Response of John Kerry to Bush Blaming American Troops on U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln for his Stunt
President Needs to Take Responsibility, Come Up With Plan for Post-War Iraq
October 28, 2003
"George Bush has replaced Harry Truman’s ‘The Buck Stops Here’ with ‘Don’t blame me, I only work here.’ The President refuses to take responsibility not just for his taxpayer-funded landing on an aircraft carrier, but for the betrayal of our troops that his lack of post-war planning represented. Ask our troops in Iraq whether the mission has been accomplished. Ask our troops in Iraq whether they’d rather have had a fancy aircraft landing from the President or a responsible post-war plan to keep them safe. It’s not our troops’ fault that the White House turned over to media strategists and advance staff an occasion that should have been used to bring other countries to our side and begin the multilateral rebuilding of Iraq and the end of an American occupation.”
HERE IS WHAT BUSH SAID TODAY: The "Mission Accomplished" sign, of course, was put up by the members of the USS Abraham Lincoln, saying that their mission was accomplished. I know it was attributed some how to some ingenious advance man from my staff.” (Press Conference, 10/28)
HERE IS HOW IT WAS REPORTED: The most elaborate -- and criticized -- White House event so far was Mr. Bush's speech aboard the Abraham Lincoln announcing the end of major combat in Iraq. White House officials say that a variety of people, including the president, came up with the idea, and that Mr. Sforza embedded himself on the carrier to make preparations days before Mr. Bush's landing in a flight suit and his early evening speech. Media strategists noted afterward that Mr. Sforza and his aides had choreographed every aspect of the event, even down to the members of the Lincoln crew arrayed in coordinated shirt colors over Mr. Bush's right shoulder and the "Mission Accomplished" banner placed to perfectly capture the president and the celebratory two words in a single shot. (NYT, 5/16)
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