It is by no mistake that President Bu$h has never been to Rhode Island before. This is Clinton Country. One of the bluest, if not the bluest of the U.S. states, and proudly so. We are a state interested in a progressive future for all its citizens, except for maybe the barely elected, lame-duck Governor, Don Carcieri, who is being sued for neglecting the most fragile among us, foster children. Bu$h could not speak at any of our great Universities and colleges, Brown, URI, Providence College, Bryant, Salve Regina, etc. because the only friendly audience he could find for his presidency, his failed presidency, was a group of a few hundred naval officers, probably required to attend the speech.
There was a presence of a couple of hundred people in Newport to demonstrate against Bu$h according to the Projo, all chanting "Troops out now!"
Some of the demands the protesters were making were:
-- Immediately withdraw all of the "occupying force" from Iraq.
-- Reparations for Iraq.
-- Full benefits for returning servicemen and servicewomen.
-- No military action against Iran.
Bu$h left in a helicopter later to go to Quonsett Point where Air Force One was waiting.
WPRI has some good streaming of his speech and Carcieri's fawning.
