Money quotes from Bush's press conference

[lwcon]

Notes from today's presser...

Bush announced a deal with North Korea, which — as one reporter pointed out — Dubya's former UN Ambassador has totally blasted:

The tentative deal reached with North Korea on its nuclear weapons program is "a charade, a hollow agreement" and "might lead to an increased chance of war on the Korean peninsula," the Bush administration's recently departed U.N. ambassador just told CNN.

John Bolton's words were even sharper than earlier remarks he made on the cable news network. Among his criticisms of the deal: "It covers only a very narrow aspect of North Korea's nuclear program ... rewards bad behavior ... (and) is everything the administration criticized in President Clinton's 1994 framework" deal.

Not sure what #1 Bolton-and-Bush fan Atlas Shrugs Pam is supposed to make of this.

Today's phrase that pays is "Kuds force," an Iran special ops group that Bush repeatedly cited as if it were common knowledge.

Apparently "Kuds force" is the "incubator babies" of the forthcoming Iran War.

In response to David Gregory's "Critics say you are using the same quality of intelligence about Iran that you used to make the case for war in Iraq," Bush replied:

"I can say with certainty that the Kuds force, a part of the Iranian government has provided these sophisticated IEDS that have harmed our troops."

In case you're wondering if Mr. "Dead or Alive" plans to act on this Kuds factoid:

"To say it is provoking Iran is just a wrong way to characterize the Commander-in-Chief's decision to do what is necessary to protect our soldiers in harm's way."

And:

"We do know that they're there, and I intend to do something about it, and I've asked our commanders to to something about it, and we're going to protect our troops."

And, for the coup de grâce, he's outrageous:

"What matters is is that we're responding. The idea that somehow we're manufacturing the idea that the Iranians are providing IEDs is preposterous."

Major Bushism:

"Let me step back on Iran itself. We have a comprehensive strategy to deal with Iraq. There's a variety of issues that we have with Iraq, one of course is influence inside of Iraq. Another is whether or not they end up with a nucular weapon."

Oh-no-you-di'n't award winner:

"Victory in Iraq is not going to be like victory in World War II, and that's one of the challenges I have explaining to the American people, what Iraq will look like in a situation that will enable us to say we have accomplished our mission."

Best out-of-context quote #1 (said about Iran and those pesky Kuds forces):

"What's worse, that the government knew, or that the government didn't know?"

Best out-of-context quote #2 (said about allies' interests in Iran):

"Money trumps peace sometimes. In other words commercial interests are very powerful interests...."

Best out-of-context quote #3 (said about Iran nuke threat):

"People are going to look back and say, you know, how come they couldn't see the impending danger? What happened to them?"

They got mirrors where he comes from?

"The message to the Iranian people is is that your leaders are making decisions that are isolating you in the world, thereby denying you a brighter future."

He frequently noted that he was paying attention to various developments. But apparently not that much attention. Asked if Iraq is in a civil war:

"I can only tell you what people on the ground whose judgment, it's hard for me in the, living in the uh, this beautiful White House to give you an assessment, a first-hand assessment. I haven't been there. You have, I haven't."

After pretending to be magnanimous about war opponents being "for the troops," he pulls the rug out:

"The proof will be whether or not you provide them with the money necessary to do the mission."

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[AndyA]

1. I couldn't watch any of Bush's press conference today. Don't have the stomach.

I knew I would be asking for blood pressure trouble to listen to the silly little man try to pronounce words properly, and strain to get sentences correct.

I just couldn't do it.

Thanks for posting this, and thanks to you I now know that today is not the day for me to read the transcript of the speech as well...

Maybe by tonight I can watch Keith Olbermann dice it up!

:rofl:

[lwcon]

2. He does make the skin crawl n/t

[The Count]

3. K&R. Thanks for these.

[lwcon]

5. And thank you. BTW, the full-text is now available...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070214/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_text


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[AzDar]

4. K&R......n/t

[rocktivity]

6. Commercial interests should NEVER be more powerful than humane ones.

Q: A lot of our allies in Europe do a lot of business with Iran. So I wonder what your thoughts are about how you further tighten the financial pressure on Iran, in particular, if it also means economic pain for a lot of our allies.

BUSH: It's an interesting question. One of the problems, not specifically on this issue, just in general, that — let's put it this way: Money trumps peace, sometimes.

In other words, commercial interests are very powerful interests throughout the world. And part of the issue in convincing people to put sanctions on a specific country is to convince them that it's in the world's interest that they forego their own financial interest.

And that's why sometimes it's tough to get tough economic sanctions on countries, and I'm not making any comment about any particular country, but you touched on a very interesting point.

You know — so, therefore, we're constantly working with nations to convince them that what really matters in the long run is to have the environment so peace can flourish.

In the Iranian case, I firmly believe that, if they were to have a weapon, it would make it difficult for peace to flourish, and therefore I am working with people to make sure that that concern trumps whatever commercial interests may be preventing governments from acting.

I make no specific accusation with that statement. It's a broad statement. But it's an accurate assessment of what sometimes can halt multilateral diplomacy from working.

What a disgusting him for him to say when he lied and decieved us into Iraq for war and oil profits! Was that not a trumping of commercial interests over the world's? Screw the context of the statement--it's the hyprocrisy, stupid!

:mad:
rocknation

[lwcon]

7. Indeed, when he says something reasonable-sounding...

... it only puts the hypocrisy into sharp relief.

Today's presser was a mix of that sort of thing, and the totally brazen -- constantly and deliberately answering the wrong question, and saying that it was preposterous that he would lie us into war.

But the big story, I think, is the repeated insistence that we're going to "do something" about Iran who is supposedly the big culprit in what's happening to our soldiers, just as Al Qaeda supposedly was. No way could the issue be that when you randomly decide to conquer and occupy a country, people don't feel all that grateful about it.

[lwcon]

8. Apparently, the preferred spelling is "Quds"

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17142302/page/2/


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[Felinity]

9. They never go away

No matter how disgraced, out-of-work, nut-job-like they are, the Rethugs still get air time:

"as one reporter pointed out — Dubya's former UN Ambassador has totally blasted:"

Still quoting John Bolton, still hearing from Tom Delay, and still having Newt Gingrich thrown in our faces from time to time; and an occasional word from Brownie.

I want a news blackout on all disgraced politicians before Tom Foley and Duke Cunningham start writing OP's.

[lwcon]

10. For once, it's a good thing to quote Bolton

Comments like these really, as they say in England, take the piss out Bush:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17142304

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[In Truth We Trust]

11. IMPEACH!