| Submit your comments on this article |
| Home Front: Politix |
| Bush admits mistakes on Iraq |
| 2006-04-07 |
| President George Bush admitted on Thursday the US military made mistakes in Iraq but defended his domestic eavesdropping programme, insisting to a hostile questioner he had no reason to apologise for it. Beset by low approval ratings dragged down by pessimism over Iraq, Bush also signalled impatience with Iraqi leaders and urged them to break their deadlock and form a national unity government seen as crucial to averting sectarian civil war. Trying to rally sagging US support for the war, Bush went to a Republican Southern stronghold for the latest in a series of speeches meant to convince an increasingly sceptical public that he has a winning strategy in Iraq. In some of his frankest language so far, Bush responded to a question on what he could have done differently in Iraq by acknowledging the United States could have moved faster in training Iraqi troops and police. He said Iraqi security forces were originally trained to handle external threats but instead the threat came from inside the country, from al Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. "In retrospect, we could've done better," Bush said. But he insisted the overall US strategy in Iraq had been correct. Bush said he was "just as disappointed as everybody else was" about erroneous pre-war US intelligence on Iraq. US officials had said they had evidence that Saddam Hussein was developing weapons of mass destruction but none were found. Bush also said the abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison "hurt us in the international arena particularly in the Muslim world." Bush played to a mostly sympathetic college audience of more than 900 in Charlotte, North Carolina. But as he stood atop a stage in a town-hall format, one questioner launched into a scathing attack of the kind Bush has rarely faced at public events where attendance is often tightly controlled. "You never stop talking about freedom, which I appreciate, but while I'm listening to you talk about freedom I see you assert your right to tap my telephone, to arrest me and hold me without charges," Harry Taylor told Bush to a chorus of boos. He was referring to Bush's warrant-less domestic eavesdropping program, which civil liberties advocates have condemned as a violation of Americans' rights. Taylor politely but firmly skewered Bush, telling the president he hoped he had "the grace to be ashamed of yourself." Bush responded that he was doing what was necessary to protect Americans from another Sept. 11 attack by allowing the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on domestic phone calls and emails that officials suspect are linked to al Qaeda contacts overseas. "Would I apologise for it? The answer is absolutely not," he said. Bush's comments were part of a new approach of mixing a more candid assessment of problems in Iraq while holding to an upbeat view of U.S. chances of success. More than three months after parliamentary elections, Iraqi leaders have little to show for their efforts to forge the first full-term government since a US-led invasion in 2003 toppled Saddam. Bush, speaking after a weekend visit to Baghdad by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her British counterpart, Jack Straw, said Rice's message to Iraqi leaders was to "get moving" in resolving their differences. "We're very much involved," Bush said. "The (Iraqi) people want there to be a unity government. It requires leadership, for people to stand up and take the lead. So we're working with them to get this unity government up and running." |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #12 Suddenly, I got nothin' to say. |
| Posted by: Yusef Islam 2006-04-07 05:13 |
| #11 In a related story, Vijay Singh admits that he made a couple of crucial errors in his round today, leading to back-to-back double bogeys. |
| Posted by: Perfesser 2006-04-07 20:07 |
| #10 Yeah, we made mistakes. We were far too civilized. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2006-04-07 20:05 |
| #9 Related story: Bush admits mistakes on the MSM. Today supporters of America, admitted that the Main Stream Media should have been |
| Posted by: wxjames 2006-04-07 10:20 |
| #8 ^5 Shep...whahahahaaa |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2006-04-07 08:52 |
| #7 somehow i get the feeling when the media get hold off this a headline will read "Bush says war was wrong" lol. |
| Posted by: ShepUK 2006-04-07 08:24 |
| #6 That's MBD's Stealth BDS mode. It thinks it's clever. Sad that. |
| Posted by: Criger Shaling7432 2006-04-07 08:01 |
| #5 It was a great thing, Yusef Islam. But Allah would be more pleased if the ISI would stop training and funding Talib and Kashmiri terrorists. Pakistan will never be allowed to have Afghanistan as its "Defence in Depth", nor will India ever allow Pakistan to take over Kashmir and [whatever the J stands for -- Jummah?], so they might as well stop wasting everyone's time, money and men. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-04-07 07:58 |
| #4 domestic eavesdropping programme When is listening to someone talking to another person in another country 'domestic'? Nothing like being presented with the BS identifier in the first line of an article. And mistakes - go read An Army at Dawn. Based upon the standards demanded today, Roosevelt should have been impeached. Well, you know, since we're all ajudged today by actions of earlier generations. Like holding white Americans responsible for slavery in order to extort power and resource. Not that my post-Civil War legal immigrant ancestors had anything to do with it. But I am presumed guilty just the same. So how about a little post facto judgement upon Chimp-Stalinist-Roosevelt's performance too. |
| Posted by: Hupomotle Fluling3523 2006-04-07 07:53 |
| #3 Come mothers and fathers Throughout the land And don't criticize What you can't understand Your sons and your daughters Are beyond your command Your old road is Rapidly agin'. Please get out of the new one If you can't lend your hand For the times they are a-changin' |
| Posted by: 2b 2006-04-07 02:03 |
| #2 Hey look, they used the macro again, but, you know what I missed the first time through? The guy got booed. Times have changed, eh? This is damage control for the fact that young people are booing guys like this. They try to make it sound like the audience was a tightly controlled Republican stronghold and only this brave soul got through and then talk about low poll ratings, etc. etc. to undermine the damage that caused. I'm guessing this guy was a ringer whose beloved friends in the MSM knew was going to stand up and give his little preachy sermon. But they didn't expect him to get booed, live on TV. Bummer dudes. The times they are a changing! |
| Posted by: 2b 2006-04-07 01:57 |
| #1 Harry Taylor = simpering @$$hat. Hero to the beef-witted. |
| Posted by: Rex Mundi 2006-04-07 01:29 |