In other words, tearing down the torture chamber only forces the torturer to relocate. This is nothing more than a Band-Aid on the pussy-mess that is Iraq right now. I just hope the Iraqi people are smart enough to see through this line of crap that Bush is shovelling.
I know that we, here in America, are NOT smart enough to see through King George's line of crap. In fact, according to a recent USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll, only one fifth of Americans polled actually saw Bush 43 as the one to blame for high gas prices. This just means that, according to this poll, just 20% of America is actually swayed by the facts.
Here they are:
See, the idea is that when bad things happen in the middle east, oil could go into short supply. In fact, when Saddam was still in power, Iraq supplied plenty of oil to the world. When the Iraq Attack occured, all oil production stopped. Since then, Iraq has slowly begun producing oil again, but they are still not at the same level they were at when Saddam was still in control. Now, the price isn't directly connected to the amount of lost oil production. It's also due to corporate nervousness. The oil company's business is in making LOTS of money. When it looks to them that they are going to have a dropping supply of oil in the future, they up prices immediately to help compensate for down the road when they really need to up prices to continue to make the same amount of money. This is why gas prices saw an increase long before Iraq saw any new US troops.
So, less oil equals higher demand which equals high prices. Even the idea of less oil can mean higher prices.
The point is, Bush taking Saddam out means higher gas prices.
In the end, it seems to me that Bush can pretty much do damn well anything he wants and come out smelling all rose-like. People use to call Clinton "slick Willy" because nothing stuck to him. The way I look at it, Clinton didn't have to deal with anything nearly as bad as what Bush has faced.
Every choice the guy has made has been wrong and fate has proven that to the world.
Too bad most American citizens aren't paying attention...
Read about Bush's "solution" to the Abu Ghraib situation at My Way News.
Read about the USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup poll at USA Today.
From the AP and My Way News:
From USAToday.Com:Bush Seeking to Reassure America on Iraq
May 24, 7:18 PM (ET)
By SCOTT LINDLAW
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush will seek to reassure Americans Monday night that he has a plan to pull Iraq out of the violence and chaos that have marked the year since he declared an end to major combat. "History is moving, and it will tend toward hope or tend toward tragedy," he will say according to excerpts released by the White House.
Bush will promise to demolish Abu Ghraib prison, where Iraqi detainees were abused by U.S. troops. The White House said the prison had become "a symbol of disgraceful conduct by a few American troops who dishonored our country and diregarded our values."
In the prime-time address at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pa., Bush will outline a hopeful path amid rising body counts on both sides. His goal is to demonstrate momentum toward the shift of political power to Iraqis in five weeks and the U.S. effort to draw more countries in to combat insurgents and rebuild the country.
"We will persevere and defeat this enemy and hold this hard-won ground for the realm of liberty," he will say.
The White House said the United States would keep its troop level at the current 138,000 as long as necessary, promising more if necessary and offering no timetable for bringing soldiers home.
Bush will also outline five steps he says will help Iraq achieve democracy and freedom. He will say the U.S.-led coalition would hand over authority to a sovereign Iraqi government, help establish security, encourage more international support, continue to rebuild the nation of more than 20 million people and urge national elections.
This is a pivotal time for Bush's drive for re-election as well as for Iraq's future. Five months before election day, his approval ratings have sunk, dragged down by the turmoil in Iraq. The University of Pennsylvania's National Annenberg Election Survey, released Monday, found 64 percent of those surveyed did not believe Bush had a clear plan for Iraq.
His job approval in polls by ABC News-Washington Post and CNN-USA Today-Gallup was 47 percent, near his lowest in those polls. In a CBS News poll out Monday, Bush's job approval was at 41 percent with 52 percent disapproving.
Bush's address coincides with the unveiling of a new U.N. resolution by the United States and Britain endorsing the June 30 handover of political power in Iraq and authorizing a U.S.-led multinational force to keep the peace. The draft resolution urges nations to send troops for an international force - something the Bush administration is anxious to see, with American troops stretched thin.
Bush got a fresh reminder Monday on the challenge of maintaining his coalition. He spoke with President-elect Leonel Fernandez of the Dominican Republic. That country pulled its troops out of Iraq this month.
Bush will tell the country in his speech, "America's task in Iraq is not only to defeat an enemy, it is to give strength to a friend, a free, representative government that serves its people and fights on their behalf. And the sooner this goal is achieved, the sooner our job will be done."
Nearly 800 U.S. service members have died since the beginning of military operations in Iraq last year, according to the Pentagon. And more than 5,500 Iraqi civilians have died violently in Baghdad and three provinces in the past year, an Associated Press count says.
For his speech, the president has chosen an audience of 450 people meant to highlight his image as commander in chief. The war college trains Army leaders on strategy, military science and other aspects of defense.
While the military has been strongly supportive of Bush during his presidency, some in the command chain and some retired military officers have become increasingly vocal in their criticism of Bush's handling of Iraq.
Retired Gen. Anthony Zinni, who once commanded forces in the Iraq region, said low troop numbers have contributed to the Iraqi insurgency. "Somebody screwed up. And at this level and at this stage, it should be evident to everybody that they've screwed up," Zinni said.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the president had great respect for Zinni, but he added that Zinni was a retired general and the president looks to "commanders on the ground" to determine the troops needed.
Underscoring the political stakes, Bush has chosen Pennsylvania as the site of the speech. Bush lost the state in 2000, and has assiduously courted it ever since with an eye to winning it this year. Monday marked his 28th visit there - more than to any other state.Copyright 2004 Associated Press
Poll: Gas prices hurting summer vacation plans
By Jill Lawrence, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Most Americans expect record gasoline prices to cause them financial problems and affect their vacation plans, a new USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll shows. And both presidential candidates are trying to capitalize on their concerns.
A motorist uses his credit card to pay for gas at a gas station in Chicago. Gas prices have risen nearly 35 cents since last December.
Tim Boyle, Getty Images
One in five people blamed corporate greed for the high cost of gas, and one in five blamed the war in Iraq. Only 5% blamed President Bush, suggesting he has escaped political damage so far.
U.S. gas prices averaged slightly more than $2.05 per gallon Tuesday, up 2 cents from Monday and 24 cents from a month ago, the American Automobile Association said. The highest average price was $2.36 in California; the lowest was $1.89 in South Carolina.
The prices have put a crimp in some people's plans. In the poll, taken last weekend, 59% said gas prices will cause financial hardships for them this summer; 56% said it will cause them to drive less than they might otherwise. (Related story: Fuel costs raise prices away from the pump)
The price surges have become a weapon in the presidential race. The Bush campaign ran an advertisement saying that Kerry supports gas-tax increases — including a 50-cent-per-gallon increase on which he had once commented favorably. Kerry says Bush should do more to drive down prices; he suggested Tuesday that Bush's Iraq policies might be driving them up. America is paying "an enormous penalty" because Bush has not pressed OPEC to increase production before now, Kerry said.
Kerry spoke on a sunny afternoon in front of four yellow school buses arranged near a diesel pump of the Parkrose School District in Portland, Ore. Superintendent Mike Taylor said extra fuel costs are costing an unexpected $24,000 this year.
Kerry, in Seattle Tuesday for another energy event, introduced the week's theme Saturday in a national radio address outlining his recommendations for energy independence. Among them: demand that the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries increase supply; divert oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to the market; invest federal money in new technologies and alternative fuels; increase fuel efficiency; and offer tax incentives for efficient vehicles.
The same day, in his own radio address, Bush said he had increased fuel-economy standards for large vehicles like SUVs; his Energy Department had set up a hotline to take price-gouging complaints; and his Energy secretary was in Amsterdam talking to world oil producers about output. But he blamed Congress for blocking other proposals, such as tax incentives for fuel-efficient vehicles, greater use of ethanol, and drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. (Related story: Gas prices fuel hybrid sales)
Kerry was a chief opponent of drilling in the refuge. The Bush campaign said Tuesday that it "could produce more oil per day than we import from Saudi Arabia." The campaign also said diverting petroleum from reserves would have little impact on prices.
Industry analysts say most of Bush's and Kerry's proposals are too modest and incremental to have much more than a small and temporary impact on gas prices. They say oil and gas prices are rising because global supply is not keeping up with demand.
Contributing: USA TODAY reporters Martin Kasindorf in Portland, Ore.; Peronet Despeignes in Washington© Copyright 2004 USA TODAY
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