Thanks to coxandforkum for this great cartoon...
Last night Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi delivered the Democrat's response to the President's State of the Union address.
What were the 'issues'?
"We have never heard a clear plan from this administration for ending our presence in Iraq, and we did not hear one tonight," House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi said in her response to Bush's 40-minute speech to the joint session of Congress.
From the President's speech:
Recently an Iraqi interpreter said to a reporter, "Tell America not to abandon us." He and all Iraqis can be certain: While our military strategy is adapting to circumstances, our commitment remains firm and unchanging. We are standing for the freedom of our Iraqi friends, and freedom in Iraq will make America safer for generations to come. We will not set an artificial timetable for leaving Iraq, because that would embolden the terrorists and make them believe they can wait us out. We are in Iraq to achieve a result: A country that is democratic, representative of all its people, at peace with its neighbors, and able to defend itself. And when that result is achieved, our men and women serving in Iraq will return home with the honor they have earned.
The exit strategy? We will leave when our work is done...what is so difficult to understand about that? We cannot repeat the mistake from the first gulf war and leave before these people are truly able to defend themselves against terrorists...Saddam Hussein is at the top of that list...
But Bush did alude to the strategy that is in place:
The new political situation in Iraq opens a new phase of our work in that country. At the recommendation of our commanders on the ground, and in consultation with the Iraqi government, we will increasingly focus our efforts on helping prepare more capable Iraqi security forces — forces with skilled officers, and an effective command structure. As those forces become more self-reliant and take on greater security responsibilities, America and its coalition partners will increasingly be in a supporting role. In the end, Iraqis must be able to defend their own country — and we will help that proud, new nation secure its liberty.
Senate minority leader Harry Reid (D-NV), fresh off a very unspectacular prebuttal speech at the National Press Club has a message for President George W. Bush, "President Bush should forget about privatizing Social Security," the Nevada Democrat said. "It will not happen. The sooner he comes to that realization, the better off we are"
The National Ledger reminds us: That's a far cry from what the Nevada senator said in a prepared statement on January 20th, the day of the president's second inauguration.
”It is my sincerest hope that today will usher in a new beginning in Washington - that the partisan rancor and squabbling will now give way to a spirit of bipartisanship," the statement reads. "The American people are counting on us, and we must all work together to tackle the challenges that lie ahead. Democrats will never shy away from living up to our values and our priorities, and if the President is serious about working with us, we stand ready to work with him."
The Ledger also noted that the last obstructionist Senate minority leader worked himself into early retirement...
Is there anyone out there that takes these fools seriously?
just checking...
DR
