Bush said Iraq talks concerned Afghanistan

[JoFerret]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040417/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_iraq&cid=544&ncid=1480

WASHINGTON - Following an important meeting on Iraq (news - web sites) war planning in late 2001, President Bush (news - web sites) told the public that the discussions was about Afghanistan (news - web sites). He made no mention afterward about Iraq even though that was the real focus of the session at his ranch.

"I'm right now focused on the military operations in Afghanistan," Bush told reporters after talks on Dec. 28, 2001, with top aides and generals.

A "war update" was the White House description of the news conference Bush held with Gen. Tommy Franks, who was in charge of the Afghan war as head of U.S. Central Command.

Details of the meeting's focus on Iraq have since emerged in a recent speech by Franks, who now is retired, and in a new book by Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward.
<more>
Want fries with that whopper?

[displacedtexan]

1. Wait! There's more!

One reporter reminded Bush that "you've talked about 2002 being a year of war. What can you say to prepare the American people for what that vision is, what they need to be prepared for, as compared to what they've seen in Afghanistan?"

Bush replied: "I hope 2002 is a year of peace, but I'm also realistic. And I know full well that bin Laden and his cronies would like to harm America again; bin Laden and his cronies would like to harm our allies. How do I know that? I receive intelligence reports on a daily basis that indicates that that's his desires."

[qanda]

2. Let's see, how will they weasel out of this lie...

"Well, we mentioned that we were going to pull troops out of Afghanistan to send them to Iraq. So we *were* discussing Afghanistan."

[Kahuna]

3. That is one lying SOB... I've never seen anything like it.

:puke: :puke: :puke:

No. Kerry wasn't telling the truth when he said these were the most crooked, lying bunch he's ever seen. :eyes:

[JoFerret]

7. Lying is just second nature to both Bush and Cheney

.

[Occulus]

21. Try again.

It's their first nature.

[DeepModem Mom]

4. Did the meeting occur as we lost Osama at Tora Bora???

"The meeting occurred while U.S. forces were in the heat of searching through the mountainous region of Afghanistan where Osama bin Laden had been hiding near Tora Bora."

Wes Clark talked about this repeatedly, from a military standpoint, bungling the chance to get Osama at Tora Bora. Our troops are combing the mountains for Bin Laden, and probably close, and these effers are busy planning a war with Iraq? In Crawford!

[JoFerret]

8. Now THAT would be worth following up

.

[janx]

9. Yes. It took place at around that time. But although Bush and Franks were

at the ranch, Cheney and Rumsfeld weren't. They were taking their own respective vacations--Rummy at his place in Taos, and Cheney at his in Wyoming. Only Condi and Powell were in D.C. The meeting was done via teleconference or videoconference, allowing our leaders to enjoy their respective vacations while still conducting business.

[UpInArms]

5. also in the Boston Globe

http://www.boston.com/dailynews/108/wash/Bush_told_public_that_importan:.shtml

The books says Franks presented a list of assumptions that were behind the plan. They included that Iraq would be the main effort of the United States and would get priority on resources, and that the Afghan operation and the global fight against terrorism would provide a noise level under which Iraq operations could proceed. But these efforts would not diminish the Afghan or terrorism efforts.

[janx]

10. That's the most insulting thing I've heard so far.

That is beyond belief.

These guys belong in jail.

[JoFerret]

11. Woodward...CIA?

...it makes you wonder. Agreed -this is beyond bad. Such liars and betrayers. And now....for them....we have the deaths of thousands.

[janx]

12. God only knows how Woodward gets his information.

He has a good track record. I do wonder now if his first book about Chimpy wasn't some kind of a set-up. I suspect that the guy knows how and when to be very quiet.

[JoFerret]

14. He has to be making up some of the conversation

...he has Chimpy speaking in synatctically complex sentences.

[UpInArms]

6. kick

:kick:

[snippy]

13. This is the headline at http://www.sfgate.com/ "Bush Lied About Iraq Talk"

[JoFerret]

20. A much better headline.

.

[Snellius]

15. Bush also used $700 million Congress approved for Afghanistan

and spent it to prepare to invade Iraq, a violation of the separation of powers and Congress's constitutional authority to approve military funding.

[DeepModem Mom]

16. kicking for a.m. --

[Judi Lynn]

17. Kick!

:kick:

[robbedvoter]

18. Awww! pete Yost - AP wingnut and shill extraordinaire pushing Woody's

non-news book! Buy people - you'll find out how W bravely tried to resist mean tenet who imposed war on him! :puke:

here's the story for free and more complete:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A43909-2003Jan11?language=printer

also on that very topic from Aug 2002:

e

August 22, 2002

Bush snubs doves and says Saddam must go
From Tim Reid in Washington

PRESIDENT BUSH has reaffirmed his determination to oust
President Saddam
Hussein. He said the Iraqi leader was a threat and that his
removal was "in the
interest of the world".
His remarks came after he dismayed opponents of unilateral
military action against
Iraq by meeting what will, in effect, become his war cabinet,
made up entirely of pro-
invasion hawks.

Most significant of all was the absence of Colin Powell, the
dovish Secretary of State,
from the private talks at the President's ranch in Texas.

After the meeting Mr Bush said that Iraq had not been discussed
and promised to be
patient and consult allies before any military action. But he
added: "One thing is for
certain. This Administration agrees that Saddam Hussein is a
threat. Regime-change
is in the interest of the world."

The White House said the meeting was primarily about the
defence Budget.

snip

The news that General Powell had not been invited to the
meeting in Crawford, but
was instead on holiday in the Hamptons, near New York, caused
disquiet among the
growing list of notable opponents to a hasty invasion, which
now includes many senior
Republicans and Norman Schwarzkopf, the retired general who led
the allied forces in
the Gulf War.

EDITED BY ADMIN: COPYRIGHT

more...http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-391008,00.html

[Moderator]

19. robbedvoter

Per DU copyright rules
please post only four
paragraphs from the
news source.

Thank you.

DU Moderator