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Author Topic: Bush: I quit golf over Iraq war  (Read 4050 times)
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caesu
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« on: May 15, 2008, 05:34:36 AM »

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President George W. Bush said in an interview out Tuesday that he quit playing golf in 2003 out of respect for the families of US soldiers killed in the conflict in Iraq, now in its sixth year.

"I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal," he said in an interview for Yahoo! News and Politico magazine.

"I don't want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the commander-in-chief playing golf," he said. "I feel I owe it to the families to be in solidarity as best as I can with them."

The US president traced his decision to the August 19, 2003 bombing of UN headquarters in Baghdad, which killed the world body's top official in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello.


"I remember when de Mello, who was at the UN, got killed in Baghdad as a result of these murderers taking this good man's life. And I was playing golf -- I think I was in central Texas -- and they pulled me off the golf course and I said, it's just not worth it anymore to do," said Bush.

Bush's last round of golf as president dates back to October 13, 2003, according to meticulous records kept by CBS news.

On the day of the bombing two months earlier, he had cut short his golf game at the 12th hole and returned to his ranch in tiny Crawford, Texas.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080513/pl_afp/usiraqpoliticsbushgolf_080513212030

maybe he can quit lying out of respect because this led to this war with 4077 us soldiers dead and a million dead iraqis.


silly dancing, 2007.

what a sacrifice, giving up golf...

go ahead and defend this poor man.
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Auntiem
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« Reply #1 on: May 18, 2008, 10:49:14 AM »

 Stop making fun of our president and country!!!   Noticed any American cities being attacked since 9/11???

  Fools make fools of themselves when trying to make fools of others!!!

 If you can do a better job, WTF ain't you headin our Country OR giving some better solutions on how to keep evil, obsessive Islamic terrorists from annihilating Israel and the US.

    Guess you'd go have a "talk" with them......talk to the wall or Hitler...you'd be more successful!!!
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caesu
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« Reply #2 on: May 18, 2008, 12:52:52 PM »

GWB is making fun of the office of the president himself.
i don't need to do that.

and this administration is talking to north korea, iran and libya if you haven't noticed.
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Auntiem
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« Reply #3 on: May 18, 2008, 04:24:10 PM »

   I Haven't noticed North Korea EVER attacking our Country, and it IS Iran I am talking about, re Obama's bright idea regarding that we go "negotiate" with  Amadejenad.....who NEVER should have been allowed to talk at the UN and Columbia University, albeit he made such an idiot out of himself...it was almost worth it!!!!  He, if you haven't noticed IS the DICTATOR of Iran (tho, not  MOST of Iran's choice, not by a looong shot by a long shot).  He's a Muslem, and that country does not wish to be Muslim, they were Christian, Jews, Zorastians. Persia, is the name of that  country and he is their tyrannical leader.  Ever try being rational with a buffoon who declares homosexuality does not exist in "what he DARES to call" his country???  I haven't, wouldn't even try!!!

    Maybe, he would trade our safety from his radical Islamic terrorists, if we handed him Israel....NOT!!!!!!!!! NEVER!!!!!!!!
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caesu
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« Reply #4 on: May 18, 2008, 04:54:44 PM »

talking about Iran.

the Bush administration did Iran the greatest favour they could ask for.
remove the archenemy of Iran, Saddam.
numerous Iranian secret agents like Ahmed Chalabi passed information on the fantasy WMD to the US.
now Iran is the great power in the region with more influence in Iraq than even the Iraqi government itself.

and the US did talk to the dictatorship Iran through Zalmay Khalilzad and Ryan Crocker.
and McCain was willing to deal with Hamas.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/15/AR2008051503306.html

and about talking to dictators:
remember the photos of Bush making out and holding hands with the Saudi king like a couple in love?
how much different is Iran from Saudi-Arabia do you think?
they've got the same laws based on the Sharia.
FYI: Hamas is mainly funded by Saudi-Arabia and Iran - US State Department.


so big hypocrites there in the GOP, not the least GWB.
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finngirl
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« Reply #5 on: May 18, 2008, 07:46:29 PM »


THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) - The White House says Saudi Arabia's leaders are making clear they see no reason to increase oil production until customers demand it.
President Bush was in the oil-rich country Friday to appeal to King Abdullah for greater production to help halt rising gas prices in the United States.

But his national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, says Saudi officials stuck to their position that they already are meeting demand.

Hadley told reporters, "What they're saying to us is ... Saudi Arabia does not have customers that are making requests for oil that they are not able to satisfy."

Oil prices climbed to a new high on Friday, topping $127 a barrel.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP)—President Bush is appealing to oil-rich Saudi Arabia to increase production just as oil prices have hit another record high.

As U.S. consumers cope with rising prices at the gas pump, Bush is on a one-day visit to Saudi Arabia for another burst of diplomacy with King Abdullah.

When the two met here in mid-January, the president asked Saudi Arabia to raise production to ease high prices at the pump. Bush got a chilly response to his plea. The kingdom said it would increase production only when the market justified it, and that production levels appeared normal.

Bush was spending the day with Abdullah at his horse farm outside Riyadh, talking mostly out of public view over three tea services and two meals.

Bush acknowledges that raising output is difficult because the demand for oil—particularly from China and India—is stretching supplies. Besides, any production hike might not lower prices that much. Some economists say those prices are being driven up by increased demand, not slowed production.

When Bush first ran for president in 2000, he criticized the Clinton administration for high fuel prices and said the president must "jawbone" oil producing nations and persuade them to drop rates. At that time, oil was nearing $28 a barrel.


The Saudi-American relationship began in the 1940s with a simple bargain: Saudi Arabia offered oil in return for U.S. protection. The United States became the kingdom's biggest trading partner and the Saudis became the biggest buyers of U.S. weapons. Many Saudis sent their children to American schools.

But over the years, issues arose.

Saudis, like other Arabs, feel Washington leans unfairly to Israel's side in the dispute with the Palestinians.

And Saudi-U.S. ties took their hardest hit after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, in which 15 the 19 airline hijackers were Saudis. Americans blamed Saudis for allowing the religious extremism that gave rise to the hijackers. Though anti-terror cooperation has been relatively strong since, Saudis still smart from what they feel are unfair accusations.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D90MQ3PO0&show_article=1

the US military is the largest consumer
of oil/petroleum products on the planet

not to mention Bush's early claims that Iraqi oil
would fund the war/not the American taxpayers

 Rolling Eyes

IMO the substandard state-side aftercare for the wounded
is a form of terrorism


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Auntiem
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« Reply #6 on: May 25, 2008, 09:30:38 PM »

quote/Finngirl

IMO the substandard state-side aftercare for the wounded
is a form of terrorism


    Substandard, inferior aftercare for our wounded Soldiers is inexcusable, disgusting, and a National disgrace........I don't see the connection to terrorism!!!!
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finngirl
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« Reply #7 on: June 03, 2008, 02:54:33 AM »


that sentiment was shared w/ me by a military wife

we "met" after her husband (who I had sponsored)
was rotated stateside after suffering TBI/traumatic brain injury
and the loss of two limbs

she told me that many/many military families feel terrorized
by the uncertainties they encounter
when dealing w/ the military's medical bureacracy

they're just trying to go about their daily lives
and their emotional/physical well-being is in constant jeopardy

they never know if/when previously-promised
care/therapy/medication will be discontinued ...
if/when previous diagnoses/levels of disability
will be modified to fit current statistical "needs"

ie: too many in this/that category looks bad ...
let's modify that category

they feel terrorized by not knowing
from which level/which quarter of the bureaucracy
the next "attack" on their medical needs will come

they don't know who to trust ...
could this healthcare worker who appears sane/normal
be the next one to put them in jeopardy?

she put me in touch w/ two other families
and "terrorized/terrorism" are the terms they used ...
for some reason

perhaps, for them, it defines their situation

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caesu
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« Reply #8 on: June 03, 2008, 03:28:55 AM »

very well put finngirl

if someone is in such a situation. mentally, psychically powerless due to the injuries after having served the country.
the last thing you want is have to go through endless bureaucracy.

these volunteers try to do something about it through congress among other things.

http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/articleid/10206

Quote
• 120 veterans commit suicide every week.

• 1,000 veterans attempt suicide while in VA care every month.

• Nearly one in five service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan (approximately 300,000) have post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms or major depression.

• 19 percent of post-Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have been diagnosed with possible traumatic brain injury, according to a Rand Corp. Study in April.

• A higher percentage of these veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder than from any previous war because of "stop loss" or an involuntary extension of service in the military (58,300), multiple tours, greater prevalence of brain injuries, etc.


Quote
The administration and Congress must come to grips with this grave and growing problem among our returning vets. The suicide rates, domestic violence and the strain on families need to be recognized, and timely health care provided. Proper screening and treatment are essential. Our returning troops are entitled to nothing less.

These are the real costs of President Bush's misbegotten and mismanaged wars. These are the costs that the administration seeks to hide while it attempts to make the test of patriotism the wearing of flag pins in our lapels!

It's what is underneath those flag pins that really matters. It is called compassion. It is real patriotism as opposed to the fraud of "Mission Accomplished" and promises of victory.

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finngirl
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« Reply #9 on: June 04, 2008, 02:50:07 AM »

caesu: TY  Embarassed

this issue is very near/dear to my heart

so many vets are surviving injuries
which would have killed them in previous wars ...
and they require months/years of care
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Dead Men Walking/What sort of future do brain-injured Iraq veterans face?

In a flash, the blast incinerates air, sprays metal, burns flesh. Milliseconds after an improvised explosive device (IED) detonates, a blink after a mortar shell blows, an overpressurization wave engulfs the human body, and just as quickly, an underpressure wave follows and vanishes. Eardrums burst, bubbles appear in the bloodstream, the heart slows. A soldier—or a civilian—can survive the blast without a single penetrating wound and still receive the worst diagnosis: traumatic brain injury, or TBI, the signature injury of the Iraq War.

"We would get about 300 helicopters landing a month, all having some level of trauma," says Dr. Elisha Powell, an orthopedic surgeon who served as commander of the U.S. Air Force Theater Hospital in Balad, Iraq, a facility described as "MASH on steroids," where most of the severely brain injured are treated.

The moment an injured soldier hits the helipad at Balad, he's swept into a whirlwind of critical care. It's the one ER in the world where up to 10 surgical specialists are hell-bent on saving a life. Patients get lined up with IVs and catheters, undergo CT scans and X-rays, and then hit the operating table—the hospital's best time is 18 minutes. The head-and-neck team tackles their trauma while a cardiothoracic surgeon and a vascular surgeon go to work on the chest. They're shoulder to shoulder with the urologist, who's brushing against the chief trauma surgeon, who's coordinating everything over the buzz of orthopedic surgeons drilling external fixators into bone. It's crowded. It's hot.

Amid the cramped bustle, doctors are pushing the boundaries of medicine. They're going through crates of the hemophilia drug Factor VII, yet to be approved for trauma but a wonder drug in stopping bleed-outs. At $3,000 a vial, two vials per dose, the price is a drop in the bucket compared with the expenses incurred during the critical phase of recovery, which can easily exceed a million dollars in the coming weeks. The lifetime cost of care for brain-injured troops could reach $35 billion, according to a Nobel Prize–winning economist and a Harvard University budget expert.


In a matter of minutes, a surgeon will saw the skull in half and discard the damaged portion. There will be a plastic replacement waiting farther down the line. Shrapnel is excised, cerebral tissue swells, and the scalp is pulled taut and sewn back over a ballooning brain. Thanks to the wealth of surgical resources, a procedure that takes several hours in any general hospital in the United States might take Balad surgeons 30 minutes. "The secret to our hospital's ability is throughput," Powell says. "We have to keep churning. Things that would overwhelm a major hospital would not overwhelm us. During the worst incident, we had 35 people come to us in 90 minutes, all by helicopter, landing with just horrible injuries."

"There are soft tissue traumas where we have no scalp, no eye, and no skull base left," Grant says. "And we have to somehow treat that acutely in one surgery setting."
http://discovermagazine.com/2007/mar/dead-men-walking/
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

How the Military Has Repaid Iraq Vets With Permanent Disabilities/Why Soldiers With Traumatic Brain Injuries and Permanent Handicaps Are Considered Partially Disabled
http://www.abcnews.go.com/WN/WoodruffReports/story?id=4489740&page=1
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Iraq vets often lose vision due to brain injuries
http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080506/LIFE11/805060352/1006/LIFE
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

January 18, 2008
On Feb. 18, 2007, a headline titled "Soldiers Face Neglect, Frustration at Army's Top Medical Facility" splashed across the front page of one of the nation's premier newspapers, the Washington Post. The article, which described unsafe conditions and substandard care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, began with the story of Army Specialist Jeremy Duncan, who was airlifted out of Iraq in February 2006 with a broken neck and a shredded left ear, "nearly dead from blood loss."

"Behind the door of Army Spec. Jeremy Duncan's room, part of the wall is torn and hangs in the air, weighted down with black mold," the article read. "When the wounded combat engineer stands in his shower and looks up, he can see the bathtub on the floor above through a rotted hole. The entire building, constructed between the world wars, often smells like greasy carry-out. Signs of neglect are everywhere: mouse droppings, belly-up cockroaches, stained carpets, cheap mattresses."


The Post reported that patients inside Walter Reed, which lies just five miles from the White House, found it difficult to receive the care they were promised and felt they deserved.

But the allegations raised in the Washington Post were not actually new. In February 2005, the exact same conditions had been raised in a damning series in the on-line magazine Salon.

Top Bush administration officials knew about Walter Reed's problems, but they had other priorities. Indeed, before the Washington Post put the facility's substandard conditions on its front page, President Bush's appointees at the Pentagon had strenuously lobbied Congress against funding military pensions, health insurance and benefits for widows of retirees. Their argument: that money spent caring for wounded soldiers and their families could be better spent on state-of-the-art military hardware or enticing new recruits to join the force.

Before the scandal at Walter Reed broke in the Washington Post, the Bush administration ran programs for injured soldiers in much the same way it did the rest of the war -- primarily for the benefit of an elite group of private contractors.

In 2005, with tens of thousands of casualties already reported, a Pentagon commission recommended closing Walter Reed by 2011. When the commission report became public, the Bush administration moved to privatize the facility for as long as it would remain open, turning management of the hospital over to IAP World Services, a politically well-connected firm with almost no experience in military medicine.

In January 2006, the military awarded a five-year 120-million-dollar contract to Florida-based IAP, which had already faced scrutiny from Congress for unseemly profiteering after Hurricane Katrina. After the levees broke, FEMA ordered the company to deliver 211 million pounds of ice intended to cool food, medicine and sweltering victims of the storm. Instead, IAP had the ice trucked around the country in circles at taxpayers' expense, with much of it ending up in storage 2,500 kilometers away in Maine.


In December, Congress put its solution forward -- folding a Wounded Warrior Bill designed to help disabled veterans into a massive 700-billion-dollar defense bill. But on Dec. 28, President Bush surprised many observers by vetoing the measure. Bush objected to a provision that would allow victims of Saddam Hussein's regime to seek compensation in court.

Veterans for Common Sense's Paul Sullivan says veterans are not likely to see major progress until 2009.
http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/74134/?page=1
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

WASHINGTON - US lawmakers have accused the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) of being out of control and of covering up the high suicide rate among Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans.

“The VA healthcare system has been pushed to the edge in dealing with the mental health care needs of our veterans,” Bob Filner, chairman of the House of Representatives’ Committee of Veterans’ Affairs, told a packed congressional hearing about the issue of suicides among veterans.

The hearing came five months after a first round of testimonials on the same topic, and weeks after a series of internal VA emails about suicides among veterans were brought to light by a documentary on US network television.

In one of the emails, sent in February, Dr Ira Katz, deputy chief patient care services officer for mental health at the VA, wrote: “Shh! Our suicide prevention coordinators are identifying about 1,000 suicide attempts per month among the veterans we see.”

He added: “Is this something we should address ourselves in some sort of release before someone stumbles on it?”


The figure was at odds with the 144 known suicides among veterans from 2001, when the US launched its war against terror by bombing Afghanistan, through the end of 2005, which Katz had cited in his December testimony, Filner said.

“The emails … seem to indicate they were trying to manipulate the data instead of sharing the data,” Filner told AFP. “If we hadn’t called this hearing, we probably still wouldn’t know the figures.”

“What we see is a pattern that reveals a culture of bureaucracy,” he told the VA officials at the hearing.

“The pattern is deny, deny, deny and when that fails, it’s cover up, cover up, cover up — there is clear evidence of a bureaucratic cover-up here.”

In his testimony for the VA, Katz apologized for the “poor tone” of the email, sent in February.

But neither he nor Secretary of Veteran Affairs James Peake, who also addressed the hearing, admitted any wrongdoing.



http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/05/07/8771/
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Tylergal
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« Reply #10 on: June 12, 2008, 01:15:59 AM »

Yeah, and we still own New York and the Dutchies were so happy that, finally, perhaps the Islamist terrorists had taken it away from them, that they just cannot resist any iota of denigration of the USA.

GET OVER IT, DUTCHIES, NEW YORK IS OURS
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There is always one more imbecile than you counted on
caesu
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« Reply #11 on: June 12, 2008, 07:28:43 AM »

Yeah, and we still own New York and the Dutchies were so happy that, finally, perhaps the Islamist terrorists had taken it away from them, that they just cannot resist any iota of denigration of the USA.

GET OVER IT, DUTCHIES, NEW YORK IS OURS

you are hilarious! 
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