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Bush Confesses Error

by TChris

The president who, during a presidential debate, couldn't recall making a bad decision now confesses that he made mistakes. Today's spin diverts attention from the president's poor policy choices to his poor communication skills. The folksy president regrets using colorful expressions like "bring 'em on" and "dead or alive" because "certain parts of the world" (including, presumably, the rest of it) misinterpreted his "tough talk." Could be that all the needless killing reinforced that (mis?)interpretation, but the president didn't go there.

With Tony Blair at his side, President Bush firmly reaffirmed his commitment to stay the course in Iraq, dismissing rumors of troop reductions as "speculation in the press." The policy that brought us 2,460 U.S. military deaths and chaos in Iraq won't change, but Bush has promised to explain the policy "in a more sophisticated manner" from now on. Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood.

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    Re: Bush Confesses Error (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri May 26, 2006 at 03:19:58 PM EST
    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/04/11/LI2005041100879.html Dan Froomkin points out that this is old news, He said this to regional print reporters around January 05 He also points out that the White House press swallowed it whole. They apparently don't know how to use Lexis or that google thing.

    Re: Bush Confesses Error (none / 0) (#2)
    by desertswine on Fri May 26, 2006 at 03:27:27 PM EST
    "There are some who feel like that the conditions are such that they can attack us there. My answer is bring them on. We've got the force necessary to deal with the security situation."
    Sure, I see how that could be mis-understood.

    Re: Bush Confesses Error (none / 0) (#3)
    by Dusty on Fri May 26, 2006 at 03:53:05 PM EST
    I belong to the Bill Maher school of thought: He talks like that because its how "they" explain it to him.

    Re: Bush Confesses Error (none / 0) (#4)
    by Punchy on Fri May 26, 2006 at 04:29:30 PM EST
    but Bush has promised to explain the policy "in a more sophisticated manner" from now on. This is a joke, right? TChris, you made this part up, right? Bush + "sophisticated manner" = halarity that I cannot even begin to describe.

    Re: Bush Confesses Error (none / 0) (#5)
    by Al on Fri May 26, 2006 at 06:42:35 PM EST
    How does "I was misunderstood in some parts of the world" become a "confession of error"? What error is he confessing to?

    Re: Bush Confesses Error (none / 0) (#6)
    by jondee on Fri May 26, 2006 at 06:45:27 PM EST
    That he mistook "the rest of the world" for the pot-a-jon line at the Firecracker 500.

    Re: Bush Confesses Error (none / 0) (#7)
    by jondee on Fri May 26, 2006 at 06:46:21 PM EST
    port-a-jon

    Re: Bush Confesses Error (none / 0) (#8)
    by Jo on Fri May 26, 2006 at 07:44:59 PM EST
    Well, if he's gonna 'splain it all in some high-falutin' sophisticated college-type talk then I s'pose everything's gonna be just fine from here on out, and I reckon there wont be no more killen' by the terrists. Giddyup. I'm sold.

    Re: Bush Confesses Error (none / 0) (#9)
    by squeaky on Fri May 26, 2006 at 08:43:52 PM EST
    What an arrogant coward. He admitted nothing. It was all someone's fault.

    Re: Bush Confesses Error (none / 0) (#10)
    by squeaky on Fri May 26, 2006 at 09:37:44 PM EST
    Oh and obviously over rehearsed. As marc sobel points out it is not only over rehearsed it is a rerun. Dan Froomkin Friday, January 14, 2005
    Calling it "a confession, a regret, something," President Bush acknowledged in a round-table interview with regional newspapers yesterday..... "Sometimes, words have consequences you don't intend them to mean. 'Bring 'em on' is the classic example.....Or, you know, 'dead or alive' in referring to Osama bin Laden at the Pentagon.


    Re: Bush Confesses Error (none / 0) (#11)
    by Andreas on Fri May 26, 2006 at 10:55:27 PM EST
    But while the press made a great deal of this orchestrated admission of "mistakes," it downplayed the central thrust of the press conference--the insistence that there would be no change in policy "as long as I'm standing here as the commander in chief, which is two-and-a-half more years." ... But if the war against Iraq was waged on the basis of false claims that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction, then not only have those who organized it perpetrated a war crime for which they should be brought to justice, but the regime that has been set up on the basis of an illegal invasion is itself illegitimate.
    Blair joins Bush to defend Iraq occupation and back preemptive action vs. Iran By Chris Marsden, 27 May 2006

    Re: Bush Confesses Error (none / 0) (#12)
    by Che's Lounge on Sat May 27, 2006 at 10:17:14 AM EST
    Maybe he can use a picture book about a goat. As my brother used to say: "Now I'll explain it so even YOU can understand it." How insulting. We don't need his effing explanations. We'll just believe our own lyin eyes.

    Re: Bush Confesses Error (none / 0) (#13)
    by Ernesto Del Mundo on Sat May 27, 2006 at 10:27:23 AM EST
    I loved it when the Bushies blamed the Navy for hanging the "Mission Accomplished" banner up. If that didn't make it clear to the current and ex-military among us with this crew really thinks about you...then nothing will.

    Re: Bush Confesses Error (none / 0) (#14)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat May 27, 2006 at 10:59:57 AM EST
    Ernesto, don't you know that the banner was to celebrate that the ship came back from its' mission? It had NOTHING to do with the war in any other way.

    Re: Bush Confesses Error (none / 0) (#15)
    by jondee on Sat May 27, 2006 at 01:19:09 PM EST
    Definately in the Top Ten of embarrassingly lame-ass obfuscations.

    Re: Bush Confesses Error (none / 0) (#16)
    by Dadler on Sat May 27, 2006 at 07:45:05 PM EST
    There's an informative new post over at Back-To-Iraq, in response to a recent Tom Friedman piece. Reaction?

    Re: Bush Confesses Error (none / 0) (#17)
    by Che's Lounge on Sun May 28, 2006 at 12:21:48 AM EST
    DA, Nevertheless, Bush stood right under it for the photo op, and stated clearly that "major combat operations in Iraq have ended".

    Re: Bush Confesses Error (none / 0) (#18)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun May 28, 2006 at 11:39:11 AM EST
    I was 'channeling' a certain poster/poser who has yet to show us on this thread, che, and as an "American-hating leftist", you probably know who I mean............