Home     Contact Us    
Main Board Job Seeker's Board Job Wanted Board Resume Bank Company Board Word Help Medquist New MTs Classifieds Offshore Concerns VR/Speech Recognition Tech Help Coding/Medical Billing
Gab Board Politics Comedy Stop Health Issues
ADVERTISEMENT




Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

Our party's not the 1 who brought nation to its knees.

Posted By: Nothing broken here. nm on 2008-09-08
In Reply to: Obama can't fix what with his party either... - sam

nm


Complete Discussion Below: marks the location of current message within thread

The messages you are viewing are archived/old.
To view latest messages and participate in discussions, select the boards given in left menu


Other related messages found in our database

Well, if teabagging is in your future, you might have to get on those knees, anyway.
nm
I am an independent....neither party is "my" party.
THis election cycle I believe the best man is a Republican. Do your research. John McCain warned about this in 2005, named Fannie and freddie by name, co-sponsored legislation to control them. Blocked by Democrats, led by Chris Dodd..same guy now trying to fix what he and the Dems broke. Chris Dodd, #1 on contributions list from fannie/freddie, followed closely by #2, your shining knight Mr. Obama. The chickens have come home to roost all right...or should I say the donkeys. :)
It was brought in because
the poster labelled him as being black. Strictly speaking, that is incorrect.
Well, since you brought it up......

Why the heck can't BLACKS be just plain AMERICANS like the rest of us????  I don't see myself going around saying I'm Irish-Native American-American.  Let's let the racist crap go, shall we?


And by the way, I DID answer you.  Sorry it wasn't quick enough to suit you.


VOTING FOR LOU DOBBS!!!!


He has brought it up
along with all the other questionable associations Obama has, but no answers have been given. Obama said that he did not agree with the things Wright said, but that was really all the explanation he gave and he refused to answer any other questions about it. I would like to hear answers about that, too, but I just don't see it happening - he's too much of a friend of the media to have to answer to anything.
Brought To You By......
http://www.google.com/search?q=Once+upon+a+time%2C+on+a+farm+in+Washington+DC%2C+there+was+a+little+red+hen+who+scratched+about+the+barnyard+until+she+uncovered+quite+a+few+grains+of+wheat.&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

Take your pick. By the way, your cut and paste job totally missed the first paragraph.
First of all, someone else brought up

smokers and I was just trying to explain how I can love and care for someone but hate what they do....so I used my father and his smoking.


As for smoking....it is too a sin.  Technically anything that we take into our body that harms it is sinful.  Our bodies are supposed to be temples to God.  That is why for so many years ear piercing was bad and some people still consider tattoes bad. 


I had a friend on Right Nation who went down there. SM
He lives about an hour away.  He did not gestimate anywhere even close to that. 
A great nation. sm

As an outsider, I could give you another perspective and one not nearly so dire as yours.  However, I also realise that my view is slanted as I simply adore this country and Americans in general.  In short, given the information at his disposal, George Bush’s decision to oust Saddam looks altogether reasonable--though, again, not necessarily right. To argue otherwise demonstrates both ignorance and bad faith. So what are we to make of the downward spiral of sectarian mayhem that is currently drawing Iraq into the abyss? The violence seems senseless to us . . . but perhaps that’s the point. Perhaps our enemies recognize that the great exploitable weakness of the American military is that, in the wake of Vietnam, the American public’s grasp of geo-politics runs only as deep as the lyrics to Bob Dylan’s “Blowing in the Wind.” This is a weakness every bit as real, and every bit as deadly, as a missile with a faulty guidance system or a tank that stalls in its tracks--and it will remain a real weakness until the American public is knocked upside the head a sufficient number of times to outgrow it. What the degeneration of the mission in Iraq indicates most profoundly is that one 9/11 was not enough to crack through the platitudes of the late 1960s--which are deeply embedded in the universities, television networks and editorial pages of major newspapers. There remains, in such circles, the delusion that the jihadists are ultimately live and let live types, that totalitarian Islam will eventually just peter out, that the principles of the European Enlightenment will simply dawn on a billion Muslims without us cramming them down their throats.This may in the end prove the deadliest error in geo-political judgment Americans have ever made. Members of the genocidally well-meaning baby-boom generation will likely go to their graves believing they “gave peace a chance,” having spared themselves the anguish of killing hundreds of thousand Muslims . . .  and likely bequeathed to their children and grandchildren the anguish of killing scores of millions. 


the nation really isn't interested

It's just a device used by the neocons to keep the attention of the stifled.  They know that the repressed loonies in the county slobber over anything pertaining to sex.  Just look at O'Reilly.  Nearly every night he has some story about prostitutes, strip clubs, girls gone wild -- he is complaining how horrible it is, yet they always have tapes behind him of half-naked coeds grinding away.  If it is so horrible, must we see the tapes over and over?


 


We are not a nation of businesses.
nm
I am with you, Shelly. Also, it seems our nation is
nm
I think it's a symbol of what our nation has become
Greed...from the top to the bottom.  You couldn't pay me enough to get me to go out on Black Friday. 
Obviously we are a divided nation.
Do not see how any of this will work. With no republican vote, that speaks volumes to me. Obviously cannot work together or see eye to eye with the future.
the word should be *brought*
my fingers have a mind of their own...
The OP brought up her concerns....
I brought up mine. I find mine more concerning than hers. And I don't understand why Democrats accept certain behavior in their own and lamblast the other side for the same perceived weaknesses. Why is that?
I have brought it up earlier on here but
O lovers immediately jumped on the Palin bandwagon again. They are so worried about Palin being a "heartbeat away from possibly being president" but they couldn't care less than Biden may very well be just a heartbeat away....period!

They seem to think Obama will live forever, even though both his parents died young AND he was a heavy smoker, drugger, and drinker.
They seem to have no concern about that.


YOU are the one who brought up Mccain
I was just showing you that they both have said that.

You Obama supporters always say "give me fact give me proof" and then when someone does you get mad.

I never said Mccain didn't say that, just saying it isn't a very good argument because THEY BOTH have said it.
I brought up Russia............sm
because it was an example of basically an exact opposite from what America is. You seem to want to live completely opposite than Americans have lived for the 150 (give or take) years before Madelyn Murray O'Hare started raising Cain (no pun intended) about prayer in schools, etc. While I realize atheists did exist prior to her time, for the most part, they pretty much "lived and let live" much as Christians did with respect to co-existing with them. That is more what I would call "tolerance" rather than getting all up in arms because God's name appears on the currency that puts a roof over your head, food on your table and clothes on your back.

As to the issue of Christian gays and lesbians, I really feel that is a subject more for the Faith forum and would happily discuss it with you there sometime as I have opinions on that as well. (are you surprised? LOL)

Marriage is a union between a man and a woman period. Unless you are married to a woman, then of course I feel your marriage is valid and certainly not worthless. You are really stretching the limits of common sense on this subject with your suppositions.

Your next to last statement is absolutely correct. There is only one way for true Christianity and that is based solely on the teachings in the Bible. People who do not believe the Bible do see it as divisive and intolerant, but like Paul said "the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who do not believe." Again, another fascinating subject for the Faith forum, but I would state that it is not Christians who seek to divide this nation but unbelievers who do because of their unbelief.

With all that said, JtBB, I will say this. I find you a very interesting person and really enjoy debating issues with you and hope you realize that just because our opinions clash some, okay most, of the time does not mean that I don't like you. :o)
#1, The Nation is extremely partisan. #2.

Tillman didn't talk about why he went into the service to anyone.  We will have to assume that what his mother is saying is true.  Has the wife spoken out?  I would think if he told his deepest heart's secrets, it would be to her.  She was his high school sweetheart.  Here's a snippet from a Newsweek article. 


He joined the service just after a honeymoon to Bora Bora with his high-school sweetheart, Marie. He and a younger brother, Kevin, slipped off to enlist in Denver, where they could avoid publicity. Kevin, who gave up a budding minor-league baseball career, remains in the Army. Pat Tillman wanted no attention, no glory, for joining the rank and file. He didn't want to be singled out from his brothers and sisters in the military, says former Cardinals coach Dave McGinnis. Tillman apparently had made a pact with his family to stay silent about his service, a promise they have kept. They have gathered to grieve inside the comfortable family home in a leafy enclave of San Jose.


His was no simple case of patriotism; Tillman was never known as a flag-waver. His agent, Frank Bauer, told reporters he had suspected that Tillman might quit to teach or to practice law like his father, Patrick Sr., but not to join the military. Snyder, his college coach, said Tillman never used the word patriotism when he explained his plans to enlist. He just seemed to think something had to be done. When players asked why he enlisted, he didn't want to talk about it. McGinnis says there were reasons Pat said he had that he didn't want to divulge, and the coach respected his view and his right to make his own path. Tillman had always been different. When he joined the pros, he rode a bicycle to practice because he didn't own a car. He refused to buy a cell phone. A sports publicist at Arizona State once described him as a surfer dude.


It seems his mother decided the pact no longer had any merit.  Personally, I see another Cindy Sheehan, disobeying her son's wishes. 


Prayer vigil for our nation
I posted this on the Faith board but I also wanted to post it here just in case...

The North American Mission Board has started a prayer vigil for our nation before the election. If you want to participate there is a sign up and prayer guide at

http://ilivevalues.com/prayer

It's 40 days of prayer and then 40 hours of prayer at the end. Check it out! I think it will really do some good and if God's people work together and call out to Him together to heal our nation, He said He would hear us and do so!

Have a great day!

God Bless!

p.s. this wasn't meant to start a riot or to have a bunch of people who don't believe in prayer or God to get up in arms, it's just for those who would like to participate, so please don't go there. Thanks!

most pedophiles are found in the nation's
(nm)
How many pubs on this forum and in this nation
being a qualified candidate for VP and ready to step into the highest office in the land? This is not just about Palin. This is about a party who expects to be taken seriously in the Congresss, Senate, 2010 and again in 2012. So far, all we have seen these past 2 days is a GOP collective who cannot abandon the witch hunt and mob stalking of Obama long enough to address their own shortcomings.

The presumption on the part of these folks that they should be taken seriously by anyone except themselves in view of the fact that they can turn a blind eye to this kind of basic deficit in their party and the judgment of their leaders is LUDICROUS.

Palin may not be a front burner issue for much longer, but the shambles that is the republican party will be there for a long time....a very long time, if their own members cannot get off their high horses long enough to take a long, hard look at themselves.
If we claim to be a nation of laws, then
we need to BE a nation of laws. JTBB has said it all and said it well.
With our nation in dire straights
knowing that 79% of my compatriots are feeling optimistic about our future with only 14% expressing pessimism. What's up with that?

For me, its about FINALLY having our long-awaited closure and moving forward instead of backward. I'm sure some will say "it's just a poll" but when I see that sea of humanity gathering with excitement, enthusiasm and joy, with smiles all over their faces, DESPITE the precarious state of our nation, I know in my heart it is much, much more.

Those numbers help me keep things in perspective (especially when reading the posts of this forum) and focused on what's really important. I will take great pride in doing my part, to whatever extent possible, in becoming part of the solution, and not the problem.
Obama and the State of our Nation

Obama was VOTED in, not 'given' the job as President...You know, I cannot believe some of the things tht come from the brains and out of the miouths oif some indivuduals.  This is indeed a historic moment; that I am in agreement with, and I also agree that 170M for the Inaguration was excessive but I will tell you what I find even more excessive - the lying, stealing criminal former administration who ripped of the American people (regardless of political affilation) and basically thummed their noses at us because they felt and still feel they are above the law.  The former president  and his administration didn't give a durn about the economy and reputation of this country  do you truly believe that they cared whether you, your  husbands, sons and other relatives lost their jobs and homes?  Do you really think they were concerned about whether YOU have enough to retire on after dutifully putting away funds in your 401k?  I don't think so.  They gutted us and left us twisting in the wind; and while we worry about how we are going to pay the light bill and have enough to buy grioceries let alone our mortgage - they dine well and live like kings, their families and frineds in their inner circles do not have to concern themselves with such mundane issues...why would they?  Their gods are Franklin, Harrison, Grant, et al.WE PAID FOR IT and will be for years to come.


So much for promoting unity in our nation........... sm
While there may have been an UNOFFICIAL white caucus all these years, I believe the key word is "unofficial." Were blacks denied membership into this caucus based solely on the color of their skin? I rather doubt it, but I am certain that the black population would probably say they were.

I am all for equal opportunities when it comes to education, housing, jobs, etc., for all people regardless of skin color. However, forming special interest groups does nothing to promote equality. Rather it only promotes the reverse racism and devisiveness we are seeing here and will continue to see in the future.
Godless nation....hmmm...(sm)

Now that would be an improvement.  This country was not founded on christianity or any other relgion.  I agree that Obama was downplaying religion, but I also believe that that is exactly what he needed to do.  Bush turned this whole mess into a big "us against them" mentality...."us" meaning christians.  I believe Obama had to negate this idea by downplaying religion, thus deflating the whole notion that we are in a religious war (which is exactly what Bush wanted and subsequently turned it into.)


What I find really interesting is the idea that you insinuate that we MUST be identified as a nation by a specific religion.  Since we are talking about this in the context of politics, exactly why is it you feel we MUST be seen by the world as a "god-fearing" nation?  What would be the benefits of that?


This pearl of wisdom is brought to you by
someone who proved herself ridiculous 500 posts ago....
I, for one, am glad this topic was brought up
You NEVER hear about this on the news. For most people, hearing about how much children are suffering would take the fire out of their battle cry real fast. I agree that a bullet shot by a 15 year old kills just as readily as one fired by an adult. But how do you blame a child for acting out in the only way it knows how? These kids do not know any other way. You cannot, however, go to these kids and tell them that the way they know is WRONG, you have to show the child there are other ways to do things and let THEM decide. Again, shoving ideals and religions down their throats will only make the situation worse.

It is unbelievably important that we leave these kids with the a better impression of America. They are the future of the Middle East and if there is ever going to be peace, those kids are the key.
No bigger than the backlash JM brought down
nm
You brought up some good issues
I don't like unessessary (sp?) bashing of anyone. That is disturbing to me hearing about the comments she made on the radio show. On one hand she'll say she's a Christian and on the other hand she will laugh at the expense of hurting others feelings.

As for what the candidates say during campaigning....it's happening on both sides. I don't like it. I don't like it when it happens to Obama, McCain, Biden or Palin. I think they are all doing the best job they know how to get elected.

With that said, everyone seemed to focus on Palins speech and how she took shots at Obama/Biden, but when I listened to their speeches last week during the DNC they were doing the same thing to Palin and McCain. Then the media made me totally nauseaus(especially MSNBC). They were laughing at what Obama, Biden, Michelle, and other speakers were saying, but when the republicans said something the media said it was appalling, they're attacking, etc, etc etc. Everyone is saying things about the other side. Some of it may not be funny and a lot of it may not be true but I guess seeing as its an election I can understand why they are doing it.
The constituents who brought her their concerns...
does freedom not extend to them also? They don't have a right to at least ask about the books? Which is what they did...and she took their concerns to the city council, which is her job as mayor. Why do you seek to curtail others' freedom in the name of freedom? They did not get what they wanted, but they certainly should have the freedom to ask and be heard. Isn't that exactly what you are saying we must protect??
glad you brought up Gorelick

She's a real dandy, dontcha know.


Another one of the NAGS, carefully hidden away until "time."


We have brought home 2 soldiers
recently to our town, unfortunately, it was too late for them.
I have pictures of O being brought up in Kenya
where he went to school and going to school there costs a lot of money.  I am talking about K-8 grade, not in America and that is during his younger years.
Ok, you brought back credibility to yourself LOL
I'm glad you laughed about my remark. I was waiting to get blasted. :-)

I read the link you provided. Good article. DH reads AOL. I won't read Fox or MSBNC or the others that have an agenda. I think she's a very smart woman and at least she understands the economics we are facing.

I do care about what she says and does in her state. I do hope we see more of her and am sure she has learned a lot because of the campaign. DH & I were saying that when she was running that if McCaina and she lost we would think about moving to Alaska to have her as our governor. However, winter is settling in up there and it's just a bit too cold for us (we would absolutely freeze).

Thanks again for the link - you restored my confidence in you. HA HA


They haven't been brought to trial yet....(sm)
because a) some of them would be innocent and would have to be set free, and b) Bush obviously had no plan for those who would be found guilty.  Actually, about half of them haven't even been charged yet, much less had a trial.  I honestly think the whole point of Gitmo is torture.  I think that Bush actually thought it was a viable means for gaining information, which has been proven to be incorrect.  Basically, the longer they can keep them there, the longer they can torture.
You brought up a great point. (sm)

I agree, we MUST purchase these things under law or under terms of a mortgage agreement.


But the premiums we pay are in line with what we're insuring.  For example, we're not forced to pay the same premium for a two-bedroom home that a multimillionaire would pay for a 56-room mansion.  We're not forced to pay the same premium for a 1980 Chevy that a multimillionaire would pay for a Rolls Royce.


That distinction doesn't hold true with medical "insurance," and that's partly where the problem lies.


You brought up a great point. (sm)

I agree, we MUST purchase these things under law or under terms of a mortgage agreement.


But the premiums we pay are in line with what we're insuring.  For example, we're not forced to pay the same premium for a two-bedroom home that a multimillionaire would pay for a 56-room mansion.  We're not forced to pay the same premium for a 1980 Chevy that a multimillionaire would pay for a Rolls Royce.


That distinction doesn't hold true with medical "insurance," and that's partly where the problem lies.


If you are talking about the Obama Nation post...
it was written by a black pastor and it is his opinion. He was not hired by nor affiliated with the McCain campaign. There are several black preachers who do not agree with black liberation theology. There was nothing in his post about hatred. He said homosexuality was a sin..it is. He didn't say he hated gays...just that the Bible says the ACT is a sin..and it is. Just like lying, adultery, murder, etc. It does have the distinction of being the one sin that God classified as an "abomination." All the preacher was pointing out was that when Obama said there was nothing specific in the Bible regarding homosexuality...he was wrong. Again...there is no hatred in that post. He just doesn't agree with Obama's philosophy. Where you get hate from that I don't know....did you even read the post?

And by the way....sniping and cattiness must be your strong suit? You seem to excel in that area. Can you just drop the cattiness and sniping (as you asked that I do) and go figure, as you told me to do? Thank you so very much.
haha - like half the nation is planning on doing!
;)
Don't you wish that me and half the nation which shares this view
x
American undeveloped nation by 2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqW1-aA5aMg
WELFARE for the country as a nation, what a concept.....sm
a president with who is really fighting to find a way for the suffering folk, those that are down and out, or should we "just let them eat cake," Marie Antoinette? Now there's a leader who used her head, right to the chopping block, and it seems that the corporate raiders who raped this country into this mess were thinking the same thing, "Hey, I got mine!!"
I am so glad you brought this post to my attention!

It was beautiful and summed all the things that are in my heart that worry me and that I was too clunk-headed to write so eloquently.


I hope some little bit of it penetrated the conservative psyches on the other board to maybe bring us all a little closer together in our caring and concern for what's happening in our world.


HA HA HA - had to laught at the picture that brought to mind
ya know people there sure is a lot more to a relationship than just sex. Companionship, trust, admiration, being happy every single day of your life, going out and doing things together that you both enjoy doing, the list goes on and on and on. My belief is that the creator put a man and woman togther to have a child (but luckily now a days childless couples whether it be man/woman, woman/woman or man/man can have a child). I'll take someone I can relate to, laugh with, cry with, work with, etc no matter what gender they are. So if you want to have kids by all means the number #1 way to go is sex, but if you want to spend the rest of your life together no matter what gender you are I believe in marriage.
So true - also, are these the same people who brought us the last 8 years?
and they want another free pass? I suspect the people supporting McCain were also all diehard Bush supporters. It would be interesting to see how they defend both who as per some are supposed to be on opposite sides now. how does that work now...

as far as democrats being represented, in all honesty I think they just probably move on because there is no debate, but trust me they are out there. it just gets tiresome being called names and being brow-beaten...

whenever I speak up (I am an independent) I usually get the attacks on myself personally, you know, I am naive, or like those people who think they are being so coy but are actually calling you stupid, or worse.

pretty soon we will have to change USA to DSA, the divided states of america.

not a tolerance from the right and too much separatism...

in my opinion
I'm surprised more of the right-wing MT's haven't brought
all of us, and our careers. (HAVING a career, vs having that career 100% offshored). This is one of the major issues my vote is hinging on this year, because unless we have SOME hope of companies not being given free rein, and in fact INCENTIVES for doing what they're doing, before long MT in America will DRY UP, because none of us will be able to afford any longer to work for what they pay, simply because they can get away with it.

Having a candidate in office who is for reining in this offshoring incentive may not solve the problem, and in fact nothing at all might happen. But if the winning candidate is FOR taxing heavily the MTSOs and other companies whose greed has ruined a good, respectable profession in America, then at least I can get up in the morning the day after the election with some shred of HOPE. If a pro-big-company profits, pro-offshoring candidate wins, there may be no other choice for many of us than to leave the U.S. in search of work.
you brought back a dear memory for me

My late Mother, who was Pres. of the County RNC (with 6 kids, mind you), used to tell us kids, "you just wait."  Boy, was she ever right.  I was going to fund-raisers for Goldwater in grade school, so that gives you an idea how old I am (51).


Anyway, Mother had these stickers s she'd put on letters saying "America is a Republic, not a Democracy." 


The bulk of the the


Bush Breaks Nation's Promise to Veterans

This isn’t new (it’s from May), but it’s the first I saw it. I found it interesting but not surprising.  Our Veterans deserve much better.


The source is: http://www.americanprogressaction.org/site/pp.aspx?c=klLWJcP7H&b=727693&printmode=1


VETERANS
Bush Breaks Nation's Promise to Veterans


Appearing yesterday at the Arlington National Cemetery to honor generations of sacrifices by American servicemen and women, President Bush said, "At our national cemetery, we take comfort from knowing that the men and women who are serving freedom's cause understand their purpose and its price." Yet the reality has been that the administration that most recently has sent those men and women to fight for freedom's cause has failed for live up to government's age-old promise to "care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan."


BUSH'S 2006 VA BUDGET HITS VETERANS HARD: President Bush's 2006 budget proposal included legislation that would raise veterans' premiums more than 100 percent on prescription drugs and add an annual $250 enrollment fee for veterans who want care for conditions not directly caused by military service and who generally earn more than $25,000 a year. The administration has recommended these same proposals in each of the past few years, only to have them beaten back by Congress each time. The user fee would increase costs for nearly 2 million veterans nationwide.


WAR VETERANS EXCLUDED FROM COST OF WAR ON TERROR: Conservatives in Congress rebuffed an effort to include $2 billion in emergency money for veterans' health care in the recently passed $82 billion Iraq war supplemental. The president's request increased the VA budget a mere 2.7 percent (including the increased co-pays and enrollment fees), hardly sufficient to deal with an expected influx of Afghanistan and Iraq war veterans in the coming years. Nearly 28,000 soldiers who served in Iraq and were discharged have already sought care at a VA facility. Of the nearly 245,000 veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan already discharged from service, 12,422 have been in VA counseling centers for readjustment problems and symptoms associated with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. VA Secretary Jim Nicholson has said the budget circumstances are not "dire," yet Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Larry Craig (R-ID) was forced to increase the 2006 budget request by $1 billion. Dave Autry, a spokesman for the Disabled American Veterans, said, "Vets are owed a debt and the government has said they are eligible for health care. The government needs to pay for it. It's a continuing cost of our national defense."


BUSH WANTS TO SHUT DOWN VETERANS HOSPITAL IN HIS OWN BACKYARD: Veterans in Bush's backyard, near his ranch in Crawford, Texas, are protesting his administration's decision to close a VA hospital in their town. "It would be, in my opinion, a tragic mistake to shut down our hospital, especially during a time of war when tomorrow's veterans are in harm's way today," said U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards (D-Waco). In May 2004, then-VA Secretary Anthony Principi announced he would be closing three veterans hospitals nationwide and partially closing eight others. For his work, Principi was rewarded with an appointment to the chairmanship of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) commission.


VETERANS GROUPS SLAM BUSH BUDGET: More than 300,000 veterans' claims are pending before the VA, according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, and the number of claims pending for more than six months rose from 47,000 in 2003 to 75,000 at the end of March 2005. The deteriorating condition of VA health care has elicited plenty of criticism. The American Legion called Bush's budget "the wrong message at the wrong time to the wrong constituency." The Vietnam Veterans of America said the budget did a "disservice to those of us who donned the uniform to defend the rights, principles, and freedoms that we hold dear." And the Veterans of Foreign Wars decried Bush's decision as "especially shameful during a time of war."