Monday, May 31

Rolling Thunder

The veterans' biker group met with Bush over the weekend following their endorsement of the little maniac. Why?

Mr. Bush shook hands with Artie Muller, president of the veterans' advocacy group, and kissed his rider, singer Nancy Sinatra, who was dressed in a skirt, cowboy boots and a pair of dark shades.

Later, Mr. Bush addressed, via a telephone hookup, a Rolling Thunder rally at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in the capital.

Last week the group endorsed the president for reelection, citing his
leadership in "honoring our nation's commitment to veterans" and "the war on terror."
"Honoring our nation's commitment to veterans"?
Cut back, White House tells agencies

WASHINGTON - White House budget planners have told many federal agencies to reduce their spending plans for domestic programs from education to veterans benefits.

-Contra Costa Times
""Honoring our nation's commitment to veterans"?
In recent months, President Bush and the Republican-controlled Congress have missed no opportunity to heap richly deserved praise on the military. But talk is cheap — and getting cheaper by the day, judging from the nickel-and-dime treatment the troops are getting lately.

-The Army Times
"HONORING OUR NATION'S COMMITMENT TO VETERANS"!?!
After three years of mostly cordial relations with the administration, leaders of veterans' organizations and a union that represents VA workers are voicing strong criticism of Bush's fiscal 2005 budget plan. They assert that the budget would only worsen the backlog in processing disability claims, reduce the number of VA nursing home beds just as the number of veterans who need long-term care is swelling and force some veterans to pay a fee simply to gain access to the VA health care system.

-The Washington Post
Can't make the point any more obvious.