Bush's father comes to his defense on Iraq war

[kskiska]

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Critics of President George W. Bush's handling of the Iraq war are "grossly unfair" and have forgotten the brutality of deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, Bush's father said in an interview published on Friday.

"Do they want to bring back Saddam Hussein," former President George H. W. Bush said in an interview with USAToday at his presidential library in College Station, Texas.

(snip)

"I don't reminisce with ... my friends like you about what my son does or doesn't do," Bush said. But "I think we forget even today the extraordinary brutality of Saddam Hussein."

Speaking of his son, the elder Bush told USAToday: "He has my full, unequivocal support. I feel about him great respect for what he's doing and tries to do and I think much of the criticism is grossly unfair... That's a father caring about his son and his president.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN0828801520071109

[Captain_Nemo]

1. Smacks of royalty: That's a father caring about his son and his president.

[havocmom]

2. meh, more like guilt getting the best of him so he overcompensates

and keeps backing the monster he created.

[aquart]

8. Guilt?

Not applicable. Remaking Poppy into a caring human being because he seems to be a contrast to George is beyond wrong.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. How do you bring back a dead man?

but you are defending a man who has the potential to become just as ruthless in the US... and has become just as ruthless in Iraq

Your son will not be judged kindly Sir

[dantyrant]

5. Nor will his father...

and, nor will he.

George Bush: The Unauthorized Biography by Tarpley and Chaitkin describes Bush41 as an "American Caligula"... the title's funny, but the book makes a strong case.

[Caretha]

21. I believe that he's

outdone Sadamm Hussein with over a million civilian deaths in Iraq and 4.5 million or so refugees. But gee, that's just me and my dumb math skills.

[xxqqqzme]

36. Those tales of saddam's

murdering, torturous ways seem terribly shallow at this point.

OK, we can all agree saddam was a tyrant. How does that excuse invading & occupying an entire civilian population? To say nothing of the wanton destruction of their infrastructure, schools & hospitals w/ 1/3 of the population now refugees.

[nadinbrzezinski]

50. Not yet, you are forgetting the Iran-Iraq war

but he is getting damn close

[PsychobluesIsNo1]

4. Expected, don't you think?

Parental defense is as old as mankind itself. Personally, I think the ol' man enormously more intelligent than his very clearly flawed offspring. That really doesn't give either an excuse, does it?

[NanceGreggs]

6. Didn't Poppy sing this same tune last year ...

... and the year before that, and the year before that?

This song is almost as old, tired and shopworn as Poppy himself.

[Binka]

31. No Shit Nance. Another Version Of " My Boy Ain't No Fuck Wad"

What utter crap that we have to hear yet another tune from the enabler yet AGAIN. What a bunch of narcissistic FUCKWITTAGES!

[Proud Liberal Dem]

7. Straw Man Alert!!!

Is he talking about the SAME Saddam Hussein that he, Reagan, Rumsfield, et. al......were best buddies with during the 1980's? Didn't they sell Saddam a lot of the weapons that he used to kill his own people? Methinks his moral authority on this issue is more than a little compromised. Also, he obviously must have failed to notice that Bush Jr. has done an ironically remarkable job of preserving Saddam's legacy through his perpetuation of strategies/policies that have led, in one way or another, to the deaths of innumerable innocent Iraqi citizens, first by "shocking and awing" them during the initial invasion, and then by allowing public disorder (i.e. looting) and terrorism to run rampant following the fall of Saddam's regime, condoning/supporting TORTURE of prisoners (in Saddam's most infamous prison no less!), failing to secure weapons caches, neglecting vital civilian infrastructure, and allowing cronyism, economic exploitation, and corruption to take hold and fester unchecked. Heckuva job, Bushie!
:sarcasm:

[SpiralHawk]

12. "Puh-lease don't bring that up." - Rummy

[jordi_fanclub]

9. SENILITY: loss of cognitive abilities (as memory) associated with old age

Excerpt from "Why We Didn't Remove Saddam" by George Bush and Brent Scowcroft, Time (2 March 1998):

"While we hoped that popular revolt or coup would topple Saddam, neither the U.S. nor the countries of the region wished to see the breakup of the Iraqi state. We were concerned about the long-term balance of power at the head of the Gulf. Trying to eliminate Saddam, extending the ground war into an occupation of Iraq, would have violated our guideline about not changing objectives in midstream, engaging in "mission creep," and would have incurred incalculable human and political costs. Apprehending him was probably impossible. We had been unable to find Noriega in Panama, which we knew intimately. We would have been forced to occupy Baghdad and, in effect, rule Iraq. The coalition would instantly have collapsed, the Arabs deserting it in anger and other allies pulling out as well. Under those circumstances, furthermore, we had been self-consciously trying to set a pattern for handling aggression in the post-cold war world. Going in and occupying Iraq, thus unilaterally exceeding the U.N.'s mandate, would have destroyed the precedent of international response to aggression we hoped to establish. Had we gone the invasion route, the U.S. could conceivably still be an occupying power in a bitterly hostile land. It would have been a dramatically different--and perhaps barren--outcome."
http://www.thememoryhole.org/mil/bushsr-iraq.htm

[kelligesq]

10. Odd how he cries whenever he talks about his son, the president

personally my thought is if pappy weren't still around
junior would have been run out of the wh long ago. pappy is
the one with the connections and the friends in all kinds of
places.  when he goes, imho , junior will stop being tolerated
by lots of people including some oil rich people.

[krj44]

11. yes bring

sadamne ass back,we ought to mind our own godamn business and take care of the usa.

[Dulcinea]

13. What do you expect?

"My son is a world-class f**kup who's driving this country into the ground?" No father would say that out loud!

But I'd bet that Bush Sr. wonders every day how he went so wrong with the DictatorTot.

[oscarmitre]

14. I just wish

all of the Bushes would just fuck off.

[Binka]

32. Pithy And Exactly How I Feel

How is Oz? Are you about to toss How-Weird to the curb anytime soon?

[rodeodance]

gawd-give it break poppy. your little son made a big boo boo!

[rodeodance]

15. gawd-give it break poppy. your little son made a big boo boo!

[Maeve]

16. Does he have no idea how patetic that sounds? 'Leave junior alone!'

Sorry, I forgot...he has a tin ear.
'Message--I care.' :eyes:

[formercia]

17. Saddam is dead

so, why are we still in Iraq?


Poppy has his head up his ass.

[Ganja Ninja]

18. With a boy like George who needs Saddam?

He's at least twice the killer Saddam was.

[formercia]

20. Saddam went after his enemies

Junior kills indiscriminately.


Junior prefers the 'Kill 'em all. let God sort them out' approach.

[City Lights]

19. If getting rid of Saddam was a priority, why didn't you do it in 1991?

You're a filthy liar!

Critter sizing the pezidunce is grossly unfair! Leave mah boy alone!

:puke:

[Barrett808]

33. But Saddam's brutality was just fine when he was your client, eh Poppy?

I remember you dissing the Amnesty reports on Saddam's brutality -- until it became convenient to embrace them in late 1990.

[Kipper58]

35. See my sig line!!!

[City Lights]

42. ...

:thumbsup:

[TheCowsCameHome]

22. I wonder if he regrets the day in October 1945 when he and Babs got it on

And launched this demon...............

[pink-o]

53. Y'know that old witch (Alistair Crowley's Daughter)

Babs is proof that men will fuck anything available.

And W is Crowley's grandson. I guess sociopathic, narcissistic evil is genetic. Who knew?

[tanyev]

23. Yes, Poopy, there are a lot of Iraqis who wish they had Saddam back.

Why Bush's Iraq is Worse Than Saddam's
By WILLIAM BLUM

National Public Radio foreign correspondent Loren Jenkins, serving in NPR's Baghdad bureau, met earlier this month with a senior Shiite cleric, a man who was described in the NPR report as "a moderate" and as a person trying to lead his Shiite followers into practicing peace and reconciliation. He had been jailed by Saddam Hussein and forced into exile. Jenkins asked him: "What would you think if you had to go back to Saddam Hussein?" The cleric replied that he'd "rather see Iraq under Saddam Hussein than the way it is now."

When one considers what the people of Iraq have experienced as a result of the American bombings, invasion, regime change, and occupation since 2003, should this attitude be surprising, even from such an individual? I was moved to compile a list of the many kinds of misfortune which have fallen upon the heads of the Iraqi people as a result of the American liberation of their homeland. It's depressing reading, and you may not want to read it all, but I think it's important to have it summarized in one place.

http://www.counterpunch.org/blum06222006.html

[KansDem]

24. Q: What's worse than one Bush meddling in world affairs?

A:

[LynnTheDem]

25. Reasons Not to Invade Iraq, By George Bush Sr.

"Going in and occupying Iraq, thus unilaterally exceeding the United Nations' mandate, would have destroyed the precedent of international response to aggression that we hoped to establish. Had we gone the invasion route, the United States could conceivably still be an occupying power in a bitterly hostile land."
-President GHW Bush, 1998
http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/iraq/history/2003/0419reasonsnot.htm

[Zorra]

26. The nut didn't fall far from the tree, did it? n/t

[sutz12]

27. Must be all right, then, if Daddy likes it.... nt

[Javaman]

28. This is like hamlet, macbeth and a comedy of errors all rolled into one. nt

[MotorCityMan]

29. Good Lord, how many times has he had to defend *?

And does anyone care what he thinks? Not like you're getting an unbiased opinion.

* is in his sixties, and daddy still has to tell people to stop picking on his widdle baby.

:puke:

[blm]

30. Bill Clinton was defending Bush on Iraq, too, during his June2004 book tour

and neither Clinton adjusted their support for Bush's decisions on Iraq until Lieberman lost his primary race in 2006.


http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/06/19/clinton.iraq/

How soon too many Dems forget.

[BootinUp]

49. the Clinton haters are baaaaaaaack! nt

[fooj]

52. No kidding.

With friends like him, who the hell needs enemies.

[kayakjohnny]

34. daddy daddy they're all making fun of me

[bdamomma]

37. another dimwit protecting another dimwit.

he has protecting him for years. So sad these people need to crawl back under their rocks.

[Betty]

38. You're stil a wimp, George,

as is your little chicken hawk idiot puppet son.

[pinniped]

39. I don't think turd Sr. will change anyone's mind on turd Jr.

.

[young_at_heart]

40. If "extraordinary brutality" is the criteria for war, then there are many others

Has Bush Sr. always supported 'W' throughout his life?

[chelsea0011]

41. I think the thousands upon thousands of dead children, women, and men

might like a voice on whether or not they would rather have had Sadaam stay in power.

[lunatica]

43. The Bush family and the dark side of the US go hand in hand

Think about it. The secretive dark side of the CIA, Prescott Bush's attempted coup against Franklin Roosevelt and his plan to install a Nazi-like government, GHW Bush's covert dealings with Noriega and drugs, guns and coups which, when Noriega threatened to tell about his relationship with Bush prompted GHW Bush to invaded a country and kill innocent civilians just to shut Noriega up. The Carlyle Group which is one of the major suppliers of arms to the world. GHW Bush starting a war in Somalia because he hated losing to Bill Clinton. And that's just scratching the surface. Even dumbshit brother Neil is screwing with children with his education software, enabled by his brother Jeb and George. Failed S&Ls, where not only did people lose everything they had in savings but the government bails the Bush's out so they don't lose anything themselves. I bet you can find a Bush under every rotted rock if you look long enough.

[cyr330]

44. as if HE's got room to talk. . .

A shitty president (Bush I) making up excuses for any even shittier one (Bush II). Sheesh. I thought I had seen it all!

Bush I should go to jail along with his son.

[superconnected]

45. Go back to dubai dumbshit, america doesn't want you here.

[IndianaGreen]

46. Poppy defends Junior, Bill defends Hil

Haven't we had enough of our royals?

[fooj]

51. Yes, indeed.

Let's not forget Bill covering the sins of Poppy which ultimately gave us Junior with a big, fat Clintonian bow tied around it. Sickening. Guess they all have a deep aversion to the rule of law.

[Islander Expat]

57. Double yes indeedy, you hit the nail on the head......

Clinton-Bushes, birds of a feather.

[humbled_opinion]

60. Too bad they weren't Birds of a Feather ...

that were blown together... We would be rid of the whole lot by now... I mean Congress does impeach when a Cock and a mouth are involved..... but human beings slaughtered nah... no action required for that.

[SammyWinstonJack]

47. Time for lil' georgie to stand on his own two feet and take responsibility for his actions.

Way past time!

What I think is grossly unfair is how his pampered son has fucked everything up!

Also, talk about extraordinary brutality, I think lil georgie is the epitome of that!

[BootinUp]

48. Fuck your spawn's legacy

stop trying to puff it up.

[Canuckistanian]

54. Aw, how touching

Daddy Bush is looking out for his "poor, misunderstood" son.

So, those wheelbarrows full of cash, new jobs, political connections and international contacts didn't quite make a man of him yet?

Well, he still has the basement at Kennebunkport. Any time he wants to come home.

[Cha]

55. You know what the fucktard is gonna say..

pappyshit just threatened us with another bush going into politics, last week. Can't we get him on Terrorism or some such shite?

[Algorem]

56. the Pacific sharks let the world down in 1944

[dipsydoodle]

58. Wanker

.

[earth mom]

59. Does anyone expect anything other from the leader of the BFEE?

:puke:

[Doctor_J]

61. What a miserable old bitch

He raised Jr to be a lazy, cowardly loser, and refuses to this day to make his miserable spawn stand up for himself. The Bush family has done more damage to the world than the Hitler family.

[Jacobin]

62. GHWB Publicly supports an utterly disasterous policy for his country

to try to make his idiot-psychotic spawn feel better?

Gee what a fucking patriot.

[tomg]

63. Oh, my god. We used to just support terrorists, but

now we support Vampire and Zombie Terrorists:

"Do they want to bring back Saddam Hussein."

[Honeycombe8]

64. Blood and Money. What the Bushes are all about. nt

[MadMaddie]

65. This is the type of parent that never disciplined their child

when they had a chance to make a difference....

We always here about how bad a parent is when the child, teenager or grown adult is minority or poor don't we?

Poppy wants a slide because he is rich.....I say absolutely not.....he raised this sociopath....and he should take responsibility for his spawn..

[Paladin]

66. His Son's Biography Didn't Start Until Age 40

Of course the old man's defending his no-account boy---he's been doing it for decades. Probably the only solice that George I has is that George II looks good to him, compared to son Neil.....

[LeftishBrit]

67. If you're over 60 and the most powerful person in the world...

you shouldn't need to run to daddy for protection every time someone says something nasty to you.