Iraq, Military, Politics, Worst President Ever
If I’m lying, you’re dying: Pres. Bush was caught rewriting recent history in a speech he gave Thursday to the troops at Ft. Benning, Georgia, some of whom are preparing for their third deployment to Iraq. Here is the transcript of the president’s load of bull:
“The [Iraqi] Prime Minister came and said, look, I understand we’ve got to do something about this violence, and here is what I suggest we do. Our commanders looked at it, helped fine-tune it so it would work. . . .
“The commanders on the ground in Iraq, people who I listen to — by the way, that’s what you want your Commander-in-Chief to do. You don’t want decisions being made based upon politics, or focus groups, or political polls. You want your military decisions being made by military experts. And they analyzed the plan and they said to me, and to the Iraqi government, this won’t work unless we help them. There needs to be a bigger presence. . . .
“And so our commanders looked at the plan and said, Mr. President, it’s not going to work until — unless we support — provide more troops. And so last night I told the country that I’ve committed an additional — a little over 20,000 more troops, five brigades of which will be in Baghdad.”
Meanwhile, back in reality, the facts are quite different. The strategy of escalating the war came from the West Wing, not the Iraqi leadership or Bush’s generals:
[A Washington Post story Wednesday] made it abundantly clear that adding U.S. troops was not an idea that emerged from the American commanders — nor, for that matter, from the Iraqis.
And, as it turns out, two stories in this morning’s New York Times add to the evidence: “A narrative pieced together from interviews with participants and from public testimony suggests that through much of the process, generals who had been on the ground in Iraq during the past year had favored that the new strategy begin with a substantially smaller force than the one that President Bush announced to the nation on Wednesday night. In the end, it was Mr. Bush who appeared to drive his commanders along to the conclusion that more troops were needed.”
Not only were the Iraqis not involved in creating the plan, they are not happy about it, according to another Times report:
So, not surprisingly: “Iraq’s Shiite-led government offered only a grudging endorsement on Thursday of President Bush’s proposal to deploy more than 20,000 additional troops in an effort to curb sectarian violence and regain control of Baghdad. The tepid response immediately raised questions about whether the government would make a good-faith effort to prosecute the new war plan.”
Where was the White House press corps on this? Didn’t anyone in that elite corps of journalists know the facts about the origins of the escalation?
Or maybe the president lies so often, they’re inured to it.
Here we have one branch of the Traditional Media reporting the true facts on the ground only to have the elite crew in the White House press corps ignore it when the president lies about these same facts to the very uniformed military personnel he intends to send into harm’s way.
Topics: Iraq, Military, Politics, Worst President Ever
And yet there seams to be surprise in this….nice to think you have an open goverment completely different than those ‘other’ countries… I only wish you were right.
[...] Pensito Review » Bush Caught Lying to Troops about Escalation Plan [...]
compare bush’s speech to the recommendations a week earlier from conservative think tank american enterprise institute…uncannily similar
And – we all do believe the New York Times – right?
[...] Here we have one branch of the Traditional Media reporting the true facts on the ground only to have the elite crew in the White House press corrps ignore it when the president lies about these same facts to the very uniformed military personnel he intends to send into harm’s way. [...]
You do realize that the “Traditional Media” and the “elite crew in the White House press corps” are one and the same Progressive Liberal media. I do not understand how you can separate them. Mr. Tony Snow, the press secretary for President Bush, is the only one that does not belong to this group.
He’s always lied
pbrain – Please provide a few documented examples so that I might understand your point of view a little bit better.
Although I do agree with much of your argument, it is important to understand that the new leader of the US military in Iraq, I think his name is Petrais, is a counter-insurgency expert who likely did call for an increase in the number of troops in order to support the Iraqi forces, so maybe there was a kernel of truth in Bush’s remarks.
Just like WMD’s
Bush lies about everything, and hopefully will be impeached real soon along with “The Dick”
DumbBush -
Do you realize that the “World” all agreed that there were WMD’s in Iarq? Your argumentment is old.
Do you not understand what is going on in the world at this time? We, USA – World, are under attack. We must get a handel on this problem – or – you must enjoy living in a society that will rule you into passive socialistic permissiveness.
It is no suprise at all. Mr. Bush is not at all interested in the “good” of any country including the U.S. His interests are purely self promotion. Mr. Bush is taking a path of:
Middle East domination
demolishing the U.S. Constitution
Fear mongering
Anyone stupid enough to still beleive that Mr. Bush is doing this country or any other country any favors has not bothered to even get past the 6 o’clock news.
President Bush has the good of the USA and the World in his mind and heart.
It is interesting to me why you say that his interests are purely self promotional – please give me one or two examples.
It is further interesting that you talk about the six o’clock progress of liberal news. Why do I need to get past this – examples please.
Dear, P^2.
What do you mean, “World” all agreed that there were Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq? I know you are an American and therefore incapable to understand the simple concept of an agreement, but to make sure you get the point I’m trying to make from the historical point of view, here’s what Wikipedia says about the prelude to the 2003 invasion of Iraq:
“Prior to the invasion, the United States’ official position was that Iraq was in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1441 regarding weapons of mass destruction and had to be disarmed by force. The United Kingdom and United States attempted to get a U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing military force, but withdrew it before it could come to a vote after France, Russia, and later China all signaled that they would use their Security Council veto power against any resolution that would include an ultimatum allowing the use of force against Iraq.”
So, is that what you meant by your statement or are you just forgetting the facts, so you could live happily ever after? Sorry for being another European jerk, but your American ignorance just makes my eyes bleed. Period.
P^2, you’re on the wrong side of history, unfortunately. We’re under attack *because* of the fact that we run all over the world doing crap like this. If we didn’t try to mess around with the way other countries are run, we wouldn’t be a target in the first place. Bush lies – the terrorists don’t “hate our freedom,” they hate our military, and with good reason.
Liberal News?????
Man P^2 what world do you live in?
And the “World” did not agree to attack Iraq. They lied about the WMD”s to the “WORLD” And by the way Bush and his cabal attacked us on 9/11. Bush and his followers are the ones who think we need a war. This is all for ISRAEL and OIL.
Marko -
Did the leader of France agree that there were weapons of mass distruction – the answer is yes. Did the leader of Germany agree that there were weapons of mass distructions – the answer is yes. Did all of the nations that voted against Iraq agree that there were weponns of mass distruction – the answer is yes.
I do not consider you a European jerk. Please open your eyes – see the world as it is.
Do you realize what the world is going through at the present time? It is time that we all work together for it’s survival.
Dumbbush -
It is very interesting to me on how I am going to respond to you. I will start with “What Coolaid do you drink?”
Please advise, with a few examples, how this is all for Isreal and Oil.
[...] Bush has never been less popular among American troops, maybe, as Jon pointed out, because he stands in front of them and tells them bold-faced, transparent lies. [...]
BJ -
I am not sure how you define crap. I, for one, do not believe that fighting against Islamic terrorists is the correct word for crap. How do you define crap that the USA is doing?
P^2 -
Thank you for such a polite answer, but I don’t see a real correlation between what you said and what the facts are. Here’s a couple of more quotes from Wikipedia:
“Villepin went on to say that he believed the presence of UN weapons inspectors had frozen Iraq’s weapons programs.”
Therefore, France didn’t really think WMDs were there anymore.
“Germany – On January 22, German chancellor Gerhard Schröder at a meeting with French president Jacques Chirac said that he and Mr. Chirac would do all they could to avert war. At the time, Germany was presiding over the Security council.”
Germany wasn’t saying jack about WMDs. Wasn’t really pro war either.
And to make another point of view, here’s what Russia thought: ‘Russia – On the same day, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said that “Russia deems that there is no evidence that would justify a war in Iraq.”‘
Hans Blix, the chief of UN weapons inspectors, didn’t find any WMDs. Neither did Mr Bush. Go figure?
What comes to the state of the world, I’d say we should all work together for letting those poor people out of Guantánamo Bay.
Jon Ponder -
I will have to strongly disagree with you on your comment that “Bush has never been less popular among American troops.”
American troups are very much for President Bush – and – he does not tell them bold faced transparent lies.
Have you been in the military? Can you understand how they feel about the USA and for that matter “you”?
P^2:
Are you sure about the American troops? At least some of them seem to be catching up with the scam, as the following link might reveal.
http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig7/martin-p1.html
;)
Welcome to Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit
GET IT – anyone can say whatever they want in wikipedia .. doesnt make it true
Has he ever told the truth?
You don’t have to LIE anymore GW.
We know you’re lying.
Who do you serve GW?
Who are your masters?
Wow it’s amazing how the Fox News Kool-Aid drinkers look at the world. Everybody agrees with Bush and the World is so happy he is our leader. He only has the USA and the World at heart. Yeah right.
He only wants to make money for the oil companies, and screw us americans. I can’t even begin to make any references about Israel because there are so many. Go to http://www.whatreallyhappened.com and you’ll find a lot of articles about how Israel wants the US to invade Iraq and now Iran. I know not all stories are from the “Fair and Balanced” Fox News, but I dare you to visit that site, you might really get a taste of what the “Real World” is.
P^2:
Open your eyes. The entire war in Iraq was contrived by the white house (according to Dick Clark, Chaney reqeusted intelligence linking 9/11 and Iraq on 9/12). The weapon inspections were made to fail by US policy (look for information from the US Marine who was in charge of the inspections pre-war).
The entire thing was a fear-mongering attempt to clear his family’s name while hiding strong ties between the Bush’s and the Saudi’s. Oh, and Jesus told him to do it.
Sorry you bought it hook line and sinker, but try looking for the real truth, not the comfortable lie.
Welcome to the united fascist states of soviet amrika. Comrade George Stalin Bush in charge here, what was your question again?
Unlike USA, Wikipedia has certain rules, which include staying in the truth. This is verified by the exact way of checking the facts out and therefore the comment about Wikipedia is not only extremely stupid, but also showing the lack of IQ. If you asked me, which one of the two is more reliable as a source of information, Wikipedia beats your sorry American ass with a quite large margin. Try developing some intelligence, before making such remarks. Might be tough, but you’ll get there someday.
The guy that was talking about the world agreeing on WMD in Iraq were agreeing to something based on lies. You should really get your head out of your a$$ and realize that the war on terror has escalated to the present level based primarily on actions taken by this president.
This article must have struck a nerve. We have troll here very busily trying to change the subject away from the fact that the Commander and Chief of the United States stood before his troops and relayed to them a set of facts that were untrue.
There are so few members of the cult of Bush Lovers left that we should feel honored to have one here demonstrating his or her skills at the patented Rove/Limbagh “spin ‘n smear” tap-dancing two-step.
About WMD: We had all better hope Bush was lying when he said Saddam had the weapons in 2002. If Bush was not lying — if he truly believed Saddam had chemical and biological weapons waiting on the skeleton crew he sent to invade in 2002, then he is beyond incompetent, and should be tried for gross dereliction of duty.
But he was lying — he knew the weapons weren’t there. He “fixed” the intelligence around his rationale for war. Remember that the UN inspectors in the late 1990s had accounted for 95% of the weapons, all of which had been destroyed. Bush, Cheney and Rice certainly knew that Iraq had no (zero) nuclear capaiblities when they warned us about “smoking guns being mushroom clouds.” They were lying. There was not a shred of credible evidence anywhere that Iraq had nuclear capabilities.
(Imagine for a moment what would have happened if Bill Clinton or Jimmy Carter had invaded a country based on bad intel. The Traditional Media would have savaged them, for starters. Impeachment would have been a certainty. And rightly so. When our presidents make monumental mistakes — and none has made ghastlier mistakes than Bush — they should be held acountable in every possible way.)
Bush’s main motivation in invading Iraq was his personal, aristocratic desire to be a “wartime president” because being at war would give him carte blanche to consolidate the security state (and thereby enrich his cohorts in the oligarchy). He also knew being a war president would help him get reelected in 2004. Beyond that, it’s likely he hadn’t given much thought to how to “win” in Iraq. He intended for us to be there for the next 50 years so the deaths of thousands of people and the expenditures of billions of dollars in the short term were just nuisances along the way of his personal path to glory. Next stop: Mount Rushmore.
Bush doesn’t give a whit for the U.S. military. He is a sociopath who sends people to die for no other reason that to further his own personal and political goals.
Look at his own military service, such as it was. He was given a cushy slot in the “Champagne” team of Texas Air National Guard that had zero chance of being sent to Vietnam. He was often undisciplined and unruly, was apparently drunk all the time (probably telling fart jokes) and chasing after what he so eloquently called “pussy.” There is a rumor he damaged a fighter jet on landing by missing the runway because he was hungover or still high on coke. He got a girl pregnant (but Daddy paid for the abortion). Also was apparenlty busted for cocaine but got off with a slap on the wrist — did some comunity service time in Houston. He was transferred to Alabama so he could work on a Republican senate campaign, and made such a loutish impression that the local women called him “the Texas Souffle” — all puffed up but nothing but air inside. Finally, he failed repeatedly to show up for the new mandatory drug tests required of all fighter pilots, but was saved from a dishonorable discharge by his father’s connections. There has been a sizable cash reward available for many years to anyone who can verify that George W. Bush completed his TANG tour of duty but not one person has come forward.
The loss of support for Bush and the GOP has been reported in Military Times and elsewhere:
The fact is, Bush’s escalation has been in the works since last fall. All of the photo-ops of Bush “conferring” with his advisers, the Iraq Study Group, the meeting with Dem leaders after the election, it was all a show — a gag. None of it mattered because escalation is Bush’s only choice. His legacy is at stake. If he can quell the violence there for the last six months he’s in office, he can declare a false victory, go home to Crawford and work on his abs.
He’ll leave it to the next president to handle it when Iraq explodes again — and to the writers of history books to determine whether he was the Worst President Ever, or merely the second to worst under James Buchanan.
Contrary to your belief, I am not a Bush lover – he has been a large disappointment to me personally.
HEY P 2 OIL and HALIBURTON are the two good reason he has just personal gains! on his mind not counting the vendetta of hussin threatening his dad! THAT NO GOOD PIECE OF SHIT TOO! YOU MUST BE A REPUG——WAKE UP AND SMELL THE ROSES AND GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF SHIT!
[...] Bush Caught Lying to Troops About Iraq Surge Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. [...]
[...] read more | digg story [...]