Bush Again Confuses IDs of Two Terrorists

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Does even the most ardent Bush supporter really believe this idiot is really in charge?

By DEB RIECHMANN, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - President Bush might have been able to say it was simply a slip of the tongue when he confused two terrorists in a campaign speech Monday in New Hampshire. Trouble is, he's made the same misstatement at least 10 times before.


During remarks in Derry, N.H., Bush said the late terrorist Abu Nidal killed Leon Klinghoffer, a 69-year-old Jewish American who died after being tossed — along with his wheelchair — off a hijacked cruise liner named Achille Lauro in 1985.


"Do you remember Abu Nidal?" Bush asked the crowd. "He's the guy that killed Leon Klinghoffer. Leon Klinghoffer was murdered because of his religion. Abu Nidal was in Baghdad, as was his organization."

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040921/ap_on_el_pr/bush_wrong_terrorist

[madaboutharry]

1. This demonstrates that

Bush doesn't care enough to learn the facts in his own speeches. I can't believe that 50,000,000 people are going to vote for this idiot.

[karlrschneider]

9. Shit, how many thousand times has he said "noo-ku-ler"?

I guess if he started pronouncing it correctly, it'd be a 'flip-flop'...
:eyes: :grr:

[Voltaire99]

15. The idiot is lucky his supporters are fanatics...

Fanatics require only fanaticism from their leader. Distinctions, accuracy, understanding--hell, even the barest acquaintance with facts?

Everyone knows that shit's for pussies.

[Dhalgren]

29. It shows that no one in his administration gives a damned.

They are either complete incompetents or they have utter disdain for the American public (or both). Yeah, half of America support him - I don't doubt it for a minute...

[skooooo]

2. what a retard

GOD THIS IS EMBARRASSING! This is our president, people!!! The most powerful man in the world and he screws things up like this?? I would expect the same from a 6th grader~!

[Disturbed]

4. Give our Glorious Leader a break...

he has brain damage. He doesn't make any decisions. That's Cheney's job.

[Mad_Dem_X]

27. No, I think 6th graders are smarter.

;)

[Sydnie]

3. Gave that one a 5!!! n/t

[truthisfreedom]

5. do not back down on bush. keep up the pressure. he's a fraud and a liar.

slip of the tongue my ass.

[shraby]

6. 2 words.....BAGHDAD BUSH

[LizW]

7. Problem is, Bush's base doesn't know the difference

and wouldn't give a shit if they did. To them, every man or boy named Abu or Ali or Mohammed is a terrorist.

[shanti]

11. yup

"they all look alike"....:eyes: that's the way the pukes are playing this off.

[cthrumatrix]

22. they just drink the kool aid

[alarcojon]

8. Why not make it a trifecta

and throw in Abu Musab al Zarqawi?

[WhiteTara]

20. because he can't pronounce his name!

[alarcojon]

26. He can pronounce it

it just comes out different every time!

[bif]

10. Dumb as a bag of hammers

That's our leader!

[struggle4progress]

12. * really just doesn't care whether what he says is true or not, ...

... as long as it jazzes up the wingnuts.

[moondust]

13. I'll bet he can't name members of his own "coalition".

He doesn't give a damn about those countries.

[AlCzervik]

14. He and Rumsfeld are doing the same thing

I expect that from Bush, not from Rumsfeld though and the 2 of them f*cking up at the same time is spooky Maybe they're starting to crack under the strain of lying so gawddamn much.

[western mass]

16. What mistake? * is a LIAR and he LIED.

[TahitiNut]

17. It's not at all surprising that he can't tell the difference between ...

... Abu Nidal and Abdul Abbas. After all, he still doesn't know the difference between shit and Shinola - and he's had that problem for over forty years!

[olddad56]

18. the debate question I would like to hear asked...

Mr. President, How do you spell the word 'cat'. You have 30 seconds.

[VolcanoJen]

19. Take another look... Are Bush's gaffes are *deliberate*?

From samueljohnson.com, via atrios:

Shades of 2000: Bush continues to makes these "endearing" slip-ups (they point out he's made this specific error several times, and that it's in the written copy of his stump speech). And because it's assumed he's of lower intelligence, it's assumed it just can't be deliberate. Prove it, I say.

Why does Bush make this "slip"? Because there's mileage from it, is why. Klinghoffer's death is evocative, and Bush wants to use it the same way he wants to use 9/11 at every possible step. If it's written into his speech, it's not a slip up like "nucular." This is a planned error, plain and simple. (Don't forget his repeated efforts to foist the deficit off on some legendary trifecta remark.) Disgusting and cynical: this is a horrible use of a man's murder.

[StClone]

21. Bush has problems

Bush was directed to act on his "bumpkin appeal" to induce those drive by thinkers to vote for him and his folksy good old boy-isms. Inadvertently he may be playing the part too well due to pre-dementia.

[Cocoa]

23. too many people here are thinking this is an innocent mistake

it's clear from the story this is a deliberate LIE.

Kudos to the reporter Deb Riechmann, this kind of reporting needs to be done more often.


edit: I sent my kudos to Reichmann:

[e-mail], attn: Deb Reichmann,

Dear Deb,

Kudos on the story about Bush and Abu Nidal. It certainly seems at this point that he was deliberately lying. Bush himself surely does not know one from the other, and does not personally remember the Achille Lauro, which happened during his drinking days, but the people who put that line in his speech know what they're doing.

We need more of that kind of reporting.

[Merlin]

25. Absolutely right. It's deliberate as hell.

This is like deliberately mispronouncing an opponent's name. Anybody responding must recite the facts, and then comes off as petty relative to the facts.

I would like to hear more about whether Nidall and Abbass were actually actively operating out of Baghdad, and what their relationships were to Hussein. Otherwise, if they were both in Baghdad in fact, then Bush's argument is somewhat legit.

[fob]

24. Why do you hate America? Don't you know that Kerry said "Lambert"

instead of Lambeau Field? :eyes:

The "media" would like to focus on important things, stop confusing them with trivial stuff like the president's failings.


Kerry Landslide!!

[NewYorkerfromMass]

28. Saddam , Osama, Abu, Abbubu....

Hey they're all just AAAAAAAAAARAB ragheads right?

[maddogesq]

30. Aba, daba, abu abul said the monkey to the sheep..

GOOD GRIEF...that poor excuse for a preznit scares the crap out of me.

[yellowcanine]

31. Next thing he will confuse Osama with Obama - good thing Bush is not

campaigning in Illinois.

[electricmonk]

32. Well at least he didn't say

That Abu Nidal threw Leon Redbone off the Andrea Doria. :eyes:

[jmowreader]

33. Uhh...folks, he's technically correct

Baghdad used to be the very best place in the Middle East to go to the hospital.

When Abu Nidal's cancer went terminal, he went to a Baghdad hospital. His core supporters went with him. (Now understand: the ANO wasn't in the terror business when Abu Nidal was on his deathbed.)

During the time the Abu Nidal Organization was actively blowing shit up they worked out of Libya and Egypt, but there was a time when they were in Iraq.

And okay, so it was the Palestinian Liberation Front, who the ANO hated, that killed Leon Klinghoffer. But to Bush, all Rag Haid Terra'ists are alike.

[young_at_heart]

34. Let's have a poll....Should he be fired for this?

How many times has he either lied or misled the nation? I think presidents ought to know what they are saying!

[The_Casual_Observer]

35. Abdul Abdulbul Amir

[JoFerret]

36. He will completely crack, disintegrate

meltdown and decompensate with enough pressure. (Well...anyone would...but he is a lying fraud and it should be easier even though he lives in a fantasy bubble.)