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Bush to Nation: The Suffering is Worth It

By Jeralyn, Section War In Iraq
Posted on Tue Jun 28, 2005 at 03:26:14 PM EST
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Bush says in his speech:

"Like most Americans, I see the images of violence and bloodshed. Every picture is horrifying and the suffering is real," Bush said, according to excerpts released ahead of time by the White House. "It is worth it."

Who is he kidding? This war was not worth a single life or one single survivor's lifetime of grieving - for their lost loved ones or lost limbs.

This war has not done one iota to make us safer. Nor will it.

Think Progress has the full text of the speech (prepared remarks) and is live-blogging.

Update: Rep. Charlie Rangel writes today on the Huffington Post that the war is going to get much worse.

Update: America Blog notes:

ABC's Terry Moran just reported that the only time Bush got applause was in the middle of his speech when a White House advance team member started clapping all on their own in order to cajole the soldiers into clapping, which they dutifully did.

And Protein Wisdom (who praises the speech, I'd avoid his "pros" but adds this humorous ending)

Cons:

* Failed to criticize Aruban prosecutors for their dismal failure in bring closure to Natalee’s family
* Completely ignored the shark EPIDEMIC currently plaguing Florida’s Gulf coast
* No Geraldo; very little Greta

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    Bush to Nation: The Suffering is Worth It | 35 comments (35 topical)
    Re: Bush to Nation: The Suffering is Worth It (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:39 PM EST
    A preview of President Bush's speech on Iraq has been released. For those keeping score at home, here are the Five Things Bush Should But Won't Do Tonight: 1. Tell the Truth About the Path to War and the Occupation 2. Provide An Honest Assessment of the Current Situation in Iraq 3. Define "Victory" and States Whether or Not It Is Still Possible 4. Offer a Plan for Success and Ask the Nation for Sacrifices 5. Send a Clear Message to the World About American Intentions For the full Bush speech scorecard, see: "A Guide to the Bush Iraq Speech"

    Re: Bush to Nation: The Suffering is Worth It (none / 0) (#2)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:39 PM EST
    Bush lied to get people to support the war and has continued to wink and nod (Cheney too) over the issues of the Iraq War's connection to 9/11 ...sort of all terrorists look alike to them. The stunning thing to me is not the 57% who know he lied but the rest who agree with him. They are the people who want a cowboy in office. They want someone who will do whatever to win.(get their own way) Collateral damage is just another fact of life to Bushco and it's march to the sea. They have a series of unconnected goals to accomplish and they have used the religious right as a distraction and fighting terrorism to keep the public in line. I hope to live long enough to see a few other presidents but I can state right now -Bush is the worst president ever.

    Re: Bush to Nation: The Suffering is Worth It (none / 0) (#3)
    by Dadler on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:39 PM EST
    This from a man, or some poor excuse for one, that probably still can't think of a single thing he's done wrong with this "war". A spoiled child is what he is. And the suffering increases because of it. Such a disgrace.

    Re: Bush to Nation: The Suffering is Worth It (none / 0) (#4)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:39 PM EST
    Jeralyn asks who is Bush kidding? Well, slightly more than 1/3 of America, according to the polls.

    Re: Bush to Nation: The Suffering is Worth It (none / 0) (#5)
    by Sailor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:39 PM EST
    Tristero, "You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time." - Phineas T. Barnum Apparently 1/3 is the amount of all of the time.

    Re: Bush to Nation: The Suffering is Worth It (none / 0) (#6)
    by Al on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:39 PM EST
    Bush has checkmated himself. He can't admit defeat and stay in Iraq (how does that work: We lost, but we're staying?), and yet of course his little imperial campaign in the Middle East is in a complete shambles. So he figures at this point he can try to shore up support from his traditional "base", and stumble through the rest of his presidency hoping there won't be a Vietnam-like helicopter scene in Baghdad, at least not before he hands over to the next president - and good luck to him. Or her. Meanwhile Rumsfeld "disassembles", Cheney continues on the path to becoming the undisputed champion of bare-faced lying of all time, and Condoleeza ... Condoleeza comes up with phrases like this to describe what's happening in Iraq: Freedom is on the march. I kid you not.

    Re: Bush to Nation: The Suffering is Worth It (none / 0) (#7)
    by roy on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:39 PM EST
    Only two surprises in the speech: 1: He made vague references to terrorism in Saudi Arabia. Meaningless, but probably an attempt to disarm certain conspiracy theories. 2: He said Iraq is building a society based (partly) on freedom of religion. Do the Iraqis know that? I assumed they were going to allow the freedom to be whatever kind of Muslim you want, but not much else.

    Re: Bush to Nation: The Suffering is Worth It (none / 0) (#8)
    by TomStewart on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:39 PM EST
    Again, he's pulling up 9/11! He's still trying to make people believe that Iraq had something to do with the attacks on America! I predict his approval ratings either stay flat, or nosedive even more.

    Re: Bush to Nation: The Suffering is Worth It (none / 0) (#9)
    by scarshapedstar on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:39 PM EST
    How braindead do you have to be to listen to this guy and not notice HE'S SAID THE SAME THING EVERY TIME HE'S BEEN ON CAMERA FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS!?

    Re: Bush to Nation: The Suffering is Worth It (none / 0) (#10)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:39 PM EST
    The President made repeated reference to something that Blaghdaddy thinks everyone has Sorely Missed... Why isn't having plopped America's War on Terror in Iraqis' living rooms not grounds for immediate impeachment for "Crimes Against Humanity?"

    Re: Bush to Nation: The Suffering is Worth It (none / 0) (#11)
    by john horse on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:39 PM EST
    Roy, Speaking of the Iraqi views on freedom of religion, Abdul Al-Hakim, the leader of United Iraqi Alliance, recently visited Iran. Hakim is quoted as saying that "Iran enjoys cultural and religious privileges that other states are deprived of." Meanwhile, since the occupation, persecution of Iraqi Christians has erupted. This includes the firebombing of churches, the destruction of businesses, and the killing and/or kidnapping of Iraqi Christians. The number of Iraqi Christians has declined from 1.4 million to 800,000. Ironically, there was relatively little persecution of Iraqi Christians when Saddam was in power. Based on this and some other evidence, I would argue that there is less freedom of religion in Iraq today. Bush lies so often, that a good rule of thumb is to believe the opposite of everything he says.

    Re: Bush to Nation: The Suffering is Worth It (none / 0) (#12)
    by Ernesto Del Mundo on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:39 PM EST
    Every picture is horrifying and the suffering is real," Bush said... "It is worth it."
    Yeah, it's always worth it when you can gain from it while somebody else's kids are dying in it.

    Re: Bush to Nation: The Suffering is Worth It (none / 0) (#13)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:40 PM EST
    Another new reason for invading Iraq. "Our mission in Iraq is clear. We are hunting down the terrorists." Yeah, only problem with that bit of news is, they weren't there before we occupied a sovereign nation!

    Here's a good one, "thank the men and women defending our freedom by flying the flag...". Oh, right, that's going to do them some good.

    HEY! What about Poland? He forgot about Poland!

    Re: Bush to Nation: The Suffering is Worth It (none / 0) (#14)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:40 PM EST
    Yeah, it's always worth it when you can gain from it while somebody else's kids are dying in it. Bush is a huge believer in the class system. So by his lights, the lives of 'most all of our soldiers just aren't worth that much.

    Re: Bush to Nation: The Suffering is Worth It (none / 0) (#15)
    by Sailor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:41 PM EST
    shorter bush: The suffering is worth it as long as it's not me or mine. Yo, Jenna, time to join up. It's not like you're teaching underprivelged kids or anything (like you said you would do during the campaign): "Jenna's interested in a public school in Harlem, but she deferred a decision until after the campaign. Visiting a summer reading program for second-graders in Alabama in July, Jenna helped her mother read to the children and talked with them about her plan to become a fourth-grade teacher."

    Re: Bush to Nation: The Suffering is Worth It (none / 0) (#16)
    by ras on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:41 PM EST
    This war has not done one iota to make us safer. Nor will it. And yet, no major terrorist attacks in the US since 9-11, in spite of HomeLand Security's rather pedestrian efforts. Perhaps it's just a coincidence. Or perhaps terrorism is not the freelance enterprise it's made out to be. Maybe it's just state-sponsored war-by-proxy, philosophical privateers so to speak, and the presence of US troops on the border of pretty much every terrorist sponsoring state in the ME is making a difference. Funny how that happened, that Bush just happened to invade the two countries that would make it so. Almost as if it's part of a very successful plan to prevent further 9-11's.

    Re: Bush to Nation: The Suffering is Worth It (none / 0) (#17)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:41 PM EST
    Ras.
    And yet, no major terrorist attacks in the US since 9-11, in spite of HomeLand Security's rather pedestrian efforts. Perhaps it's just a coincidence.
    Yep, pretty much. You may have missed the Madrid Bombing in 2004 ? So much for the success of the 'War on Terror'. Invading Iraq didn't stop that one. Of course that probably doesn't count for you guys since no Americans were killed, even although it was directly precipitated by Spain being dragged into your half assed war (which they sensibly abandoned PDQ). I think the 'Terrorist Community' suffered just as much 'Shock and Awe' as the rest of the world on 9/11. If they ever get out of the mentality of trying to figure ways to match or surpass New York and Washington and wake up to the potential for sustained low level action the country is wide open. As for George Junior all it will take now is a 'Tet Offensive' in Iraq and his ass will be well and truly in a sling. It's Vietnam all over again (and anyone who says different wasn't there, believe me).

    Re: Bush to Nation: The Suffering is Worth It (none / 0) (#18)
    by Lis Riba on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:41 PM EST
    "Like most Americans, I see the images of violence and bloodshed. Every picture is horrifying and the suffering is real," Bush said, according to excerpts released ahead of time by the White House. "It is worth it."
    That would be much more believable if Bush had ever stirred himself to go to one single funeral...

    Re: Bush to Nation: The Suffering is Worth It (none / 0) (#19)
    by kdog on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:41 PM EST
    Yeah...the "suffering" is worth it. Isn't it best to leave that question up to the people who are actually suffering? The worst thing Bush ever suffered was a severe hangover. A complete and utter fraud he is.

    Re: Bush to Nation: The Suffering is Worth It (none / 0) (#20)
    by ppjakajim on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:41 PM EST
    Delta writes:
    Of course that probably doesn't count for you guys since no Americans were killed, even although it was directly precipitated by Spain being dragged into your half assed war (which they sensibly abandoned PDQ).
    If you listen you don't hear, and if you hear you don't understand. The whole strategy of protecting the US is to bring the moslem world into the 21st century by establishing democracies across the ME. That will do a couple of things. First it will remove governmental tolerancem, and in some cases support, for the various groups within these countries. Secondly it will improve the living conditions of the populace, thus removing the real source of recruits by these terror groups. Give a 17 year old some food, jeans and MTV and he isn't going to be interested in blowing himself up. Let him get some better looks at (gasp!) female charms, and he darn sure isn't going to want to run off to jihad. We see improvement in Lebannon, Egypt, Palestine, Libya, SA and Iraq. There are still major problems, especially in Iran, but no one said it would be easy to change a culture. So continue to complain. But at least understand what you are complain about.

    Re: Bush to Nation: The Suffering is Worth It (none / 0) (#21)
    by roger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:41 PM EST
    Since I had my dog spayed, there has not been a single terrorist attack in N. America. Spay and nueter your pet if you dont hate America!

    Re: Bush to Nation: The Suffering is Worth It (none / 0) (#22)
    by Patrick on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:41 PM EST
    Roger, I don't think thaty will work, but I'll try it..

    Re: Bush to Nation: The Suffering is Worth It (none / 0) (#23)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:41 PM EST
    PPJ excretes the following,
    The whole strategy of protecting the US is to bring the moslem world into the 21st century by establishing democracies across the ME
    The ME is currently in the first quarter of the 15th century AH. Democracy should be a choice made by the population not imposed at gunpoint.
    governmental tolerancem ?
    Not familiar with that term, try typing at the speed you think (i.e. slowly and simply).
    improve the living conditions of the populace
    I guess you might get some lively debate on that from the population if Iraq !
    Give a 17 year old some food, jeans and MTV and he isn't going to be interested in blowing himself up.
    Perhaps that's why recruitment in this country is screwed ? As usual you project your cultural values and aspirations onto a culture you have no understanding of.
    Let him get some better looks at (gasp!) female charms, and he darn sure isn't going to want to run off to jihad.
    Unless of course those charms are lying charred by napalm in a Fallujah street.
    There are still major problems, especially in Iran
    What problems ? By whose yardstick ?
    So continue to complain. But at least understand what you are complain about.
    I suspect I have a better understanding of the AO and people than your average BushLicker. Perhaps you should try educating yourself (if that’s possible, get a grownup to help you with the big words). You consistently prove it is possible to type in crayon.

    Re: Bush to Nation: The Suffering is Worth It (none / 0) (#24)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:41 PM EST
    DeltaSlyHoney,
    You consistently prove it is possible to type in crayon.

    O.M.G! I nearly fell out of my chair! Speaking for the Iraqi people from a recliner in the U.S. is so presumptuous that the only thing you can do is laugh at it!

    Re: Bush to Nation: The Suffering is Worth It (none / 0) (#25)
    by Jlvngstn on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:41 PM EST
    Interesting correlation Jim, although I cannot recall the US starting a waw Egypt, Lebanon, SA or Palestine. In fact, since you are a history buff, we did not install any of the leaders of those countries. Relative to Egypt: The US has provided Egypt with $1.3 billion a year in military aid since 1979, and an average of $815 million a year in economic assistance. All told, Egypt has received over $50 billion in US largesse since 1975. During stops in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, both authoritarian states allied with the U.S., Rice engaged in gentle nudging, reassuring their leaders that the administration was not seeking to impose democracy but merely to encourage Western democratic values. Each nation, she stressed, could move at its own pace. Meanwhile, Iran has displayed steady reform for nearly 25 years since 1979, without billions in aid from the great "satan". Iran is still a crappy place to live in my estimation, but no worse than Egypt, yet 50 billion of our dollars have been sent there. "But even taking the longest view, this is a critical period for the Middle East -- the crucible of much of our common spiritual heritage. For the Middle East the year 1993 can determine whether the new century is consumed by old enmities or used to unlock the human and material potential of the people. Our historic mission it to make this a year of peace. And I am delighted to have President Mubarak as a partner in pursuing this mission." Clinton 93 1993 Where is the Egyptian-U.S. relationship now? One could easily be tempted to conclude that, following last month's successful meeting between Presidents Mubarak and Clinton, both sides have agreed to let bygones be bygones. But old patterns persist, and the phenomenon of an Israel-driven agenda influencing the formulation of American policies towards Egypt and numerous other Arab and Islamic countries is not yet dead and gone. Despite this, something new 'is' afoot. For Americans and Egyptians alike, and, most importantly, for the two of them 'together', the view ahead looks different, and far brighter, than before. For the first time since Egypt became a republic half a century ago, the American-Egyptian relationship now has a greater chance than ever to thrive and be viewed and assessed on its merits, not just through the lenses of a third party. I can go on and on, but it is not George Bush and his administrations' idea to suddenly create democracy in the middle east. Nor does the war in Iraq represent a more significant accomplishment or deserve more credit than Clinton, Bush I, or Reagan and n some cases Carter. Our distribution of economic aid to certain countries in the Middle East have made them far more accommodating to our overall goals than those that were unwilling to change for monetary assistance. Iran has seen dramatic changes over the last 25 years without US assistance and continues to hold their ground that we are evil. The policies that have helped spread democracy have been diplomacy and financial aid, not war.

    Re: Bush to Nation: The Suffering is Worth It (none / 0) (#26)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:41 PM EST
    DeltaSlyH..... You may have missed the Madrid Bombing in 2004 ? Well Delta ... I do believe Madrid is in Spain? Ras specifically said terrorists acts "in the US". Invading Iraq didn't stop that one. No.... it didn't & wasn't meant to. Spain decided to buckle under the threat of more attacks instead of kicking some ass! Too many panzies (lefties) there. I'm sure they will be spared more attacks as long as they do what they are told. I (for one) don't want my country led around by the nose for fear of being attacked.... do you?

    Re: Bush to Nation: The Suffering is Worth It (none / 0) (#27)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:41 PM EST
    BB
    Well Delta ... I do believe Madrid is in Spain
    Thought this was an international war on terror, not a FU world as long as the US is immune war on terror.
    Too many panzies (lefties) there.
    Guess you didn't major in international diplomacy then.
    I (for one) don't want my country led around by the nose for fear of being attacked
    Your country is already being led around by the nose for fear of being attacked, by BushCo !

    Re: Bush to Nation: The Suffering is Worth It (none / 0) (#28)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:41 PM EST
    "Leading my country around by the nose for fear of being attacked" is exactly what Bush has done, and is still trying to do. Thank God more people are beginning to awaken from that nightmare. But he still has a large enough flock of sheeple to just keep on grinding away at our economy, pouring more billions into a misadventure he calls a war on terror. We invaded a country on manufactured evidence, remember? Iraq had nothing to do with any attack on us, remember?

    Pansies? That term fits Bush better than anyone I know, and what about his two daughters? I guess they're too good to join ol' Dads "war effort". Or, maybe they don't think it was such a hot idea either.

    Re: Bush to Nation: The Suffering is Worth It (none / 0) (#29)
    by desertswine on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:41 PM EST
    Let him get some better looks at (gasp!) female charms, and he darn sure isn't going to want to run off to jihad.
    ppj - You outdo yourself. This is so simplistic and childish that it's embarrasing. I don't know what to say. All I can do is shake my head.

    Re: Bush to Nation: The Suffering is Worth It (none / 0) (#30)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:42 PM EST
    I want to know what he thinks he knows of the suffering. He sits in the White house and sends other people off to die. He has no right to talk like he even remotely knows what the troops in Iraq are going through. The suffering is hardly worth it. Over 100,000 people are dead (including Iraqis), and the world is more dangerous than it was before. Nothing he says in his speach will change the number of people dead, and nothing he says will change the fact that we have no right to be in Iraq.

    Re: Bush to Nation: The Suffering is Worth It (none / 0) (#31)
    by ras on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:42 PM EST
    DSH, You have missed the central contention of my prev comment: that terrorism has been exposed as largely a state-sponsored enterprise, and those sponsors, seeing US troops on their borders, have called off the dogs for now. Absent that, it appears you have dodged the evidence, so perhaps you will wish to correct that with a counter-argument on that specific topic, if you have one. For ex, do you credit the lack of major terrorist attacks in the US, post 9-11, to the efficiency of HomeLand Security? Huzzaba you list your top three reasons for the lack of subsequent attacks? Here's mine: 1. intimidation of state-sponsors of terrorism 2. breakup of the central communication base (AQ) in a strongly hierarchical cell system. 3. general counter-terrorism operations, such as locking up the ringleaders. And I would rate them in that order, as well.

    Re: Bush to Nation: The Suffering is Worth It (none / 0) (#32)
    by Jlvngstn on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:42 PM EST
    How many attacks have occurred in the history of the US by non americans? From 1993 until September 10th, that same lame argument could have been used.

    Re: Bush to Nation: The Suffering is Worth It (none / 0) (#33)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:43 PM EST
    Absent that, it appears you have dodged the evidence
    You see Ras, the Neocons are the ones who have made the claim. It is now their burden to prove it to us, not our burden to disprove their unproven claim. The absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, remember? Ras lies. Believe it.

    Re: Bush to Nation: The Suffering is Worth It (none / 0) (#34)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:43 PM EST
    Ras
    terrorism has been exposed as largely a state-sponsored enterprise
    you originally posted
    perhaps terrorism is not the freelance enterprise it's made out to be
    Presumably you can point us to the source that led to the firming up of your opinion ?
    do you credit the lack of major terrorist attacks in the US, post 9-11, to the efficiency of HomeLand Security?
    I would credit it to all the hard working agencies sweating it out on our behalf. But they need to get lucky every time, the bad guys only need to get lucky once. As Jlvngstn points out there was a big ol' gap between WTC '93 and WTC '01 when your argument could also have been made. Time will tell. As I stated in my post
    I think the 'Terrorist Community' suffered just as much 'Shock and Awe' as the rest of the world on 9/11. If they ever get out of the mentality of trying to figure ways to match or surpass New York and Washington and wake up to the potential for sustained low level action the country is wide open.
    Which I freely acknowledge as my own opinion (I can back up with as much evidence as you have so far produced for your state-sponsored terrorism point).

    Re: Bush to Nation: The Suffering is Worth It (none / 0) (#35)
    by Ernesto Del Mundo on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:49 PM EST
    Daniel Ellsberg recognized the cadence and content of Bush's spiel all too well.
    It doesn't feel any better to hear similar words from another president 40 years on, nor will they read any better to his speechwriters years from now. But the human pain they foretell will not be mainly theirs.


    Bush to Nation: The Suffering is Worth It | 35 comments (35 topical)