Bush Honors Fallen On Memorial Day
Dem. Response: Best Way To Honor Troops Is To End Role In Iraq's Civil War
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(AP)
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"In Iraq and Afghanistan, millions have shown their desire to be free," Bush said Saturday in his weekly radio address. "We are determined to help them secure their liberty."
On Monday, Bush will mark his sixth Memorial Day as a wartime president with a visit to Arlington National Cemetery. He is to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns to honor those who have died in past and current conflicts.
"From Valley Forge to Vietnam, from Kuwait to Kandahar, from Berlin to Baghdad, brave men and women have given up their own futures so that others might have a future of freedom," he said. "Because of their sacrifice, millions here and around the world enjoy the blessings of liberty. And wherever these patriots rest, we offer them the respect and gratitude of our nation."
Bush used his radio address to tell the story of Sgt. David Christoff Jr. of Rossford, Ohio, one of at least 3,431 members of the U.S. military who have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003. Christoff signed up for the Marines the day after the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001, saying he didn't want his brother and sister to "live in fear," Bush said.
Christoff was deployed to Iraq, where he fought in street battles in Fallujah and earned a Purple Heart for wounds suffered in action. He returned to Iraq and was killed last May in the volatile Anbar province.Photos: Memorial Day 2007
"When his family received his belongings, his mother and his father each found a letter from David," Bush said. "He asked that they pray for his fellow Marines and all those still serving overseas."
Bush said U.S. troops are helping build democracies that respect the rights of their people, uphold the rule of law and become allies in the fight against extremists.
"On Memorial Day, we rededicate ourselves to freedom's cause," the president said.
For their weekly radio address, Democrats called on Elliot Anderson of Las Vegas, who spent four years on active duty with the Marine Corps, including a seven-month deployment to Afghanistan.
Anderson said patriotism is an American value, not a Democratic or a Republican one.
"I strongly oppose our involvement in Iraq's civil war, but I am still proud of my service to my country," Anderson said.
"But I know I speak for many of my friends overseas when I say that the best way to honor the troops is to responsibly end our involvement in Iraq's civil war. As long as President Bush stays committed to the same policies that aren't working, it won't be easy. But I am proud to see Democrats and now some brave Republicans standing up to him."
© MMVII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Photos: Memorial Day 2007



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See all 94 Comments"I strongly oppose our involvement in Iraq's civil war, but I am still proud of my service to my country," Anderson said.
Amen. Here's to our brave soldiers! I pray that Bush and congress find the strength to bring our troops home soon!
Good was measured in KIND ACTS and fair intelligent laws not wealth, power, fame or brutality.
Posted by drummer94 at 03:28 PM : May 26, 2007
I like your last line! LOL! ;-) Who are these 23%, anyway? Where do they live? I'd be fascinated to meet and talk with one of these people. I have an almost anthropological interest in studying their bizarre mentality.
That paragraph uses one of the oldest speech writing tricks. Wondering if even his speech writers are getting careless too.
Repetition of the V, K, B and finally F gives it a sing song tone that is meant to resonate in the mind similar to some of the 60's civil rights speeches.
Too bad it resonates so fake with me.
Rather than uphold the freedoms and rights embodied in the Constitution this President has been all too eager to destroy them and destroy our military as well.
Remember our troops scrounging in DUMPS for vehicle armor?
Remember how just a few month ago our war wounded had to go public to get decent conditions at Walter-Reed?
The White House is now COMPLAINING that Congress wants to give out fighting men and women a HALF PERCENTAGE POINT RAISE more than their counterparts in civilian life are supposedly getting. That half point extra was granted to "catch up" when military pay fell far behind in comparability.
How many Generals have been replaced now after disagreeing with his single minded u-turn from OSAMA BIN LADEN to depose a petty dictator instead.
Now that the "dictator" is long gone we're STILL paying in blood and even FURTHER from getting the man that BRAGGED HE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR 9/11.
Posted by socrates392 at 03:44 PM : May 26, 2007
They live deeeeeep in the hills of "Kintuck", are invariably married to their sister (or mother or in some cases both), go to "meetin'" every Sunday, swill moonshine every night (while sitting on the couch on the cabin porch next to the wringer washing machine), have a huge satellite dish in the yard so they can watch NASCAR, have blind kids who play a mean banjo, love to catch flatlanders (who they make "Squeal like a pig!") and only come out of the hills for Cheney/Bush rallies.
I beg to differ. I know a few people like you describe and although a few I suspect might cling to Bush I was SHOCKED to discover many more that are VERY outraged over him. They too have woken up to discover they've been scammed and some of their opinions about WHAT THEY'D LIKE TO DO ABOUT IT ARE ALMOST FRIGHTENING. Angering those people could lead to more than just a political loss.
I suspect the ones that are actually clinging to him are the less than honest group that has PROFITED from his policies.
I also suspect that group is MUCH SMALLER than the 23 percent that gets bantered around.
The ONLY reason it's 23 percent is that someone can lie with statistics well and the people behind him can buy the right statistics. It's to keep his poll numbers at least appearing to be a little higher than the all time lowest approval rating.
The problem though is when the truth keeps getting in the way.
I've seen poll numbers around 18 percent.
I can put up with the marrying your sister, swillin' moonshine, and blind boys playing banjos slurs but when you attack my NASCAR and satellite tv you attack America itself!
Boogedy Boogedy Boogedy, Let's go racin' boys!!!!
I threw that in there because I participate in Zogby Polls (they email me and others when they have a new one and you answer it online) and one of the questions that is ALWAYS on there, no matter what the poll is about, is "Do you consider yourself a NASCAR fan". I always answer no.
The words 'Bu$h' and 'Honor' do not go well together...
He didn't honor our war dead, he just made excuses for hinself again. Read what he said. He's blowing smoke, trying to justify himself, what did he say about our brothers and sons? Nothing, just his usual self-congratulation and hype about how he is spreading freedom around the world and how just his mistake of a war is.
Bush talks like a CEO after a big explosion or crisis, just hyping himself, making excuses, and blaming everyone but himself for any problems. Sounds like a fat phony to me, if that's good enough to trade your children's life then you are no kind of a parent. If you are trading other people's children for that half-a$$ed rhetoric, then you are no kind of an American.
Posted by hoopersports at 09:25 PM : May 26, 2007
As a Vietnam veteran of that military who lost friends and family in that war let me restate the obvious, George W. Bush has not earned the right to speak the names of our fallen service members! He dis-honored himself by having his father buy him a cushy job in the Texas Air Guard so he would have nothing more dangerous to do during the war then to fly a bar stool at the officers club, something that by all accounts he excelled at! If he had any shame at all he'd shut up!
SIG HEIL BUSH!
He has done nothing but dishonor our military.
THANK YOU...
This does not seem possible. Unless the illegitimate Bush-puppet has apologized and turned himself over to face ear crimes and treason charges, it is very unlikely that he is able to honor anyone, other than Satan, of course.
should be: 'Unless the illegitimate Bush-puppet has apologized and turned himself over to face WAR crimes and treason charges...', not EAR crimes.
Someone who has so dishonored the highest office in the land can offer no honor to the most honorable of our patriots.
Bush us the slime under my boot as I step on dog ***
So much of REAL American life and traditions has evaporated. Respect for mothers, concern for children, fathers that took responsibility rather than desert when a "better Model" came along.
Companies that stood by their employees and voluntarily paid a fair wage for labor.
The days that a CEO earned maybe 5 to 40 times his employees Not 300 or more times as many do now.
A government that broke up monopolies rather than hand them even more power.
A government that believed in DIPLOMACY rather than ILL-CONSIDERED PREEMPTIVE WAR to accomplish goals FOR THE GOOD OF THE NATION, not just the vile self serving URGES OF a wealthy elite and selected war profiteers
Presidents that actually believed in the Constitution rather than referring to it as a "G*D D****D Piece of Paper".
GREED, power lust and corporate irresponsibility will be the downfall of this nation.
From Wiki's description of Fascism:
Benito Mussolini claimed to have been the founder of fascism. Italian fascism (in Italian, fascismo) was the authoritarian political movement which ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943 under Mussolini's leadership. Fascism in Italy combined elements of corporatism, totalitarianism, nationalism, militarism, and anti-Communism. Fascism won support as an alternative to the unpopular Liberalism of the time. It also won support of Italians who were anti socialist.
Why does this last description sound SO FAMILIAR THE LAST 6 YEARS????
This is true this Memorial Day weekend and always!
This is obscene and I am deeply offended. We need to rededicate ourselves to fighting for freedom here in the United States. We wouldn't need to pray for the safety of U.S. troops serving overseas if Bush would simply bring them home - like the majority of the voters want.
With the track record of the Democrats who came in with majorities in November, I have realized that my vote does not count. I have voted all my life, but I will never vote again. It simply doesn't matter what is promised, once they are in office they are too busy scrambling for wealth to honor promises.
The Republican congress will lock step and keep staying the course. You can not except the Dems to be able to override the veto if they don't have the votes to do so.
I believe that it is the 23% who say they are no longer going to vote or that this is a do nothing congress. In fact they have done more in just a few short months they the last 12 years of Republican congress.
The only reason why the first 6 years of Republican congress completed anything was because Bill Clinton forced them to do it. We see now what happens when you give power to the Republican NOTHING GOOD.
Have a Happy Memorial Day everyone!
Posted by sclaires at 08:06 PM : May 26, 2007
I agree. It seems like if he even approached the Tomb of the Unknowns he would be struck by a lightening bolt.
What follows is the oath taken by the very select soldiers who guard the Tomb of the Unknowns. It shows reverence and respect that Bush couldn't begin to understand.
The Sentinels Creed
My dedication to this sacred duty is total and wholehearted.
In the responsibility bestowed on me never will I falter.
And with dignity and perseverance my standard will remain perfection.
Through the years of diligence and praise and the discomfort of the elements,
I will walk my tour in humble reverence to the best of my ability.
It is he who commands the respect I protect.
His bravery that made us so proud.
Surrounded by well meaning crowds by day alone in the thoughtful peace of night,
this soldier will in honored glory rest under my eternal vigilance.
This can be proven and America can and should arrest Bush and Cheney their Entire Administration, Israeli NEOCONS TOO, and put them on trial for War Crimes just like we did the Nazis after WWII.
CHECK OUT THOSE REPRESENTATIVES THAT VOTE FOR THE WAR! If you follow the money trail you will find that most of those elected officials who support the war in Iraq are under the influence of AIPAC. AN ISRAELI POLITICAL LOBBY GROUP!
HERE ARE SOME OF AIPAC DEMOCRATIC SUPPORTERS! CONTACT THEM!
Levin, Carl- (D - MI)
269 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-6221
Web Form: levin.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm
Steny Hoyer
http://hoyer.house.gov/contact/
READ AIPAC BRAG ABOUT THEIR INFLUENCE ON AMERICAN POLITICIANS!
http://www.aipac.org/forms/join_aipacClubs.htm
REMEMBER THE AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE IS RUN BY PRO ISRAELI GROUP! THEY ARE THE ONES WHO CAME UP WITH THIS SURGE IDEA!
EVEN AS AMERICAN MILITARY AID LANDS IN LEBANON, President Bush is funding Al Qaeda in Lebanon with funds from Iraq! http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/ar
ticles/070305fa_fact_hersh
50 years of American involvement in the Middle East ENOUGH it has nothing worth one more American Life!
THE STATUE OF LIBERTY STANDS IN NEW YORK HARBOR AND IS NOT KNEELING IN THE MIDDLE EAST!
Bush is one sicko !!!!! He should have to read the names one by one of all our troops that he has killed since he started this war on his radio address. Now they give this fool more money to keep this mess going. Get real !!!!!!!!
Posted by barbaraf4 at 08:47 AM : May 27, 2007
Hey Barbara your vote is not wasted as the democrats do not have enough votes to override the bush veto. Your voice will be heard in September when more republican rubber stampers start fearing for their job. But they will learn they waited to long to start being honest citizens again.
Don't give up.
Posted by hoopersports at 09:25 PM : May 26, 2007
You have it totally wrong bush is dishonoring not honoring.
I haven't talked to anyone that has agreed with bush about anything.
Have you been in a coma for the last six years???
We all agree that America%u2019s fallen soldiers should be honored.
But Bush is not the one to do it.
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