iraq. I would remind them that we were not in Iraq on September 11 2001. (but we were in Saudi Arabia asswipe). But they attacked us anyway.
Russia didn’t support Iraq. But Islamists killed children at Beslan (because they were in Chechnya you challenged lying asshole)
They are using ideology to enslave the world. No act of ours incited the killers. No appeasement will assuage them. They target nations whose behavior they believe they can change through violence.
We can never back down, never give in and never accept anything than complete victory. Applause.
I’m still waiting for all of these “new details” he’s supposed to provide…
9/11, 9/11, 9/11
Islamic Radicalism is the challenge of this century. Like Communism was. It is like that. It relies on allegists???
Bin Laden says he will tell people what is good for them and what is not. He tells them it is good to become suicide bombers. He assures them paradise. Though he never offers to go along for a ride (I heard a smirk and I am not watching).
We’ve seen it in murders of Pearle, etc. Killer of Theo Van Goehe. Killer turned to Van Goehe’s mother, said I don’t feel your pain infedel.
And they kill their own muslims.
The are the enemies of Islam and humanity. Applause.
We’ve seen this creulty before. In Gulags. Killing Fields. Like Communism. They pursue totalitarian aims. They have endless ambitions of imperial domination. They want to make everyone powerless except themselves. They ban books and brutalize women and end dissent and rule the soul (kind of sounds like our regime)
but they have imperialist ambitions.
You can see how desperate he is – drawing on every possible historical example in an attempt to prop himself up as some great warrior. What bull. How about spending the bucks on protecting the people in the US, Bush, by securing ports, properly funding first responders, securing chemical plants etc etc?
Terrorists are planning for a future of oppression and misery – kinda like my administration.
Dismissive of free people. Weak and decadent. Zaraqwi says Americans are weak and decadent. But they are weak . They car bomb children. Cut throats of bound.
We are courageous. We will destroy them. Applause.
Like the idealogy of communism — he has said this no less than 5 times in the last 3 minutes….
This will be one of the great propoganda speeches studied in the future…..I think I am going to puke.
Ilamsic Radicalists, like Communists, contains contradictions that will doom it.
By fearing freedom. Undermines free thought that makes societies successful. The only thing modern they have is weapons they will use against us.
The outcome of struggle not in doubt. Those that despise freedom and progress will collapse. Free people will own the future. Applause.
We didn’t ask for this global struggle. But we will answer. It will require patience, constant pressure and partners around the world.
We will disrupt conspiracies and work to give millions hopeful alternative.
We will prevent attacks before they occur.
We are making our homeland safer (see Katrina buttwipe).
One thing keeps popping up in my mind as I listen to this same ol’ same ol’:
“Project much, George?”
Because he’s condemning bin Laden and al-Qaeda for many of the exact same things the United States is doing.
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!
We’ve got a winner!
I suppose it’s too much to hope for the answer to that to be “my country back,” at least until I make it through the bonus round (or maybe Double Jeopardy).
“Tell him what he’s won, Don…”
“You’ve won 22 indictments of high government officials and associated hangers-on!!”
Wow, that’s better than the last prize I won — a five years’ supply of Crony-Roni, the Crawford, Texas treat.
Actually I didn’t win that one. It sort of got handed to me. And when I say “last prize,” I really mean, “last prize.” As in, as far from first as you can get.
We have killed or captured nearly all involved with 9/11, and most of Bin Ladens major deputies. Masterminds of jakarta and cole bombing. Blah, blah.
Overall we’ve disrupted at least 10 attacks. Three within U.S. Stopped other plots.
Enemy is wounded but still capable of global operations.
Our commitment is clear. We will not relent until they are exposed and broken and held accountable. No applause as expected.
He has not said one new thing in this speech. You’re not missing anything.
Some days, it’s better to be at work, LOL!
We will stop WMD proliferation.
We stopped AQ Kahn. Blah, blah.
Stopped dozens of shipments. Including to Iran. But it is still a dangerous words. Evil guys are working to get weapons. We’re stopping them.
I can’t believe he had the nerve to bring up Kahn — he was totally let of the fucking hook …. he sits in Pakistan a free man.
Syria and Iran are against us. They deserve no patience. U.S. makes no distinction between actors of terror and those that harbor them (except when we harbor people Cuba wants).
Any enemy of free people must be held to account bay all nations.
Well,, I fucking hope the “civilized world” is listening — he just said that the civilized world must hold regimes to account…I mean HIS regime.
God, what I wouldn’t give for one, just one person to get on my TV and say: “You, sir, are a lying sack of shit” and here’s why and go this this tripe point by point by point.
Terrorists want to ovethrow a rising democracy in Iraq. Our goal is to defeat them at the heart of their power (that you created dumbass).
Area by area, city by city, we are rooting them out and leaving behind good Iraqis to keep areas safe.
We are helping birth an elected government. Hard work. Dangerous to Iraqis and Americans. This war will require more sacrifice, more time and more resolve.
The terrorists are the most brutal enemy we have ever faced. But, we are up to task. Some are pessimistic. with every bombing and funeral of a child, it becomes clear they are not patriots or resistance fighters but enemies of the Iraqi people themselves.
Iraq has made incredible progress from tyranny to elections and constition in just 2 1/1 years. Iraq military gaining confidence every month.
Bush takes on Iraq War
In a letter to Bush, Senate Democrats said continuing along the same path in Iraq “could lead to a full blown civil war.”
“He has to tell the American people what the plan is,” said Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del.
…
The most recent Associated Press-Ipsos poll showed only 37 percent of Americans approve of Bush’s handling of Iraq, with 62 percent disapproving.
…
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Bush, in Thursday speech, “is going to be directly taking on some of those who argue that we should withdraw from the Middle East and those who suggest that taking the fight to the enemy only causes these radicals to launch attacks.”
The president intended to give Americans a newly detailed description of the terrorists’ clearly thought-out strategy for dominating the world with their brand of Islam and continued attacks on democracy. The president was to argue that the fight against them is not to be underestimated and can be compared to the lengthy previous battles against ideologies such as communism, McClellan said.
In other words, blah blah blah same old same old blah blah blah.
More time, more sacrifice, more, more, more, more — NO!!! Someone please say it loudly — NO!
Now 80 battalions fighting alongside our forces. No fair minded person should ignore deny or dismiss the efforts of Iraqis.
If you are complaining you are a jerk to Iraqis who are sacrificing. Democracies aruge. That’s okay. Dissent is okay (except here).
Naysayers say they can’t work together. Federal system will work there.
The Iraqis are ARGUING with each other?!?!?
No, fucktard, they are blowing each other up!!
But that’s democracy, he says. Holy shit.
Democracy is not a fragile flower, when it grows, but a healthy sturdy tree. Big applause.
“a healthy sturdy tree”
flashback to Libby’s letter to Miller about the aspens turning…
American people prefer freedom to slavery. We’re confident Iraqi Democracy will succeed.
Some say cut and run. It is a dangerous solution. Would the U.S. be more safe or less safe with bin Laden in Zarqawi in Iraq? We will not leave a country where we have removed Saddam to their hands.
There is always a temptation in the middle of struggle to seek a quiet life. But not wise. This enemy is never sated. It sees retreat as an invitation to greater violence.
In Iraq we will keep our nerve and win that victory. Great Applause. (God I thought he was done, but no)
There is always a tempatation to seek the quiet life – like I do when I take those reaaally long vacations at Crawford.
“Oh Lord, how long is this going to go on? It’s like a root canal.”
Sir, I’ve had a root canal.
A root canal is a personal friend of mine (compared to the hellacious toothache that preceeded it).
And this is FAR WORSE than a root canal!
And might I add that most root canals don’t go on for 5 years plus!
Usually when a root canal is done, things are better. We can always hope.
The sense of relief would certainly be overwhelming!
We will deny them troops. Our future and future of Middle east are linked. We can’t leave region in misery. Or it will be a source of endless conflict and mounting danger.
If they are permitted to choose their own destiny, the extremists will be marginalized, and the flow of Ilamic Radicalism will be stemmed.
We are encouraging democracy in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. We are standing with dissidents (except here).
We are using public diplomacy. (Go Karen). Blah blah blah. Applause.
said they say “the fine hand of Karen Hughes” in the speech. Fine hand? more like a huge clumsy claw.
As we confront radicalism, most vital work will be done in Islamic work. Many Muslims denounce terror. He quotes their scripture to them. Thou shalt not kill — in Muslim speak.
Many muslims a taking great risks. Muslim allies help us everywhere. Afghanistan. Iraq.
They are fighting for liberty. U.S. is proud to stand beside them. Applause.
What is a Taliban rem-a-nent? Is that what shot down that helicopter a few months back?
Our time will be remember for great challenges. Fight we have joined is linked to ancient struggle between tyranny and freedom.
Tyrants claim murder is justified, and it alienates people (bombs George? bombs?)
Tyrants claim free people are weak, until they are defeated by the free.
“we don’t know the course of our own struggle…the course our struggle will take…”
no shit…IOW, you don’t have a plan and this has been yet another huge waste of time…
We don’t know the course our struggle will take, but we know the defense of freedom is worth the sacrifice. The cause of freedom will prevail. May God Bless you. (fuck you dousche bag. Stop blessing me. May his noodly appendage wrap on your fucking neck and make you eat pretzels.)
End half-assed transcript.
“May his noodly appendage wrap on your fucking neck and make you eat pretzels.”
ROTFLMFAO
People in other cubes are wondering what is going on…
tyrants and would-be tyrants — here he goes describing his administration again:
Did this whole focus on extremists just seem HUGELY ironic to anyone given what is going on in THIS country??
“”here he goes describing his administration again:””
I had that thought many times while listening to this “ground breaking” speech.
‘More of the same’ is what I heard him say, we’ll continue down the path of destruction for the US, no matter what!!!!
I had to go look it up, because I’d never heard of the National Endowment for Democracy before. The two best pages are here and here.
From the Boston Globe:
BREAKING NEWS: President Bush has just finished delivering a speech defending his Iraq policy by once again connecting the war there to the war on terrorism. “We must recognize Iraq as a major front in the war on terror,” Bush said. He added that al Qaeda’s demands are not real but merely a ploy to win world domination. “Over the years these extremists have used a litany of excuses for their attacks,” Bush said. “…but no act of ours invited the rage of the killers and no concession, or bribe, or act of appeasement will change their plans for murder.” —
Developing
http://www.boston.com/
I WONDER WHO HAS A COPY OF THE SPEECH — the WH will have a transcript. We need to pick it apart.
but WaPo has the transcript up.
Democrats better stand up and tear him a new asshole for this speech — Reid and Biden were on my TV DEMANDING a plan — they better not backtrack now and say that they got one out of this speech…..I’m waiting.
Don’t hold your breath. Biden and Reid have no conviction, but they’ll call for a plan if the polls keep telling them to.
US will murder more people.
Your children will grow up to be torturers.
God is telling him to invade Syria and Iran.
Anyone who opposes US plans for world domination is a terrorist and will be killed.
Bush got what he wanted: front page coverage.
CNN has this headline, Bush: Terrorism thrives like a parasite right next to these headlines:
This speech makes me believe that the President needs to read Dying To Win by Robert Pape, where it is pretty convinclingly laid out that suicide terrorism is caused by military occupations. So fighting them there is asking them to blow you up. Period. Leave = Less desire on their part to blow you up. We are doing exactly the wrong thing, as a matter of simple policy, backed up by solid social scientific evidence.
Also makes me thing, much more so, that indictments are coming soon.
.
See my earlier post —
British Prime Minister Tony Blair greets Iraqi President Jalal Talabani - a Kurd - outside No. 10 Downing Street. AFP PhotoIn preparation and coordination between the Downing Street Office of Tony Blair and White House Oval Office of George Bush, Blair did groundwork for George by making unfounded accusation against Iran in the hope the consumer accepts these new lies on foreign policy.
Last Christmas Party? Hypothetically speaking!
IMHO Bushit’s speech again implies a link between Iraq and the 911 attacks. Most disturbing, it is clear the accusation against Syria and Iran have once again been coordinated with the UK, Tony Blair, and Israel’s Likud PM Sharon. The rhetoric bears the same fingerprints as has been spewed since 2001.
Bush repeatedly wants to UNITE Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories, the uprising of the people in Gaza and the West Bank, to terrorist activity supported by Syria and Iran. These are historic false claims and do not hold any facts. It’s just shameful.
The latest attempt to accuse Iran of developing a nuclear bomb, has also been proven untrue by ISEA. Just shameful BS from the WH occupant who claims the presidency.
Bush mentions the front against proliferation, uncovering AQ Khan in Pakistan. Perhaps I should just republish my diary ::
▼ ▼ ▼
Everyone might want to turn on Cspan 1 with Pelosi giving a press conference, says the Reps. are ‘lowering’ the amount of money to homeland security in budget.
.
~ Cross-posted from diary U.N. Condemns Iraq Charter Change ~
I have followed this accusation for some weeks now, it popped up on the Internet by Iranian opposition groups. This bogus story was coordinated with UK, US and Israeli officials, as the IAEA grip was tightened on Iran’s nuclear ambition for development of its nuclear reactors for civilian purpose.
Remember the false accusation of —
IMHO :: BS – LIES – DECEIT – for focus on Iran and distract from loss and failures in Iraq.
NeoCon Times Newspaper
▼ ▼ ▼
I don’t know what you mean by a “Chalabi” story? Do you mean it is as false as the stories planted by Chalabi? Or do you mean that this, too, is a Chalabi story?
I don’t the latter since Chalabi is close to the Iranians. I don’t trust any of these stories but I would not doubt that the Iranians are interfering in Iraq –why not, they have a vital interest there. But I laugh every time I see a story that accuses the Syrians or the Iranians of interference in Iraq — what, we aren’t interfering in Iraq? We only invaded and occupied the place — the Syrians and the Iranians, no matter what they do, can never top that!
.
It is as false as the stories planted by Chalabi!
In recent weeks the UK, US and Israel have upped their rhetoric and accusations against the Iranians. The Arab states hardly know borders, the Shia in Iraq are closely related to similar Shia factions in Iran.
One fact is certain, before 911 both Iran and Iraq were sworn enemies of Osama Bin Laden and the Taliban in Afghanistan. 5 Years of Bush neocon regime, and an unknown soldier Al Zarqawi has become an Al Zarqawi the Great with an army estimated between 20 and 30,000 Iraqi followers. A menace created by the Bush invasion of Iraq.
It’s a fact, the Taliban in Afghanistan were recognized by three states: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Emirates! That’s is where you will find the Al Qaeda roots.
9/11 was pre-emptive strike on US ◊ by creve coeur @dKos
▼ ▼ ▼
.
Easy, Bush’s speech writer is asked to make a portrait of the president’s first 5 years in office, his ambitions, determination, dominance for oil resources, aggressive and determined character, religious assets, not waiver in goal, if need be use torture.
Now, erase the name Bush or President and insert OBL and Taliban. That will just about do it.
▼ ▼ ▼
Interesting tidbit From CNN’s on-line column ‘the morning grind’
“Headlines tomorrow morning will tell whether Mr. Bush’s speech succeeded in assuaging some of the criticisms of the administration from Republican factions including the conservatives, moderates, liberals, socially-conscious, fiscally conscious, pro-War, pro-troop withdrawal timetable, pro-life, anti-abortion, anti Big Government, and the just-plain-ol’-Republicans.”
The speech was a little different, Bush finally found out that “Terra” is not a country.
Otherwise, lacking in details and lacking in a feasible plan to end the military occupation of Iraq.