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Jennifer03801
Starlite Member
Username: Jennifer03801
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 24, 2007 - 03:00 am: | 
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Jan. 24, 2007 — Dozens of Republican leaders joined Democrats in taking aim at President Bush's State of the Union address last night.
Facing a split within his own party and sagging approval ratings over Iraq, the president faced a major challenge: to win over the American public and to win back the support of prominent Republicans, who oppose his strategy for Iraq.
In Bush's 50-minute speech, he implored Congress to back his plan to send more troops: "Give it a chance to work."
But over the next two hours, a bipartisan group assailed his policies. Republican Sens. Olympia Snowe and Arlen Specter both attacked the president's plan for a troop buildup.
"To put more American personnel in harm's way without a realistic chance for success is something I'm not in favor of," said Specter. And Snowe, who has signed on with Sens.Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), Joe Biden (D-Del.) and Carl Levin (D-Mich.) in a resolution opposing the surge, said, "I continue to believe that adding additional troops does not address the root causes of violence in Iraq."
The speech didn't sway Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), who said that he remains opposed to the troop increase. "It hasn't changed by mind," Brownback said. "I think we have to have a bipartisan buy-in on the war in Iraq."
And Virginia Republican John Warner, a powerful member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, who opposes the surge but is against Hagel's nonbinding resolution, was more complimentary of Democratic Sen. Jim Webb's response than he was of Bush's speech
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"...I turned out to be right and you turned out to be wrong and 100,000 (600,000)(650,00)people paid with their lives; 1600 (2952) (2954) (2964) (2969) (2972) (2980) (2983) (2987) (2989) (2990) (2993) (2996) (2998) (3000) (3002) (3003) (3024)3054) (3060) of them American soldiers sent to their deaths on a pack of lies; 15,000 (22,032) (22,401) (22,834) (47,657 non-mortal casualties)of them wounded, many of them disabled forever on a pack of lies." George Galloway
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Jennifer03801
Starlite Member
Username: Jennifer03801
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 24, 2007 - 03:03 am: |
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NEW YORK - The nation's first and largest non-partisan organization representing veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, IAVA, released the following statement from Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff in response to the President's State of the Union address:
"Tonight President Bush once again failed to demonstrate a real commitment to the 1.6 million new American veterans who have been created under his watch," said Paul Rieckhoff, an Iraq War Veteran and the executive director of IAVA (www.iava.org ). "For the second year in a row, the President in his State of the Union address chose to mention the troops only as a prop for his failing policies and ignored the nation's new veterans entirely."
"Over the past four years, this country has watched its men and women in uniform answer the call to duty over and over again, yet somehow today these new veterans are still faced with a drastically under-funded Veterans' Administration and an outdated GI Bill. It's time to reward our troops' sacrifices with more than just bureaucratic hassles and token gestures."
"Mr. President, this nation's new veterans and this new Congress will together rewrite the book on our approach to veterans' services, and we'll do it with or without your help," Rieckhoff said. "Tonight you demonstrated your willingness to send more troops into harms way. A demonstration of your commitment to preserving this nation's promise to its veterans is long overdue."
"In the coming weeks, the nation's first and largest Iraq and Afghanistan veterans group, IAVA, will release a legislative agenda that, if adopted, will go a long way towards addressing the many unacceptable problems facing our troops as they return from Iraq and Afghanistan," said Rieckhoff.
"Supporting our troops and veterans is not only our national obligation, it is also critical to maintaining a strong military and ensuring our national security. Shortages of armor, troops and equipment have hampered progress in theatre," Rieckhoff said. "Poor treatment of veterans and an inadequate G.I. Bill make recruitment more difficult. The use of National Guardsmen and Reservists leaves fewer troops at home for domestic emergencies. It is time that these force-readiness issues are treated with the urgency they deserve. And it is time that this nation, and our elected officials, renew the commitment to our troops and veterans."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LssCyDJp5cQ&eurl=
(Message edited by jennifer03801 on January 24, 2007)
"...I turned out to be right and you turned out to be wrong and 100,000 (600,000)(650,00)people paid with their lives; 1600 (2952) (2954) (2964) (2969) (2972) (2980) (2983) (2987) (2989) (2990) (2993) (2996) (2998) (3000) (3002) (3003) (3024)3054) (3060) of them American soldiers sent to their deaths on a pack of lies; 15,000 (22,032) (22,401) (22,834) (47,657 non-mortal casualties)of them wounded, many of them disabled forever on a pack of lies." George Galloway
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