'Catastrophic Success'?

President Bush takes plenty of flak for his less-than-eloquent locution, but impromptu fumblings aside, his latest campaign statement on Iraq is a calculated exercise in cognitive dissonance -- an astonishing attempt to whitewash the post-invasion debacle by indirectly "blaming" the U.S. military's victorious surge to Baghdad last year. On the eve of the Republican convention, Bush said that the daunting problems now plaguing the reconstruction are a result of a "catastrophic success," of, "being so successful so fast that an enemy that should have surrendered or been done in escaped and lived to fight another day."

Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards quickly released a statement exposing the audacity of Bush's message:

"President Bush now says his Iraq policy is a catastrophic success. He's half right. It was catastrophic to rush to war without a plan to win the peace. It was catastrophic to ignore the warnings of the military leadership about the risks of an unstable post-war Iraq. It was catastrophic to dismiss warnings of creating chaotic terrorists havens … And it was catastrophic to tell the American public that rebuilding Iraq would not burden the American taxpayers with a bill of $200 billion and rising.

"The most disturbing part of the president's statement is the suggestion that somehow our military is at fault for moving too fast before the enemy was 'done in.' Our troops fought magnificently in Iraq. Their efforts can only be described as an unqualified success. I didn't think 'shock and awe' was designed to move slowly.

"A Commander-in-Chief should never take our nation to war without a plan to win the peace. Real leadership means taking responsibility for your decisions good and bad. Our troops and our nation deserve better.

"In one sense, President Bush is right with his new campaign slogan 'catastrophic success.' His successful misleading of the American public is truly catastrophic."

-- Mark Follman

[09:07 PDT, Aug. 30, 2004]

Bush Says He Miscalculated Post-war Conditions in Iraq

Fri Aug 27,11:37 AM ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) - President George W. Bush (news - web sites) reportedly said he miscalculated post-war conditions in Iraq (news - web sites) and that the long insurgency was the product of a "swift victory."

In what The New York Times said was the US president's first acknowledgement on the issue, Bush said he made a "miscalculation of what the conditions would be" in postwar Iraq.

He said the miscalculation was an unintended byproduct of a "swift victory," adding that Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s forces quickly went into hiding in Iraqi cities where they mounted a rebellion far faster than the Americans had anticipated.

The daily said Bush refused to go into detail on what went wrong, saying that it was a task best left to historians.

Bush said his policies on Iraq -- where he fought a war despite strong international opposition -- were "flexible enough" to respond to the insurgency. He added that even now "we're adjusting to our conditions," in places like the holy city of Najaf, where US and Iraqi forces have been battling the militias of Muslim cleric Moqtada Sadr for weeks.

On North Korea (news - web sites) and its alleged nuclear weapons ambitions, the daily said Bush took issue with his Democratic rival in the November 2 presidential election John Kerry (news - web sites), who argued that the US-led war in Iraq gave Pyongyang the opportunity to expand its nuclear capability.

"Showing none of the alarm about the North's growing arsenal that he once voiced regularly about Iraq," said the daily, Bush "opened his palms and shrugged" when asked about intelligence reports indicating that North Korea may now have the fuel to produce six or eight nuclear weapons.

Referring to North Korea and Iran, Bush said he would not set deadlines for countries to disarm. "I don't give timelines to dictators," Bush said speaking of North Korea's president, Kim Jong Il, and Iran's mullahs.

Bush said he would continue to put diplomatic pressure on Pyongyang through China, and on Iran through Europe, but gave no hint his patience was limited.

"I'm confident that over time this will work - I certainly hope it does," added the president.

He declined to compare North Korea to Iraq, saying that Iraq had defied the world community far longer that the other members of what he has termed "the axis of evil," which includes Iran.

Regarding the ongoing controversy over Vietnam veterans' television ads discrediting Kerry's war record, Bush repeated that Kerry "should be proud of his record," and that the ads were wrong to imply Kerry was hiding things: "No, I don't think he lied."

But he again refused to condemn the ads.

He said he had joined with his former rival, Senator John McCain, in a lawsuit to outlaw political interest groups known as 527's -- named after a section of the US tax code -- one of which is the anti-Kerry group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

Bush was interviewed during a campaign stop in New Mexico, and was joined by his close adviser Karen Hughes, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice (news - web sites) and his press secretary Scott McClellan.

In a separate interview with USA Today daily on board the presidential airplane Air Force One, Bush expressed confidence he would win another term even if they disagree with his decision to go to war in Iraq.

"They've seen me make decisions, they've seen me under trying times, they've seen me weep, they've seen me laugh, they've seen me hug," he said.

"And they know who I am, and I believe they're comfortable with the fact that they know I'm not going to shift principles or shift positions based upon polls and focus groups."

Reminded about a comment his wife, Laura, made in a June interview to the effect that they would be "OK" even if they lost the election, Bush interrupted: "I have never said that ... because I am not going to come in second. We'll prevail.

"I don't think that way. I believe we're going to win."

Bush Suggests War on Terrorism Cannot Be Won

NBC ‘Today’ interview ignites controversy; aides move to clarify president's remarks

NBC, MSNBC and news services
Updated: 9:32 p.m. ET Aug. 30, 2004

President Bush ignited a Democratic inferno of criticism on Monday by suggesting the war on terrorism could not be won, forcing his aides to scramble to defend his remarks just as he had hoped to bask in convention accolades.

Bush sought to emphasize the economy but his comments on terrorism dominated national attention.

In an interview with Matt Lauer on NBC’s “Today” show, Bush vowed to stay the course in the war on terrorism, saying perseverance in the battle would make the world safer for future generations. But he suggested an all-out victory against terrorism might not be possible.

Asked, “Can we win?” Bush said, “I don’t think you can win it. But I think you can create conditions so that the — those who use terror as a tool are less acceptable in parts of the world.”

"I have a two-pronged strategy," he said. "On the one hand is to find them before they hurt us. ... The long-term strategy is to spread freedom and liberty."

He added later, “You cannot show weakness in this world today because the enemy will exploit that weakness. It will embolden them and make the world a more dangerous place.”

Edwards on the attack
Democrats, looking for ways to deflect the spotlight from Republicans as they opened their convention in New York, pounced.

“After months of listening to the Republicans base their campaign on their singular ability to win the war on terror, the president now says we can’t win the war on terrorism,” said Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards. “This is no time to declare defeat.”

“The war on terrorism is absolutely winnable,” Edwards said later on ABC’s “Nightline.”

White House spokesman Scott McClellan sought to clarify the president’s remarks, telling reporters, “He was talking about winning it in the conventional sense, ... about how this is a different kind of war and we face an unconventional enemy.”

“To suggest that the war on terror can’t be won is absolutely unacceptable,” said Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., the senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

“First George W. Bush said he miscalculated the war in Iraq, then he called it a catastrophic success and blamed the military,” said Allison Dobson, a spokeswoman for Sen. John Kerry, the Democratic presidential nominee. “Now he says we can’t win the war on terror. Is that what (White House political adviser) Karl Rove means when he calls for steady leadership?”

Economic plan discussed
Interviewed by Lauer for the "Today" show on Saturday while on the campaign trail in Ohio, the president was also asked if he felt most Americans would say they are better off today than four years ago. "I think over 50 percent will," he said, referring to what's needed to win re-election in November.

On the federal deficit, Bush was asked if he'd consider raising taxes if it isn't halved in a second term, as he envisions.

"There's no need to answer a hypothetical," he said, "because it is going to [be halved]. That's what we've got in place, and that's what we've got in mind. And I think raising taxes now would be a disaster."

Bush said the major difference between him and Kerry came down to a philosophy of governing.

"There's a philosophical difference, which is that if you look at my policies, they're all aimed at empowering people to make their own decisions," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5865710/

This is What Democracy Looks Like

Protesters against U.S. President George W. Bush
organized by the group United for Peace and Justice
march on 7th Avenue with simulated caskets representing
U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq in front of Madison Square
Garden, site of the Republican National
Convention, in New York City August 29, 2004.
REUTERS/Win McNamee


Here are some of New York's finest, protecting Starbucks?


A woman holds a sign before marching up Seventh
Avenue towards Madison Square Garden, the venue
for the Republican National Convention
(RNC) in New York City.
(AFP/Getty Images/Darren McCollester)


A group carries coffins to represent soldiers killed
in Iraq during the march along Seventh Avenue in
New York Sunday, Aug. 29, 2004. Tens of thousands
of Bush administration opponents poured into
Manhattan's streets Sunday on the eve of the
Republican National Convention.
(AP Photo/Gregory Bull)



Thousands of protestors paint freedom of speech.


A protester against President George W. Bush marches
down New York's Fifth Avenue August 29, 2004.
The marcher joined a group estimated by the United
for Peace and Justice coalition to reach more than
200,000, and passed Madison Square Garden, the
convention site for Republicans as visitors converge on
New York for the gathering that will end with
Bush's re-nomination for president.
REUTERS/Jeff Christensen


Women demonstrators chant slogans against President
Bush as they walk through the streets of Manhattan
during a protest organized by the group United for
Peace and Justice in New York.
(AP Photo/Joe Cavaretta)

I Met Teresa!

By dumb luck, my ex-boss sent me an invitation to the AFL/CIO speech Teresa Heinz-Kerry gave last Monday in Columbus. I absolutely adore this woman. Her warmth came shining through when she walked into the room.

She spoke for more than 40 minutes and took questions for another 15 minutes, her speech was wonderful. She stayed focused on health care and women's issues. To her credit, she stayed and took photos and signed items for everyone who waited. I'm praying the AFL/CIO workers I met that day, will send me my photo with her.

Anyhoo, it's official! I've met Kerry, Edwards and Heinz!

My favorite Teresa quote:

"I have a very personal feeling about how special America is, and I know how precious freedom is. It is a sacred gift, sanctified by those who have lived it and those who have died defending it. My right to speak my mind, to have a voice, to be what some have called “opinionated,” is a right I deeply and profoundly cherish. My only hope is that, one day soon, women—who have all earned the right to their opinions—instead of being labeled opinionated, will be called smart or well-informed, just as men are."

Olympic Gold Hero Accuses Bush

Denis Campbell and Helena Smith in Athens
Sunday August 29, 2004
The Observer

America's biggest Olympic hero yesterday accused George Bush of exploiting the Athens Games for his own political advantage in the run-up to the presidential election.
Carl Lewis, who won nine Olympic gold medals in athletics in a record-breaking career, condemned Bush for using the presence of Iraqi and Afghan teams in Athens in a television advertisement to boost his chances of re-election.

Criticising Bush for linking his foreign policy with the two countries being allowed to compete here, Lewis said: 'I felt that was disingenuous. It is funny that we boycotted the 1980 Games [in Moscow] in support of Afghanistan, and now we're bombing Afghanistan,' he told the Athens News yesterday.

'Of course, we've invaded Iraq and are in there and are using it for political gain. It bewilders me, and I understand why the Iraqi players are offended.

'To support the players or the community is fine, but for political gain I disagree.'

Iraq's footballers, who unexpectedly reached the semi-finals here, made clear last week they disliked the advertisement and regarded American soldiers in Iraq as occupiers rather than liberators. Bush was planning to visit the Greek capital and attend yesterday's football final if Iraq had been involved, but they lost in the semi-finals last week. He was also criti cised for misusing without permission Olympic symbols, which are protected emblems.

The US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, yesterday cancelled plans to stay in Athens for tonight's Olympic closing ceremony amid fears that protesters might wreck his visit.

Just hours before he was due to board a flight for Greece, Powell changed his plans, explaining that 'urgent responsibilities' had intervened.

USOC Asks Bush Campaign to Pull Television Ad

ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- The U.S. Olympic Committee has asked President Bush's re-election campaign to pull a television ad that mentions the Olympics.

The USOC is awaiting a response from the re-election campaign, committee spokesman Darryl Seibel said Thursday.

The ad shows a swimmer and the flags of Iraq and Afghanistan.

"In 1972, there were 40 democracies in the world. Today, 120," an announcer says. "Freedom is spreading throughout the world like a sunrise. And this Olympics there will be two more free nations. And two fewer terrorist regimes."

Some of the players on the Iraqi Olympic soccer team have complained about the ad appearing as part of a political campaign.

Campaign spokesman Scott Stanzel said last week there were no plans to pull the ad.

"We are on firm legal ground to mention the Olympics and make a factual point in a political advertisement," Stanzel said.

The International Olympic Committee and the USOC have the authority to regulate the use of anything involving the Olympics.

An act of Congress, last revised in 1999, grants the USOC exclusive rights to such terms as "Olympic," derivatives such as "Olympiad" and the five interlocking rings. It also specifically says the organization "shall be nonpolitical and may not promote the candidacy of an individual seeking public office."

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/olympics/2004/08/26/bc.oly.bushad.ap
/index.html?cnn=yes

Political Ad Upsets Iraqi Players

I'm posting the original article and the follow-up. I must say, in true Shrub fashion, the man and his campaign NEVER back down, no matter how wrong they are. I personally wrote the USOC and a few local papers regarding Shrub's use of the Olympics on his own campaign web site.

Political ad upsets Iraqi players

Iraqi soccer players said they are angered that President Bush has referred to their Olympic delegation in a campaign ad and called on him to stop, Sports Illustrated reported Thursday on its Web site.

"Iraq as a team does not want Mr. Bush to use us for the presidential campaign," Iraqi midfielder Salih Sadir told SI.com through a translator. "He can find another way to advertise himself."

The Bush campaign is running an ad in which the flags of Iraq and Afghanistan appear.

A narrator says, "At this Olympics there will be two more free nations - and two fewer terrorist regimes. With strength, resolve and courage, democracy will triumph over terror and hope will defeat hatred."

There are no images of Iraqi soccer players in the ad.

Another player was harshly critical of the president.

"How will he meet his god having slaughtered so many men and women?" Ahmed Manajid told SI.com. "He has committed so many crimes."

There was no immediate response from the Bush campaign on the criticism from the Iraqis.

The players said they were grateful that Saddam Hussein's son, Uday, was no longer in charge of the country's Olympians, SI.com reported. He had tortured players for playing badly. U.S. troops killed him last year in Mosul.

Still, the team's coach said the ad was inappropriate and that the team does not support the U.S. occupation of Iraq.

"My problems are not with the American people," Iraqi coach Adnan Hamad told SI.com.

"They are with what America has done in Iraq: destroy everything," he said. "The American army has killed so many people in Iraq. What is freedom when I go to the (national) stadium and there are shootings on the road?"
***

From wire reports
http://sports.yahoo.com/oly/news?slug=us...e&type=lgns
Updated on Friday, Aug 20, 2004 3:38 am EDT

Powell Cancels Athens Visit Amid Protests

The question becomes, what the hell is Powell doing for Sudan? We can ignore the truth of pissing off the world, or come to grips with the consequences of our actions in Iraq. In this administration, we'll just remain on ignore, eh?

Powell Cancels Athens Visit Amid Protests
ATHENS, Greece (AP) - Secretary of State Colin Powell on Saturday canceled a weekend visit to attend the closing ceremony of the Olympics, just hours after demonstrators marched through central Athens.

Powell couldn't attend because of "urgent responsibilities," the foreign ministry said.

In a letter, Powell thanked Foreign Minister Petros Moliviatis "for the especially successful and secure organization of the games."

In Washington, State Department spokesman Kurtis Cooper said the anti-American protests in Athens played no role in Powell's decision.

"The secretary considered a number of factors. The press of business in Washington made him decide he could not visit at this time," Cooper said.

"What's going on in Iraq and Sudan require the secretary's close attention," he said.

The Greek foreign ministry said Powell would visit Athens in October.

Many Greeks had wondered why Powell planned to visit this weekend, knowing his presence would likely provoke protests. Until Powell announced his visit, there had been none of the anti-American demonstrations that were feared in the run-up to the games.

On Friday, riot police used tear gas to disperse hundreds of demonstrators who took part in a protest against the Powell visit. About 1,500 people who took part in the march were prevented from reaching the U.S. Embassy to protest Powell's trip.

"It is an enormous victory of the anti-war movement that managed to cancel the visit of the arch-killer Powell," protest organizer Yiannis Sifahakis told The Associated Press.

Just hours before Powell was to arrive, Greece's Communist Party displayed a large banner at the site of the ancient Acropolis to protest his trip.

"Powell killer go home. Don't forget that civilians are being slaughtered in Najaf and a wall is being built in Palestine," read the banner, which was raised on one of the sides of the Acropolis Hill.

It was removed after Powell's visit was canceled.

Communist Party member Aristotelis Gontikas said Powell's cancelation was a victory for those opposed to American policies and was not targeted at Americans.

"I believe that the reaction of the Greek people still counts. It is not by chance that Greeks measure in polls as the most anti-American," Gontikas told the AP at the Acropolis.

The party said a protest rally that was to begin in front of the old campus of Athens University and end at the U.S. Embassy would still be held.

"The protest will now be transformed into a festival," Gontikas said.

Greeks harbor anti-American feelings primarily over U.S. support of the 1967-74 military junta, which persecuted its leftist opponents. Many Greeks also believe Washington ignores the concerns of smaller and weaker countries.

In 1999, during a visit by then-President Clinton, battles between protesters and police turned downtown Athens into a riot zone.

Suppress the Vote?

By BOB HERBERT

The big story out of Florida over the weekend was the tragic devastation caused by Hurricane Charley. But there's another story from Florida that deserves our attention.

State police officers have gone into the homes of elderly black voters in Orlando and interrogated them as part of an odd "investigation" that has frightened many voters, intimidated elderly volunteers and thrown a chill over efforts to get out the black vote in November.

The officers, from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which reports to Gov. Jeb Bush, say they are investigating allegations of voter fraud that came up during the Orlando mayoral election in March.
Officials refused to discuss details of the investigation, other than to say that absentee ballots are involved. They said they had no idea when the investigation might end, and acknowledged that it may continue right through the presidential election.

"We did a preliminary inquiry into those allegations and then we concluded that there was enough evidence to follow through with a full criminal investigation," said Geo Morales, a spokesman for the Department of Law Enforcement.

The state police officers, armed and in plain clothes, have questioned dozens of voters in their homes. Some of those questioned have been volunteers in get-out-the-vote campaigns.

I asked Mr. Morales in a telephone conversation to tell me what criminal activity had taken place.

"I can't talk about that," he said.

I asked if all the people interrogated were black.

"Well, mainly it was a black neighborhood we were looking at - yes,'' he said.

He also said, "Most of them were elderly."

When I asked why, he said, "That's just the people we selected out of a random sample to interview."

Back in the bad old days, some decades ago, when Southern whites used every imaginable form of chicanery to prevent blacks from voting, blacks often fought back by creating voters leagues, which were organizations that helped to register, educate and encourage black voters. It became a tradition that continues in many places, including Florida, today.

Not surprisingly, many of the elderly black voters who found themselves face to face with state police officers in Orlando are members of the Orlando League of Voters, which has been very successful in mobilizing the city's black vote.

The president of the Orlando League of Voters is Ezzie Thomas, who is 73 years old. With his demonstrated ability to deliver the black vote in Orlando, Mr. Thomas is a tempting target for supporters of George W. Bush in a state in which the black vote may well spell the difference between victory and defeat.
The vile smell of voter suppression is all over this so-called investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Joseph Egan, an Orlando lawyer who represents Mr. Thomas, said: "The Voters League has workers who go into the community to do voter registration, drive people to the polls and help with absentee ballots. They are elderly women mostly. They get paid like $100 for four or five months' work, just to offset things like the cost of their gas. They see this political activity as an important contribution to their community. Some of the people in the community had never cast a ballot until the league came to their door and encouraged them to vote."

Now, said Mr. Egan, the fear generated by state police officers going into people's homes as part of an ongoing criminal investigation related to voting is threatening to undo much of the good work of the league. He said, "One woman asked me, 'Am I going to go to jail now because I voted by absentee ballot?' "

According to Mr. Egan, "People who have voted by absentee ballot for years are refusing to allow campaign workers to come to their homes. And volunteers who have participated for years in assisting people, particularly the elderly or handicapped, are scared and don't want to risk a criminal investigation."
Florida is a state that's very much in play in the presidential election, with some polls showing John Kerry in the lead. A heavy-handed state police investigation that throws a blanket of fear over thousands of black voters can only help President Bush.

The long and ugly tradition of suppressing the black vote is alive and thriving in the Sunshine State.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/16/opinion/16herbert.html?hp=&pagewanted=print&position=