Helen Thomas: Delivers Bush Yet Another Knock Out Punch In her Column

[kpete]

Helen Thomas Delivers President Bush Another Knock Out Punch In Her Column Today

Bush Still Trying To Convince Nation Of Progress
President Admits Troops Will Be In Iraq For Years
Helen Thomas, Hearst White House columnist

POSTED: 3:17 pm MST March 22, 2006

Standing on a rooftop, an American soldier recently fired a shot at an Iraqi man walking down the street. As the dying Iraqi grabbed at his wound, he cried out: "What did I do?"

That's for every American to answer.

But right now we will have to make do with President George W. Bush's new flurry of speeches as he seeks to justify claims of progress at the start of the fourth year of the U.S. war in Iraq.

Bush said he "will settle for nothing less than complete victory" but admitted that "more fighting and sacrifice" are needed. He remains optimistic "because slowly but surely our strategy is getting results." He coupled that statement of hope with the warning that the terrorists "will attack us again."

He told a news conference Tuesday that future American presidents and Iraqi governments probably will have to decide when to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq. In other words, we will remain at war in Iraq at least through 2008.

In the run-up to the war, reporters heard almost daily from White House officials trying to make the link between 9/11 and Saddam Hussein, though the president later acknowledged that he knew of no link between the two.

Now Bush claims that the terrorists have made Iraq the "central front" in the war on terrorism. Not so. That designation was first heard in the White House press room when the administration was running out of credible rationales for the war.

much more at:
http://www.thenewmexicochannel.com/helenthomas/8192106/detail.html
via:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/3/22/21651/8210

[0007]

1. Please contact Helen Thomas with words of encouragement

Ya just gotta know the freepers are trashing Helen. [e-mail]

It turned out to be the same old premise of preemptive war, which means that we have the right to attack any nation we suspect of terrorism or harboring terrorists. Such reasoning is a violation of international law, but no one seems to care about that.

Vice President Dick Cheney insisted on the veracity of his past statements in an interview on "Face the Nation" last Sunday.

Among those was Cheney's pre-war prediction that "we would be greeted as liberators" in Iraq and the claim last year that the Iraqi insurgency was in its "last throes." He complained that the press was more focused on car bombings than on spotlighting what the U.S. has achieved in Iraq.

In an op-ed article in the Washington Post last week, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld likened the war to World War II and the Cold War, saying to turn "our backs on postwar Iraq" would be the equivalent of "handing Germany back to the Nazis."

The desperation and defensiveness of those statements speaks volumes.

[90-percent]

3. 20 years

If it takes the US 20 years of occupation to finally get the flowers in the street Dick Cheney promised we'd get, this will all have been worth it. I just wonder what the cost in lives per flower will be at the end?

-85% Jimmy

[China_cat]

5. The only flowers in the street

will be funeral wreaths.

[OhioChick]

4. Is this an accurate email addy

for Helen? I've seen several email addresses out there and not sure which one to write to.

on edit: found it and wrote her!

[0007]

11. It is!

[AndyA]

7. Done!

I thanked Helen for asking the tough questions, and encouraged her to keep the pressure on. People like Helen are feared because they will expose the truth for the world to see. God bless Helen!

[Canuckistanian]

14. Very true - fear

Pure, raw, naked fear. They realize that they've been duped, but won't admit it.

So, they strike out at anything that challenges them.

[cyberpj]

8. Done. nt

[info being]

9. done

great idea.

[laylah]

10. Done! n/t

[Mad_Dem_X]

18. Done! n/t

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

2. Kick nt

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. One of the few reporters left

with enough dignity to tell the truth and challenge the administration.

Go Helen!

[LynnTheDem]

12. an American soldier recently fired a shot at an Iraqi man walking down the

street...

God forgive us.

[Freddie Stubbs]

13. How many 'Knock Out Punches' until he goes down?

:shrug:

[SammyWinstonJack]

15. "What did I do?"

:cry: Support the Troops! :patriot:

[bvar22]

16. K&R

"And speaking of Vietnam, does anyone see a light at the end of the tunnel?"---Helen Thomas

The Democratic Party is a BIG TENT, but there is NO ROOM for those
who advance the agenda of THE RICH (Corporate Owners) at the EXPENSE of LABOR and the POOR.

[texpatriot2004]

17. Thank you Ms. Thomas for speaking truth to abuse of power nt

[ourbluenation]

19. whodda thunk that a lil ol lady had the biggest balls in washington.

The press is supposed to be skeptical. That's their job. Go on girl!!!!

[donkeyotay]

20. done

I know you probably get the other kind of mail, too. So, I just wanted to take a second of your time to thank you, Sweet Young Thing! You go girl!

[Minnesota Libra]

21. I love Helen Thomas - when she.......

....talks or writes I listen and she don't care whether it is Democrat, Liberal, republican, neocon, she takes them all on.:toast: :loveya:

[bigbrother05]

22. K&R

[David Zephyr]

23. K&R

:thumbsup:

[helderheid]

24. you can Barbara Boxer her here!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=733987&mesg_id=733987

[KAT119]

25. ROSES GALORE FOR OUR HELEN-Holding Torch for Truth & Justice....

[helderheid]

28. she'll be getting quite a few from us!!

:)

:yourock:

[JudyM]

26. My email thanking her:

Dear Ms. Thomas -

I wanted to write to thank you for being persistent in the news conference with Bush the other day. The echo of your voice is still in my mind so I felt moved to write to let you know. I believe accountability is critical to our democracy, and it seems to be crumbling around us in some respects. The administration seems to think that people don't have the brains or the right to challenge its picture of the world. "Clear Skies" initiative, etc - they are masters of cynical deception. When you spoke so pointedly, though, the hollowness of his response about his intentions re: Iraq became all the more apparent.

Hopefully the tide will turn and increasing numbers of voters will see these deceptions and incompetencies for what they are. One thing I would love to see more investigative reporting and direct questioning about is the system they have of cronism - friends and supporters (business and churches too) reaping considerable benefits without a hint of accountability. Our taxpayer dollars shouldn't be thown away on no-bid contracts or on religious slush funds that never see the light of day. It is disheartening and enough to create cynics out of all of us.

Your work is vitally important because it gives us hope again that the truth, justice and sanity may be restored. And maybe if they have to start answering for their actions they'll think more carefully about what they're doing.

You called the emporer's new clothes as being a sham. I never thought a kid's story would come to life in such clear relief... other reporters should take a lesson from your bravery.

With repect and appreciation

[JudyM]

30. ... and she answered:Thanks for those kind words, great to have a friend

Yep, she's got a few of those around here!

:hug:

[steve2470]

27. wrote her, a first for me ! nt

[lovuian]

29. Love her!!!

:bounce: