Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Out of the abundance of the heart . . .

From a UK Times Online article:

President Bush has admitted to The Times that his gun-slinging rhetoric made the world believe that he was a “guy really anxious for war” in Iraq. He said that his aim now was to leave his successor a legacy of international diplomacy for tackling Iran.

In an exclusive interview, he expressed regret at the bitter divisions over the war and said that he was troubled about how his country had been misunderstood. “I think that in retrospect I could have used a different tone, a different rhetoric.”

Phrases such as “bring them on” or “dead or alive”, he said, “indicated to people that I was, you know, not a man of peace”. He said that he found it very painful “to put youngsters in harm’s way”. He added: “I try to meet with as many of the families as I can. And I have an obligation to comfort and console as best as I possibly can. I also have an obligation to make sure that those lives were not lost in vain.”

Spare me.

9 comments:

Tony Arnold said...

Hindsight is great, but a little forethought would have done the world a much greater service.

Paraphrase: "Now that I am a lame-duck President, I sure have learned a lot of lessons and could do better now."

I agree, please spare me. But he didn't did he?

JMG said...

Bush said, "I also have an obligation to make sure that those lives were not lost in vain."

I guess if all his buddies make tons of money from war contracts, then the lives won't be lost in vain?

Tony Arnold said...

Or, if they died in a war that we shouldn't have been, then staying longer and having more die, makes it better?

JMG said...

Well, I thought that too, but I didn't want to say it.

Tony Arnold said...

Not only did this man lead us to a war that shouldn't have been, across the board his administration and what it directly controls has run amok-- National Security, FEMA, the Military.

The President is the Commander in Cheif, he is ultimately responsible for the military and look what we have:

All sorts of atrocities perpetrated by soldiers. Even if you think the war was a correct move, no one can say the Bush legacy is a disciplined and principled military. Today a story is running of two Marines who video-taped throwing a puppy over a cliff and laughed about it. That is just sick. And it these often reported sick actions cast a pall on the soldiers that perform and die with honor. The dead Bush speaks of--how is their death justified by the atrocities of a few? Take control!

We have had a lot of comprising contracts and privatization issues arise around the Irag war: Haliburton, private security companies, and out-sourced logistic companies that are behaving badly and grossly profiting.

Just last month, the Air Force came under Congressional scrutiny and fired its top officer in the wake of serious nuclear material breaches.

I am guilty however. I voted for Bush twice and as a Christian I feel betrayed by his lack of leadership. Bush is all talk but never follows up with substance in how he organizes and leads his administration.

I am a firm believer in the W. Edwards Deming and Japanese leadership model of it all flows from the top down. And our top leader is not a leader. I do not say this lightly. It is very serious and pains me to openly criticize my President, whether I voted for him or not. But facts are facts.

JMG said...

Speaking of war profiteering, I read yesterday that a gag order has been issued by the US to prevent discussion of any allegations of profiteering by companies that are involved in court cases. You can see the article at BBC News.

Do you reckon the president had something to do with the gag order being issued?

Tony Arnold said...

More likely Chaney did.

I am so tempted to make some jokes and puns about W and the word gag.

Make people gag...gagging prisoners..etc.

Ripe for abuse that combination is.

JMG said...

You're bad!

JMG said...

Jon Stewart pointed out that Bush's rhetoric against Iran isn't any different from his rhetoric against Iraq. See the video (about 4:10 in).