US President George W. Bush said the September 11 revolt of passengers against their hijackers on board Flight 93 had struck the first blow of "World War III."
In an interview with the financial news network CNBC, Bush said he had yet to see the recently released film of the uprising, a dramatic portrayal of events on the United Airlines plane before it crashed in a Pennsylvania field.
But he said he agreed with the description of David Beamer, whose son Todd died in the crash, who in a Wall Street Journal commentary last month called it "our first successful counter-attack in our homeland in this new global war -- World War III".
Bush said: "I believe that. I believe that it was the first counter-attack to World War III.
"It was, it was unbelievably heroic of those folks on the airplane to recognize the danger and save lives," he said.
Flight 93 crashed on the morning of September 11, 2001, killing the 33 passengers, seven crew members and four hijackers, after passengers stormed the cockpit and battled the hijackers for control of the aircraft.
The president has repeatedly praised the heroism of the passengers in fighting back and so launching the first blow of what he usually calls the "war on terror".
In 2002, then-White House spokesman Ari Fleischer explicitly declined to call the hunt for Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda group and its followers "World War III."
World War III? There's rhetoric and then there's rhetoric...but World War III is way too far out there.
-------------------- Great is the guilt of an unnecessary war. ~ohn Adams
Once again the Bush Administration is worse than I had imagined, even though I thought I had already taken account of the fact that the Bush administration is invariably worse than I can imagine. ~Brad DeLong
You're just babbling incoherently. ~C. Montgomery Burns
Registered: Mar 1999
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Da_bang80
A few sectors short of an Empire
Member # 528
posted
I knew it! That warmongering cocknocker isn't going to rest untill he destroys the world! Someone has to take him out NOW! Before he invades another sovereign nation
-------------------- Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. The courage to change the things I cannot accept. And the wisdom to hide the bodies of all the people I had to kill today because they pissed me off.
-------------------- "You are a terrible human, Ritten." Magnus "Urgh, you are a sick sick person..." Austin Powers A leek too, pretty much a negi.....
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First he tells the Hispanics to stop speaking Spanish, and now he's talking about World War III? I really think the pressure of the job is starting to break his tiny little brain...
Registered: Mar 1999
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He will try and take on God in a wrestling match next. Bah gawd!
-------------------- Yes, you're despicable, and... and picable... and... and you're definitely, definitely despicable. How a person can get so despicable in one lifetime is beyond me. It isn't as though I haven't met a lot of people. Goodness knows it isn't that. It isn't just that... it isn't... it's... it's despicable.
Registered: Mar 1999
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I just don't think he understands the power behind the rhetoric that his office commands.
Remember when he was saying we're on a crusade?
-------------------- Great is the guilt of an unnecessary war. ~ohn Adams
Once again the Bush Administration is worse than I had imagined, even though I thought I had already taken account of the fact that the Bush administration is invariably worse than I can imagine. ~Brad DeLong
You're just babbling incoherently. ~C. Montgomery Burns
Registered: Mar 1999
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Da_bang80
A few sectors short of an Empire
Member # 528
posted
I just hope the next president charges Bush for war crimes or something.
Anyone heard about that Sheriff and his "Posse" that's rounding up illegal immigrants and putting them in jail? Sounds like the Gestapo to me.
How much longer does the world have to put up with his shinnanigans?
-------------------- Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. The courage to change the things I cannot accept. And the wisdom to hide the bodies of all the people I had to kill today because they pissed me off.
[Edit] I forgot to say that I was told my global issues teacher that the 9/11 report implied Flight 93 was shot down by military planes.
Registered: Feb 2005
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I almost laughed myself into a car crash the other day when NPR had a clip of the President (this week) calling for "fiscal responsibility" regarding oil companies profits.
Holy shit, the man is the physical incarnation of hypocricy.
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
Registered: Aug 2002
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At least you guys have an inbuilt expiry dates on your Presidents (Although I admit the idea of Jeb taking over is scary). Us Brits have to put up with deranged muppet Prime Ministers trying to stay in office for as long as they possibly can, despite the rest of the country and even their own party hating their guts.
Da_bang80
A few sectors short of an Empire
Member # 528
posted
At least until Bush pulls a Palpatine and elects himself Emperor For Life of the Neo-American Empire or some such nonsense...
-------------------- Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. The courage to change the things I cannot accept. And the wisdom to hide the bodies of all the people I had to kill today because they pissed me off.
posted
With his approval numbers down in the 30's, that isn't going to happen.
Although it would be interesting to see what the American population might do if he or his surrogates were to try.
-------------------- Great is the guilt of an unnecessary war. ~ohn Adams
Once again the Bush Administration is worse than I had imagined, even though I thought I had already taken account of the fact that the Bush administration is invariably worse than I can imagine. ~Brad DeLong
You're just babbling incoherently. ~C. Montgomery Burns
Registered: Mar 1999
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"Us Brits have to put up with deranged muppet Prime Ministers trying to stay in office for as long as they possibly can, despite the rest of the country and even their own party hating their guts."
Not that I know anything about parliamentary government, but isn't the PM just the leader of the party with the most seats? And doesn't the party choose their leader? So, if the party hates him, can't they pick someone else?
Registered: Mar 1999
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"Us Brits have to put up with deranged muppet Prime Ministers trying to stay in office for as long as they possibly can, despite the rest of the country and even their own party hating their guts."
Not that I know anything about parliamentary government, but isn't the PM just the leader of the party with the most seats? And doesn't the party choose their leader? So, if the party hates him, can't they pick someone else?
You seem to know more than you think you do and are completely correct. Although it is worth pointing out that, as with so many things in British politics, it is only convention that the PM and rest of the ministers are from the party with a Parliamentry majority. If the Queen really wanted to, I believe she is within her power to pick a tramp off the street and make him PM. Whether she'd manage it is another matter, and in general it makes a lot of sense to have the PM from the most popular party. The Party can indeed pick someone else, and according to todays news some of them are trying to, but you really have to wonder what a PM is doing wrong to make his own party hate him that much. In the end it just means that all the PMs time is taken up fighting for his leadership rather than actually, you know, leading the country. On the other hand, there are those who would argue that this is the whole point of democracy, as it stops the government from cocking things up more than they have done already...
Registered: May 2005
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Da_bang80
A few sectors short of an Empire
Member # 528
posted
quote:Originally posted by Jay the Obscure: With his approval numbers down in the 30's, that isn't going to happen.
Although it would be interesting to see what the American population might do if he or his surrogates were to try.
You have a point there. Palpatine manipulated the Senate into believing he was a great leader. Dark Side powers don't hurt either. Bush just isn't that smart.
When Bush finally gets pushed out of office and into retirement, I'm going to go TP his house.
-------------------- Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. The courage to change the things I cannot accept. And the wisdom to hide the bodies of all the people I had to kill today because they pissed me off.
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