Bush's Press Conference

Like everyone else in the world, Bush's press conference made me angry. The press isn't doing their job, asking him touchy feely questions about whether or not he has been a bad communicator is not journalism.
This quote especially bothered me.

And as I mentioned in my opening remarks, our commanders on the ground have got the authorities necessary to deal with violence, and will -- will in firm fashion.
And that's what by far the vast majority of the Iraqis want. They want security so they can advance toward a free society.
Once we transfer sovereignty, we'll enter into a security agreement with the government to which we pass sovereignty, the entity to which we pass sovereignty. And we'll need to be there for a while.
We'll also need to continue training the Iraqi troops. I was disappointed in the performance of some of the troops. Some of the units performed brilliantly. Some of them didn't. And we need to find out why. If they're lacking in equipment, we'll get them equipment. If there needs to be more intense training, we'll get more intense training.
But eventually, Iraq's security is going to be handled by the Iraqi people themselves.

The part about getting them the equipment they need is what really bothered me. This article describing the problem Humvee's are having because they lack proper armor jumped to my mind when I read Bush's answer. While news stories about war profiteering by Cheney's friends at Halliburton keep popping up our troops are driving around in Humvee's without armor. I understand that they are supposed to be light and maneuverable, but when bombs placed on the side of the highway, put there because resistance fighters know about this weakness, keep blowing shrapnel into Humvees and maiming troops the vehicle should be reevaluated. I also understand that the armor is expensive, but the money that Halliburton is ripping off should cover it. If not, lets cut a little money from the missle defense shield that's never going to work anyway. Getting properly armored, I believe uparmored is the correct term, vehicles to Iraq and in use in situations where troops are likely to come into contact with these bombs makes sense and should be a priority.
The canvas walls on the current Humvees also don't offer the troops any protection from rioters. As the administration bungles relations by attacking Fallujah and Sadr the disatisfaction of Iraqis is increasing. There are going to be more riots, more snipers, and more highway bombs. The proper equipment should be in place, without the troops having to beg their communities for it.