President Bush suggested Thursday that Democrats don't have the stomach to fight the war on terror, battling back in the election-season clamor over administration intelligence showing terrorism spreading.

 

"Five years after 9/11, the worst attack on the American homeland in our history, Democrats offer nothing but criticism and obstruction and endless second-guessing," Bush said at a Republican fundraiser.

 

"The party of FDR and the party of Harry Truman has become the party of cut and run," Bush told a convention-center audience of over 2,000 people. The event put $2.5 million in the campaign accounts of Alabama Gov. Bob Riley and the state GOP.

 

Democrats immediately disputed the charge that they would hold back in the anti-terror battle.

 

"On his watch, five years after 9/11, he not only has failed to capture Osama bin Laden, but as the (National Intelligence Estimate) indicates, his failed policies have made America less safe and spawned terrorism, not decreased it," said Karen Finney, spokeswoman for the Democratic National Committee. "Democrats will be tough and smart, and will actually fight the terrorists, not leave them to plan future attacks."

 

Bush's no-holds-barred speech, one of his harshest yet on the campaign trail, came less than six weeks before midterm elections in which Democrats are seeking to strip Republicans of their control of one or both houses of Congress.

 

The war of words continued a nearly weeklong tussle by both parties over the implications of a newly revealed estimate, an analysis of terror trends put together by the nation's top intelligence analysts in 16 spy agencies.

 

The document concluded that Iraq has become a "cause celebre" for jihadists worldwide, whom it said have grown in number and geographic reach. The report said the factors, such as the Iraq war, that are fueling the jihadist movement's growth outweigh its vulnerabilities and that, if the current trend continues, risks to the U.S. interests at home and abroad will grow.

 

Portions of the five-month-old report were leaked over the weekend, and Bush ordered the key judgments - four of its 30 pages - declassified on Tuesday in hopes that wider availability of most conclusions would quell the criticism.

 

Democrats continued to point to the report to argue that the 2003 Iraq invasion, by fanning anti-U.S. sentiments and helping terrorists recruit, is one reason to change leadership in Congress.

 

On Thursday, Bush accused the opposition party of cherrypicking pieces of the report "for partisan political gain" and "to mislead the American people and justify their policy of withdrawal from Iraq."

 

"The greatest danger is not that America's presence in the war in Iraq is drawing new recruits to the terrorist cause," Bush said. "The greatest danger is that an American withdrawal from Iraq would embolden the terrorists and help them find new recruits to carry out even more destructive attacks."

 

Though not by name, he quoted Rep. Jane Harman of California, top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, as saying that because of the Iraq war "it may become more likely" that the U.S. will have to contend with terrorists on its own soil again, rather than less likely as the president argues. And he quoted Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, as saying the world would be better off without the Iraq war and if former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein were still in power.

 

"Some in Washington, some decent people, patriotic people, feel like we should not be on the offensive in this war on terror," the president said. "We will fight them wherever they make a stand."

 

The president also criticized House Democrats, including their leadership, who voted this week against a White House plan for interrogating, detaining and trying terrorists. "We must give our professionals the tools they need to protect the American people in this war on terror and those in the House of Representatives were wrong to vote against this bill," he said.

 

Democrats, joined by some Republicans, say the legislation would give the president too much latitude when deciding whether aggressive interrogations cross the line and violate international standards of prisoner treatment.

 

Bush headed from Alabama to Ohio to raise $600,000 for the Ohio GOP and Rep. Deborah Pryce, who is struggling to hold on to her seat in an evenly split district and stressing her independence from the president.

 

That fundraiser was held behind closed doors - like most that Bush does lately.

 

By Thursday's end, the president had headlined 68 political events - all fundraisers - benefiting 37 candidates, the national GOP, several state counterparts and the campaign arms of House and Senate Republicans. Half of them overall have been closed to media coverage, with the percentage going up to nearly two-thirds in recent months.

 

The only one of the president's six political events this week that was open was the fundraiser for Riley, who is favored for re-election over his challenger, Democratic Lt. Gov. Lucy Baxley.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20060928/D8KE563G0.html

Same crap he has been saying for a while now, yet it is just the same old crap and pretty much baseless.

 

 

waaaa I served in the military, and went awol, and you should believe I know what I am talking about.

 

 

waaah The democrats arent good americans because they wont fight terror like me. yet 9/11 happend on my watch, and invaded a country with forged intelligence documents and lied to the country.

 

 

wonder if he wants some cheese with that.

Bush is a clown.

Bush is a clown.

 

Constructive.

Way to go Mr. President, put those pinko's who undermine the nation in their place.

When the worst president in American history speaks: people listen.

When the worst president in American history speaks: people listen.

 

:blink:

When the worst president in American history speaks: people listen.

 

 

 

 

Im not a Democrat but Buckeye is arguably correct.

 

 

Based on his grammar alone he is deprived of basic qualities that the President of our great country should possess.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just fulfilling my controversial quote quota for the day

"How dare democrats not support my endless chain of collosal missteps!"

 

and yet republicans running for congress are avoiding Bush in their ads like the plague.

"How dare democrats not support my endless chain of collosal missteps!"

 

and yet republicans running for congress are avoiding Bush in their ads like the plague.

 

 

Very good.

Way to go Mr. President, put those pinko's who undermine the nation in their place.

 

 

yep run off the commies that you falsely see and raise up that nazi symbol instead.

 

 

When the worst president in American history speaks: people listen.

 

:blink:

 

 

His father wasnt even as bad as him

Way to go Mr. President, put those pinko's who undermine the nation in their place.

 

 

yep run off the commies that you falsely see and raise up that nazi symbol instead.

 

 

When the worst president in American history speaks: people listen.

 

:blink:

 

 

His father wasnt even as bad as him

 

His father wasn't bad.

 

So I bet you think Jeb has been a terrible governor too?

Both parties have the stomach to stand up to terror. Unfortunately, the Democrats don't have the stomach to stand up to the Bush administration, which is turning into quite the terror in itself.

Bush is a clown.

 

Constructive.

 

Sorry I stepped on your toes by not supporting your endlessly blind pro-Republican stance.

MSNBC was pointing out the irony that just 17 days ago, Bush called for bipartisan help in fighting the WoT during his September 11th speech to the nation. So much for that...

 

He's just trying to draw attention away from Bob Woodward's new book, the various retired generals attacking Rummy, the sudden resurrection of the Taliban in Afghanistan, the Iraq War (better known as Vietnam Part II), and the National Intelligence Estimate that did not support a single word that he has said about Iraq in the past. I could go on some more...

 

Oh, and the fact that Bill Clinton had started to take the spotlight away from him this weekend.

When the worst president in American history speaks: people listen.

 

 

 

 

Im not a Democrat but Buckeye is arguably correct.

 

 

Based on his grammar alone he is deprived of basic qualities that the President of our great country should possess.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just fulfilling my controversial quote quota for the day I think his grammar is more of an act than anything. If so, its brilliant because as stereotypical as it sounds, it makes him seem like he's just another normal American, not some primadonna bureaucrat with big words. And judging by the few interviews that he's done straight from the heart, and not to make a political statement, he's a very intelligient and witty speaker. Of course, his speech as a President is no less despicable.

When the worst president in American history speaks: people listen.

 

 

 

 

Im not a Democrat but Buckeye is arguably correct.

 

 

Based on his grammar alone he is deprived of basic qualities that the President of our great country should possess.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just fulfilling my controversial quote quota for the day

 

Harding is widely considered by historians to be the worst president ever.

 

the guy had his induction into the KKK in the oval office....

 

saying bush is the worst president ever is kind of silly and shows little knowledge of history

my god, you guys just love to piss each other off. no one's going to change their mind anyway, get over it.

my god, you guys just love to piss each other off. no one's going to change their mind anyway, get over it.

 

 

Interesting how simple things are when you boil politics down. :thumbup

When the worst president in American history speaks: people listen.

 

 

 

 

Im not a Democrat but Buckeye is arguably correct.

 

 

Based on his grammar alone he is deprived of basic qualities that the President of our great country should possess.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just fulfilling my controversial quote quota for the day

 

Harding is widely considered by historians to be the worst president ever.

 

the guy had his induction into the KKK in the oval office....

 

saying bush is the worst president ever is kind of silly and shows little knowledge of history

 

Saying a president was inducted into the KKK in the oval office shows little knowledge of history (as in, you don't know what you're talking about and either A) made that up or B) had some poor/confused history professor tell you that little fake factoid). It is merely speculation that he was even IN the Ku Klux Klan, let alone inducted in during his presidency. And anything you read on Harding dismisses that he was in the Klan, but thanks for trying.

 

That being said, Harding's bad, but mostly because he was considered a "do nothing" president (he also died in office, keep THAT in mind, dude was sick or bed ridden for almost his entire presidency). I'd still argue this president and especially his cabinet have set the bar so high for ineptness it may not be reached again for awhile. I'd rather have a "do nothing," than some idiot, or if you please, a feigned "idiot actor" for those of you who think he's just playing around.

 

There's a new form of terrorism. That of misinformation and half-truth. Don't be one of those guys.

When the worst president in American history speaks: people listen.

 

 

 

 

Im not a Democrat but Buckeye is arguably correct.

 

 

Based on his grammar alone he is deprived of basic qualities that the President of our great country should possess.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just fulfilling my controversial quote quota for the day

 

Harding is widely considered by historians to be the worst president ever.

 

the guy had his induction into the KKK in the oval office....

 

saying bush is the worst president ever is kind of silly and shows little knowledge of history

 

ok.

 

lets play a game.

 

prove it.

When the worst president in American history speaks: people listen.

 

 

 

 

Im not a Democrat but Buckeye is arguably correct.

 

 

Based on his grammar alone he is deprived of basic qualities that the President of our great country should possess.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just fulfilling my controversial quote quota for the day

 

Harding is widely considered by historians to be the worst president ever.

 

the guy had his induction into the KKK in the oval office....

 

saying bush is the worst president ever is kind of silly and shows little knowledge of history

 

 

Why do you slander me?

 

This was NEVER proven by anyone with any knowledge of anything. Just two people who had an agenda to make me look bad.

 

Nobody and I mean nobody with any knowledge of my administration would say this was true, because quite simply it was not.

When the worst president in American history speaks: people listen.

 

 

 

 

Im not a Democrat but Buckeye is arguably correct.

 

 

Based on his grammar alone he is deprived of basic qualities that the President of our great country should possess.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just fulfilling my controversial quote quota for the day

 

Harding is widely considered by historians to be the worst president ever.

 

the guy had his induction into the KKK in the oval office....

 

saying bush is the worst president ever is kind of silly and shows little knowledge of history

 

 

Why do you slander me?

 

This was NEVER proven by anyone with any knowledge of anything. Just two people who had an agenda to make me look bad.

 

Nobody and I mean nobody with any knowledge of my administration would say this was true, because quite simply it was not.

 

Whoa!

 

Harding's freaking GHOST!

 

On this board, too.

 

SweEeEeEt!

 

And people say Halloween is dead...

It's funny when anti-Democrats cite FDR as this great President. Other than making America into a socialist country and generating tons of headaches thanks to the creation of social security and other social programs, having a peacetime draft, trying to pack the Supreme Court with additional justices, and otherwise taking a ginormous Cleveland steamer on the Constitution, I just don't get it. Yeah, he "led" us through WWII, but the guy is more overrated than Vida Guerra.

It's funny when anti-Democrats cite FDR as this great President. Other than making America into a socialist country and generating tons of headaches thanks to the creation of social security and other social programs, having a peacetime draft, trying to pack the Supreme Court with additional justices, and otherwise taking a ginormous Cleveland steamer on the Constitution, I just don't get it. Yeah, he "led" us through WWII, but the guy is more overrated than Vida Guerra.

 

 

 

Personally I think FDR was a crock of sh*t.