On what is gearing up to be a chilly but dry day in the nation's capital, President Bush is formally being sworn in to a second term in office during a U.S. Capitol ceremony expected to be attended by a half a million Americans.
For sticking to his guns (literally and figuratively), for reshaping the rules of politics to fit his ten-gallon-hat leadership style and for persuading a majority of voters that he deserved to be in the White House for another four years, George W. Bush is TIME's 2004 Person of the Year.
President BUSH and Italian Prime Minister BERLUSCONI Discuss Middle East, Economy
PRESIDENT BUSH: There will be two opening statements, and then we'll take two questions per side. Thank you for coming.
Silvio, it's great to welcome you back to our country. I think it's fitting that one of the first world leaders to have visited after our elections is my friend, Silvio Berlusconi. He is a close personal friend. He is a friend of the United States of America. I told the Prime Minister I look forward to working with him over the next four years to make the world a better place for all. And I've got work to do in Europe, and he gave me some very good advice about my upcoming trip. But he always gives me good advice. And I'm proud to have his advice.
We talked about peace between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. I think there's a very good chance that we can achieve that peace. I look forward to working toward that end. The Prime Minister had good advice on that subject, as well.
He expressed his concerns about the relationship between the dollar and the euro. I told him we're going to take this issue on seriously with the Congress. The best thing that we can do from the executive branch of government in America is to work with Congress to deal with our deficits. One deficit is a short-term budget deficit. Another deficit is the unfunded liabilities that come with Social Security and some of the health programs for the elderly. I told the Prime Minister that Social Security reform will be at the top of my agenda. I campaigned on the issue. I look forward to working with members of Congress to resolve this long-term, unfunded issue, so that the world financiers can take comfort in the fact that this government will address one part of the budget deficit. There's a trade deficit. That's easy to resolve; people can buy more United States products if they're worried about the trade deficit.
But we've had a good visit. And I'm proud my friend is here.
And finally, we discussed our mutual desire to spread freedom and peace. I want to thank the Prime Minister for his understanding about the need for the free world to succeed in Afghanistan and Iraq. He's the kind of man, when he gives you his word, he keeps his word, which is the sign of an impressive, strong leader.
So thank you for coming.
TEN (ITALIAN) REASONS TO VOTE FOR GEORGE W. BUSH 1. Jenna & Barbara Bush are much better than the Kerry's long face-daughters.
2. We don't really need Kerry's flip-flopping opinions on Iraqi conflict. It's just enough for us to realize the positions of italian left parties.
3. John Kerry is too tall to talk policy with Mr. Silvio Berlusconi.
4. We prefer genuine Italian tomato to Heinz ketchup.
5. Left-Democrats Leader Piero Fassino said: "Bush's second term could be a disaster for our coalition". Wow...
6. Kerry's favourite slogan maybe: MORE LONG FACE FOR AMERICA... too sad to win... we need joy and smiles.
7. A vote against Bush is a vote for Bin Laden and Zarkawi.
8. Kerry claimed: "I've had one position, one consistent position, that Saddam Hussein was a threat. He needed to be disarmed". And also: "We Now Know That Iraq Had No Weapons Of Mass Destruction, And Posed No Imminent Threat To Our Security". - Great! The next Kerry's plan against terror: How to disarm a man without weapons.
9. We will the sequel of the maximum comic movie of the year: Fahrenheit 9-11.
10. And by the way there's one only JFK. With no doubts.
American Ambassador in Berlin Daniel Coats said that if Kerry wins the red-green coalition now ruling Germany would have much more problems: "There are excessive expectation" he said to the daily BerlinerZeitung. "Bush did accept German position on Iraq, therefere he didn't ask Schroeder to send troops in the Gulf. Kerry has spoken about this instead".
Furthermore he said he don't think there will be strong change in the American foreign policy, also with Kerry in the White House.
At the end he added: "Bush is not particularly loved in Europe as well as other presidents before him: Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan".
Osama Bin Laden Tape Threatens U.S. States Not to Vote for Bush by Yigal Carmon
The tape of Osama bin Laden that was aired on Al-Jazeera on Friday, October 29th included a specific threat to "each U.S. state," designed to influence the outcome of the upcoming election against George W. Bush. The U.S. media in general mistranslated the words "ay wilaya" (which means "each U.S. state") to mean a "country" or "nation" other than the U.S., while in fact the threat was directed specifically at each individual U.S. state. This suggests some knowledge by bin Laden of the U.S. electoral college system. In a section of his speech in which he harshly criticized George W. Bush, bin Laden stated: "Any U.S. state that does not toy with our security automatically guarantees its own security."
SHE SPEAKS! CHELSEA CLINTON DEBUT DRAWS SMALL CROWD
Only a few dozen people showed up for an outside Kerry rally that featured the political debut of former first daughter Chelsea Clinton [...].
Only 41 were present to hear Chelsea, and 9 citizens, oddly, walked away as she explained why she believed Tuesday's vote is the most important of her lifetime...
WHY YOU SHOULD VOTE FOR GEORGE W. BUSH According to the common thought, many European people would like to see John Kerry as President of the United States of America; above all people who live in the so-called "Old Europe" - 60, 70 or 80 % of them - would vote for him. We do not think so, we know we are a strong minority in Italy - where we live in - and in Europe, but this is not a good reason to change our mind about next U.s. election, and now, at the end of this campaign, we would like to make you understand why we think you should vote for George W. Bush.
There is an idea that we suppose to be basic about our support to Bush, that is United States and Europe are members of the same kind of world, the Western World, and they can find causes of division between them, but they can not forget that they have the same values of freedom, security, democracy to support and to protect. We know that Islamic fundamentalism has attacked these values and our lives; and we think that Islamic fundamentalism has found his diabolical strength in Middle East, were freedom and individual rights are not respected, and where there are regimes which support terrorism and fundamentalism. So, we must destroy those regimes, avoid that Al Qaeda could be in possession of weapons of mass destruction and give the Middle East people freedom they deserve, and we think so above all because it is our interest - American and European interest.
We do not like people who say that terrorism is just a crime, and not a war that Al Qaeda, other organizations and their friends declared to us: unfortunately, Senator Kerry said that terrorism is like prostitution.
We do not think that mr. Chirac, or mr. Schroeder, or mr. Zapatero would support the elections in Iraq sending their troops, if John Kerry would win: we suppose that these European leaders have taken their final decision, and Sen. Kerry would risk to give them a power of veto they have not. Moreover, John Kerry considers allied countries like Britain, Italy, Poland, Australia, Japan etc. like they were not wise and useful friends of America that are fighting against terror.
Above all, we do not trust in JohnKerry: in 1990, he voted against the first Gulf War, a choice made by the Un Security Council, and not an unilateral decision; in 2003, he voted for the Iraqi war without any Un resolution, but later he voted against 87 billion $ financing reconstruction of Iraq; during his electoral campaign, he said that Us need to send more troops and to spend more money, explaining that he voted for the Iraqi reconstruction fund, voting against it: an inexplicable thing, according to us.
In other words, we think that John Kerry would not be a good President for the United States. But we have not taken our decision to support George Bush - even if we are not American citizens, and so we have not right of vote - only because we do not like his opponent. Really, we like Bush. We suppose he has taken the right decision, when he declared war to Afghanistan, in 2001, and to Iraq, in 2003. Now, there are 50 million people who are free, there are two fascist regimes which have been destroyed. There is no more an important Al Qaeda base of operations like Taliban Afghanistan, and we know that Bin Laden, mullah Omar, al Zawahiri and other Al Qaeda leaders can not sleep in a quiet and calm way. In Afghanistan, for the first time in its history, there is a President chosen by democratic election. Saddam Hussein will have a trial because of his crimes. In Iraq there have been local elections (for example in Nassiriah, where there are Italian troops), and next year there will be general election. Freedom and democracy are on the march.
Yes, we know that Iraqi campaign has not been perfect, but everybody can make a mistake, and the important thing is to understand it, and to act in order to embetter our own work (only God does not make mistakes). And we think the G.W. Bush has understood, and he is acting in the right way.
We have talked about foreign policy, because we live in Italy, and foreign policy is what we care about United States elections, but we also support ideas like a little government and a large economic freedom, because they are necessary conditions to have a richer society, and only a rich society can - and must - help peoplewho are not able to have a respectable way of life, with care and compassion.
So, please, these are the reasons why we ask you to vote for George W. Bush.
It is the right choice.
Oct. 30 - After months of the tightest presidential election contest in recent memory, a new NEWSWEEK poll suggests momentum may be moving toward President George W. Bush. As the bitter campaign enters its final days, against the eerie backdrop of a surprise appearance by Osama Bin Laden, Bush's lead is still within the poll's margin of error, but larger than last week. If the election were held today, 50 percent of likely voters would cast ballots for Bush and 44 percent for the Democrat, Sen. John Kerry. (Ralph Nader would receive 1 percent.) That compares to a Bush lead last week among likely voters of 48 percent to Kerry's 46 percent...
"Let me make this very clear: Americans will not be intimidated or influenced by an enemy of our country. I'm sure Sen. Kerry agrees with this. I also want to say to the American people that we are at war with these terrorists, and I am confident that we will prevail".
WASHINGTON - A U.S. Army officer came forward Friday to say a team from the 3rd Infantry Division took about 250 tons of munitions and other material from the Al-Qaqaa (search) arms-storage facility soon after Saddam Hussein's regime fell in April 2003...
Saturday, April 02, 2005
Only a few dozen people showed up for an outside Kerry rally that featured the political debut of former first daughter Chelsea Clinton [...].
"Let me make this very clear: Americans will not be intimidated or influenced by an enemy of our country. I'm sure Sen. Kerry agrees with this. I also want to say to the American people that we are at war with these terrorists, and I am confident that we will prevail".
