Bush: Democrats Weak On Terror

President Says A Congress Under Democratic Control Would Weaken U.S. Stance On Terrorism

(AP)  President Bush took a swat at his critics Tuesday, bluntly declaring that if Democrats take control of Congress, the nation's stance against terrorism will soften.

He scolded Democrats who voted against his warrantless wiretapping program to monitor the communications of suspected terrorists and legislation to detain, interrogate and question high-value terrorist suspects.

"On each of these programs, the Democrats have said they share our goals. But when it comes time to vote, they consistently oppose giving our personnel the tools they need to protect us," Bush said at a $400,000 breakfast fundraiser for Rep. Richard Pombo, held 60 miles east of the San Francisco Bay area.

"Time and time again, the Democrats want to have it both ways. They talk tough on terror, but when the votes are counted, their softer side comes out," he said.

In the home stretch of campaigning for the Nov. 7 elections, Bush is using his $2.3 million fundraising sprint through Nevada, California, Arizona and Colorado to try to portray distinct differences between Democrats and Republicans, especially on waging the war against terror.

Bush said the CIA program to interrogate high-target terrorist suspects has helped foil attacks, and he asked Democrats who voted against the detainee legislation to explain their opposition to voters.

"If they feel we are safer without this program, the Democrats in the United States Senate need to explain to the American people which of the attacks that the CIA program stopped would they have been willing to let go forward," Bush said.

He is trying to frame next month's elections around the economy and national security, but he has to talk loudly to be heard over the static caused by setbacks recently suffered by the Republican Party.

The White House has been seeking to rebut a recent intelligence report that suggests the Iraq war has helped recruit more terrorists and journalist Bob Woodward's new book, "State of Denial," that suggests Bush has not been completely upfront about the severity of the security situation in Iraq.

And on Capitol Hill, House Republican leaders are being asked about how long they knew about former Republican Rep. Mark Foley's inappropriate communications with teenage males who worked as pages. After the fundraiser, Bush visited a local school where he said he was "shocked and dismayed" by Foley's behavior and said he supports House Speaker Dennis Hastert's call for a full investigation.

Later, Bush was attending a $600,000 fundraiser in El Dorado Hills for Rep. John Doolittle and then raising $1.3 million at a Republican National Committee event in the Los Angeles area.

About 150 anti-Bush demonstrators protested across from the site of the Pombo fundraiser. Both Pombo and Doolittle easily survived primary challenges this year from opponents who criticized them for their connections to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

One presidential action was tucked into Bush's Tuesday schedule, perhaps to help the various campaigns defray the cost of getting the president to the political events. Bush signed the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Act. Pombo sponsored the House version of the bill, which aims to help landowners restore and manage fish and wildlife habitats on private property.

[janemcgreeve]

Sorry, jh whatever that stands for - BUT THERE WERE.

You obviously don't know Jack about the Middle East, or how Islamic tribes in the past that were at each other's throats always rallied to confront the "Imperialists". Happened before, happened now.

Ever hear of Salman Pak? Better read up on that, kiddo.

And even your blessed Dems still can't figure out why Atta met with the Iraquis, or what they spoke about. Oh, all they can come up with is that there were NO Al Qaeda-Saddam ties. Without providing proof.

Believe everything your blessed Dems tell you, jh? I don't believe everything Bush or Cheney tell me, but I can tell you this, they mean to protect us much more than your hero(ines) will.

Read Jimmy Carter's new book when it comes out. This out-and-out coward is nowadays sucking up to Hamas and the PLO. I suppose in your world, they're nice guys too.

[janemcgreeve]

P.S. And of Iraq and Al Qaeda ties, Sorry, but I still don't subscribe to the Democratic fantasy that there were NO ties between Saddam and Al Qaeda before 9/11. Read Stephen Hayes "The Connection" never really refuted, or even Laurie Mylroie's - oh, but they're Zionist Neo-Con patsies the know-it-nots will say.

Read Bodansky. All of these groups - ALL OF THEM, Hizbullah, Hamas, the Baath, Al Qaeda - may have hated each other, but they hated America and Israel more. Atta did meet with Iraqui intelligence - NEVER REFUTED. The increase of Palestinian violence towards Israel before the 2000 elections occurred right after the Cole Bombing - and as Al Qaeda began planning 9/11. Coincidence? The kidnappings and killings in Gaza and along the Lebanon border took place as Iran prepared to defy UN sanctions. Coincidence? You hatemongers out there and appease-worts can tell me. I'm listening, unlike you.

[janemcgreeve]

Goodwin,

I've seen your blah-blah stuff, and for the most part, it is pretty juvenile. However, you, of most of the sorry dems and Bush-bashers here, made the most sense. Unfortunately your hero Clinton was not of that timbre. He sent a few score tomahawks WITHOUT nuke warheads on them to hit a couple of virtually empty camps AFTER he had given the Pakis a half-day warning so that elements in Musharraf's government could alert their roach pals.

Contrast that with the day-to-day bombing of civilian targets in Belgrade by the Clinton-Albright-Burglar-Clark team that resulted in the death of over 2000 Serbs, mostly civilians. And yet you have the temercity to urge us to vote Democratic.

Who should we vote for? A John Kerry who dissed his fellow servicemen and DID Give aid and comfort to the enemy? A Hillary Clinton who couldn't keep order or decency in her own household? A Jimmy Carter whom in his cowardice helped sow the seeds of Islamoextremism 27 years ago. A Howard Dean or a Ned Lamont? Who, sir? Wes Clark - Maybe, if he hadn't subscribed to the Dem Doctrine of Appeasement. Joe Lieberman, sure, but not only has he been knocked out of your party but is insulted by those who don't remember what a true Democrat - a Humphrey, a Scoop Jackson, were.

Show a Democrat with guts, and a long-term strategy who won't play into the hands of the majority of the Democratic Party and maybe, just maybe, he'd get my vote. But not the sorry losers and slime that are out there now.

[drgoodwin12]

To bellaL,I am a democrat and first off I would have nuked every training camp in Afghanistan.Is that soft?Second I would not have invaded a country that had nothing do with 9/11 and posed no threat to the U.S..I would have concentrated on a campaign of deterrment of individuals from becoming terrorist,I would have shut down every terrorist web site.I also would have seized every known asset that the terror network has.In addition I would have invaded Pakistan and strategically bomb it.Is that soft on terror?

[janemcgreeve]

previous commentator - weak on brains. or common sense.

[janemcgreeve]

Again, offer solutions instead of hot air, cowardice and lies, Bush-bashers and Dem clowns.

[janemcgreeve]

Looks like the "If I Only Had A Brain" folks are out in force this afternoon. Always blame and rant, but heavens forbid that they offer solutions.

Lewinsky a "right wing plant"...tee hee. If that were only true, it just shows how Billy Pervert would fall for anything, just as long as it wasn't his own (Hillary).

[janemcgreeve]

speaking of garbage, that is all that you seem to be spewing jh.

What's with the alphabet soup? if you can't answer, then go back to reading your Koran.

[janemcgreeve]

A true centerist would have supported and voted for Joe Lieberman. Instead of casting lies about the man and pulling him down so that you could elect another, yes, CUT AND RUNNER.

With your rants, so empty of substance but full of nonsense, you are about as centered as water, weak little sister.

[janemcgreeve]

I want to see the Democrats offer robust solutions to fighting the greatest threat since Hitler.

For our own and our childrens' sake.

Instead of prattling about Bush and talking appeasement, let's hear real solutions, not the hand-wringing of a pompous *** like Jimmy Carter or the BS of Clinton and Kerry.

Hate this President, but he chose ro strike back against Bin Laden after 9/11. His predecessor did NOTHING for eight years except demean the office of the Presidency and wag fingers at cameras. While the Khobar Towers, the Embassies in Africa, and the USS Cole blew up.

Offer solutions instead of hot air and cowardice, please.

[getcentered]

Oh yea, and "Cut and Run" too.

What a perfect little one liner for all the puppet GOP/Republicans to repeat over and over again in the name of the real president, Karl Rove.
What meaningless-ness. Ignorance.


If we don't vote these fools out in November then we will continue to die in the wrong wars.

[getcentered]

Oh yea, and "Cut and Run" too.

What a perfect little one liner for all the puppet GOP/Republicans to repeat over and over again in the name of the real president, Karl Rove.
What meaningless-ness. Ignorance.


If we don't vote these fools out in November then we will continue to die in the wrong wars.

[getcentered]

Bush: %u201CDemocrats Weak On Terror%u201D

Is Bush saying *** like this new? I think I remember him saying it at least 100 times. We Americans are going to hear allot of this in the coming few months. The GOP/Republicans are going to repeat it again and again. Boring and meaningless.

It's a bunch of lies, plain and simple. I don't trust these GOP/Republicans a single bit.

They don't even know what it is to be a Republican. These guys are "Re-spend-cans", and spend again, and again.

The GOP/Republicans get NO clout on fighting terrorism because they put our troops in Iraq, and now thousands of them have died in a war that had nothing to do with terrorism.

[janemcgreeve]

Oh, its alphabet soup making excuses for perverts.

You laugh at the GOP and Foley, yet you cannot even clean up your own dung. Senator Byrd, Barney Frank, Al Sharpton, the Clintons, and of course that paragon of virtue Ted Kennedy - the list goes on and on.

Clinton demonstrated lack of moral fibre and character, things that meant a lot to Americans in a different era, but obviously nothing to you and your equally clueless friends, jh. Remember too, Bin Laden was bombing embassies while Clinton was spinning. And what did your hero do? Bomb Belgrade.

Oh yeah, Clinton also broke laws. But hey, that's mighty fine for the Left. Go learn Sharia, kiddo, you're going to need it.

[janemcgreeve]

Offer a solution, alphabetsoup jh6379.

What would you rather do, learn Arabic? Abide by the Sharia? Embrace Islam (you probably don't have a religious belief, so maybe that would do you good).

And of course blame Amerika and those Republicans.

Offer a solution instead of "cut and run" and pulling our boys who are doing the dirty work you refuse to do down. Or shut up.

[janemcgreeve]

The President is right.

What are the solutions that the Democrats offer besides "Cut and Run" or want judicial trials for terrorists? What are they? Care to answer, Dems?

Oh yeah, they got rid of Joe Lieberman precisely because they have no answers except a sorry historical and hysterical record, including 8 years of "cup a feel" or having cigar parties with bimbo interns (say, Foley resigned - why didn't Clinton??) while Bin Laden was sharpening his knives.

[cathaleen]

Hindsight is always 20/20. Instead of chasing the
past for blunders (which should be shared 50/50
by Dems and Reps), everyone should focus on getting our troops out of that hell-hole.

I think if all pols focused on this instead of sniping at each other and looking for ways to make each other look bad, we may get a handle o this mess in Iraq.

People wonder why our image around the world is so bad, just take a look in the mirror.

[gslinger3]

Thank you Mr President for standing up to the weak on anything Democrats who continue to try to thwart, undermine and oppose your efforts in the war on terror. They would love nothing more than for us to lose this war. You are doing a great job and with your strong leadership we will prevail.
Keep doing what your doing!!!!

[weri2bat100]

I believe that the biggest story of the century might result from new revelations into why Condolezza Rice brushed aside pre-intelligence warnings of a major terrorist strike months ahead of 9/11.

It raises serious questions into the timing and release of the Mark Foley story so close to the November elections. Some in the media have even questioned why so much detailed information about Foley is being provided before it is asked for.

If the Mark Foley story is being used as a smoke screen, and I believe it is; to divert media attention away from the Rice/Tenant story, it suggests that the truth would devastate the GOP and the administration. If the November elections give the Democrats control over both branches of the legislature, the impeachment process would be much easier.

Did the White House know about the terrorist's plot to attack the World Trade Towers and the Pentagon prior to 9/11 or is the administration culpable in some other way. Katrina certainly demonstrated the administrations inability to protect American citizens from catastrophic disaster.

The media needs to delve deeper into why Rice brushed aside warnings of a major terrorist attack, even if it turns out that the administration chose to look the other way.
Our nation deserves to know the truth.

[mh4cbs1]

FDR: "the only thing we have to fear, is fear itself".
Bush: "the only thing I have left to keep myself in power is fear itself"

Can you believe this so-called President?!?!? His real policies take advantage of ordinary hard-working citizens to enrich his super-wealthy base. So the only card he has left is to play the same old sickening act of exploiting 9-11 and keeping Americans scared and confused enough so they don't notice his con job.