Woodward Hasn't Slowed Bush War Push

Bush Defends Decisions In Wake Of Journalist's Claim That Even Mrs. Bush Wanted To Oust Rumsfeld

(CBS)  President Bush isn’t letting the publicity around Bob Woodward’s new book derail his push to garner support for the Iraq War, nor is he commenting on the book’s claims that Laura Bush supported efforts to oust Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

The book, "State Of Denial," offers a harsh analysis of the Bush administration's handling of the war.

In his weekly radio address, President Bush defended his wartime decisions and fought back against charges that a recently leaked National Intelligence Estimate report shows that the war in Iraq has increased terrorism.

"Some in Washington have selectively quoted from this document to make the case that by fighting the terrorists in Iraq, we are making our people less secure here at home," Mr. Bush said. "Five years after the 9/11 attacks, some people in Washington still do not understand the nature of the enemy. The only way to protect our citizens at home is to go on the offense against the enemy across the world."

Woodward writes in his new book of fierce efforts inside the White House to get rid of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, a revelation that has caused a tremendous amount of concern at the White House.

In Mike Wallace’s interview with Woodward, to be broadcast on 60 Minutes this Sunday, Oct. 1, at 7 p.m. ET/PT, the reporter also claims that Henry Kissinger is among those advising Mr. Bush.

Woodward writes that several people inside the White House have pushed to oust Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. The ranks of those calling for Rumsfeld’s resignation included the president's then Chief of Staff, Andy Card, apparently with the backing of First Lady Laura Bush.

As CBS News correspondent David Martin reports, Woodward tells Wallace that after President Bush was re-elected, Card tried for months to convince the president to fire Rumsfeld.

"It wasn’t working. Card felt very strongly that the president needed a whole new national security team," Woodward tells Wallace.

Laura Bush was also worried that Rumsfeld was hurting her husband, Martin reports. When Andy Card told her that the president seemed happy with Rumsfeld, Woodward says that Mrs. Bush replied, "He's happy with this, but I'm not." Later, she said, "I don’t know why he’s not upset."

"What’s interesting, Andy Card, as White House Chief of Staff, every six weeks set up a one-on-one meeting with Laura Bush. And in the course of these sessions, the problem with Rumsfeld came up, and she voiced her concern about the situation," Woodward tells Wallace.

The First Lady’s office says that's not true, Martin reports, but according to Woodward, Card had at least one other high-level ally: Secretary of State Colin Powell. Powell, who himself was leaving the administration, told Card, "If I go, Don should go." But the vice president thought differently.

“Rumsfeld’s his guy. And Cheney confided to an aide that if Rumsfeld goes, next they’ll be after Cheney,” Woodward tells Wallace.

It’s not clear that Rumsfeld knew what Card was up to, but in an interview with Woodward, the Defense Secretary said he told Card that after the election, he would be happy to stay or go, depending on what the president wanted. The president has that he had no intention of changing him.

In the end, it was Card, not Rumsfeld, who left. Rumsfeld hosted a farewell dinner in his honor.

These efforts to get rid of Rumsfeld, apparently continue to this day, CBS News White House correspondent Jim Axelrod reports. A top Republican strategist told CBS News today that just this week, he heard the president say, "I know the way to keep Americans’ support for the war is to fire Don Rumsfeld. I am not going to do that. It's not going to happen."

Not surprisingly, revelations from the book are causing a tremendous amount of concern at the White House, mostly because what Woodward writes is read and believed, not just in Washington, but all across the country, CBS News White House correspondent Jim Axelrod reports.

Friday, the administration hit back.

“There's a whole lot of stuff here. You know, in a lot of ways, the book's certainly cotton candy. It, kind of, melts on contact. We've read this book before,” Snow said.

Woodward also says that the Bush administration has not told the truth regarding the level of violence, especially against U.S. troops, in Iraq. He reveals key intelligence that predicts the insurgency will grow worse next year.

According to Woodward, insurgent attacks against coalition troops occur, on average, every 15 minutes, a shocking fact the administration has kept secret. "It’s getting to the point now where there are 8, 900 attacks a week. That's more than 100 a day. That is four an hour attacking our forces," says Woodward.

[tpeks40]

I guess there is one Bush in the White House with some sense. Too bad she isn't running the country.

[valbar-2009]

I find it extremly difficult to believe that A single reporter, Bob Woodward, could possibly have access to people, information, facts, and truths that national news media giants, with all their money, personnel, contacts(government informants), and vast network for collecting information do not nor have had in order to report the "revelations?" that he claims as fact in a book (just) coming out next week!!?? Is it that the media has been misleading us by not reporting the true facts or is it that their organizations just don't have the resources that Bob Woodward does?? I think not!! The reason that I watch cbs news, is to get the real truth, in real time, without waiting months to report it. I will be watching, with great interest, for one or more of our great national news medias to raise critical questions about the validity of the claims of Bob Woodward to privy information not made available through the national news media for the American people. If there is a credible answer to this query, I certainly would be interested in hearing it.
Thank you for your time, and the space to speak my mind and ask my questions. It is no less than I would expect from cbs news.

[politipoll]

He sure does know alot for being on the outside looking in. I have to call shenanigans on this one, he's just trying to sell a book.

www.politipoll.net

[wny14127]

At last, someone tells the truth that no one wants to hear: Rumsfeld has to go and Bush is an idiot. The time is past for this administration to admit that the basis for this war was lies and more lies and that our troops have died in vain in support of Bush's idiot policies.
I love my country, I support our troops but I don't trust the leaders. Bring the troops home, end George's war now!

[nynative1340]

PolitiPoll saic "He sure does know alot for being on the outside looking in. I have to call shenanigans on this one, he's just trying to sell a book."

Well, the shoe is on the other foot now. 'Looking in from the outside' didn't seem to stop the 'republican view' books about Clinton.

Clinton's stupid acts are nothing compared to Bush's stupid acts. At least Clinton didn't cause thousands to die and create 'hate Americans' throughout the world.

Thank God for a free press and people like Woodward, one of the many checks and balances of our republic.

In the 1920s H.L. Mencken said "...On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron."

Sadly, that day has come, and that idiot has created a very dangerous world for us to live in.

[johnformato]

It's amazing that Bob Woodward knows such details of Mrs. Bush's conversation. This is nothing more then another cheap shot at President Bush and his family; I hope the american people see through the smoke screen that people like this and the liberal media put on the front page. I quess some networks and the NY Times will print anything, having nothing to substantiate it.
Whatever happened to due dilligence and responsible 'Journalism', this is 'Smearalism'.
Its Journalism folks, NOT Smearalism.
God Bless The USA
John Formato
Whitehouse Station NJ
[e-mail]

[georgezheng]

war sometimes is for peace and safer,for child and grandchild.
I support Bush.To defeat terrorists,to avoiding 9/11 again,the war is the only way.
I support Rumsfeld,he did a good job,make a fully succeed in this war.
I support America,It takes the responsible to civilized world.
I am a Chinese.

[stanimal7]

Bush has lost us all of our most solid allies - to the point where they now question our moral high ground!! If we are no longer the beacon of the world, we're lost. Completely lost. And calliung our oldest allies names won't help.

The one and only thing we really had to back up our actions was that they were the correct thing to do. Iraq was not. It was a lie, and we will now pay the price for a generation, just like we did for Vietnam. Stupid.

This is the leadership of Bush and the Republican majority. I think it's time to dump them. All of them. (And the current batch of Dems are no better - sniveling 2-faced hypocrites) Oust 'em all and start over with intelligent people of vision, like our founding fathers envisioned, not these career politicians getting rich off the rest of us. (How do you explain Tom Delay going from bankrupt pest control guy to multimillionaire in just 10 years on a congressman's salary? Huh? Get a clue, folks - they're writing laws to enrich themselves and their buddies.)

Wow, I guess I've had enough, weouldn't you say? I think we need a whole new driving force in our world. Where is it?

[teapotjr]

WHAT IS IT WITH THIS GUY? WE ALL KNOW THAT 99% OF ALL THE NEWS MEDIA ARE DEMOCRATS BUT HE IS RIDICULUS. IT WOULD SEEM THAT HIS GOAL IN LIFE IS TO DISRUPT AND RIDICULE ALL REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTS. HAS HE WRITTEN ONE OF HIS TELL ALL "BOOKS" (FAIRYTALES) ABOUT ANY DEMOCRATS, WHERE WAS HE ON THE ILLUSTRIOUS PRESIDENT CLINTON? COME ON AMERICA, WAKE-UP, THE MEDIA GOAL IS TO PUT A DEMOCRAT IN THE WHITE HOUSE.

[themooniac]

I heard bush said today his critics are buying into the terroists propaganda. I'm a crtic of Bush and I'm not buying into any terroist propaganda. I think John McCain and more than a few generals are his critics also. I personally would rather see all these guys caught on the battlefield beheaded on the internet, *** for tat, period, exclamation point. Bush has just done a lousy job of prosecuting the war. He's a lousy commander-in-chief, Geez, quit blaming everyone else. Even ol' Ronnie took the blame when it was deserved. Remember when GI's could'nt fire into mosques at the start of the war even when that was where the gunfire was coming from? Stupid s**t like that. Not sending enough troops etc,etc. Not listening to his Generals. Remeber this exchange in Iraq? "Mr. Rumsfeld how come I have to scrounge thru dumps for armor for my Humvee??" Rumsfeld: "you fight with the Army you got". What an idiot. Time for new leadership baby!!

[mac2499-2009]

Please stop mentioning God and how he has blessed America. Are we to say that god was not blessing America on September 11? Do you feel that god has been blessing the soldiers in Iraq for the past three years? The only blessing I see going on is that the Bush Administration and the republican administration are still in charge and will continue to be in charge. They have teflon on their side nothing seems to stick to them and everything washes off. Everything that this president has done is make it ok for Islamist radical to attack and kill innocent people of this world.

[bobgee_1999]

Actually, last time I checked, Woodward was a registered Republican. Here's a thought: maybe he just has enough integrity to attack even his own party when it's wrong.

[fallngempire]

Beautiful. Just beautiful.

[lucyrick1]

It is the elections in November....all the hatchet jobs on the President and his people will get nastier and shriller and before election day they'll report that President Bush was a drunk in college and if only those 'neo cons' on the Supreme Court had given the election to Gore,none of this would have happened.Same ole same ole.

[ndg1979]

Notice carefully how TeapotJr is referring to the media as a Democratic entity. What he fails to remember is that it was FOX News who first declared Bush president - a network supported by republicans with Bush family members at its helm. Also Teapot, where are all these liberal TV channels you speak of? To my knowledge, the only liberal talk anything you will find is on the radio because the republicans and the Bush administration control the airwaves.

All of you Bush lovers may think this is a cheap attempt to get people to vote Democrat in November, but a lot of Americans have already decided to do that. This book doesn't change anything. Bush is a lame duck, conservatives nationwide are trying to distance themselves from the White House mess to save their own political careers and Conservative Americans are asking themselves - What the hell do we do know?

I'll tell you what to do - vote anything besides republican this November!

I think that if you voted for Bush last election, you should be required to take an IQ test to determine if you should be allowed to vote for things you don't understand this year. Also, we need to do away with this electoral college bull****. Let the people decide their president for a change.

Note to Teapot - People with the IQ of a rattle are what got us here in the first place. Think about it - Osama killed Americans & Bush went after Saddam - Is this right? I don't think so!

[EthanQ]

Can anyone provide even one subject that our president has not dissembled on for his own personal political ambitions?

When will people understand that every time the president misinforms another piece of your country has been taken away from you?

I would rather 1,000 presidents chasing interns than one who will not do this country the honor and justice it deserves by being spoken to honestly about the events for which he is responsible!

[drgoodwin12]

Notice tha Laura Bush has herself not rebuked these claims?Has any of the people Woodward mention rebuked him? No.The NIE report that recently came out and the one in 2002 only help confirm Woodwards book.Also a friend of mine has two sons serving in Iraq and they both corroborate what Woodward is saying about the amount of attacks on U.S. troops.No one here with any logical mind is saying cut and run but no one is saying stay the course.They are both bad choices, we have to deter recruitment of terrorist and we also have to place pressure on the Iraqi Goverment to purge itself,military and police of those who are accomplices to the insurgents,militias and terrorist.Furthermore we need to shut down Al Queda type web sites.If you want solutions do not look to the republican party they with few exceptions are in lock step with Bush.This war in order to be won has to fought with more intelligence and I do not mean torture . we have to fight this war from idealogical intelligence that prevents terrorist recruitment and use miltary force with regard to cultures and basic human rights.The rapes,murders and Abdu Gharib incidents undermine our credibility.

[drgoodwin12]

See how well our Department of Hoeland Security is doing read this http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/09/government_cred.html

[drgoodwin12]

Here is a link to Woodward being a registered republican.http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,943626,00.html?internalid=ACA

[baseballchan]

Woodward has this uncanny habit of popping up with yet another book, whenever he is about to fade away from the limelight. What a bunch of self-serving hogwash! And that too, at the time when our President needs our full support. I totally agree that President Bush was a bit of bozo for going into this battle in the first place, but now that we are in this ridiculous war with againts a very committed enemy, should we be seen showing this kind of negative confusion to the rest of the world? It makes no sense. I am not suggesting that Bob Woodward needs to go around wearing Red, White and Blue, and sing songs of praise of the President at a time like this, but I wish he whould just shut up for now anyway.

[gladetryst]

Maybe we -do- need to show more confused discontent to the world. It's a war, if someone thinks it is an immoral war: now is the time to say we should leave before the sons of Americans are butchered over there. If the message we are sending to the world is that Americans can't go through with a war: maybe that is true, we don't like fighting wars and getting young men killed. We can admit our president lied to us, and we can withdraw when we see the war sliding into oblivion.

[plangloss2]

After 3 1/2 years of war 2,700+ American lives ,and 500 billion dollars in cost. America is bogged down in a war without an end in sight. If the President lacks the moral courage to take the the steps required to win the war. That is raise taxes and a draft to provide enough troops to occupy the cities and countryside of Iraq after they have been cleared of the insurgents. Than he must schedule an orderly withdrawal. So our military can be directed toward the real enemies of the republic Iran and North Korea both of whom have WMD and delivery systems.

[gentlearts]

Bob Woodward's book is just another "tool" trotted out to try to slant the upcoming elections.
As usual, the Dem's can't win on substance, so all they can do is smear the Republicans.

[gladys_over]

Mary Todd Lincoln pressured her husband to fire General Grant.

[Note: Any resemblence between Ulysses S. Grant and Donald Rumsfeld is purely coincidental.]

[tara1s]

Tony Snow's comments prove him to be as dangerous as the people he works for. He is a propagandist of the highest order. He is now going to be out there on public speaking forays for the Republicans. You'd think he'd have enough to do defending the White House. They must be quite enamored with his ability to spin everything. When he says Woodward's book is "Candy that melts on contact"...please, we're talking about the lives of soldiers and thousands of innocent Iraqis here. Not to mention the 911 victims.

Perhaps the paparazzi in Hollywood and elsewhere will start taking photos of the pictures that really count, the pictures the military don't want us to see. Forget Lindsey Lohan. We need picture after picture after picture of those coffins coming back from Iraq. Nobody needs to say a word. Just show the visuals. That should be the non verbal mantra of the Democrats. Tony Snow will come up with some kind of ridiculous spin, but a flag draped coffin doesn't need a lot of p.r. Neither do the thousands (what is it now, 100,000?) of innocent Iraqis who have lost their lives in Cheney & Bush's playpen.

[mauidave]

It absolutely amazes me that the Bush appologists will not admit the obvious failure of his policies. Does no one else remember who was asleep at the wheel of the Ship of State on 9/11? It was the guy that sat for seven minutes, dumfounded(should be the definition of Bush), when told of the attack on the WTC. Come on people, try to wake up to reality. The guy is a dolt, at best. And he's committed treason at worst.
He has been Al Queda's poster child for No Jihadist Left Behind.

[tankhead6]

"Bob Woodward's book is just another "tool" trotted out to try to slant the upcoming elections.
As usual, the Dem's can't win on substance, so all they can do is smear the Republicans."
Posted by gentlearts

----------------

What did you post when the repug slime machine smeared the Clinton administration for YEARS???.... *** for tat, is what I say.

[gdmoore2]

We need to honor the daily sacrifice being made by our military and make sure that our public discussion of Iraq and Afghanistan is serious and honorable. Automatic polarization of the discussion accompanied by partisan accusations does nothing for the troops.

Woodward's book adds to the growing evidence that we have serious problems in the conduct of this war, politically and militarily. As citizens we should be asking all political leadership, Republican and Democrat, to directly address the issues and stop the spinning.

Bush appears to be in denial about the war. The tide is turning in favor of the enemy. My vote goes to the candidate of either party that directly addresses how to adapt to the changing conditions of the war and identifies what needs to be done next. There is no loss of will here.

[alphaa10-2009]

baseballchan said-- "but now that we are in this ridiculous war with againts a very committed enemy, should we be seen showing this kind of negative confusion to the rest of the world? It makes no sense..."

Actually, this "confusion" should make you proud to be an American, because it indicates there is still enough free speech in this country for debate to occur. That debate is an important indicator of democracy, and should accompany any election of the leadership.

Obviously, many figures in and out of the GOP now wish Bush actually had the dictatorship he has said publicly he would find convenient. They want something-- anything-- to squelch the floodtide of embarrassing facts about Bush, and have used the bogus "war on terror" for exactly that purpose. If the press finds something scandalous about Bush, the Standard Operating Procedure is to claim the matter is classified.

If you find it difficult to believe Bush nodded approvingly to dictatorship, Bush also said to members of his party, assembled in a private meeting discussing illegal NSA spying, "Stop throwing the Constitution in my face. It's only a GD&^^%%! piece of paper!" And this guy claims to be a leader?

In the runup to election, we can expect all sorts of chicanery to deny established, but embarrassing facts about Bush. The GOP has much to deny, and no amount of spinning and twisting is sufficient to keep the facts at bay any longer.

[drgoodwin12]

Woodward a registered repuplican comes out with a book,no one he has mentioned from the exceprts has rebuked him,(you can not count the first ladys office it is not her actually speaking just the pr people)and people start saying this is political motivated or finacially motivated.Woodward fell out of favor with most Democrats with his two previous books they favored Bush to highly.So in the course of a week we have the NIE report which does not support Bush and Woodwards book which does not support Bush and the resigination of two republicans Foley and Ney.Some people here would like for us all to beleive it is a media plot or a democratic plot.Sometimes the truth finally starts shedding some light and before you know it everything will be out in the open about Bush and his ill planned war.Then we will see what many of us have known for a long time that he is the greatest embarressmnt this country has ever elected.

[nlhommed]

It must be election time,it's bash Bush time for 60 mintues. Of course 60 min will have an opposing view, balanced journalism as long as it balances left.

[ftights]

Only once in my life have I EVER been ashamed to be an American,the day this administration initiated "shock and awe"against an innocent civilian population.Over 50,000 dead and counting; just to ensure the flow of oil and enhance the personal wealth of already rich people?(Carlisle Group,Haliburton,and Big Oil)

[msu836]

I hope all those upset about killing "innocent" civilians for oil are walking everywhere or riding bikes...I am sure that if our gas prices went up to 4-5 dollars a gallon, these same complainers would demand the government do something about it...

[dreamslug]

Woodward is an honorable journalist of the highest integrity! His two previous books even show Bush in a favorable light. Yet we see here "conservative hit-men" writing how Woodward is merely spinning propoganda at a convenient time, because they don't like what Woodward writes.
Conservative hypocrites in perpetual denial need to be put on notice: The State of Denial that you live in is now the Flood of Denial, heading straight over the falls on your "Stay the Course" rhetoric. Woodward leads us once again, to rise like true Americans of courage and to speak truth to power. Our children are dying, and Bush, the incompetent or treasonous cause of it, is attempting to subvert our Constitution of the United States to try and get away with it. It's over buddy, wake up!

[soulizard]

Nobody likes to see an investment go bad, monetary, intellectual, spiritual or otherwise. But the fact is the Bush administration has put everything on the line in Iraq with disastrous results. It believes, wrongly, that by using the weight of its political power it can somehow overcome the serious losses to our political standing abroad and economic stability at home the Iraq war has caused. All the relentless shaming of those who oppose them reminds me of a desperate gambler who has placed all their money on a long shot and is losing. Meanwhile we are losing our young Americans and killing tens of thousands of innocent civilians just to save their political skins. Disgusting and very sad.

[drgoodwin12]

To gdmoore2 I have to agree and would also like to state that stay the course is as bad as cut and run.Colin Powell said "we broke it ,we have to fix it"I wholeheartily agree with.The problem is multifolde in answering how to fix it.The Iraqi goverment,military and police (not all) are working with the militias,insurgents and terrorist.This is where we have to take a tough stance,second the problem of recruitment of terrorist,militias and insurgents has to be adressed with a comphrensive determent strategy.Lastly is our military action which has to be carried out with sensitivity towards their culture,the rapes and deliberate killings of civilians does not help us.

My comment here is that this just shows that Cheney is in charge here...not "W". they donot have a clue that this man (Rumsfeld) was the worst and youngest DOD secretary and now the oldest and still the worst DOD Secretary.

gentlearts wrote:

"Bob Woodward's book is just another "tool" trotted out to try to slant the upcoming elections.
As usual, the Dem's can't win on substance, so all they can do is smear the Republicans."

It's incredibly hypocritical to condemn one party for doing it without condemning the other for doing the same.

Have you forgotten all the smear campaigns initiated by Republicans against Democrats?

Especially against that idiot Clinton?

Republicans do not have the moral high ground when it comes to smear campaigns.

In this case, it will be interesting to see if Woodwards comments hold true - and are in fact, fact.

I have more respect for him then any politican.

It's interesting to see all the Republicans bleating whenever someone says something bad about Bush and his cohorts.

For some reason they same to believe that negative comments about Republicans are all just a conspiracy of lies - meanwhile, they feel they can say whatever they want about Democrats.

Talk about being delusional/paranoid.

Whatever happened to voting for the best person for the job instead of two idiotic political parties that are only interested in helping themselves?

[gr8american]

bob woodward doesnt have an agenda to push, read the book before you jump to conclusions. in the meantime pray for the future of our country, it looks like we might need it.

[newsjeff-2009]

Isn't it sweet that our President's family is telling him how to fight the war on terrorism. I am not saying I dislike the first lady or the president(Note: The current president not the Clintons ABC likes to put all the blames on for past mistakes.)but, if the soldiers are the ones fighting this war the least the Bush administration can do is back Rumsfeld or any of the other top people in charge of military operations. I believe in women's rights and the fact that behind many successful men are a successful,caring wife, but as important as the war on terrorism is we cannot go to just blaming Rumsfeld or other top military people just because the public does not like the war and people believe that we are on the wrong path. The main thing I am saying is President Bush and the First Lady Laura Bush and the Vice-president and the entire GOP need be more united and on the same page of thinking were the "war on terrorism" is concerned if we hope to win this conflict and bring Bin Laden and his followers to justice and our troops to come home safe.

[besscannon-2009]

Isn't it amazing how everybody else in the world are liars but the Republicans? At least, that is what they would have you believe. Don't they realize how all their needles are stuck in the same groove? After the election, if the Democrats take over and open that closet of skeletons, I'll bet the stench is going to be mighty powerful. I'll bet were are in for more shocking facts then we now know.Our Government reminds me of the Chicago Mafia.

hamiltongrad nailed it. If we weren't overseas fighting them, we'd be fighting them right here. 9/11 showed that spectacularly.

www.politipoll.net

[bfuddled-2009]

9/11 showed how incredibly unprepared this administration was to fight terrorism.

Democrats may or may not understand that this is a "different kind of war", but I think the spectacular failures of this administration in trying to conduct this war shows that they definitely don't know how to fight it. For starters, if you're going to fight the terrorists go where they are. Afghanistan: right on. Iraq: didn't have them until we removed Saddam.

[exusmcsgt]

Terrorism has never been and never will be defeated through conventional military action. Ask the Colombians and the Phillipinos - they've been at it for forty years without success.

We have a tremendous military. As was stated on 'The McGlaughlin Group', "it's a hammer". Hammers are not effective tools against roaches, however.

Like roaches, terrorism is defeated when you stop their breeding (recruitment).

[alphaa10-2009]

exusmcsgt said-- "Like roaches, terrorism is defeated when you stop their breeding (recruitment)."

Although people who believe they are fighting a "holy war" against "crusader" powers would characterize themselves differently, exusmcsgt is exactly right. The key to winning, as with fighting a fire, is to subtract one or more elements of the conflagration.

However, Bush, Cheney and other deadheads like Rumsfeld seem to have only reinforced concrete for brains-- they do not realize their Iraqi military disaster is, itself, a threat to America. Our tax dollars are training locals over the whole MidEast to hate us with passion that will carry them back to NYC and beyond-- this is one theater is which military equipment does not apply.

Without understanding the dynamics of what he has set in motion, this wannabe president sees only one possible response to the threat he helped aggravate-- Big Brother-level governmental security controls over the American people. The Gestapo (or Saddam's own police) would have been delighted to have the equipment Bush is prepared to install to monitor Americans.

[alphaa10-2009]

Sledge said-- "hamiltongrad nailed it. If we weren't overseas fighting them, we'd be fighting them right here. 9/11 showed that spectacularly."

Actually, 911 shows nothing of the kind-- you are one of a diminishing circle of victims of the delusion 911 had anything to do with Iraq. Even Bush now admits 911 has no relation to Iraq.

Bush did not fight al Qaeda effectively even when congress and the American people told him explicitly to do so-- "they" were in Afghanistan, but Bush actually stopped fighting al Qaeda to pull American units into place for Iraq. Bush (not Clinton) is the one who failed to pull the trigger when he had the best fix on bin Laden in years of effort, and blew it.

Ironically, the wasted effort in Iraq is actually creating a stronger al Qaeda, which now regards Iraq as its showpiece and demonstration project of success against the "crusaders". Thanks to the ineptitude Bush showed after 911, al Qaeda survived to take root globally. You fail to see al Qaeda does not need Iraq as an operations base-- even 911 came from a Hamburg-based cell, and the cell model has been copied worldwide.

Wrong battlefield, wrong tactics, and leaders who mislead-- all part of the Bush "going away gift" to the American people.

hamiltongrad wrote:

"Why is it all Bush bashing all the time ?"

"Can someone please write about the Kennedy Family Trust located in....Tahiti of all places. Why there? How much inheritance tax paid. Please CBS and Bob Woodward look into this and report. Talk about hypocracy of the Left."

Quite possibly because the Kennedy Families fortune isn't responsible for the deaths of Americans.

Typical though - Right wingers concerned more about money then the lives of Americans.

Pathetic.

[exusmcsgt]

Iraq was never about WMD. Bush, et.al. viewed Iraq as a means to project power in the middle east. Situated between Syria, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, it was the logical choice from which to project power. The U.S. has built 4 large permanent bases in Iraq for our use to that end.

Bush et.al. could never sell the concept on its own merits, so we got a succession of false motives. This all about pure, unadulterated American hegemony - nothing more, nothing less.

Add to this hegemony, Americas absolute support of Israel in the horrific treatment of the Palestinians, and you can see why our policies are detested in the middle east.

A good president divides our enemies and unites our allies. Bush et.al. have done just the reverse.

[exusmcsgt]

Hamiltongrad complains about "Bush bashing". Apparently he/she thinks that 2,707 American dead and $500B squandered just to foment a civil war deserves praise......

I'll ask you hamiltongrad, how much is downright stubborness worth to you? 10,000 American dead? Another 20 years of this? 10 trillion dollars? We obviously haven't lost/spent enough for you to date. What's a fair price for this boondoogle in your mind?