Bush: I regret talking tough before war in Iraq
June 11th, 2008 . by TexasFredLONDON - President Bush admitted Wednesday that his tough rhetoric had given the world the impression he was a “guy really anxious for war” and said he now wished he had used a different tone on the global stage.
In an interview with London-based The Times newspaper, Bush said his main aim in the seven months before his presidency ends was to leave his successor a diplomatic framework for tackling Iran.
A diplomatic framework?? If Bush is succeeded by McCain it’s just another round of Bush politics and foreign policy I think, if Obama is the successor it’s pretty much roll over and give em the keys to the house and invite them in, how much diplomacy does that require?
The tough rhetoric?? Bring it on?? And they did?? Mr. Bush, that tough rhetoric didn’t bother me, I thought it was a bit over the top for a man in your position but once you said it you should have immediately gone into full attack mode and stopped trying to fight the war in a PC manner, that has been my biggest gripe all along.
You don’t make nice to a nation you’re at war with, you kick their ass and get it over with and then you dictate the terms of the surrender and the subsequent peace, you didn’t do that, you deposed Saddam, threw Iraq into a shambles and let them vote in a new government and write a new Iraqi constitution, and they had NO idea of what to do or how to do it, but oh hell yeah, they were free TO do it.
Bush voiced regret at divisions in the international community created by the war in Iraq, adding: “I think that in retrospect I could have used a different tone, a different rhetoric.”
For 1 thing, you’re the President of the United States of America, you didn’t need to use rhetoric at all, you needed strong words of leadership, not playground bully talk, and you could have approached attacking Iraq a lot differently as well.
I personally saw no legitimate reason to attack Iraq, but apparently you did, and being the Commander in Chief you sent our troops into Iraq to destroy the Republican Guard and to depose Saddam, mission accomplished.
And that was as far as you planned this action, there was no preparation for the aftermath, yes Mr. Bush, we won the war, I would have expected nothing less, but we have really played hell with the peace, and soon it will be up to another President, Congress and Senate to find a way to bring this Iraqi situation to an acceptable solution.
McCain is likely to continue pretty much along the present line of thinking, McCain defends ‘100 years in Iraq’ statement, now I don’t know about you but I’m not all that thrilled about having my grandsons grandsons fighting in Iraq, there must be a way to bring Iraq to an end that is good for all concerned, but an immediate pullout, a desire stated by the Democrats, well, that’s not going to work either.
In all honesty, Obama has a reasonable plan for withdrawal from Iraq, it looks really great, on paper, but that’s where it ends:
Bringing Our Troops Home
Obama will immediately begin to remove our troops from Iraq. He will remove one to two combat brigades each month, and have all of our combat brigades out of Iraq within 16 months. Obama will make it clear that we will not build any permanent bases in Iraq. He will keep some troops in Iraq to protect our embassy and diplomats; if al Qaeda attempts to build a base within Iraq, he will keep troops in Iraq or elsewhere in the region to carry out targeted strikes on al Qaeda.
Press Iraq’s Leaders to Reconcile
The best way to press Iraq’s leaders to take responsibility for their future is to make it clear that we are leaving. As we remove our troops, Obama will engage representatives from all levels of Iraqi society – in and out of government – to seek a new accord on Iraq’s Constitution and governance. The United Nations will play a central role in this convention, which should not adjourn until a new national accord is reached addressing tough questions like federalism and oil revenue-sharing.
And therein lies the problem, the U.N. is going to do what they always do, nothing, and Iraq will NOT stand up for itself, it’s not in their personal constitution, they are Muslims, submission to the stronger Muslim is the rule of the day, and as soon as we do pull out it’s exactly as McCain described it, an immediate return to a dictatorship and al-Qaida WILL take control, Catch-22.
Some folks are making a big deal of the fact that I was NOT in favor of going to war with Iraq when we did, like that’s some big secret I have tried keep hidden, well, it’s NOT a secret, and I still think that going to Iraq was a huge mistake on Bush’s part, but once we were there I was fully in support of our troops and was devastated to see the way they were misled and micro-managed, if you’re going to war, kick ass, forget the names, kill everything that threatens YOU, achieve a total and decisive victory and come home, repeat as necessary.
Don’t play PC games with the lives of our troops and the fortunes of our nation!
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Bush: I regret talking tough before war in Iraq
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Seems like we will never learn. Obama has a prescription for disaster, and McCain has one for the same. They just go about it in different ways.
I said back then, and I have always said that going into Iraq at the time that we did was not in our best interest. A serious “Black Bag” operation could have removed Saddam and his crony’s. But no, we had to do this all up front …
Then, we are still saddled in Afghanistan.
Just today we are getting slammed by Pakistan for a so called incursion. Even though the “Hot pursuit” doctrine as defined by the international rules of war was being followed to a “T.”
Here’s a relatively new thought… Alright, it’s really from old Celt tradition; that which is not earned is not loved. By that, what I am saying is that if the Iraqi people don’t “earn” liberty, then they will not appreciate it. They need to get off their asses, kill those that stand in the way of progress, and then tell the rest of the world “screw you, we are doing it our way.”
Think that will ever happen? Neither do I.
Ahhhh, but Patrick, there are many that just know the Iraqis WILL stand up for themselves, OK, they haven’t really done so just yet but they will, The Bots say so…
And have you noticed?? Some of the ones doing the most bitching are the faux educated minions of mediocrity that have never served this nation, have never taken up arms to defend this nation yet they know more about the topic than men that have dedicated 2 and 3 decades of their lives to that endeavor…
I think it’s hilarious actually, they seek to take ME to task for being a racist, and I have never denied the fact that I AM a racist, we’re ALL racists to at least some degree, it’s all in how much are you willing to accept, and are you being truthful with yourself or are you a hypocrite…
They seek to take me to task for saying that we need to place troops on the border and give them orders to SHOOT TO KILL, anything coming over the border, and that is EXACTLY what should be done, it’s called an INVASION and I am of the firm belief that you repel invaders…
That’s what I learned at War College, I mean, I don’t hold a PhD but I have carried a rifle or 2, and I have NO PROBLEM with KILLING the enemies of this nation, and I make no apologies FOR that either…
People like us are called names by the faux educated and their diminutive following, they think we’re rednecks and racists because we are willing to kill the enemies of this nation and because, in my case, I DO harbor some seriously aggressive racist views towards those of the gook persuasion, not a racist term, just a term used by those that have been there, we’re called names by folks that support McCain and Bush and all that they have done and will do to further weaken this nation, RINOs, not even REAL Republicans, RINOs, that breed that has absolutely NO comprehension of the word Conservative…
A group of pitiful little followers led by a faux intellectual, a person of supposedly great education, and an obvious lack of ANY maturity, a person that will make fun of you because you’re fat, now THAT is the ultimate in maturity I think…
What he doesn’t know is, I lost 80 pounds and he’s still a faux intellectual…
Don’t play PC games with the lives of our troops and the fortunes of our nation!
I could not have said it better, great post and I’m with you 100%.
yep, as you know my bitch about the war in Iraq is that we didn’t fight it to either kick ass and come home or to keep it after we took it..But in any event I think what McCain meant about the 100 year presence in Iraq was troops stationed there just as they have been in Europe and the Orient since WW 11…hell even before..just in different places now.I am pessimistic for the first time in my life about the future of the republic..I do figure that if we can manage to convince some die hards that McCain might keep us going for at least four more years as a representative republic we have a chance. If Obama gets in and the dim-a-crits mange to get enough seats in the senate we might as well kiss our butts goodbye because the country will belong to the ragheads..
After reading all this..?
I think I will post something that Fred always liked…
“Let us hear the lamentations of their women!”
But I’m an evil bastard that thinks we should never have renounced the use of napalm …
Patrick, I love the smell of napalm in the morning, it smells like VICTORY!