Republicans to Open Convention with 9/11 Tribute

[Nambe]

NEW YORK (Reuters)

Republicans open their national convention Monday with a tribute to victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and a salute to President Bush by two of the party's best known moderates, former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and Arizona Sen. John McCain. ..

Three victims' relatives will address the convention Monday and Giuliani, who was hailed for guiding the city through the aftermath of Sept. 11, is expected to focus on that day, its consequences and Bush's reaction. ..

Ride Don’t Drive * * It’s Global Cool

[noahmijo]

1. Look just get it through your head * the repugs picking NYC

Has NOTHING to do with exploiting 9/11 OKAY?! they picked it because they know it's the best place to get pizza NOTHING MORE!

[Born Free]

9. Victims and families of 9/11 mean nothing to them

Their just numbers that can be used for political gain, the GOP believes these people died for nothing more than to help the bush team gain more control. However, they will put on a good show, playing dress up , using the fake tears while they laugh at the gullible Americans that buy into all of it.

[Lorien]

2. Once again, exploiting death and terrorism for political gain

what a stomach turning bunch of parasites these repukes are! Nothing else to run on and absolutely NO SHAME! :puke: :grr:

[sampsonblk]

3. Duhh

That's all they have - otherwise Bush would have been a below-50% pResident for his whole term.

[xxqqqzme]

4. wow...this is a BIG

surprize. Wonder how late someone stayed up thinking about this? and how 2 exploit it?

What else is there? NO THING in 4 years that they can point 2 with any sense of accomplishment.....other than they have murdered a hellova lot more people than were killed on Sept 11.

[EST]

5. Your analysis is succinct and accurate.

We here at DU aren't the only ones watching with churning stomachs

[SilasSoule]

6. Will this 9/11 Tribute include the Trifecta joke that * used so often??

using 9/11 for political gain is one thing, but making light of that tragedy to anesthesitize citizens is beyond contempt.


"Give them bread and circuses"

[krkaufman]

7. You have heard that Boosh never said such a thing, right?

However, it *has* been attributed to the winner of the 2000 Presidential election:

"Barring an economic reversal, a national emergency, or a foreign crisis, we should balance the budget this year, next year, and every year." Gore said that to the Economic Club of Detroit in May 1998, then repeated it at least twice more, in speeches in June and November of that year.

http://www.poe-news.com/stories.php?poeurlid=12081

[Bridget Burke]

12. According to Whitehouse.gov, he said it....

The President favors conditions of budgetary balance, and -- particularly looking ahead to the unfunded liabilities of our nation -- surplus, and the reduction of outstanding national debt against the day when those bills come due, and has been pursuing a balanced fiscal policy that included tax reduction for long-term growth, debt reduction, and moderate spending growth to make those first two objectives possible.

He had always listed, throughout his campaign and since, the reasons why the nation might depart from this policy, reasons he had given as acceptable for running fiscal deficits: for war, recession, or emergency. As he said to me in mid-September, "Lucky me. I hit the trifecta."

From remarks by OMB Director Mitchell E Daniels, Jr., 10/16/01.

www.whitehouse.gov/omb/pubpress/daniels_conference_board_speech10-16-01.html

[krkaufman]

19. Oh, no question, he used the "trifecta" phrase

But the original statement, on which the "I hit the trifecta" statement is based, was Al Gore's.

Now, the fact that Bush would say "Lucky me. *I* hit the trifecta." so joyfully, in regards to the tragedy of 9/11, war and his own disastrous economic policies, should be sufficient evidence of his callousness to warrant voting his ass out of office.

What is it going to take?

[July]

20. Bush did say it, and more than once.

IIRC, he claims to have offered these conditions for not balancing the budget, although no-one could find any reference to the supposed interview (in Chicago, I believe he said) where he supposedly said this. He used it a few times in speeches (which have appeared on the internet). Basically, he stole Gore's concept, which offered reasonable caveats concerning balancing the budget and used it as his excuse to blow the surplus and promote his tax cuts.

This was discussed on the internet pretty extensively.

[DrWeird]

8. Are they still having Falwell give the opening prayer?

Because he did say 9-11 was a gift from God.

[MaineDem]

10. I'm just a friend of three 9/11 victims and I'm upset!!!

I'm not family so I can only imagine how outraged they will be!

But, it's true. It's all they have. As the comic Wanda Sykes (I think that's her name) said on a late-night talk show a few years ago, "Remember how, before 9/11, people all thought he was stupid?"

[demgrrrll]

11. I loved the sign I saw yesterday that read. You hijacked our

grief and flew it to Iraq. Great sign.

[colonel odis]

13. a tribute to their intelligence failures?

are they that dumb or do they just think americans are?

[LeftHander]

14. Riding the Backs of the Dead.....

They have no respect.

Posted this in the Articles and Editorials around AUgust 19th.

Riding the Backs of the Dead

The Grand Old Party is continuing to have a "Grand Old Time" with September 11. 911 has become an icon. The mayhem of that day lives on in the speeches from the GOP and the war on terror and has become a election year rally point for conservatives. Given the success that conservative lawmakers had in squashing progressive reform from healthcare to campaign finance it is no wonder that they would utilize the horror of 911 when backed up against a wall. As the heels of the GOP are wedged against the wall of public opinion the cries of "Never relent", "post 911 world", "Big brother or dead brother" and the favorite "keep America safe", occur with rapid frequency. Add to 911 the mantra of "support the troops" which really means "support our war". For many progressives being patriotic under the definition provided by the conservatives means bending over and greasing up. The idea of accepting the leadership unquestioningly is not only empty headed but does a great disservice to America.

The soap box used to be the cliche'. That no longer works in America, conservatives must climb a pile of corpses draped in a flag and quoting the bible. It is no wonder why America is so divided. As one glorifies violence and vilifies dissent the other turns away repulsed in horror, sickened at what has happened to American politics. The Republican party has become nothing more than another thuggish pervert making naked pyramids of the truth and bending us all over as they ram more guilt trips into America's backside.

Iraq and Al-Queda connections. The 911 Commission Report, the Patriot Act, TIPS, Tax Cuts, prescription Drugs, Jobs....WAR. A war in Iraq. Based on lies trumped up by America following the GOP as they glorified 911 and wrapped the flag around a criminal act. At the same time they shifted the blame from a radical terrorist group that exploited the many failings of the intelligence community to a visible "enemy" that everyone could "get behind". So in typical conservative fashion, rather than really find out what went wrong they start a war and stall any investigation until it becomes politically dangerous to do so. Then they we say "we supported it all along" and If anyone asks or points out anything, call them un-American and say they are not honoring the dead of 911.

Ugly politics played out by ugly men on the backs of the dead.

Watch this scenario play out during the GOP convention. September 11 will be mentioned over and over again. Surely there will be a video montage of the destruction of that day along with images of the troops in Iraq as they wage a war to find the weapons of mass destruction that nobody seems to care don't exist.

What the GOP doesn't know is that the political capital gains from 911 have dried up in America. The majority of America will no longer allow the neoconservative fear and guilt mongers to benefit from a continuous loop of planes exploding on impact, statues being toppled or speeches made on aircraft carriers. America is seeing clearly now. The image we see is no longer one of pride and patriotism. It is an image of opportunistic vultures feeding on the carrion of fear, war and misery.

[bamacrat]

15. of course

anyone who watches this thing tonight better have their vomit bags
ready and near by. get ready for b*sh is a "hero".

[CookieD]

16. Looks like it'll be an early harvest

... if you know what I mean.

[Robb]

17. 9/11 tribute? So an apology?

Are they going to apologize for what was at a MINIMUM the worst strategic defense fuckup since Trenton 1776?

:eyes:

[theHandpuppet]

18. That's what I was wondering, too.

This from an administration whose fuckups led to 9/11, who balked at an independent 911 commission, whose thief-in-charge is best buds with the Bin Laden family and the House of Saud terrorist financiers?

If anything, an apology is owed to the vicitms of this tragedy. Perhaps Bush will choose to read "My Pet Goat" during the tribute.

This kind of exploitation is an outrage!

[dArKeR]

21. RNC Agenda

6:00 pm - Opening prayer
6:15 pm - Supplementary opening prayer
6:30 pm - Prayer in thanks of first two prayers
6:45 pm - New energy policy presented by Exxon
7:00 pm - Canonization of Reagan
7:15 pm - Additional prayers
7:30 pm - Opening remarks by Halliburton
7:45 pm - Laugh at poor people
8:00 pm - Prayer for the safety and well-being of Ken "Kenny-boy" Lay
8:15 pm - Additional remarks by Halliburton
8:30 pm - Stoning of the first homosexual
8:45 pm - New healthcare polices presented by HMO leader, Kaiser Permanente
9:00 pm - Invasion of Iran or North Korea (TBA)
9:15 pm - Halliburton contributes $1.4 billion to Republican party
9:30 pm - Reagan elevated to savior, Holy Trinity now referred to as "the quads"
9:45 pm - Bush undergoes plastic surgery to look more like Reagan
10:00 pm - Cheney runs into Ron Reagan, Jr. Tells him to go fuck himself
10:15 pm - Recall of troops from accidental invasion of South Korea (Bush: "Damn, the SOUTH is our ally. My bad.")
10:30 pm - Burning at the stake of 16-year-old Jenny Williams, who had an illegal abortion after being raped by her cousin
10:45 pm - Dancing around the golden calf
11:00 pm - Stoning of the partner of the first homosexual
11:15 pm - New forestry policy presented by Weyerhaeuser
11:45 pm - Thanking God for his wisdom in choosing Bush as president
12:00 pm - Closing prayers (lasting until 2:00 am)
2:00 am - Hookers arrive for all delegates