Bush repeats veto threat

Posted: Thursday, March 29, 2007 11:12 AM by Mark Murray
Filed Under: White House, Security

From NBC's Mark Murray
Just before the Iraq spending bill cleared the Senate, President Bush -- flanked by GOP leaders at the White House -- once again repeated his threat to veto the legislation. "Yesterday I gave a speech, making it clear that I'll veto a bill that restricts our commanders on the ground in Iraq, a bill that doesn't fund our troops, a bill that's got too much spending on it," he said. "We stand united in saying loud and clear that when we've got a troop in harm's way, we expect that troop to be fully funded. And we've got commanders making tough decisions on the ground, we expect there to be no strings on our commanders."

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Comments

What about Bush putting strings on his commanders by insisting they stay in a warzone that they cannot hope to win in anyway? I mean, first, here's an article as early as Feb 26 about how Bush isn't fully funding vet healthcare (and yet he's surprised by the walter reed mess) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17348628/site/newsweek/. and here is one where our top commander in Iraq, at the time: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17542301/ argues that we cannot win militarily at all. And Bush's new strategy is nothing more than a bigger military push. All of those chicken hawks who keep saying 'fund the troops and give them the tools they need to finish the job and listen to the generals on the ground' are IGNORING the generals on the ground. If we don't spend just as much on rebuilding Iraq as we do on security we won't get ANYWHERE. HOME OR RECONSTRUCTION FUNDS!.

Tom, Boston MA (Sent Thursday, March 29, 2007 11:34 AM)

Go Ahead Punk Make My Day. Then we will see what kind of P.O.S. he really is

Terry, Disabled Vet, Des Moines, IA (Sent Thursday, March 29, 2007 11:35 AM)

Experts deciphering Dubya's "POW Eye Blink Code" which ran in conjunction with the aforementioned speech at the White House, say it appeared to be an order sent to "Bob's Berzerko Lounge and Liquor Store" in Georgetown, for "Brandy Alexander Ingredients".

Steve Turner Cedar Falls Iowa (Sent Thursday, March 29, 2007 11:57 AM)

PRESIDENT Poser shrills about "political theater" and "partisanship" then surrounds himself with only the Republicans to again voice his strident disbelief that the crap-assed U.S. Congress *apparently* has *again* misunderstood the position of the Imperial Court and of himself, the Emperor. The only way he can stay in the game is when he has all the cards. The only way the troops won't be "fully funded" is if El Presidente Jorge vetos the bill, because the money is there. Suck on it, Mr. President. You sure have done a bang-up job of making your old man look like a good president - at least he actually took out his former business partner in Panama. Hail Nero. Make Barney your AG - he's a "bushie."

Citizen of Rome (Sent Thursday, March 29, 2007 12:12 PM)

If Bush wants to "support the troops" so much, why won't he just attach a signing statement to whatever bill hits his desk as he has in a record number of other cases, saying he chooses to ignore those provisions he thinks encroach on his executive authority. My guess is that he knows this would force him to declare to Americans, in addition, that he will not accept other emergency spending and provisions ordering the training and equipping of our "troops." While this is likely his position, he does not have the courage to openly reveal it. As he has most times in the past throughout this war, he hides behind our troops and obstinately spews empty slogans and veto threats all the while telling the American people what they will think about him killing the bill. Our President is a coward who will put his pride before our sons and daughters. All Americans should be ashamed for that reason alone.

Vridar, Seattle (Sent Thursday, March 29, 2007 12:17 PM)

My gut feeling is that there already are strings on our generals with the shrub as the puppetmaster.

jeani o, saint inigoes, md (Sent Thursday, March 29, 2007 12:20 PM)

Chuck, Mark, Huma, in my previous post in my thread, I mentioned a couple of links, and I have previously mentioned one that I saw a few months ago where the top officer in the USMC, among others, said we cannot win militarily in Iraq. That article is proving to be nearly impossible to track down. Any suggestions? More links: http://www.spacewar.com/2004/040615170719.ut32ct2e.html http://www.alternet.org/story/48846/

Tom, Boston MA (Sent Thursday, March 29, 2007 12:40 PM)

"We expect there to be no strings on our commanders.". Has the puppeteer switched to hand puppets? Speaking of "puppets"....Is it just me, or did Rove's dancing look like a puppet with a few strings loose? And yes....screws too?

M.E., Albany, Ga. (Sent Thursday, March 29, 2007 12:44 PM)

...and progress is being made in Iraq. So much so that the DoD had to set further security rules for the heavily fortified, shielded International Green Zone in Baghdad - anyone outside a hardened building must wear BODY ARMOR!!! So much for this "wack-a-mole" surge of his. I wouldn't believe Bush or his group if they said the sky was blue.

Brian, Cedar HIll, TX (Sent Thursday, March 29, 2007 1:14 PM)

Vridar, Bush is not only a coward, but a person who may be an habitual liar. He has misled and lied about so many aspects of this war in Iraq, one has to wonder what else he's lied and misled us on? 9/11? The war has been a farce where hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost and well over 3,000 US soldiers and many non-Iraqi civilians working for the US. When will this lunacy and immoral killing stop? Thank God for the US Congress... the next steps may be much more serious than Bush has ever imagined.

Nick, Ohio (Sent Thursday, March 29, 2007 1:20 PM)

What jeani o and M.E. Albany brought up about strings is what I want to jump in about. From the very start, when Gen. Shinseki estimated several hundred thousand troops would be needed in post-war Iraq, Wolfowitz called this "wildly off the mark". Since that time in Feb. '03, in which Shinseki turned out to be right, which anyone but a fool could have seen even then, the generals have been hand picked by Bush, including the top general Pace. What I want to know about this is: why is stacking the military with generals who suit the whims of a CIC who has no military savvy any different from firings of federal prosecutors who are not Bushies? If anything, not listening to your generals in the field is more dangerous to national security than playing politics with federal prosecutors and should be considered a worse offence by magnitudes. What this situation amounts to is that we have a megalomaniac with less military savvy than a Boy Scout micromanaging the war in Iraq through Bushie generals. That smacks of the worst the Roman Empire had to offer, and suggests to me that Bush is, on important military matters, crazier than Caligula, and within my knowledge of Roman emperors, none of them fought a war in consultation with Jupiter.

JIrby, Colorado Springs (Sent Thursday, March 29, 2007 1:38 PM)

This bill doesn't commit Bush to anything other than what he is already doing. A meaningless political exercise liked with a meaningless veto threat. The american people told congress they wanted them to try to hold the president accountable for something in Iraq in Nov 2006. Obviously that message hasn't sunk in for both congress and the president.

Dave (Sent Thursday, March 29, 2007 1:54 PM)

The surge must be working as 100 people were killed in iraq today.

ex-marine,vietvet (Sent Thursday, March 29, 2007 1:58 PM)

The President will exercise his veto pen and deny the money to the troops they need. Simply put, Congress will soon pass abill and put it on the President's desk. If he fails to sign it, he is the culprit, not Congress.

Robert Catalano, Salem, OR (Sent Thursday, March 29, 2007 2:22 PM)

"CODE PINK" "CODE PINK" "CODE PINK"...ATTACK!

John Stout WD, IL. (Sent Thursday, March 29, 2007 3:16 PM)

When the president proclaims WE STAND UNITED who is standing united with, sure as hell ain't me.

MK,MO (Sent Thursday, March 29, 2007 3:24 PM)

"CODE PINK"- so apropos sweetie- "Pink like the bing on your cherry"-(Pink-Aerosmith)

M.E., Albany, Ga. (Sent Thursday, March 29, 2007 4:12 PM)

JIrby- I honestly believe that Bush's "military savvy" is limited to that little set of plastic soldiers Daddy gave him on "President's Day". And... I bet he has replaced all the generals with little GI Joes with his picture glued to them.

M.E., Albany, Ga. (Sent Thursday, March 29, 2007 4:18 PM)

"Thick As A Brick"-Jethro Tull

Still Crazy After All These Years (Sent Thursday, March 29, 2007 4:47 PM)

M.E. Albany, I don't think Daddy wants to be caught dead with Junior anytime soon. I think we're looking at one embarrassed ex-prez.

JIrby, Colorado Springs (Sent Thursday, March 29, 2007 5:21 PM)

today in 1973 the last American left nam to end American involvement. What say by this time next year we end involvement in iraq.

ex-marine,vietvet (Sent Thursday, March 29, 2007 7:03 PM)

Let the Generals and the troops search for the billions that have disappeared in Iraq. If they find it, they should have plenty of funds to get back home.

Connie, Tn. (Sent Thursday, March 29, 2007 7:27 PM)

FEEL LIKE I'M FIXIN TO DIE RAG - REDUX Apology's to Country Joe. Come on all of you big strong men Uncle Sam needs your help again he's got a great idea for a permanent base way down yonder in the middle east put down your books and pick up a gun we're gonna have a whole lotta fun (CHORUS) And it's one, two, three, what are we fighting for don't ask me I don't give a damn, next stop is probably Iran And it's five, six, seven, open up the pearly gates ain't no time to wonder why, whoopee we're all gonna die Come on generals, let's move fast your big chance has come at last Some combat time wouldn’t be half bad Those analyst jobs are pretty rad Get the people on board for the final win then will find a way to do it all again (CHORUS) Come on wall street don't be slow Permanent occupation will make you grow Halliburton has lead the way Good ol Dubai is the place to stay no rules, no laws, no IRS and we can pay the local natives less (CHORUS) Come on mothers throughout the land pack your boys off to Iraq again Two or three times will make em tough And your Halliburton stock is gonna go up and if they make it back alive to home Blackwater will be on the phone (CHORUS)

Gary Schear, Bozeman Montana (Sent Thursday, March 29, 2007 7:31 PM)

I'll take a president who will defend the country any day over a Speaker who accepts money from NAMBLA anyday. What a sick Joke Pelosi is. She is no different then Rosie O'Donut, with her sick and twisted views, no wonder the GOP will be back in the White House in 08

Jerry/Corpus Christi Texas (Sent Friday, March 30, 2007 12:33 AM)

"I wanna ride in your pink Cadillac, crushed leather seats...."--Bruce Springsteen

Dorothy (Sent Friday, March 30, 2007 8:59 AM)

Clearly something medically is wrong with Mr. Bush. He can't see what all Americans view as a failure in Iraq, and a national nightmare. As a tax payer, we have spent enough in Iraq. For 5 years, everything is Iraq and more Iraq. I believe the final results will be just more death. Death in numbers and lifes wasted over politics. Where is the end of this nightmare? Where?

finalhours495@netscape.com (Sent Friday, March 30, 2007 8:59 AM)

"We're goin' drivin' on the Freeway of Love in my pink Cadillac."--Aretha Franklin

Dorothy (Sent Friday, March 30, 2007 9:01 AM)

Bush can complete a veto, but the voting public stated out of Iraq. In short, Bush will be viewed as the ... R E S P O N S I B L E ..... P A R T Y! By Republicans voting to keep troops in Iraq, they now have committed MURDER of US Troops. Republicans = Are Murderers of Soldiers

Bob, Bozeman, MT (Sent Friday, March 30, 2007 9:06 AM)

"Masters of War"-Bob Dylan

Still Crazy After All These Years (Sent Friday, March 30, 2007 10:45 AM)

"Go ahead and hate your neighbor, go ahead and cheat a friend...Do it in the name of Heaven, you'll be justified in the end....Won't be any trumpets blowin, before the judgment day, and the early morning after....One tin soldier rides away...."--Coven, theme from "Billy Jack"

Dorothy (Sent Friday, March 30, 2007 11:56 AM)

"One Tin Soldier"-Original Castle, 1969, Lambert/Potter songwriters

Still Crazy After All These Years (Sent Saturday, March 31, 2007 2:50 PM)

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