Posted on 01/13/2005 5:47:28 PM PST by Indy Pendance
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush says he regrets sending the wrong impression of the United States by using phrases like "Bring 'em on" and "dead or alive" in his first term and has pledged to be more diplomatic.
In an interview with ABC's Barbara Walters to be broadcast on Friday, Bush said some of his past remarks were too blunt.
"'Bring it on,' was a little blunt," the president said in a transcript of the interview released on Thursday.
"I remember when I talked about Osama bin Laden, I said we're going to get him dead or alive. I guess it's not the most diplomatic of language," Bush said.
The president in July 2003 used the phrase "Bring 'em on" when speaking of insurgent attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq. The comment was widely interpreted as a challenge to the insurgents but Bush said his intent was to rally U.S. troops.
Days after the September 11, 2001, attacks, Bush said he wanted to catch Osama bin Laden "dead or alive," a phrase that reinforced the U.S. president's international image as a cowboy.
Bush said his wife, Laura, disapproved and "chewed me out right after that."
"So I do have to be cautious about, you know, conveying thoughts in a way maybe that doesn't send wrong impressions about our country," he said.
Asked about bin Laden, who remains at large, Bush reiterated his vow to "bring him to justice."
Bush's expressions of regret over his use of language contrasted with his comments at a news conference in April 2004, when he struggled for an answer to a reporter who asked him to name his biggest mistake since the September 11 attacks.
In another mea culpa, the president said he felt his administration had done a poor job bolstering its image in the Muslim world.
"Our public diplomacy efforts aren't ... very robust, and aren't very good, compared to the public diplomacy efforts of those who would like to spread hatred and ... and vilify the United States," Bush said.
But he said he thought U.S. efforts to aid victims of the December 26 Indian Ocean tsunami would help improve Washington's image abroad.
Turning to domestic politics, Bush played down expectations that his brother Jeb, who is governor of Florida, would someday run for president.
"I don't think he's interested in running," the president said.
In a separate interview in USA Today, Bush said he was concerned about the Education Department's decision to pay conservative commentator Armstrong Williams to promote his "No Child Left Behind" law, which sets accountability standards for U.S. public schools.
He said he wanted to prevent another such incident.
"There needs to be a clear distinction between journalism and advocacy," Bush said. "All of us, the Cabinet, needs to take a good look and make sure this kind of thing doesn't happen again."
;)
I said I FELT better than you, not that I WAS better than you.
If you scroll back through this thread, you will see that I have been subjected to name-calling and abuse that actually should have been reported as such to the mods.
But I responded to it with humor because I am at peace......with the Lord, with my convictions, and with the FACT that this President is the man God has chosen to lead us, and that he is my brother in Christ.
Not perfect, but God's chosen man.
Some of you folks can't deal with that, and choose rather to insult those of us who admire him, but I remain positive, because I understand that spiritual things are of higher value than political things, and the spiritual/moral direction of this country, led by the servant of God who is in the White House is stronger than it has been in at least 20 years.......and, believe it or not, is more important that spending too much on a farm bill, or signing CFR.
Sorry you disagree, Awestruck, but I respectfully ask you to stop deliberately misunderstanding my posts so that you can continue to post mindless, thoughtless, and unkind comments back to me.
If I were you, I'd wear a bag over my head because I was so boring and uncreative.......
If you can't deal with the fact that the President is a man of character and have to mock the millions of us who do, the problem is yours, son.
I'm sorry that your man Kerry lost........or was in Buchanen, or possibly McCain??? Howard Dean???
You'll just have to live with the fact that we have a man of integrity in the White House for four more years. And then you'll get your chance to elect someone you like in four more years.
In the meantime, all you guys will have to suffer with a world becoming more free and democratic, a country moving back toward a culture of life, morality and responsibility, lower taxes, a stronger military, all that stuff that apparently makes you mad.....
(But please, PLEASE come up with a better insult than Kool-aid!)
LOL
hahaa! I love it!
Dubya: Meek, you're right! FreeRepublic.com IS the "Best site on the 'Net!"
bump!
ForeverTopaz's "In Forum" comments:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/user-posts?name=ForeverTopaz
hehe! Thanks.
Oh, yeah.........she's for real, all right!
"Bring 'em on" and "dead or alive" works for just about everybody except those in DubYah's crosshairs.
Diplomatic language be damned! Pussy-footing around real issues has resulted in millions upon millions of actual dead innocent people.
Better to say what you mean and mean what you say.
haha! :^D
You'd know.
Something is, again, out hunting down those hated Free Republic Catholics where ever it can find them. Oh, to what gutter levels evil will sink!
Document any one of those idiotic charges with a single fact.........then get back to me.
It should take you at least 3,000 years, since they're all spurious.
(And don't use the drippingly sarcastic post I used to fend off the other mindless attacks I was under on this thread).
I don't think the nervous nellies have a clue about who this man is, or why so many of us deeply admire him.
Too bad. These are remarkable times we are living in, and they're missing the whole thing.........
btw, these are the words that 'broadsword' was referring to when he lauched that abusive personal attack on my character.
I report........you decide.
I'm perfectly willing to call this off and admit any excess on my part, but I will not equate my defense of my character with your attack on it as pot and kettle.
Read the posts again.......starting with the one that you replied to with a personal attack on me, and then leave me alone.
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