Wednesday, February 14

Gotta get some protection

From today's presidential news conference:

But the point I made in my initial speech in the White House about Iraq was, is that we know they're there and we're going to protect our troops.
Later:
I have put out the command to our troops -- I mean, to the people who are commanders, that we'll protect the soldiers of the United States and innocent people in Iraq and will continue doing so.
Later:
And so we will continue to protect our troops.
Later:
And to say it is provoking Iran is just a wrong way to characterize the Commander-in-Chief's decision to do what is necessary to protect our soldiers in harm's way.
Later:
And we're going to protect our troops.
Later:
My job is to protect our troops.
Later:
No. It means I'm trying to protect our troops. That's what that means.
For someone who is so intent on protecting our men and women in uniform, this president does a piss-poor job of it. Someone needs to point it out. More than 3,000 have died and many thousands more have been injured. Bush sent an inadequately sized occupying force with inadequate armor. Four years after the invasion, our servicepeople in Iraq and Afghanistan still don't have the proper equipment. It's so dangerous on the ground that the Army has switched to using helicopters more often, and now the helicopters are being shot down.

And Bush requested a cut in Veterans Administration health care to cut his budget deficit.

How is any of that protecting the troops?