You should read this and laugh.
Someone Should Tell Bush Why We Went to War
By Scott Galindez
t r u t h o u t | Perspective
Wednesday 22 March 2006
After yesterday's presidential news conference, I am beginning to wonder if George W. Bush knows why we went to war with Iraq. He should just come clean and admit that we went to war because Dick, Wolfie, and Rummy told him to.
Three years into the war and the President still can't answer the question of why we went to war in the first place. It is perfectly clear now why he can't meet with Cindy Sheehan. Imagine him saying to Cindy, "after September 11th, we realized killers could destroy innocent life." Hmmmm, we have a president who didn't know that prior to 9/11?
Imagine him telling Cindy that we invaded Iraq because "the Taliban provided safe haven for al Qaeda. That's where al Qaeda trained...." Someone also needs to tell George that the Taliban probably wanted Saddam out of power too; bin Laden did. Of course he knows the Taliban were in Afghanistan, doesn't he?
When he finally got to Iraq, he rewrote history again. "We worked with the world, we worked to make sure that Saddam Hussein heard the message of the world. And when he chose to deny inspectors, when he chose not to disclose, then I had the difficult decision to make to remove him. And we did, and the world is safer for it" said Bush.
The world didn't agree, that's why there was no vote at the UN authorizing the war. I seem to remember inspectors in Iraq until we warned them that it wouldn't be safe for them to remain. I also want to know what Iraq was supposed to disclose if they had no WMD?
Please, one of you neo-cons, brief the President on the real reason for the war in Iraq, so the next time a reporter asks him a real question he doesn't embarrass us again.
Excerpted from the transcript of yesterday's press conference:
Helen Thomas: I'd like to ask you, Mr. President, your decision to invade Iraq has caused the deaths of thousands of Americans and Iraqis, wounds of Americans and Iraqis for a lifetime. Every reason given, publicly at least, has turned out not to be true. My question is, why did you really want to go to war? From the moment you stepped into the White House, from your Cabinet - your Cabinet officers, intelligence people, and so forth - what was your real reason? You have said it wasn't oil - quest for oil, it hasn't been Israel, or anything else. What was it?
The President: I think your premise - in all due respect to your question and to you as a lifelong journalist - is that - I didn't want war. To assume I wanted war is just flat wrong, Helen, in all due respect -
Helen Thomas: Everything -
The President: Hold on for a second, please.
Helen Thomas: - everything I've heard -
The President: Excuse me, excuse me. No President wants war. Everything you may have heard is that, but it's just simply not true. My attitude about the defense of this country changed on September the 11th. We - when we got attacked, I vowed then and there to use every asset at my disposal to protect the American people. Our foreign policy changed on that day, Helen. You know, we used to think we were secure because of oceans and previous diplomacy. But we realized on September the 11th, 2001, that killers could destroy innocent life. And I'm never going to forget it. And I'm never going to forget the vow I made to the American people that we will do everything in our power to protect our people.
Part of that meant to make sure that we didn't allow people to provide safe haven to an enemy. And that's why I went into Iraq - hold on for a second -
Helen Thomas: They didn't do anything to you, or to our country.
The President: Look - excuse me for a second, please. Excuse me for a second. They did. The Taliban provided safe haven for al Qaeda. That's where al Qaeda trained -
Helen Thomas: I'm talking about Iraq -
The President: Helen, excuse me. That's where - Afghanistan provided safe haven for al Qaeda. That's where they trained. That's where they plotted. That's where they planned the attacks that killed thousands of innocent Americans.
I also saw a threat in Iraq. I was hoping to solve this problem diplomatically. That's why I went to the Security Council; that's why it was important to pass 1441, which was unanimously passed. And the world said, disarm, disclose, or face serious consequences -
Helen Thomas: - go to war -
The President: - and therefore, we worked with the world, we worked to make sure that Saddam Hussein heard the message of the world. And when he chose to deny inspectors, when he chose not to disclose, then I had the difficult decision to make to remove him. And we did, and the world is safer for it.
Scott Galindez is the Managing Editor of truthout.org.
17 comments:
Breaking news about a serious clash between US troops and Al Sadr's Mahdi Army in Baghdad, plus a US raid on a secret Interior Ministry prison - that's the Badrists, I understand - plus lots more victims of execution found.
The other thing about this Bush goofball is that he insists the USA is in Iraq for the long haul, until "victory." But he has never defined what "victory" will look like - when terrorist bombings, IED attacks, sectarian clashes, criminal kidnappings are down to 50 a day? 10 a day? None at all? When the whole place is covered with wall-to-wall MacDonalds and KFCs?
Looks like the road to victory will now involve everybody in Iraq fighting everybody else, with the USA fighting the lot.
What a farce! What a "War President!"
Truthteller, what is the situation in Mosul? Is there sectarian violence there, is it as bad as in Baghdad? There is nothing in the news.
Johninnz
BAGHDAD, March 25, 2006 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said on Saturday, March 25, that militias, many with strong ties to powerful Shiite leaders and well entrenched in security and police forces, are killing more Iraqis than "terrorists," urging Iraqi leaders to rein them in.
"More Iraqis are dying from the militia violence than from the terrorists," he told reporters during a visit to a Baghdad youth center newly renovated with US funds, reported Reuters. "The militias need to be under control."
Uh, by whom, Mr Ambassador? Government forces? They ARE the Government forces. The Iranian-allied Government forces.
Mr President! Mr President! What do we do now, please?
TT, forget about Bush. In 2 years he is gone.
Think about your own country for a change. Do you really want Mahdi militia and Badr militia and al-Qaeda militia to rule Iraq in a bloody dictatorship?
What are you doing today to bring civil society and law and order to your people? Do clerics have a right to rule, or does democracy allow the people to change their rulers?
john
"Truthteller, what is the situation in Mosul? Is there sectarian violence there, is it as bad as in Baghdad? There is nothing in the news."
The situation in Mosul is relatively good compared with that in Baghdad, there is no secterian violence here, all the operation are directed to the Occupation and their allies.
Our big problem here is the kidnapping and the assasination of the University prof. and doctors by murderers most probably related to the government (M.O.I.), The murderers are holding weapons frankly at time civilians are killed for suspecion of having weapons in addition despite the large number were killed no single murdere was captured or arrested. Racently there is a new way of making people flee and that by sending letters or phone calls, asking them either to pay avery large amount of money (Hundereds of millions of I.D.) or leave the country. I dont't know if these are part of the secterian cleansing or just to drain Iraq from the Iraqi's brains.
This horrible link shows black clad Siite Mahdi Army commandos attacking and killing a Sunni Imam of the al-Sabbar mosque in cold blood. The victim is innocent, and one of 100 killed PER DAY by Iranian agents and Mahdi death squads.
http://healingiraq.blogspot.com/archives/2006_03_01_healingiraq_archive.html#114314903502615624
Question is, why does TruthTeller support the Mahdi Army and Muqtada Sadr? When will he believe that Sunnis are being killed by Shiites who want to take over Iraqi government?
TT, what is the percentage of Shiites in Mosul. What percentage in Ninawa?
Of the Shiites in Ninawa, what percentage support Mahdi and Iran?
anon
"Question is, why does TruthTeller support the Mahdi Army and Muqtada Sadr? When will he believe that Sunnis are being killed by Shiites who want to take over Iraqi government?"
You are wrong Truth Teller doesn't suppor the Mahdi army or al Sadr. I just say the truth as I see it what ever is in the opposite side.
I know that Sunnis being killed by Shiites, but I have the confidence that those Shiites who committed those crimes are member of the Badr forces not Al Mahdi Army.
"TT, what is the percentage of Shiites in Mosul. What percentage in Ninawa?
Of the Shiites in Ninawa, what percentage support Mahdi and Iran?"
In the city of Mosul the Shiites are very small minority (I have no statistics), In the Ninawa province there are some villages inhabited by Shiites people, they are non Arab and non Kurds, they called Shabak.
Their number is also very little in comparison to the Ninawa population.
I am not sure but I think all the Shiites in Ninawa supported Al sadr. I don't think any af them supported Iran.
TT: "I am not sure but I think all the Shiites in Ninawa supported Al sadr. I don't think any af them supported Iran. "
You mean the Shiites of Ninawa who are pro-Sadr, when Sadr is an agent of Iranians and is in Tehran every other week - that these Shiites DO NOT SUPPORT IRAN?
You are not telling the truth. I bet you are denying that Iranian Pasdaran forces have infiltrated Basra and all provinces south of Baghdad.
albatroz - the US by the removal of Saddam made it possible for Iraqis to attain democracy. The rest is the Iraq's own responsibility. US gave them 200 free publications, had them draw up a constitution, arranged 3 elections for them, gave them 20 free and private TV stations, etc.
The insecurity is the fault of the Iraqis themselves. If they wish to take their freedoms and flush it down the drain, then that is their own responsibility. They did not have to blow things up. They did not have to let al-Qaeda in that went and blew up Shiite marketplaces and hospitals with car bombs.
80% of all innocent deaths in Iraq is by al-Qaeda, Mahdi Army (Sadr), Badr Army (SCIRI), Dawa, Hezbolla, Sunni Islamists, Sunni Baathists, etc.
The "insurgents" are still killing about 75 innocents PER DAY. Read the NYT - see how they pick up ordinary folks, mainly seculars, and torture them by drilling holes in their skulls.
The US is trying to stop the killer insurgents. But ultimately that can only be done by the Iraqis themselves.
US yesterday raided a Mahdi death squad in a Husseiniya that assassinated innocent Sunnis. Then the terrorist prime minister Jaafari called them martyrs on Iraqi television.
Truthteller, have you been threatened yourself? What will you do if you are threatened?
johninnz
Al Sadr will be important in future as a 'shiite' centre of gravity within the Iraqi political spectrum that the 'sunnis' can negotiate with.
I don't think negotiation will be possible with SCIRI.
Truthteller, you said "Racently there is a new way of making people flee and that by sending letters or phone calls, asking them either to pay avery large amount of money (Hundereds of millions of I.D.) or leave the country."
Have you yourself been threatened/blackmailed like that?
john, waldschrat
"have you been threatened yourself? "
"Have you yourself been threatened/blackmailed like that?"
No I have not been threatened myself, but some of my relatives and many of my friends are threatened.
Some have fled to out side Iraq, some to the north (Kurdistan),and some pay the money and stay.
Three doctors, one of them is a very close friend have been killed because they refused to pay.
One of my relative (a doctor), went to the police telling them that he was threatened to pay ransom, they told him (the police) either you shut down your clinic for few months or just leave Mosul.
Before about a month, the head of the Medical Syndicate (Medical association), visited Mosul, He told us this story:
"After about 10 doctors killed in Baghdad, he tried to meet the minister of health, but he couldn't, he asked to meet the president Jalal Al talabani, in the meeting with the president he told him about the killings, the president told him that all the doctors can go to the north when he can protect them !!
"What will you do if you are threatened?"
I don't know, I may go to the north as I have many friends from the kurds.
To those of us who read blogs, this is not news of course but now it is being reported in the "mainstream" news:
The Pentagon has requested hundreds of millions of dollars in emergency funds for military construction in Iraq, fanning the debate about US long-term intentions there.
The insurgents in Iraq really should be bombing the US bases not mosques. They would be doing everyone in the world a favour, eg by postponing World War III (which the US/Israel looks like being about to start, against Iran, with the help of its vast new bases in Iraq).
albartoz
I think this is another Strykerdad, not our friend. In his later comment he change his nickname because there was another Strykerdad.
"... he will learn to join us in the condemnation of this unjust war against Iraqis. "
This war is between Iraqis and Islamists. US is supporting the Iraqis against killers and blackshirts who are murderin hundreds a day, that albatroz denies. at www.icasualties.org, you will see that all Iraqis are being targetted and killed by Shia Islamists and Takfiri Salafis.
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