And it is about DAMN TIME!
And our debate at home must also be fair-minded. One of the hallmarks of a free society and what makes our country strong is that our political leaders can discuss their differences openly, even in times of war. When I made the decision to remove Saddam Hussein from power, Congress approved it with strong bipartisan support. I also recognize that some of our fellow citizens and elected officials didn’t support the liberation of Iraq. And that is their right, and I respect it. As President and Commander-in-Chief, I accept the responsibilities, and the criticisms, and the consequences that come with such a solemn decision.
While it’s perfectly legitimate to criticize my decision or the conduct of the war, it is deeply irresponsible to rewrite the history of how that war began. (Applause.) Some Democrats and anti-war critics are now claiming we manipulated the intelligence and misled the American people about why we went to war. These critics are fully aware that a bipartisan Senate investigation found no evidence of political pressure to change the intelligence community’s judgments related to Iraq’s weapons programs.
They also know that intelligence agencies from around the world agreed with our assessment of Saddam Hussein. They know the United Nations passed more than a dozen resolutions citing his development and possession of weapons of mass destruction. And many of these critics supported my opponent during the last election, who explained his position to support the resolution in the Congress this way: "When I vote to give the President of the United States the authority to use force, if necessary, to disarm Saddam Hussein, it is because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a threat, and a grave threat, to our security." That’s why more than a hundred Democrats in the House and the Senate — who had access to the same intelligence — voted to support removing Saddam Hussein from power. (Applause.)
That is what Bush needs to do. No matter how much he wants to be "The President," ie, representing all Americans, whether they voted for him or not, the insanalibs hate him, and will never support him. W needs to start speaking like the above quote more often. It is well past time to fight fire with fire.
Of course, the Demoloonatic Underground has to have their say, written by Ken Sanders:
The Bush administration thinks we are all a bunch of idiots, too stupid to know the difference between truth and lies. Bush & Co. seem to think that, regardless of what the facts are, they can get us to believe the opposite. If it’s day, they’ll convince us it’s night. Black, white. You know the drill. They operate under the arrogant assumption that if they say it is so, we’ll accept that declaration as the incontrovertible truth, even if that “truth†is unsupported by anything other than, “Trust us.â€
Actually, Ken, the insanity, the unhingedness, loony tunes, 6 short of a six pack attitudes, speeches, and actions of the Left prove you are all a "bunch of idiots, too stupid to know the difference between truth and lies."
Michelle Malkin and Glenn Reynolds have more.
