In a rare news conference this morning, President Bush was typically childish in attacking an Amnesty International report on Guantanamo:
President Bush called a human rights report “absurd” for criticizing the United States’ detention of terrorist suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and said Tuesday the allegations were made by “people who hate America.”
When on occasion I must be stern with my daughter, it doesn’t mean I love her any less. And just this morning I reprimanded our new puppy (she dropped my Koran in the toilet,) but that doesn’t mean I hate her. Likewise, it is possible to love America, and be critical of her at the same time.
Our democracy is based on the free exchange of words and ideas. If anybody can be accused of “hating America” it is those who attempt to squelch public debate by dangerously branding all critics as traitors.
NIXON ERA “DEEP THROAT” REVEALS HIMSELF
According to news reports this morning former FBI deputy director W. Mark Felt, age 91, told Vanity Fair Magazine in an interview that he was “Deep Throat” who blew the whistle on Nixon to Washington reporters Woodward and Bernstein.
Felt was an honorable man who could not stand by while the leaders of his country did dishonorable things. According to George, this means he ‘hates America.’
Though in George’s self-constructed cult of personality, perhaps he equates himself and his policies to America itself.
Gen. Alexander (“I’m in charge here”) Haig was sometimes mentioned as a possibility for Deep Throad but I knew it couldn’t be Haig. That stupid, megalomanicial jackass wasn’t nealy patriotic enough.
Now if only some patriot with the goods on Shrubby would come forward. Problem is, this Republican Congress wouldn’t impeach Bush for anything less than turning into a Democrat and supporting Hillarycare.
Let’s not ignore the elloquent Dick “fuck off” Cheney in his blathering on this issue too! “For Amnesty International to suggest that somehow the United States is a violator of human rights, I frankly just don’t take them seriously,” Really?!? I guess thats the type of management / leadership the world needs to look up to, huh?
Reguardless of Dick-n-Bush obvious denial (again) of the rest worlds opinion, the response from the executive director of Amnesty International, William Schulz was one of the more precious comments to date. “He doesn’t take torture seriously; he doesn’t take the Geneva Convention seriously; he doesn’t take due process rights seriously; and he doesn’t take international law seriously.
“And that is more important than whether he takes Amnesty International seriously.”
Nice combo punch!
Thats not all, this coming from the same elloquent administration that called the war “mission accomplished” well over a year (and a thousand dead troops later), released this gem… “the insurgency there is ‘in the last throes’.” …riiiight! And the obvious icing on the cake…He also predicted the fighting would end before the Bush administration leaves office.
Yep, mission accomplished!
What’s really disturbing is that conduct which would have gotten any previous president/vice president impeached and removed from office (violating Geneva convention, running a gulag, torturing and killing prisoners) is not only condoned but anyone who criticizes it is branded as “anti-American.”
The Repubs are redefining the term “American” just like they’ve tried to redefine “liberal,” “socialist,” and a host of other terms, but this time not quite in the way they intended.
“American” is becoming synonymous with “Nazi” in the world’s eyes.
Reply to 4
“the insurgency there is ‘in the last throes’.”
Geez did they really say that? The Bushie shills are starting to sound like Baghdad Bob, except unlike Bob they’re not funny.
Patrick…
Here ya ago…enjoy!
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/05/.....index.html
Another odd thing in the news today is Boeing and Airbus suing each other claiming the other receives too much corporate welfare from their respective states. Haven’t Boeing and Airbus haerd about taking a little personal responsibility?
Patrick @ 5: “What’s really disturbing is that conduct which would have gotten any previous president/vice president impeached and removed from office (violating Geneva convention, running a gulag, torturing and killing prisoners)…”
Excuse me? FDR shipped all those Japanese-Americans to Coney Island? Lincoln suspened habeas corpus, Wilson and the Sedition Acts… the list goes on, Patrick. Practically every wartime President had things go on that would fit your impeachment threshold if you’re apply this standard to Bush.
Are you sure he shipped them to Coney Island? How would be being relocated to an amusement park be the same as torture?
Jon @ 9
So are you saying that poor/inhumane treatment by prior leaders gives the current licence to do the same?
That must be the same thought process “fuck off” Cheney is on. And to reiderate AI’s ED… “He doesn’t take torture seriously; he doesn’t take the Geneva Convention seriously; he doesn’t take due process rights seriously; and he doesn’t take international law seriously.
“And that is more important than whether he takes Amnesty International seriously.”
Welcome to the 21st centuary, how about we practice what we preach…no, wait, lets not! Lets do whatever we feel like and ingore or dismiss those that oppose or disagree with our process, yeah…that works!
President Bush called a human rights report “absurd” for criticizing the United States’ detention of terrorist suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and said Tuesday the allegations were made by “people who hate America.”
There it is folks, propaganda at its finest. Hell, Bush has even owned up to his use of propaganda. The disgusting self-righteousness of this corrupt, addle-brained administration and its right-wing echo chamber is in full regale. It used to be that “tin-horn” would have his surrogates utter such scurrilous statements. He feels sufficiently emboldened (or maybe desperate) to mouth the words himself. Not since Nixon has an administration been so egregious in its attacks on those who are critical of its policies.
The man has no shame and certainly no credibility-of course, it is doubtful that he even read a word of the 164 page AI report.
I’m seriously thinking about moving to New Zealand. I’m ashamed to be an American. I don’t want to be associated with these people. Thanks for ruining my country.
Kevster @ 12
He doesn’t need to read it…he’s married to a librarian! Even she wonders how they met.
What Monkey Face meant to say was that it is “absurd” to think that someone could actually get away with calling a spade a spade. The US IS ABSOLUTELY ONE OF THE WORST HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSERS IN THE WORLD. Believe it.
THE VAST RIGHT WING CONSPIRACY
It’s revealing that Bush used the “hate America” language in responding to the Amnesty International report. This was either a careless extempore on his part, or a screwup by his handlers, who normally are careful to distance Bush from the superheated rhetoric of the Far Right.
Bush’s comment is a major blunder. It’s smoking-gun proof that Bush and the GOP leadership support the Far Right’s use of hate language to bully and intimidate opponents.
Hillary was right. There was a concerted effort to bring down Clinton’s presidency by right-wing financiers, propagandists, and political operatives. There’s a far-flung, well-financed, organized effort by right wing leaders to “get” Democrats and liberals anyway they can, and right wing operatives and propagandists vie among themselves to come up with the most effective smears, epithets, and dirty tricks.
The neocon Republicans are unlike any political movement in our lifetimes. Their aim is not to win political competition, but to eliminate political opposition. They use the language of treason and hatred to pit Americans against each other. Our country hasn’t been so divided since the Civil War, but unlike the period leading up to the Civil War, this time the effort to create hatreds and divide our people is intentional and calculated.
In a 1988 speech, Newt Gingrich exhorted to his fellow Republicans,
“ … this is a civil war, … only one side will prevail, and … [t]his war has to be fought with the scale and duration and savagery that is only true of civil wars. While we are lucky in this country that our civil wars are fought at the ballot box, not on the battlefields, nonetheless it is a civil war.”
Trouble is, these things have a way of getting out of hand. If it becomes a shooting civil war, Gingrich, Coulter, Rush, Bush, and all the other right-wing hatemongers will have the blood of their own countrymen on their hands, and the destruction of the American Republic on their consciences.
Wait a minute. Fascists don’t have consciences.
DamnageD,
In the interest of accuracy, Dick “Dick” Cheney did not say “F*** off.” He said “Go f*** yourself.” HUGE difference.
ATJ
DamnageD@4,
“Thats not all, this coming from the same elloquent administration that called the war “mission accomplished” well over a year”
Let’s get somethign straight about this bit of Democrat lies, the “Mission Accomplished ” banner was not about the war. It was about the mission that the Carrier The Lincoln had just completed. That is why is states MISSION Accomplished and not WAR Accomplished.
If your NEA teachers had taught you comprehension when you were in their care, perhaps you would have understood the difference.
You should change your moniker to “Brain DamageD”.
Patrick@16,
“Hillary was right. There was a concerted effort to bring down Clinton’s presidency by right-wing financiers, propagandists, and political operatives. There’s a far-flung, well-financed, organized effort by right wing leaders to “get” Democrats and liberals anyway they can, and right wing operatives and propagandists vie among themselves to come up with the most effective smears, epithets, and dirty tricks.”
Do you realize how crazy you sound? Yeah, it is a vast right wing conspiracy. Watchout! They are over there behind the tree! Over there! Duck!
“President Bush called a human rights report “absurd” for criticizing the United States’ detention of terrorist suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and said Tuesday the allegations were made by “people who hate America.”
Contrary to the way the leftist meiters are trying to spin this, Bush’s comments referred to those being held, you know THE TERRORISTS!!!!
If you could simply put aside your hatred of Bush for five minutes you might be able to think about the statement rationally. People who have no problems sacrificing themselves and killing 3,000 Americans by smashing planes into buildings would probably not have any problems asking up stories about the prison conditions. In fact their Al Qaeda trainers probably tell them to make claims of defamation of Islam when they are captured. DID YOU IDIOTS EVER THINK OF THAT!
By indulging in your orgy of Bush hatred, all you end up doing is aiding their cause whether you realize it or not.
DamnageD @ 11:“So are you saying that poor/inhumane treatment by prior leaders gives the current licence to do the same?”
Certainly not! What I was saying is that if you are going to condemn this administration, then you should condemn previous presidents for worse acts.
Some posters here want Bush impeached, but did they agree with building a monument for FDR who, by their own standard, should have been impeached for locking up thousands of Japanese-Americans for no reason?
I was extremely disappointed by the President’s remarks today; Amnesty International may/may not have an axe to grind, but I don’t think they “hate” America, so his comments didn’t help. That said, this “impeach Bush” talk is, for lack of a better word, stupid. Congress (D’s & R’s) have willing gone along with the war in Iraq and the war on terror; you would have to go after them too, but I guess Democrats are exempt.
Comment on 18
“Let’s get somethign straight about this bit of Democrat lies, the ‘Mission Accomplished’ banner was not about the war. It was about the mission that the Carrier The Lincoln had just completed. That is why is states MISSION Accomplished and not WAR Accomplished.”
I don’t remember seeing that disclaimer. Nice try, pbj, but you’re full of shit — as usual. It’s a fact the Bush administration thought the war was over when Saddam’s statue was pulled down.
Reply to 20
What if the detainees are innocent? If they aren’t terrorists and don’t belong to Al Qaeda, they wouldn’t have been told by Al Qaeda to make up tales, would they? The information about mistreatment of detainees is coming from those who have been RELEASED, idiot! To swallow your logic, one must believe the American authorities are releasing terrorists. Not likely, pal. Those folks were released because the U.S. gov’t was satisfied they had nothing to do with Al Qaeda or terrorism, or they wouldn’t have been released, lame brain.
Patrick @ 22
Bush used that line in an interview with MSNBC reporter Norah O’Donnell, stating “The ‘Mission Accomplished’ sign, of course, was put up by the members of the USS Abraham Lincoln, saying that their mission was accomplished.”
What we learned later is that the Banner was, in fact, made by the Whitehouse staff. Technically Bush did not lie—the Whitehouse staff only created the banner. The USS Abraham Lincoln members “put it up.” Still, his statement shows what a duplicitous asshole he is by misleading Americans.
Reply to 21
FDR did indeed imprisoned thousands of Japanese-Americans (not his finest act) but they were NOT tortured or murdered in U.S. government custody. To compare FDR with Bush is ludicruous.
Many Democrats did vote for Bush’s Iraq war resolution, because of the lies fed to them by the administration. To solicit Democratic votes by lying to them, and then to blame the war on Democrats because they voted for it, is the height of disingenuousness.
There would be a basis to impeach Bush if proof existed that he ordered or approved the “outing” of CIA agent Valerie Plame to retaliate against her husband for blowing the whistle on the administration’s Nigerian uranium scam, because that act is defined by federal statute as treason. Impeaching a president for taking the country into war on false pretenses is both more nebulous and harder to prove. In either event, any talk about impeachment is idle banter, because this GOP Congress — the same Congress that tried to immunize DeLay from ethics investigations — wouldn’t impeach Bush no matter what he did.
Reply to 23,
If they are innocent then they would be really really pissed wouldn’t they? Maybe they would say something to “get back” at the Americans. The detainee who alleged the quran flushing later denied it you MORON!
No, those people who are being released are the ones they can’t find enough evidence to hold because you liberals are sending an ARMY of fucking lawyers down there to get our enemies out on technicalities.
It has been documented that some of those released go right back out and rejoin the jihad to kill our people you MORON!!
reply to 25
FDR did indeed imprisoned thousands of Japanese-Americans (not his finest act) but they were NOT tortured or murdered in U.S. government custody. To compare FDR with Bush is ludicruous.
No, what FDR did was to remove them from their homes and confiscate their property. Your baseless accusations of torture and murder at guantanimo notwithstanding, FDR had NO reason to intern the Japanese. They were US citizens MORON! Bush is imprisoning foreigners.
What and idiot! What FDR did WAS worse because he did it to AMERICANS!!!
Reply to 24,
The only on misleading Americans is you. MISSION accomplished. Key word MISSION!!!! NOT WAR!!!!
Comment on 24
That banner was not a spontaneous act by the crew. You don’t hang ANYTHING off a U.S. Navy ship without the captain’s permission, and no Navy captain who values his career would give permission for ANYTHING to be displayed on his ship during a presidential visit without talking to his Pentagon bosses first, who in turn won’t approve ANYTHING without talking to the White House staff first. On the other hand, if White House staff made it known to Navy brass they wanted that banner hanging from the ship’s rafters when the president stepped on deck, it would be there even if the Captain had to order the entire crew to work all night to get it there.
Reply to 27
Baseless, huh? Then why are U.S. service personnel serving prison sentences for things you say didn’t take place?
Like Democrat voter felons, these criminals need to be hanged. [hehe]
Patrick @ 29,
I agree completely (I assume you were responding to 28, since my post @ 24 suggests anything but spontaneity).
pbj @ 24
War was not declared against Iraq. In fact, Bush’s major message at this PR event was that we have reached “the end of major combat operations”. Somehow, “Major combat operations accomplished” doesn’t quit work (and is too long for the banner, anyway).
Patrick @ 25:
Where do I start?
“FDR did indeed imprisoned thousands of Japanese-Americans (not his finest act) but they were NOT tortured or murdered in U.S. government custody. To compare FDR with Bush is ludicruous.”
So forcible detention of thousands was ok???? Are you also saying there was no mistreatment of prisoners during WWII? You know darn well there were plenty of summary executions of Axis prisoners, so how can comparisons of Bush and FDR be ludicrous?
“Many Democrats did vote for Bush’s Iraq war resolution, because of the lies fed to them by the administration. To solicit Democratic votes by lying to them, and then to blame the war on Democrats because they voted for it, is the height of disingenuousness.”
The lies? Then what was all that talk that Bill Clinton gave about the dangers of Iraq’s WMD in the 90’s? Was that a lie too? What information did Bush have that Democrats did not? Wrong information is not lying. If you want to brand Bush a liar, then be sure to do the same to Clinton.
“There would be a basis to impeach Bush if proof existed that he ordered or approved the “outing” of CIA agent Valerie Plame to retaliate against her husband for blowing the whistle on the administration’s Nigerian uranium scam…”
Don’t complain about Republican propaganda, when you’re still repeating that lie from the lefty echo chamber:
“Wilson’s assertions — both about what he found in Niger and what the Bush administration did with the information — were undermined yesterday in a bipartisan Senate intelligence committee report.
The panel found that Wilson’s report, rather than debunking intelligence about purported uranium sales to Iraq, as he has said, bolstered the case for most intelligence analysts. And contrary to Wilson’s assertions and even the government’s previous statements, the CIA did not tell the White House it had qualms about the reliability of the Africa intelligence that made its way into 16 fateful words in President Bush’s January 2003 State of the Union address.”
If you want to criticize this President, fine, but have some honesty and perspective.
PBJ – as Ren Hoek put it, your wealth of ignorance astounds me.
pbj @ 27 “Your baseless accusations of torture and murder at guantanimo”
That seals it for me. Bush sends our military in to war based on lies, and then sees to it that American servicemen and women are imprisoned for accusations that are “baseless”
IMPEACH BUSH NOW!
Thanks pbj!
pbj, I don’t know of any “summary executions of Axis prisoners” in WW2, perhaps you could enlighten me? I’ll concede there are some historical antecedents to the Bush administration’s brutal treatment of prisoners. Andersonville comes to mind. If you wish to pursue the historical parallel further, the commander of Andersonville was hanged by the Union army. Do you wish to suggest the same for Bush? I’m not asking for that. I’ll settle for his resignation.
Patrick @ 35: Try here, and look for the Allied massacres. Also, don’t forget the bombing of Dresden and the use of the atomic bomb in 1945. I point these example out not to condemn those acts, but to show that this nation has done much worse in the name of beloved presidents.
As far as Andersonville, yes it was the worst, but the Union was guilty of mistreatment, too, just search for Rock Island or Fort Delaware, but nobody criticizes President Lincoln for that.
You want to condemn and remove Bush from office but seem to excuse and justify all others who were gulity of “worse” abuses. The US’ treatment of prisoners in this war has been the most talked about of any war during the conflict. The military, I think, knows that mistreatment won’t get you anything, and let’s be clear, your definition of “mistreatment” is much lower than previous wars. Further, from this story:
“[General Richard] Myers said the US has dealt with 68,000 detainees “since this conflict against extremism started,” adding there have been 325 probes into alleged abuse and that 100 individuals “have had some sort of action taken, either court-martial or administrative action.”
Compare that with our other wars, do you think we’re worse today than other wars? I don’t think so.
Another TJ @ 17
Thanks for the clairification! I’ll be sure to use “go fuck yourself” Cheney in the future…has a better ring to it, thats for sure!
pbj @ 18
ooOOooh, I see, because one fucked up piece of Bush’s propaganda got bungled it’s a Demo lie? Please, wake up or go fuck yourself…(if its okay for Cheney to sasy it, its okay for me)!
But, I digress…after digging a bit, i do see that in fact, the banner WAS intended to signify the Lincolns end to major combat ops. So in the future, with that knowlege i’ll know better. But the message that his stunt sent to the GP was taken by many as a symbolic end to the war in Iraq.
I find it houmorus that the White House staff and the Navy cant cop to who’s idea that banner was. From http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOL.....omplished/
“Attention turned Tuesday to a giant “Mission Accomplished” sign that stood behind Bush aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln when he gave the speech May 1.
The president told reporters the sign was put up by the Navy, not the White House.
Navy and administration sources said that though the banner was the Navy’s idea, the White House actually made it.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan told CNN that in preparing for the speech, Navy officials on the carrier told Bush aides they wanted a “Mission Accomplished” banner, and the White House agreed to create it.
“We took care of the production of it,” McClellan said. “We have people to do those things. But the Navy actually put it up.”
The banner has been used by critics of the Bush administration as evidence of bravado and an unclear sense of how dangerous the postwar conflict in Iraq would be.
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So I will not change my moniker, but I will admit to misunderstanding the propaganda. I wonder if you could do the same?