[Perlstein]

To Peach, who says, "I don't or a minute believe that President Bush makes decisions based on religion, not decisions like national security, anyway," are you not familiar with Bush quote, spoken at Aqaba to the Palestinian leadership: "God told me to strike at al Qaida and I struck them, and then he instructed me to strike at Saddam, which I did."

Rick Perlstein

[Peach]

My point is that President Bush does not make decisions based on religious reasons alone. You have no proof that he does, because he doesn't.

If he did, he wouldn't be talking to advisors and seeking out additional information.

Even if you were to believe that loathesome creature, Richard Clarke, Bush cornered him and wanted to make SURE that Saddam wasn't behind 9/11.

If he was acting on religious reasons alone, he wouldn't have done that but would have gone ahead and attacked Iraq before attacking Afghanistan.

As well, your comment that he makes a decision and religious reasons prevent him from changing his mind are hardly borne out by the facts. I listed a few things he has changed his mind about. So did other freepers. You have ignored those examples. Conveniently.

[Howlin]

are you not familiar with Bush quote, spoken at Aqaba to the Palestinian leadership: "God told me to strike at al Qaida and I struck them, and then he instructed me to strike at Saddam, which I did."

Man, you are at the wrong place.

Let's see that quote. Let's have a reliable source.

And NOT from a Palestinian leader, if you don't mind.

[VRWC_minion]

Published on Monday, June 30, 2003 by CommonDreams.org
Did Bush Say God Told Him To Go To War?
by Ira Chernus

Did God tell George W. Bush to strike at Al-Qaeda and Iraq? God only knows. Did Bush SAY that God told him to strike? We don't know yet, for sure. But we damn well better find out. Because if George W. said it, he-and all of us-could be in for some big trouble.

Here is what we know for sure, so far. Journalist Arnon Regular wrote, in the June 26 edition of Ha'aretz (Israel's most reputable newspaper), that he has minutes of a meeting among top-level Palestinian leaders, including Prime Minister Mahmoud Abas. The minutes are apparently quite detailed, because Regular wrote a long article recounting very specific conversations. The last paragraph of the article reads:

"According to Abbas, Bush said: 'God told me to strike at al Qaida and I struck them, and then he instructed me to strike at Saddam, which I did, and now I am determined to solve the problem in the Middle East. If you help me I will act, and if not, the elections will come and I will have to focus on them.'"

Before you jump to any conclusions, remember that you are reading a translation of a translation of a translation. Mahmoud Abas does not speak English. Bush does not speak Arabic. If Bush said these words, or something like them, Abas heard them from a translator. Then Abas repeated them, as he remembered them a couple of weeks later, in Arabic. Some unknown person wrote down what he thought he heard Abas say. Then Regular, or someone at Ha'aretz, translated them back into English-or perhaps first into Hebrew and then into English.

Clearly, we don't yet know what Bush said, or why. Just as clearly, the man has some explaining to do. And whatever the truth of the matter, he has serious problems.

First, let's give him some benefit of the doubt. Maybe he never said it. The quote could be fabricated-though it is hard to see who would gain by making it up. Maybe he did say God told him to make war, but he doesn't really believe it. He might have made it up for effect, trying to score some political points in the Middle East.

[onyx]

Your anti-Bush agenda has been outed here.
Own up.

[cyncooper]

Bush quote, spoken at Aqaba to the Palestinian leadership: "God told me to strike at al Qaida and I struck them, and then he instructed me to strike at Saddam, which I did."

Nonsense.