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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: JDN who wrote (763457)	7/17/2007 10:37:57 AM
From: Karen Lawrence	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 769670

Bush 'Strongly Opposes' Troop Pay, Benefit Initiatives Talk about lousy timing. With President Bush’s popularity scraping bottom in opinion polls, with U.S. casualties rising in Iraq in a force surge that has stretched soldier tours to 15 months, the Bush administration July 10 said it “strongly opposes” key military pay and benefit gains tossed into their fiscal 2008 defense bill. Initiatives the administration “strongly opposes” include: -- A military pay raise for next January of 3.5 percent versus 3 percent endorsed by the White House. -- Lowering the age-60 start of reserve retirement annuities for reserve component members by the length of their future mobilizations. -- Expanding eligibility for Combat-Related Special Compensation to service members forced by combat disabilities to retire short of 20 years. -- Directing pharmaceutical manufacturers to provide the Department of Defense with same price discounts for TRICARE retail pharmacy network that are provided already on medicines dispensed from base pharmacies. The administration also grumbled that the Senate intends to block for another year TRICARE fee increases for under-65 retirees and dependents.

To: JDN who wrote (763457)	7/17/2007 11:37:51 AM
From: pompsander	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

Thats an OUTRAGEOUS statement. Bush is doing everything he can to protect us with Congress led by the Democrats doing everything they can to WEAKEN the Patriot Act. If an attack comes, and I think it likely will, dont blame Bush, blame the reids and pelosi's of our government. jdn I'm not trying to be outrageous or mean-spirited. But this is what I heard on the radio and read in the last week. Tell me if you think the Admiistration has it's act together on this subject. 1. Homeland Security Director has a "gut feeling" we might get hit again...but 2. The president downplays the risk in his press conference...but 3. The new national security assessment says al-Queda is stregthening, maybe to pre-9/11 levels...but 4. The President says it isn't true, that they are actually much weaker...but, 5. The national security assessment goes on to say that the Afghan/Pakistan border is a breeding ground for our enemies and they are mobilizing there despite our "friends" in Pakistans efforts...(cough, cough), but... 6. The President says the issue is overblown... So, if we get hit the Administration says it warned us. If we don't get hit the President says I told you so.....looks to me like they are playing it both ways....or they just don't know for sure (which is understandable...why not say so?). And JDN, if you think this administration is actually securing our borders and protecting us, I have a fence near Mexico I would like to sell you (if it ever got built). 5.