Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Bush goes to Kansas to find a friendly audience/ Tiahrt’s not there



Once again, President George Bush was trying to justify his imperial visions in the Middle-east, defend his unjustifiable war and this time he tried to find friendly territory; Manhattan, Kansas.

According to SFGate.com:
“Bush spent most of a one-hour, 40-minute session here chatting with questioners pulled from the seats of the Kansas State University arena. Before a crowd of 9,000 students, faculty, supporters and soldiers, Bush alternated between serious oration about terrorism and lighthearted banter about his family and dog.
He bemoaned "needless name-calling" in Washington and said that rather than get angry he tries to "burn off that excess energy" with exercise. He talked nuclear weapons and immigration and the Supreme Court. He had tough words for Iran and softer words for China. He said his wife does not hesitate to give advice, "which can be too frequent sometimes," then quickly added, "Not true, honey." He was in such a jocular mood that by the end of the event, White House transcribers recorded 61 instances of audience laughter.”
Ho! Ho! He! He!
According to The Wichita Eagle, Jan. 24, 2005: Bush attracted all the state's main Congressional Republicans, except Rep. Todd Tiahrt. According to his office he had more important things to do than worry about Bush’s next war moves. He is trying to move up the latter to become majority House Whip and that’s more important to him than the loss of a few Kansas soldiers.

Also According to The Eagle, there were a few protesters who were not so eager to have the president there:

“About 200 protesters gathered in two protest areas outside K-State's Bramlage Coliseum on Monday during President Bush's speech.
Most were students, though other protesters drove to Manhattan to take part. Police stood by, but aside from a few heated exchanges with Bush supporters, the protests went on without incident.
Computer science professor Alley Stoughton joined student groups in one of the protest areas as hundreds of troops from Fort Riley entered the building for the speech. Stoughton said the national media has portrayed Kansas as friendly territory for Bush, but he wanted to make sure those going to the speech knew not every Kansan agrees with Bush.
"There is opposition here to the president's agenda," he said. "A lot of us are appalled."
Political science major Megan Challender, 20, held a poster that read "WWiretap." She stood in line with other students to get a ticket to the Bush speech, but stood outside protesting. She hoped her empty chair sent a message.”

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