Of course, we knew what we were in for from the very start:
I'm honored once again to be with the supporters of the National Endowment for Democracy.
That would be the organization that backed the failed coup in Venezeula. Interesting definition of "democracy."
And then there was this:
I would remind them that we were not in Iraq on September 11, 2001, and al Qaeda attacked us anyway.
No, we were in Saudi Arabia. Do try to keep up.
And:
The government of Russia did not support Operation Iraqi Freedom, and yet militants killed more than 180 Russian schoolchildren in Beslan.
Huh? Is Bush even aware of Chechnya?
From the Delusional Ravings file:
No act of ours invited the rage of the killers
From the "oh really?" file:
We've killed or captured nearly all of those directly responsible for the September 11 attacks
Here's another WTF moment:
Wars are not won without sacrifice, and this war will require more sacrifice, more time and more resolve.
What have you asked Americans to sacrifice apart from their children? That's an obscene thing to say when you're pushing *more* tax cuts.
Instead of a "nonessential words removed" version of the speech, let's try something a little different. Here's a series of phrases from the speech. See if you can decide whether they can legitimately refer to al Qaeda, the neocon/PNAC/pro-war/religious right movement, or both.
(In fact, some of them may not refer to who you think. It's fun!)
a proud city covered in smoke and ashes
the men who rejoice in every death
images of destruction and suffering that we see on the news
their attacks serve a clear and focused ideology, a set of beliefs and goals that are evil but not insane
a violent political vision
spreads propaganda and provides financing and technical assistance to local extremists and conducts dramatic and brutal operations
stand in the way of their ambitions
They hit us and expect us to run.
to gain control of a country, a base from which to launch attacks and conduct their war
have specifically targeted Egypt and Saudi Arabia and Pakistan and Jordan for potential takeover.
They achieved their goal for a time in Afghanistan. Now they've set their sights on Iraq.
the whole world is watching this war and the two adversaries: It's either victory and glory or misery and humiliation.
regard Iraq as the central front in their war
believe that controlling one country will rally the Muslim masses
With greater economic and military and political power, [...] would be able to advance their stated agenda
to develop weapons of mass destruction
Some might be tempted to dismiss these goals as fanatical or extreme. Well, they are fanatical and extreme, and they should not be dismissed.
is utterly committed
"We will either achieve victory [...] or we will pass to the eternal life."
consumed whole nations in war and genocide before leaving the stage of history
Evil men obsessed with ambition and unburdened by conscience must be taken very seriously, and we must stop them before their crimes can multiply.
Defeating [...] is difficult because it thrives like a parasite on the suffering and frustration of others.
exploit local conflicts to build a culture of victimization in which someone else is always to blame and violence is always the solution.
exploit resentful and disillusioned young men and women, recruiting them through radical mosques
exploit modern technology to multiply their destructive power
further spreads the threat of violence, even within peaceful democratic societies.
use [...] propaganda to blame their own failures on [others]
depend on front operations such as corrupted charities which direct money
are strengthened by those who aggressively fund the spread of radical, intolerant versions of [religion]
aided as well by elements of the [...] news media that incite hatred
feed conspiracy theories
hatred [...] existed before Iraq was an issue, and it will exist after Iraq is no longer an excuse.
used a litany of excuses for violence
a radical ideology with unalterable objectives: to enslave whole nations and intimidate the world.
no concession, bribe or act of appeasement would change or limit their plans
they target nations whose behavior they believe they can change through violence
will never back down, never give in and never accept anything less than complete victory.
elitist, led by a self-appointed vanguard that presumes to speak for the [...] masses.
[the leader's] role is to tell [people], quote, "what is good for them and what is not." And what this man who grew up in wealth and privilege considers good for poor [people] is that they become killers and [...] bombers.
He assures them that this is the road to paradise, though he never offers to go along for the ride.
teaches that innocent individuals can be sacrificed to serve a political vision. And this explains their cold-blooded contempt for human life.
turned to the victim's grieving mother and said, "I do not feel your pain because I believe you are an infidel."
veneer of religious rhetoric
When [...] children are killed in a bombing or [...] hospital workers are killed caring for the wounded, this is murder, pure and simple; the total rejection of justice and honor and moral and religion.
Its leaders pretend to be in an aggrieved party, representing the powerless against [...] enemies.
In truth, they have endless ambitions of imperial domination, and they wish to make everyone powerless except themselves.
Under their rule, they have banned books and desecrated historical monuments and brutalized women.
They seek to end dissent in every form and to control every aspect of life and to rule the soul itself.
While promising a future of justice and holiness, [they] are preparing for a future of oppression and misery.
contains inherent contradictions that doom it to failure.
By fearing freedom, by distrusting human creativity and punishing change and limiting the contributions of half the population, this ideology undermines the very qualities that make human progress possible and human society successful.
The only thing modern about [their] vision is the weapons they want to use [...]. The rest of their grim vision is defined by a warped image of the past, a declaration of war on the idea of progress itself.
The [...] goal is to overthrow [...], claim a strategic country as a haven
They're unconstrained by any notion of our common humanity or by the rules of warfare.
With every [...] bombing and with every funeral of a child it becomes more clear that [...] are not patriots. They are [...] at war with the Iraqi people themselves.
have always claimed that murder is justified to serve their grand vision
