President George W. Bush to offer apology on 2 Arab Televison station networks

5/5/2004

[Joe Hadenuf]

It's my take that the President through his *top* advisers and others are falling all over themselves apologizing, instead of having some low level military commander over in that damn country make a brief comment of regret, and then shut up.

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Condoleezza Rice, Bush's national security adviser, apologized for the abuse in interviews yesterday with three Arabic television networks.

"We are deeply sorry for what has happened to these people and what the families must be feeling. It's just not right. And we will get to the bottom of what happened," Condoleezza Rice, the president's national security adviser, told the Dubai-based Arab channel Al-Arabiya.

"I couldn't be angrier," Deputy Secretary of State Richard L. Armitage said of the abuses. "I couldn't be sadder about them. And, frankly, I couldn't be sorrier that some Iraqi prisoners had to suffer from this humiliation.

[ShandaLear]

"I'm more concerned about victory in this world war over morality. "

I understand being upset, rational people are upset by this. I understand that you want victory too, but a victory with no sense of morality attached to it is meaningless.

[Poohbah]

I'm more concerned about victory in this world war over morality.

In this war, if we lose morality...we lose the war.

[Monty22]

Morality, in war, is meaningless. It's a subjective ideal that war often goes far beyond, especially at the individual level.

Ethics are fine for peacetime, but out go the rules when it's life and death.

[Monty22]

The terrorists and islamics will not be beaten by us being nicer than they are, I guarantee you this.

[Bluntpoint]

They will be by our strength.

We will be beaten if we are left with no moral principles.

[Poohbah]

The terrorists and islamics will not be beaten by us being nicer than they are, I guarantee you this.

It's not about "nice." It's about "right."

[Dane]

Ok, Joe, let me ask you a question from your reply #381, would you rather have a Kerry administration calling the shots.

JMO, but I will get no reply. Afterall you can't out yourself as a Katie/Kerry supporter on FR.

[k2blader]

In this war, if we lose morality...we lose the war.

Agreed.

[Monty22]

'Right' in an asymetric warfare mode gets you killed.

[Poohbah]

'Right' in an asymetric warfare mode gets you killed.

In which case, you're pronouncing the war already lost.

[Bluntpoint]

Inmorality loses wars and souls.

[SMARTY]

Does that mean that convictions were handed down to alleged perpetrators? Who are they?

[Monty22]

Well, we lost Vietnam and basically Korea too because of it. We didn't have the will to win. I don't think we do now either, morality seems more important than winning.

[Bluntpoint]

The will to win has to married to the understanding of what you are fighting for.

Following your logic we need to dump a few nukes then strut away declaring victory.

What victory?

[Publius6961]

I am speechless.
Does George W. Bush actually believe that islam is a religion of peace? That "most" muslims are not or do not support wanton random mass murder?
That "saving face" and "humiliation does not play a role in the dealings with sandmaggots?

He just set his own war on terrorism on a death spiral

This is getting scary...

[Poohbah]

Well, we lost Vietnam and basically Korea too because of it.

Wrong. We fought Korea to a draw--essentially, a loss for Kim Il-Sung.

We lost in Vietnam because we never had a viable strategy for winning. Morality--or lack thereof--didn't enter into it--we simply didn't understand that logistically massive forces were not relevant to that war.

We didn't have the will to win.

"Will to win" and morality are not opposites.

[highlandbreeze]

Yup, looks like it. I've not been here that long but I did lurk for quite some time. I have noticed the trend.

[kjam22]

"Will to win" and morality are not opposites.

Oh... Im not sure I agree there. I mean I agree that the guards are perverts who need to do hard time. But a lot of people draw the morality line in a lot of different places. Some of them in a place that prevents even going to war. I think morality and "we will win" can often be opposites for a lot of people. Maybe just not where you would draw the line.

[Publius6961]

Negotiating with animals has to be a sign of a mental disease. This is mind-boggling. Mounting a strategy as if he were negotiating with another westerner who even remotely holds the same values we do, and to whom "the right thing" actually has a meaning.

Holy cow.