ORLANDO, Fla., Aug. 20, 2008
Bush Defends Surge, Terror War Tactics
President Says Strategy To Fight Terrorism "Cannot Be Limited To Law Enforcement"
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President Bush waves as he is introduced prior to addressing the Veterans of Foreign Wars national convention, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2008, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/J.Scott Applewhite)
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Although he didn't mention his detractors by name, Bush's comments about Iraq were a slap at Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama and a boost to Sen. John McCain, the Republican candidate.
"The commander in chief must always listen to the commanders, and not the latest opinion polls," Bush said during a speech to the annual convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
"America's future leaders must remember that the war on terror will be won on the offense. And that's where our military must stay," Bush said. Obama and McCain are sharply divided about the war in Iraq. Obama opposed it and says he will bring American forces home; McCain was a strong supporter of the war and the surge, and he opposes a quick pullout.
Bush also prodded Russia to honor its commitment to leave pro-Western Georgia, a small, former Soviet republic that has come "under siege" from its larger neighbor.
Bush said it can no longer be "business as usual" with Russia due to its aggression. He said the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia are part of Georgia and that Washington will work with allies to insure Georgia's independence and territorial integrity.
Obama, addressing the VFW on Tuesday, reaffirmed his early opposition to the U.S. invasion of Iraq. He said the surge of troops has not led to the political reconciliation needed to ensure the country will remain secure once all U.S. troops are gone.
McCain, in an appearance before the same group on Monday, repeated his support for the president's January 2007 decision to add 30,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. The increase is credited with reducing violence in Iraq, and the additional troops have already returned home.
McCain criticized Obama for not only opposing the surge but trying to block the funding that would have allowed the increase.
Bush flew to Orlando from his ranch in Crawford, Texas. Later in the day the president was visiting New Orleans and Gulfport, Miss., to talk about ongoing recovery efforts from Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Bush told the VFW this would be his final appearance before a veterans group as commander in chief. His remarks were preceded by a video slide show highlighting the role of the military and its veterans.
"You live by a code and you fight for a cause and I'm honored to be your commander in chief," Bush said in the slide show.
VFW National President George Lisicki introduced Bush to an enthusiastic crowd in the Orlando Convention Center. Veterans organizations have pushed aggressively for expanded benefits for veterans and have not always seen eye-to-eye with the Bush administration.
But Lisicki said there's one thing they all agree on: "Our nation does not go to war to lose."
Bush ticked off a long list of accomplishments for veterans during his two terms in office. The annual budget for the Veterans Affairs Department is $94 billion, an amount he said is nearly double for veterans when he took office.
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have produced a larger number of veterans in need of specialized care from traumatic injuries caused by roadside bombs and other terror weapons.
Bush's speech highlighted themes that McCain has been using to argue that he is better qualified to be commander in chief than Obama.
In his remarks, Bush said the war on terror "cannot be won, however if we treat terrorism primarily as a matter of law enforcement. Law enforcement is an essential part of our strategy but our strategy cannot be limited to law enforcement alone."
Bush said the U.S. prosecuted people responsible the first bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993 "but eight years later al Qaeda terrorists came back to finish the job."
Obama in June said the government can crack down on terrorists "within the constraints of our Constitution." He mentioned the indefinite detention of Guantanamo Bay detainees, contrasting their treatment with the prosecution of the 1993 World Trade Center bombings.
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See all 160 Comments#1 The Surge -- failed diplomatically (not militarily) to achieve the majority of the 18 benchmarks for success established before it started. The "Surge" has now officially ended according to President Bush and Senator "Surge" McCain and the Benchmarks many remain unachieved -- clearly diplomatic failure.
#2 President Bush and Sec''y of State Condi Rice are late by their own chosen timing for the schedule to complete the SOFA required to replace the UN Authorization that expires in December to legally protect coalition forces operating in Iraq. The current position and one of the few commonly accepted positions of the Iraqi government is a time line for withdrawal (specifically not a time horixon according to the Iraqis) that is rumored require removal of US combat troops from Iraq by Jan 1, 2011 and removal of US combat troops from Iraqi cities by June. Sounds like Bush is ready to agree to the Republican''s dreaded "Time Line of Failure" before either Senator McCain or Senator Obama have any say in January.
This is how they demonstrate their mastery of national security Accusing the Democrats of legislating failure while simultaneously delivering a total diplomatic meldtown leading to the Republicans voluntarily cutting and running declaring the defeat of coalition forces in Iraq based on their own description of conditions in Iraq?
Yeah, too bad he didn''t take his own advice when one of his own generals warned him that we didn''t have enough troops to invade AND occupy Iraq, never mind that we shouldn''t have been there in the first place. What a total loser!
Posted by airboatboy at 04:36 AM : Aug 21, 2008
I got very tired of that smirk 8 years ago when he was running for office the first time.
Really? McCain was one of the main detractors about the way Bush handled the war on terror and even how he handled the surge. So how did he get a boost? Republicans are now trying to redefine and make their own luck? LOL
Posted by misha128
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As a Nam Vet I warned my sons.....If they try a DRAFT...you are Gay ....or missing a foot............
just kidding .....right?
Posted by JackMayoff2 at 02:15 PM : Aug 20, 2008,,,
No doubt about it! Everybody wants to be like Mike!
Posted by WellHell3 at 07:27 PM : Aug 20, 2008
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I am not one bit horrified. I would be proud to have him in the Whitehouse. He is very intellegent and anyone who did a tiny, eensy, weensy, bit of research on him would know that, in spite of what Rush-the-dope-head says.
Your claim that Obscamma has intelligence is ABSURD! The man has made so many bad judgments in his campaign it is horrifying to envision him in the White House representing this country!
Posted by WellHell3 at 07:27 PM : Aug 20, 2008
Well Rowdy, based on the inane question you are asking, I will volunteer the opinion that you are not one of the chosen ones lol. Who gets to decide who is intelligent? Did you really say that?
Only you and the "decider" would not understand that no one "decides" who is intelligent. Geesh.
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This has got to be the funniest thing that Bush has ever said, and that is saying a lot. He has NEVER listned to his commanders unless they told him what he wanted to hear. If they tried to suggest otherwise, he fired them. He is the worst president that we have ever had, and John McCain is just following his lead. John McCain is a 1000 times more decent than George Bush, but he has lost his moral compass.
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John McCain is wrong and was wrong on Iraq, Bush is wrong and was wrong on Iraq, and nothing Bush can say make him right.
Barack Obama has been right on Iraq from the start and is still right about Iraq.
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See all 160 Comments