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BUSH CANDOR: DECISIONS HAVE MADE IRAQ MORE UNSTABLE
Drudge Report ^ | January 13, 2007 | Matt Drudge

Posted on 01/13/2007 11:15:33 AM PST by West Coast Conservative

The president concedes that his decisions have led to more instability in Iraq. President Bush made the admission in an exclusive interview with Scott Pelley at Camp David yesterday (12), his first interview since addressing the nation about Iraq. It will be broadcast on 60 MINUTES Sunday, Jan. 14 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

The president says the current sectarian violence in Iraq, is a destabilizing factor that "could lead to attacks here in America" and must be controlled. He defended his decision to invade Iraq in the same way, saying Saddam was competing with Iran to get a nuclear weapon and making the region unstable. But when pressed by Pelley, Bush concedes that conditions in Iraq are much worse now.

Pelley: But wasn't it your administration that created the instability in Iraq? Bush: "Our administration took care of a source of instability in Iraq. Envision a world in which Saddam Hussein was rushing for a nuclear weapon to compete against Iran... He was a significant source of instability. Pelley: It's much more unstable now, Mr. President. Bush: Well, no question, decisions have made things unstable.

"I think history is going to look back and see a lot of ways we could have done things better. No question about it," says Bush.

Toppling Saddam was not a mistake, however. "My decision to remove Saddam Hussein was the correct decision in my judgment. We didn't find the weapons we thought we would find or the weapons everybody thought he had. But he was a significant source of instability," Bush tells Pelley. "We liberated that country from a tyrant. I think the Iraqi people owe the American people a huge debt of gratitude and I believe most Iraqi's express that."

The execution of Saddam was mishandled, says the president, who saw only parts of it on the Internet because he didn't want to watch the dictator fall through the trap door. "I thought it was discouraging... It's important that that chapter of Iraqi history be closed. [But] They could have handled it a lot better."


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: bush; iraq; saddam
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To: AliVeritas
I believe he/she/it means when we are attacked do nothing, God forbid one life besides those on our soil is lost.

I did not say that.

281 posted on 01/13/2007 2:42:48 PM PST by The_Eaglet
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To: AliVeritas

Nor did I mean that.


282 posted on 01/13/2007 2:43:17 PM PST by The_Eaglet
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To: SE Mom

Good point.


283 posted on 01/13/2007 2:43:52 PM PST by Peach (The Clintons pardoned more terrorists than they captured or killed.)
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To: The_Eaglet; Peach

Yes, not only does Peach believe it but so do I. The only ones who should be appologizing for 3,000 american deaths are the muslim terrorists who actually killed them and the obstructionist liberals who helped them and continue to help them by trying to cut and run. This includes the ones on this forum who pretend to be conservatives, such as yourself.


284 posted on 01/13/2007 2:44:22 PM PST by calex59
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To: calex59

Bingo.

Jim Robinson wrote the foreward for a book called Hillary's Secret War which detailed the early years of conservative web sites. FR is mentioned in the book and in the 90's, posters were coming here and pretending to be conservatives but were really stirring dissent among posters.

It was proven that some of the posters were using servers in the Clinton White House and The Washington Post.

I believe these people come here and start arguing among freepers so we spend time debating these rather ignorant posters instead of doing what we do best which is research.


285 posted on 01/13/2007 2:49:59 PM PST by Peach (The Clintons pardoned more terrorists than they captured or killed.)
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To: TexKat
"Pelley: But wasn't it your administration that created the instability in Iraq? Bush: "Our administration took care of a source of instability in Iraq. Envision a world in which Saddam Hussein was rushing for a nuclear weapon to compete against Iran... He was a significant source of instability. Pelley: It's much more unstable now, Mr. President. Bush: Well, no question, decisions have made things unstable."

First he says his administration took care of the instability off a direct question so it would be kind of odd for him to say "my decisions" created the instability within the same line of questioning. It "could" be that he meant the Iraqi Government or he could have meant himself but a good reporter would have asked a follow up question to clarify. If he didn't say "my" then no one should put "my" in the title.
286 posted on 01/13/2007 2:54:55 PM PST by tobyhill (The War on Terrorism is not for the weak.)
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To: Peach
Oh, hon, you don't need to answer anything. We can see that you can't. It's okay.

Have you seen #58, 146, 178, 186, 208, 214, 230, 235, 250, 265, and 271?

287 posted on 01/13/2007 2:56:19 PM PST by The_Eaglet
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To: SE Mom

Yes.

I am an American who wants to see my tax dollars spent wisely.


288 posted on 01/13/2007 2:57:26 PM PST by The_Eaglet
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To: The_Eaglet; Polybius

I can see my original assessment of you is correct after all. You have a reading comprehension problem.

You haven't answered why you think we should listen to your faux concern about the deficit when Wall Street analysts are unconcerned. And you haven't answered Polybius's excellent post to you which, as I recall, had several questions contained within the post.

But carry on dodging. It's rather amusing.


289 posted on 01/13/2007 3:01:31 PM PST by Peach (The Clintons pardoned more terrorists than they captured or killed.)
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To: calex59
I'm a Christian conservative. I vote conservative, and I donate to conservative organizations.

I do apologize that my present and future tax dollars (to finance the national debt) have put American soldiers to death and yet-to-be-naturalized Americans in the womb to death through fatal decisions and wasteful government spending that has gone to killers like Planned Parenthood.

290 posted on 01/13/2007 3:03:00 PM PST by The_Eaglet
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To: Peach
I can see my original assessment of you is correct after all. You have a reading comprehension problem.

You apparently have confused difference of opinion and thoughtful response with reading comprehension.

To answer your question about the deficit, the national debt (caused by deficit spending) places a spending obligation on the government that diverts revenue from legitimate services. This is waste.

You haven't answered why you think we should listen to your faux concern about the deficit when Wall Street analysts are unconcerned. And you haven't answered Polybius's excellent post to you which, as I recall, had several questions contained within the post.

You have agreed that I do not need to answer this question, so why are you belaboring it?

291 posted on 01/13/2007 3:06:17 PM PST by The_Eaglet
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To: The_Eaglet

Gosh you really are clueless, aren't you. And still dodging.


292 posted on 01/13/2007 3:07:09 PM PST by Peach (The Clintons pardoned more terrorists than they captured or killed.)
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To: The_Eaglet
I do apologize that my present and future tax dollars (to finance the national debt) have put American soldiers to death


You live in a moral fog if you genuinely believe this.
293 posted on 01/13/2007 3:14:59 PM PST by macamadamia
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To: macamadamia

LOL


294 posted on 01/13/2007 3:19:27 PM PST by Peach (The Clintons pardoned more terrorists than they captured or killed.)
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To: Peach
That was more a military operation than a war, imo. We didn't control territory and depose a dictator.
A lot of other people like to call it the Persian Gulf War.
295 posted on 01/13/2007 3:26:58 PM PST by Your Nightmare
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To: The_Eaglet

*I am an American who wants to see my tax dollars spent wisely.*



You really gave yourself away as an asshole because if the
Muzzies win and take over, not only you won't have your tax money and you won't exist either.


296 posted on 01/13/2007 3:32:50 PM PST by SoCalPol (We Need A Border Fence Now)
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To: AliVeritas

Not from what I read here.

It appears he tried to force those words out of Bush's mouth.. did not succeed but then put it in the title anyway.


297 posted on 01/13/2007 3:54:47 PM PST by Almondjoy
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To: tobyhill
President Bush already said during his speech he had made mistakes and obviously there was an increase in the recent violence to what might have been had mistakes not been made.

Exactly - which is why the follow-up you suggest would have seemed like piling on, political maneuvering from the reporter.

W has made mistakes in Iraq. Those mistakes have made the situation worse. He has admitted that he made those mistakes, we don't have to pretend that he was talking about somebody else in that quote.

He's human. It happens. The important thing is whether he learns from those mistakes, and early indications are positive.

298 posted on 01/13/2007 4:11:19 PM PST by highball ("I never should have switched from scotch to martinis." -- the last words of Humphrey Bogart)
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To: AliVeritas
The interviewer is operating on the usual misguided premise that "stability" is a good in itself and something always to be sought. The fact is that "stability" is a fetish of the State Department and likeminded idiots. They would all have been happy as clams if instead of launching Barbarossa, the Nazis had established 'stability' in Fortress Europa and then sued for peace. They would have given Hitler the next available Nobel prize.
299 posted on 01/13/2007 4:21:30 PM PST by hinckley buzzard
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To: The_Eaglet
How about 3000 dead Americans and deficit spending?

Beats hell out of the alternative. Or have you forgotten.

300 posted on 01/13/2007 4:25:57 PM PST by hinckley buzzard
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