http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4878974/
Iraq war veteran criticizes Bush on radio
National Guardsman says U.S. leaders failing troops
The Associated Press
Updated: 2:15 p.m. ET May 01, 2004
WASHINGTON - An Iraq war veteran expressed disappointment with President
Bush on Saturday, saying the country's leaders refuse to acknowledge the
seriousness of continuing violence in Iraq.
“I don’t expect our leaders to be free of mistakes. I expect our leaders
to own up to them,” said Army National Guard 1st Lt. Paul Rieckhoff, who
was a platoon leader in Iraq.
Rieckhoff’s comments, distributed by Sen. John Kerry’s presidential
campaign, were the Democratic response to the president’s weekly radio
address. Usually, a public official gives the response.
“Our troops are still waiting for more body armor. They are still
waiting for better equipment. They are still waiting for a policy that
brings in the rest of the world and relieves their burden,” said
Rieckhoff.
Rieckhoff called his comrades in Iraq “men and women of extraordinary
courage and incredible capability. But it’s time we had leadership in
Washington to match that courage and match that capability.”
Bush: U.S. will stay the course
Rieckhoff’s address was preceded by Bush’s weekly radio address. The
president said the United States will successfully pursue its work in
Iraq in the face of a violent insurgency that seeks to undermine a
peaceful transfer of power to Iraqis on June 30.
“Despite many challenges, life for the Iraqi people is a world away from
the cruelty and corruption of Saddam’s regime,” and “we will finish our
work,” Bush said.
Bush’s comments come exactly a year after his declaration that major
combat operations in Iraq had ended, a point he noted.
The Iraqi resistance has become a major issue in the presidential
campaign, with public doubts growing about Bush’s handling of the war,
according to the latest polling data. Americans are split evenly on
whether taking military action in Iraq was the right thing to do, a CBS
News-New York Times poll found this week.
Two more deaths on the final day of April raised the U.S. death toll to
at least 136, making it the deadliest month for American forces since
Bush launched the war in March 2003.
Militias, remnants of the regime and foreign terrorists “have found
little support among the Iraqi people,” the president said.
Bush is pursuing twin goals on Iraq’s future, trying to ensure an
atmosphere of security as Iraqis move toward self-government and
returning sovereignty to the people of Iraq on June 30.
The president said the bigger picture in Iraq is somewhat brighter.
Electricity is now more widely available than before the war, he said,
and Iraq has a stable currency with thriving banks, renovated schools
and clinics and rebuilt power plants, hospitals, water and sanitation
facilities and bridges.
“The stakes for our country and the world are high,” the president said.
“The failure of Iraqi democracy would embolden terrorists around the
globe, increase dangers to the American people, and extinguish the hopes
of millions in the Middle East.”
Earlier remarks were positive
In advance of Rieckhoff’s remarks, Republicans circulated televised
comments he made last year in Iraq in which he gave a brighter picture
of U.S. prospects.
“I think we’ve made incredible strides,” Rieckhoff said in a CBS “60
Minutes II” segment broadcast last October.
In a brief interview Saturday with The Associated Press, Rieckhoff said
he had not been free to speak out in the TV interview because he had
been on active duty.
Rieckhoff said he is not working for the Kerry campaign or for the
Democratic Party. He contacted Kerry staffers who deal with veterans
issues when he returned from Iraq three months ago, and they “provided
me with the forum. I wrote every word.”
Rieckhoff is an Amherst College graduate who spent two years on Wall
Street as an investment banking analyst before joining the National
Guard. He said he plans now to return to university.
© 2004 The Associated Press.
Stoney
"Designated Rascal and Rapscallion
and
SCAMPERMEISTER!"
When in doubt, SCAMPER about!
When things are fair, SCAMPER everywhere!
When things are rough, can't SCAMPER enough!
/end humour alert
alt.atheism military veteran #11
{so much for the 'no atheists in foxholes' rubbish}
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