Just one more thing to admire about George

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 5/31/04 at 8:17am

Bush keeps Saddam's pistol as trophy

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May 30, 2004  |  WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush keeps in his White House offices a trophy of one his high points in the Iraq war, the pistol that Saddam Hussein held when soldiers pulled him from his underground hideaway.

Military specialists mounted the sidearm, and soldiers who helped in the deposed Iraqi president's capture presented it to the president, the White House said Sunday. The president keeps the gun in a small study adjoining the Oval Office.

"The president was proud of the performance and bravery of our armed forces and was honored to receive it on behalf of the troops involved in the operation," said White House spokesman Jim Morrell.

Maj. Gen. Raymond Odierno, commander of 4th Infantry Division, said the Saddam had the loaded pistol on his lap but didn't move to use it against the Americans who surprised him in what the military described as a spider hole near his hometown, Tikrit, on Dec. 13.

Soldiers from Odierno's division conducted the raid that ended Saddam's seven months on the run.

Time magazine first reported the story in its edition on newsstands Monday.

Salon.com

[Auggie27]

Posted: 5/31/04 at 10:35am

In the immortal words of Lennon and McCartney, "happiness is a warm gun..." And befitting this board: In the immortal words of Margo Channing to Eve vis a vis a reward from theatrical wars, "Put that where your heart ought to be..."

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 5/31/04 at 12:32pm

ok, now i am never one to shrink from acknowledging gw's shortcomings, but this is a bit much, flit. the troops chose to give it to him. i mean i could see some point to drawing attention to this if gw had called them and asked specifically for the gun, but come on. what exactly would you have him do with it? throw it in the trash in front of the men who chose to present it to him and then deliver a chastisement to them on the horrors of their war mongering ways? oh wait, that's exactly what he should have done isn't it, queen patchouli?

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 5/31/04 at 12:49pm

OHMmmmmmmm....

I can't help but picture him stealing into the Oval Office in the middle of a sleepless night,on his way to the kitchen for a bag of Mr. Salty's, and practicing a quick draw for a few. Sorry. I know it was a momento bestowed upon him. But in light of his loose-cannon cowboy persona, a couple of cheap cracks about his trophy pistol is more than I can personally resist.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 5/31/04 at 1:28pm

Papa asks: What should he have done with it?

Let the pistol be one of W's Daddty's Thousand Points of Light (remember them? A quaint idea that preceded Compassionate Conservatism): One idea, since it's such a collector's item, why not let the widow or widower of a soldier who "paid the ultimate price," perhaps GET the ultimate price. On this ulimate souvenir. Considering how Vets benefits are being cut, an Ebay auction might bring in big bucks that would cover a few rent and mortgage payments.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 5/31/04 at 1:35pm

Ugh. He probably prays with it. "Dear Lord, your will is done, see?"

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 5/31/04 at 2:59pm

auggie, dear, leave the scare tactics of the republicans are cutting everything to the pros and in the mean time try this link:

http://factcheck.org/article.aspx?docid=144

and>http://factcheck.org/article.aspx?docid=144>http://factcheck.org/article.aspx?docid=144

and lest you should think they are a partisan group, try the front page and see that half of the ads they take to task there are bush ads!

[ckeaton]

Posted: 5/31/04 at 3:22pm

This pistol story is a fart in the wind.
It's interesting, yet another fact that I will add to my just in case I get to be on 'Millionaire' and that is a question folio...

But honestly it's not a great indictment against GW. After all, we all keep momentos. In college, I had a very nice collection of bras in my dorm room. (OK, 3... I wasn't a hussy after all)

Just like the bras, the gun was given to him. Why shouldn't he keep it. It's a souveneir of how his administration took down a tyrant who enjoyed watching people have their genitals mutilated, and had no qualms gassing thousands of innocent men, women, and children.

No one should ever accuse the GOP of being anti-military. That's for sure.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 5/31/04 at 4:44pm

Papa, as long as you keep calling me "dear," I feel warm n'runny inside. Not everyone at this board has that effect on me.

But after the February Annenberg Center report you cite, there is apparently a 5/19 Memo from OMB citing a proposed 900 million cut in vet benefits next year. But that was in the Times, so of course it may be wrong-slash-biased. (I just passed Judith Miller on the corner of 43rd street and b'way. She's set up a card table to sell old discs of Chalabi intel. Apparently, efforts to market her bogus research on Ebay failed, and she has a kid to get through private school. I bought one on Sarin gas as a 04 keepsake.)

I appreciate the even handed link, and signed up to have it sent to me. It's not as much fun to come to this board forced to use the passle facts in one's pocket, but it makes for a longer post. And I'm nothing if not long-winded.

Updated On: 5/31/04 at 04:44 PM

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 5/31/04 at 5:32pm

Is it creepy? Sure.

But it is an ancient tradition at least dating back to the Ancient Romans for the conquered to posess the enemy's weapons -(or swords, flags, helmets, banners etc) so there is a historical precident for it.

I just wanna know what Rumsfeld plans to do with Lynndie England's dog collars.

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 5/31/04 at 6:57pm

ummm, find me the memo, auggie, all i can find is the may 19 memo on kerry's site that they call smoking gun (appropos given the thread, huh?) which mentions absolutely no numbers at all. but again this seems to be a situation where no increasing spending as much as some people suggest becomes a "cut." see this memo refers back to the memo that is referenced by the ad that is detailed in my previous link. see how it all comes together in the end?

i am honored to reduce you to runni-ness.

Updated On: 5/31/04 at 06:57 PM