Bush, Blair Speak on Iraqi TV

Wash Post ^

[rs79bm]

LONDON (Reuters) - The U.S. and British leaders launched a new TV service into Iraq on Thursday with a pledge to Iraqis that they would control their own future once the "nightmare" of Saddam Hussein was over.

"You deserve better than tyranny and corruption and torture chambers... Your nation will soon be free," President Bush said in a pre-recorded message.

"The nightmare that Saddam Hussein has brought to your nation will soon be over," he added.

The messages from Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair were being beamed into Iraq via a new Arabic TV network, produced by the U.S. and UK governments, called Nahwa Al-Hurrieh or "Toward Freedom."

Due to be launched Thursday afternoon with the messages, it will be broadcast for one hour a day from a U.S. Air Force plane flying over the country, providing news and "coalition public service announcements," British officials said.

The leaders' joint initiative was a bid to reassure ordinary Iraqis of Anglo-American intentions and hasten the full collapse of Saddam's power structure. They repeated familiar lines on Saddam and his alleged of weapons of mass destruction.

"Saddam Hussein's regime is collapsing and the years of brutality, oppression and fear are coming to an end," Blair said. "We did not want this war but in refusing to give up his weapons of mass destruction Saddam gave us no choice but to act. Now that the war has begun, it will be seen through to the end."

The two men recorded their messages two days ago at a summit in Northern Ireland.

Bush added: "You will be free, free to build a better life instead of building more palaces for Saddam and his sons...The government of Iraq and the future of your country will soon belong to you."

[rs79bm]

Where is Baghad Bob?

[Howlin]

How can they speak on Iraqi TV when the people have no power?

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[jmstein7]

"Where is Baghad Bob?"

His series has been cancelled!

[RJayneJ]

Well, what do you know?

[doug from upland]

This reminds me of RUNNING MAN when the good guys finally take over ICS to broadcast the truth. The audience is very angry to learn the totalitarians have been lying to them.

[GalaxieFiveHundred]

Hugh, vey series, infidels!

[American Soldier]

MEGA kudos to Blair for pointing out the complete mess Bush the First made of things after Desert Storm. What a waste of lives that was. "Oh brave Iraqi people rise up against your oppressor!" And then he pulls the carpet out from under them.

Thank God Bush the First was too busy to spend much time with Dubya when he was little...that's probably the only reason Dubya shows such courage on the international front today. And, contrary to his otherwise extremely classy personality, Bush the First still does not have the balls to admit he totally erred and screwed the Iraqi people by failing to support regime change.

"Oh our Arab coalition partners would have left us, we wouldn't have had enough troops in theatre..." Where were the Arab coalition partners this time? We seemed to do OK with most of them against us! And numbers? We're wasting the remnants of the Ba'athists with a fraction of our former strength! I get red in the face with anger anytime I see Bush the First cover for himself on this issue...doesn't he realize he totally undermines Dubya's credibility by doing so?

[rs79bm]

"There are no U.S. Troops in Baghdad."

[jmstein7]

Who knows? Maybe CNN will hire him as their new middle east correspondant!

[justshe]

Sometimes I SWEAR there is a 'universal brain' tapped into the collective minds of some/all of us. Different than God....more along the lines of "Hal".

I saw this story earlier and thought of you. :-)

[justlurking]

MEGA kudos to Blair for pointing out the complete mess Bush the First made of things after Desert Storm. What a waste of lives that was. "Oh brave Iraqi people rise up against your oppressor!" And then he pulls the carpet out from under them.

My memory is a bit unclear here: did Bush actually refuse to support them, or were we held back from doing so by the UN?

Now, I'll agree that it was wrong to encourage an uprising, if Bush knew that we couldn't support it. But, I'm not that he knew the UN would stop him (if they indeed did).

[Mich0127]

Or maybe he will start his own comedy series..."Tonight with Baghdad Bob"...it would be shame to waste such comedic talent, since he is so friggin funny! Or maybe he can have a fantasy show "Baghdad Bob's Neighborhood", since as his reports show, he lives in fantasy land!

[Coop]

MEGA kudos to Blair for pointing out the complete mess Bush the First made of things after Desert Storm. What a waste of lives that was. "Oh brave Iraqi people rise up against your oppressor!" And then he pulls the carpet out from under them.

I don't recall President Bush killing anyone. In case you missed it, Saddam Hussein and his RG goons were doing all the killing. Yes, it was tragic, but this revisionist history trying to pin blame elsewhere is getting old.

[Grampa Dave]

Baghdad Bob has signed a contract with CNN. He will co star with Bill Press and PB in trashing President Bush.

It will be titled, "Three Liars Who Really Hate President Bush!"

[Sloth]

I assume people outside Baghdad have power, mostly.

[Warren]

C'mon, don't bring up trivial details & try to ruin a great, uplifting story.

[Howlin]

Sloth is likely right, that in the outskirts some places do have electricity.

Perhaps they will run it again.

[GovernmentShrinker]

Bush the First still does not have the balls to admit he totally erred and screwed the Iraqi people by failing to support regime change.

I strongly suspect that Bush the First has admitted this to Bush the Second privately, along with a passionate message of how horribly it has haunted him. Yes, Bush the Second wanted to finish his daddy's work, but for all the right reasons. I really hope the two Bushes will write down the story of their father-son discussions on this topic, and sock it away in a vault for public release at a safe and appropriate time -- long after both of them are gone from this world. It would be a great loss to history if they didn't.

[kitkat]

*** Bush the First still does not have the balls to admit he totally erred and screwed the Iraqi people by failing to support regime change.***

george H.W. Bush was hamstrung by the UN. Regime change was off the table. Instead the UN imposed INSPECTIONS on Iraq and Hussein. That was supposed to keep Saddam from becoming a threat to the whole world. You have a complaint about that? Tell it to the UN.