It's sad that the internet offers more truth than the Commander-in-Chief does

From Think Progress again: Iraq speech in numbers

References to “September 11″: 5
References to “weapons of mass destruction”: 0
References to “freedom”: 21
References to “exit strategy”: 0
References to “Saddam Hussein”: 2
References to “Osama Bin Laden”: 2
References to “a mistake”: 1 (setting a timetable for withdrawal)
References to “mission”: 11
References to “mission accomplished”: 0

From TPM Cafe, Ed Kilgore

My insta-reaction to Bush's big speech on Iraq tonight was very simple: it was a Greatest Hits compilation of all his past evasions of responsibility, false analogies, refusals to correct course, and cheap acts of demagoguery.

Precisely.

Daily Kos with Senator Harry Reid's response

Tonight's address offered the President an excellent opportunity to level with the American people about the current situation in Iraq, put forth a path for success, and provide the means to assess our progress. Unfortunately he fell short on all counts.

Read the rest. Reid's always good with subtle zingers, all while maintaining his avuncular image.

Apparently, Bush had only "fake applause". Wow. Is he becoming a LBJ? If that means getting impeached and nearly convicted... please God, yes.

Dem Bloggers: Watch how "Faux News" spins the fake applause (video included)

If you haven't heard the only applause during the Bush speech was started by a Bush staffer. When FOX News heard of this they had to spin the news so it wouldn't make Bush look like a clown. Fair and balanced my ass!

MSNBC First Read

Karl Rove certainly teed up Bush’s Iraq speech tonight. Six days after he accused liberals -- especially MoveOn.org -- of being weak in responding to 9/11, MoveOn today launches a $500,000 TV and print advertising campaign calling to bring home US soldiers from Iraq. (“We got in the wrong way,” the ad states.

From Stanford, student democrat quips

And was he trying to cry there at the end?

I would say let's discuss, but it may not be worth our time.

And as from the MSM, the mainstream media...

Washington Post: Bush Urges Americans Not to Lose Heart, Nerve

New York Times: At Army Base, Bush Urges Americans Not to Waver on Iraq

BBC: Bush Rallies U.S. Support for Iraq

Los Angeles Times: Bush Seeks to Bolster Support for Iraq War

USA Today: Bush- American Sacrifices in Iraq 'Worth It'

Bush Iraq Speech

The blogs are buzzing with bits and pieces of Bush's speech on Iraq. Unfortunately, I need to retain my sanity to do some work done, so I will not be watching it. But the full text is available at Think Progress.

The troops here and across the world are fighting a global war on terror. This war reached our shores on September 11, 2001. The terrorists who attacked us – and the terrorists we face – murder in the name of a totalitarian ideology that hates freedom, rejects tolerance, and despises all dissent. Their aim is to remake the Middle East in their own grim image of tyranny and oppression – by toppling governments, driving us out of the region, and exporting terror....

Wait, I thought we toppled THEIR government/regime?

Iraq is the latest battlefield in this war. Many terrorists who kill innocent men, women, and children on the streets of Baghdad are followers of the same murderous ideology that took the lives of our citizens in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania. There is only one course of action against them: to defeat them abroad before they attack us at home. The commander in charge of Coalition operations in Iraq – who is also senior commander at this base – General John Vines, put it well the other day. He said: “We either deal with terrorism and this extremism abroad, or we deal with it when it comes to us.”...

Because, you know... the link between the actual terrorists and Iraq was unquestionably evident.

Our mission in Iraq is clear. We are hunting down the terrorists. We are helping Iraqis build a free nation that is an ally in the war on terror. We are advancing freedom in the broader Middle East. We are removing a source of violence and instability – and laying the foundation of peace for our children and our grandchildren....

Hey, Mr. President, how bout freedom in your own country? Or the foundation of peace for the very future generations? So how are you solving anything by creating a war under largely false pretenses that can extend for more than a decade? Unless your idea of preserving peace for today's children is to send them to fight this war.

Some of the violence you see in Iraq is being carried out by ruthless killers who are converging on Iraq to fight the advance of peace and freedom. Our military reports that we have killed or captured hundreds of foreign fighters in Iraq who have come from Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran, Egypt, Sudan, Yemen, Libya and other nations. They are making common cause with criminal elements, Iraqi insurgents, and remnants of Saddam Hussein’s regime who want to restore the old order. They fight because they know that the survival of their hateful ideology is at stake. They know that as freedom takes root in Iraq, it will inspire millions across the Middle East to claim their liberty as well. And when the Middle East grows in democracy, prosperity, and hope, the terrorists will lose their sponsors, lose their recruits, and lose their hopes for turning that region into a base for attacks on America and our allies around the world....

I dunno... he's treading on shallow water here. Some insurgents claim their serious devotion to their religion to be the underlying cause of their work. So if that ideology is "hateful"... What a lovely comment from a white Christian president of a predominantly white Christian country.

In the past year, the international community has stepped forward with vital assistance. Some thirty nations have troops in Iraq, and many others are contributing non-military assistance. The United Nations is in Iraq to help Iraqis write a constitution and conduct their next elections. Thus far, some 40 countries and three international organizations have pledged about 34 billion dollars in assistance for Iraqi reconstruction. More than 80 countries and international organizations recently came together in Brussels to coordinate their efforts to help Iraqis provide for their security and rebuild their country. And next month, donor countries will meet in Jordan to support Iraqi reconstruction. Whatever our differences in the past, the world understands that success in Iraq is critical to the security of all our nations. As German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said at the White House yesterday, “There can be no question a stable and democratic Iraq is in the vested interest of not just Germany, but also Europe.”...

No real comment on this one. I'm still laughing at his insinuation that the global community was somehow in favor of his decisions regarding Iraq.

The principal task of our military is to find and defeat the terrorists – and that is why we are on the offense. And as we pursue the terrorists, our military is helping to train Iraqi Security Forces so that they can defend their people and fight the enemy on their own. Our strategy can be summed up this way: As the Iraqis stand up, we will stand down...

After September 11, 2001, I told the American people that the road ahead would be difficult – and that we would prevail. Well, it has been difficult. And we are prevailing. Our enemies are brutal – but they are no match for the United States of America – and they are no match for the men and women of the United States military.

Okay. I lied. I had C-SPAN 3 streaming on my browser. But I just turned that off. I shalt not destroy my pretty flat-screen monitor just because of momentary (well, pent-up rage) expolosion of anger and indignance.