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More Orwellian hi-jinks from the "War Is Peace" administration....
A role rehearsal
President Bush talks in a heavily prepared, upbeat teleconference with soldiers in Iraq, voicing U.S. support
BY DANIEL WAGNER
WASHINGTON BUREAU; This story was supplemented by news service reports.
October 14, 2005
WASHINGTON - It was billed as a folksy question-and-answer session in which President George W. Bush would talk to soldiers about their activities in Iraq and assure them of popular support.
But the teleconference turned out to be a carefully rehearsed, relentlessly upbeat media event.
"OK, so let's just walk through this," said Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary Allison Barber, coaching the soldiers in Tikrit before the conference.
"Capt. Kennedy, you answer the first question and you hand the mike to whom?"
"Capt. Smith," Kennedy said.
"Capt. Smith, you take the mike and you hand it to whom?" she asked.
"Capt. Kennedy," the soldier replied.
"If the question comes up about partnering - how often do we train with the Iraqi military - who does he go to?" Barber asked.
"That's going to go to Capt. Pratt," one soldier said.
And so it went.
Bush, speaking live from the Eisenhower Executive Office Building near the White House, began the conference by thanking the 10 officers and enlistees for serving. He reassured them that the United States would not pull out until the mission was complete.
"So long as I'm the president, we're never going to back down, we're never going to give in, we'll never accept anything less than total victory," Bush said.
Bush told the soldiers twice that the American people were behind them.
"You've got tremendous support here at home," he said.
Less than 40 percent of Americans in an AP-Ipsos poll released a week ago said they approved of the way Bush was handling Iraq. Just over half of the public now says the war was a mistake.
The soldiers gave Bush an upbeat view, saying Iraqi forces have taken an increasing role in fighting insurgents and preparing for the referendum this weekend on a new constitution.
"Sir, we as coalition forces ... have taken a supporting role only as they prepare to execute this referendum," said Capt. David Smith of Michigan.
Capt. David Williams of Los Angeles said his Iraqi counterpart has informed him local residents were "ready and eager to vote in this referendum."
"Sir, we are prepared to do whatever it takes to make this thing a success," said 1st Lt. Gregg Murphy of Tennessee.
Bush also received praise from Iraqi Sgt. Maj. Major Akeel Shaker Nassir, who was part of the chat.
"Thank you for everything, sir," the soldier said. "Thank you very much for everything. I like you."
After the chat, White House press secretary Scott McClellan said the troops were expressing their own thoughts.
"I think all they were doing was talking to the troops and letting them know what to expect," he said of Barber and other personnel.
Throughout Iraq, U.S. and Iraqi forces prepared to impose a 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew to try to reduce the risk of insurgent attacks aimed at wrecking this weekend's referendum.
One day after Iraqi lawmakers approved a set of last-minute amendments designed to win minority Sunni Arab support for the charter, cities such as Baghdad were unusually quiet. Iraq's borders will be closed today and all travel among its provinces stopped.
A U.S. soldier was killed yesterday when a roadside bomb hit his patrol near Dujail, 50 miles north of Baghdad, the military said. The death brought to 1,965 the number of U.S. service members killed since the beginning of the war in 2003.
In the past 18 days, at least 443 people have been killed as the insurgents try to scare voters away from the polls.
This story was supplemented by news service reports.
A role rehearsal
President Bush talks in a heavily prepared, upbeat teleconference with soldiers in Iraq, voicing U.S. support
BY DANIEL WAGNER
WASHINGTON BUREAU; This story was supplemented by news service reports.
October 14, 2005
WASHINGTON - It was billed as a folksy question-and-answer session in which President George W. Bush would talk to soldiers about their activities in Iraq and assure them of popular support.
But the teleconference turned out to be a carefully rehearsed, relentlessly upbeat media event.
"OK, so let's just walk through this," said Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary Allison Barber, coaching the soldiers in Tikrit before the conference.
"Capt. Kennedy, you answer the first question and you hand the mike to whom?"
"Capt. Smith," Kennedy said.
"Capt. Smith, you take the mike and you hand it to whom?" she asked.
"Capt. Kennedy," the soldier replied.
"If the question comes up about partnering - how often do we train with the Iraqi military - who does he go to?" Barber asked.
"That's going to go to Capt. Pratt," one soldier said.
And so it went.
Bush, speaking live from the Eisenhower Executive Office Building near the White House, began the conference by thanking the 10 officers and enlistees for serving. He reassured them that the United States would not pull out until the mission was complete.
"So long as I'm the president, we're never going to back down, we're never going to give in, we'll never accept anything less than total victory," Bush said.
Bush told the soldiers twice that the American people were behind them.
"You've got tremendous support here at home," he said.
Less than 40 percent of Americans in an AP-Ipsos poll released a week ago said they approved of the way Bush was handling Iraq. Just over half of the public now says the war was a mistake.
The soldiers gave Bush an upbeat view, saying Iraqi forces have taken an increasing role in fighting insurgents and preparing for the referendum this weekend on a new constitution.
"Sir, we as coalition forces ... have taken a supporting role only as they prepare to execute this referendum," said Capt. David Smith of Michigan.
Capt. David Williams of Los Angeles said his Iraqi counterpart has informed him local residents were "ready and eager to vote in this referendum."
"Sir, we are prepared to do whatever it takes to make this thing a success," said 1st Lt. Gregg Murphy of Tennessee.
Bush also received praise from Iraqi Sgt. Maj. Major Akeel Shaker Nassir, who was part of the chat.
"Thank you for everything, sir," the soldier said. "Thank you very much for everything. I like you."
After the chat, White House press secretary Scott McClellan said the troops were expressing their own thoughts.
"I think all they were doing was talking to the troops and letting them know what to expect," he said of Barber and other personnel.
Throughout Iraq, U.S. and Iraqi forces prepared to impose a 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew to try to reduce the risk of insurgent attacks aimed at wrecking this weekend's referendum.
One day after Iraqi lawmakers approved a set of last-minute amendments designed to win minority Sunni Arab support for the charter, cities such as Baghdad were unusually quiet. Iraq's borders will be closed today and all travel among its provinces stopped.
A U.S. soldier was killed yesterday when a roadside bomb hit his patrol near Dujail, 50 miles north of Baghdad, the military said. The death brought to 1,965 the number of U.S. service members killed since the beginning of the war in 2003.
In the past 18 days, at least 443 people have been killed as the insurgents try to scare voters away from the polls.
This story was supplemented by news service reports.
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