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."
See post #45. The link to the ABC News Barbara Walters, interview is there.
Yea .. but we love his bluntness
Bush said his wife, Laura, disapproved and "chewed me out right after that."
Bluntness kind of like that .. LOL
LOL. You give me a snip without any context, and you ask me this!?
This is such a totally doublespeaked doublestory I can't believe it!
WHERE IS THE CONTENT? SUBSTANCE? ANYTHING?
It is called putting the velvet on the hammer, right before it drops.
US GOP controlled Senate
AND
Main Stream Right Wing Media
Starting with Jan '05
The blood of our service men and women
will be on your hands also from now on.
You remain silent while Hanoi Kerry betrays our troops to our enemies.
EVERY US Military death and injury will be on your conscience.
So when you wake up in the morning, and look in the mirror,
before you go to the US Senate,
or to the TV or Radio studios,
know that you did nothing to remove this traitor.
Well REAL Americans know what you did NOT do!
Kerry to meet with French president Jan 14 '05
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1320157/posts
KERRY TO AL AZHAR GRAN IMAN:
WASHINGTON COMMITED TERRIBLE MISTAKES IN IRAQ (TRAITOR ALERT!)
Jan 13 05
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1320020/posts
Kerry bashes US policy in meeting w/ leader of foreign group opposed to US
(not 71 or 85 Jan 12 05!)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1319451/posts
"Former U.S. presidential candidate Senator John Kerry (D-MA), an election observer,
leaves the office of Mahmoud Abbas, in the West Bank city of Ramallah in this
January 10, 2005 file photo. Middle East countries are frustrated by U.S. policy in
Iraq and feel too little is being done to end violence there, U.S. Senator John Kerry
said on January 12, 2005 on a visit to the region. Kerry repeatedly criticized the
Bush administration's Iraq policy during his failed bid to win the U.S. presidency
from George W. Bush, who led the invasion to topple Saddam Hussein."
Hanoi Kerry is NOT a legitimate US Senator.
Never has been!
The traitor is doing the same thing he has always done.
Aiding the enemy!
Kerry Trashes Bush in Baghdad Jan 05
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1315333/posts
Kerry Meets With Syrian President Jan 05
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1316737/posts
PM SHARON MEETS WITH KERRY Jan 05
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1317636/posts
Don't be like the Silent Majority in the 60's and 70's
Demand Kerry be ousted from the US Senate!
There is no need to impeach Hanoi Kerry from the US Senate
He is there illegally!
Kerry was an illegal candidate
and is an illegal US Senator per
US Constitution 14th Amendment Section 3
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1314858/posts
Contact the GOP controlled US Senate
AND
The MAIN STREAM RIGHT WING MEDIA
Distribute these url's!
EXPOSE HANOI KERRY!
Full details on these url's!
http://tonkin.spymac.net/hanoikerry1.html
There is a backup site
if the 1st url is unavailable.
http://stophanoikerry.150m.com
My pleasure.
but IMO, the factual reference to what Laura said has bearing on your comment
No, what I was commenting on was not what Laura Bush's opinion was, it was what the President of the United States said.
(btw, I don't care if you care about what she said
And yet, you brought it up.
........you a bit defensive tonight?)
Nope, just don't care about what his wife thinks.
At the same time, I also know that he'll continue to say what he means and feels. He can later wish he had said it in a different way, but Dubya isn't going to suddenly become a Colin Powell and use diplomatic code words or mask his true feelings.
I'll check to see if you're back tomorrow night to trash Bush. Ping me if you want.
Not sure this is so bad. Of course I'd prefer him to stick it to the MSM. Here's how I read this.
Bush says he should have been more diplomatic and not said out loud WHAT HE REALLY THINKS! He doesn't take back what he said or say he didn't mean it. ha ha ha
You know, you're right. LOL
That statement right there is pretty blunt. Sounded like something someone I know would say, rather than what a 'politician' would say. It was so normal I didn't even notice it.
See, folks need to lighten up a bit. The man is who he is. Says what he means in spite of himself.
"Bush said his wife, Laura, disapproved and 'chewed me out right after that.'"
I noticed Reuters is twisting the quotes from the interview to be something they appear not to be.
Does that answer your question?
I never said I knew this to be true. I stated I'd better not watch this tomorrow and find out it is. You have made it false without knowing anything more than I do. That leaves us with two options. You either sat in on the interview or you are a knee jerk cheerleader. I said I would wait to find out. Think you can do the same?
Reading the excerpts here tell the tale. Reuters is being creative (I'm in a charitable mood). There is no "mea culpa" here.
I promise, if I need to trash him, you will be tops on my list. Girl Scouts honor.
And you've got a president who does that.
Twisting them how?
Interesting, this on the heels of the "I have no regrets on Iraq invasion stories."
The MSM may not be coordinating the leftist spin of their stories but they do have a groupthink mentality.
The first person with some business sense who comes out with a national daily that is openly conservative and biased will make money. Actually all they would have to do is make arrangement to publicsh the articles from conservative websites and the NYT is finished.
What are you rambling about?
Earth to BriarBey...repeat...Earth to BriatBey
Can't you read?
Click"I watch what I say. I said some things in the first term that were probably a little blunt. 'Bring it on' was a little blunt. I was really speaking to our troops, but it came out and had a different connotation, different meanings for others," he told Walters.
Bush used the phrase in July 2003 to say U.S. troops would not be scared off by Iraqi insurgents' attacks. During the presidential election campaign, his rival, Democratic Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, used the line to criticize administration policy. "If the White House wants to make this election about national security, I have three words they understand: 'Bring, it, on!' "
More recently, guerrillas in Iraq have used the president's words in a propaganda video narrated in English, according to the Reuters news agency. The narrator of the video says, "George W. Bush, you have asked us to 'bring it on.' And so help me, [we will ] like you never expected. Do you have another challenge?" The video then shows explosions around a U.S. military vehicle.
'We Will Stay on the Hunt'
Bush told Walters that the first lady criticized him for pledging after 9/11 to get al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden "dead or alive."
"I'll be more disciplined in how I say things," the president, adding, "I have to be cautious about conveying thoughts in a way that doesn't send wrong impressions about our country."
Bush repeated that his administration will continue to make the war on terror a priority and continue its pursuit of bin Laden, the suspected mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
Despite the recent release of taped messages in which bin Laden suggests that more attacks on American interests are being plotted, Bush said he believes the al Qaeda leader "is not as strong as he was."
"He's going to be weaker, and I intend to use our resources to bring him to justice," the president said. "We will stay on the hunt."
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