The terrorists did not lay down their arms after three elections in Iraq, and they will continue to fight this new government. And we can expect the violence to continue, but something fundamental changed this weekend. The terrorists are now fighting a free and constitutional government. They're at war with the people of Iraq. And the Iraqi people are determined to defeat this enemy, and so are Iraq's new leaders, and so is the United States of America. (Applause.)By the president's own words, it looks as if we have started multiple wars on multiple fronts. Some questions need to be asked: 1) might not the "terrorists" be, in actuality, freedom fighters (like Reagan bestowed upon El Salvador) or Minutemen (like those who fought the redcoats in 1776)? 2) What sacrifices have the American people made to support this war (beyond going into debt up to and surpassing our starts and stripes)? And, what sacrifices have the W, Rove and Co made, in particular? Were the "terrorists" at war with the people of Iraq before we illegitimately invaded Iraq?
The path to freedom is always one of struggle and sacrifice. And in Iraq, our brave men and women in uniform have accepted the struggle and have made the sacrifice. This moment would not be possible without their courage. The United States of America is safer because of their success, and our nation will always be grateful to their service. (Applause.)
Instead of great and challenging questions from the crowd, we get more capitulation from an audience that seems like they were pre-prepped and paid by the GOP to ask irrelevant questions. Here they are (and I am not making this up). I'm posting just the questions and not the ensuing propaganda catapulted by the W.
Q I was just wondering, being a small business owner, one of the things we really appreciate about your administration was the tax cuts for small business. And I was just wondering, are those going to be permanent?
Q Mr. President, my daughter's name is Jamie. She's a 16-year-old girl. What advice or recommendations would you give to her and to other youth of our country to help make our country a better place?
Q Thank you, Mr. President. First, I want to tell you, thank you, how much we love your brother.
Q He has been very good to the restaurant industry.
Q You said that, not me. (Laughter.) Mr. President, with mandated health care beginning to sweep the nation, and we're seeing it pop up on the state level, do you see the association health plan passing, hopefully, before you're out of office? And where do you see mandated health care going for the business industry?
Q Good morning, Mr. President. My name is Robert Carter from Toronto, Canada, and my question is regarding border restrictions between our two countries. Given the impact on tourism, do you feel that it's necessary to continue increasing border restrictions between Canada and the U.S.?
Q President Bush -- from Crown Point, Indiana. First of all, I want to say you're doing a fine job.
Q My question is, is there a realistic, yet aggressive timetable and strategy to get our reliance off of Middle East oil and go to a different fuel source, or ways that the United States can prosper?
Q Thank you. Alana Foster (ph), Westport, Connecticut. Speaking of oil-producing countries that are not friendly to the United States right now, I'm very concerned about what's going on in Venezuela and Bolivia and all, the coalition of Hugo Chavez. I wondered what your strategy was going to be, or what you're working on in that respect.
Q Hi -- Orlando, Florida. Let me first say, it's an honor to hear you speak. And I'm a proud supporter. I just had a quick question. Yesterday, at the keynote address, Ted Koppel mentioned that there is a growing lack of trust between government and the American people. How would you address this statement?
Q Yes, he did.
Q I'm from Munster, Indiana. I was wondering, sir, if we were to be attacked by a biological weapon, or if there was an outbreak of the avian flu, would we be prepared?
Q Arlington, Texas.
Q Home of your Texas Rangers.
Q They're in first place, that's good. My question is about --
Q My question is about health care reform.
Q You mentioned health care reform, catastrophic health care reform, Americans with Disabilities, as well. Under the umbrella of that, it doesn't seem that there is much addressed in terms of dental care, even though that is part of health care, I would think. And the second part of that question is, will you see Al Gore's new movie? (Laughter.)
Q Thank you. On behalf of -- I'm from Tampa, Florida. And on behalf of all the cooks and chefs in our country, I have to say you're running it the way a chef would run the country, and we're proud of you, first of all.
Q You have created a lot of jobs, and our industry is just, like you said, it's cranking, and we're loving every minute of it. My biggest concern, sir, is 2008 is coming. Do you have a plan for -- to keep your policies in place and keep them going? And would Jeb ever consider -- we like him -- even though we're the home of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, we don't have everything, but would Jeb ever consider --
Q Hell no. (Laughter.) For our country. For our country, sir.
But as usual, the president gets all tangled up even answering softball questions:
My quote in the speech was this guy's words -- democracy will be a setback. That's why I said, the formation of this government, under a constitution drafted and approved by the Iraqis, is a setback, because it's -- they said, we will defeat this democracy. But they're not going to defeat the democracy. The only way they defeat the democracy is if we -- is if we let them defeat the democracy, we don't stand with this young government.What the bleep?
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