Latest CHB: The White House's bitter debate over admitting a mistake

[sabra]

http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_7815.shtml

The White House's bitter debate over admitting a mistake
By DOUG THOMPSON

The debate that erupted in the Oval Office after Presidential Chief of Staff suggested President George W. Bush publicly admit that he led the country to war on the basis of false intelligence information rocked senior White House aides.

The anger that spilled from political guru Karl Rove’s lips was, according to those present at the meeting, the most vocal disagreement anyone had ever seen from the trusted advisor in front of the President. Discussions with those privy to the many meetings on determining the President's strategy show most senior aides lining up against Rove.

“This is a stupid fucking idea,” Rove said, his voice shaking. “This President doesn’t admit mistakes. A leader doesn’t acknowledge error.”

But Card, bolstered by the President’s willingness to try a new approach in speeches on Irag policy, admitting some mistakes while vowing to complete the mission in Iraq, pushed for the big one – a public Presidential admission that the intelligence information used to sell the war to Congress and the American people was wrong in the claims that Irag possessed weapons of mass destruction, posed an immediate threat to the United States or that proof existed of a link between Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden.

[mike_c]

1. it was all a smoke screen in any event....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=5601389&mesg_id=5601389

[tularetom]

2. It's CHB and it may all be bullshit

but it's always fun to read.:rofl:

[sabra]

3. that's how I look @ it.

peace.

[mattclearing]

4. CHB prints lies! -He says he sourced it! -Lies!-Sourced! -Lies!-Sourced!

Good. Now that is over with. ;)

[Spazito]

5. LOL, damn, you just ruined my popcorn popping in anticipation

of the raft of posters that always show up saying just that but, now that you have compressed it all into one post, I am not sure I need the popcorn....hmmmm....think I will continue popping just in case!

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. Oh yuo can be sure they will be here

just give it time

:popcorn:

[FreedomAngel82]

8. What I find interesting

is that Bush recently met with some democrats at the White House. Who were those democrats and why them? Harry Reid was asked if he met with Bush and he said he didn't.

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. My suspiction he met with the DLCers

also Reid not since he is a Senator and all these boys and gilrs were congress critters... care to wager the list include all who aproved of the USPA?

[DKStreet]

17. Something is definitely up

You can feel the tide turning...there is some back room dealing going on, and I think perhaps the Democrats have the upper hand.

[MostlyLurks]

7. He absolutely cannot admit it at this point.

He's said for nearly three years "I'd do it again, I'd do it again..." like some sort of fricking parrot. If he turns on that and suddenly says "I was wrong, I was wrong...", it'll lead to 2 questions he cannot answer:

Question:
Three days ago you said "I'd do it again...". What have you learned in the past three days that has changed your mind?
Answer:
There is no answer. No new information has emerged. None - it's been clear for 2.5 years that there were no WMD, clear for at least 1 yr that Iraq had become a training ground for terrorists. What new information could he point to? There isn't any, so it would be like him admitting he was just being obstinate for the sake obstinance.

Question:
So now that you know it's a mistake, will you submit specific metrics for a withdrawal if not an actual timetable?
Answer:
He can't answer that either because they don't have a plan for withdrawal and don't want one.

From a political standpoint, Rove is right: it's a dumb idea. It does not solve any of their political, image or real problems and it creates or exacerbates existing problems.

Mostly

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. Just one quible, leave the parrots out of it

trust me, they don't repeat things like well people think. We share our lives with three of them, and at times I have to wonder who is the pet and who is the owner if you get my drift. As I type my sun conure is peeking her head out from her favorite hiding, place (my shirt), my Nanday is contend by the mirror attacking his block of wood and teh cockatiel, who staid up last night very late is still sleeping.

Point I am making is that they are far more intelligent than people give them credit for... and bush is not that bright

[MostlyLurks]

12. No offense intended to parrots.

For a few months this year, I worked a 2nd job in a pet store and I always enjoyed letting the resident parrot use me as a jungle gym.

On an unrelated note, I read a really good book about animal intelligence that was filled with anecdotal evidence. One of my favorite stores involved evidence of a parrot with a sense of humor. As a fig leaf, I offer a synopsis here:

One particular woman owned several parrots. Of her menagerie, Paco and Stevie did not get along and often fought. One day, she had Stevie on her shoulder while she was cooking her dinner. The main dish was a Cornish game hen, which she removed from the oven. Upon seeing the headless, charred bird, Stevie cried out "Oh no, it's Paco." and then began to imitate the owner's laughter.

I don't know if that demonstrates that parrots have a sense of humor or not, but I always thought it was a fun story.

Mostly

[nadinbrzezinski]

13. It is a fun story

our nanday was misbeheaving one day, I mean really bad, I brought home a roasted chicken from the store. My hubby took it, showed to bird at floor level and said, "anybody you know?"

Bird started running backwards triping over tail feathers in horror. Mind you he LOVES roased chicken, just don't give it to him in any familiar form, aka he could identify.

So yes I could see that story happenening.

[MissMarple]

14. "anybody you know?" That is laugh out loud funny.

:rofl:

[mattclearing]

15. That's horrible.

Think of how you would feel if someone put some roasted human remains up in your face.

[DELUSIONAL]

11. something had to have happened to make bushie admit error

Because we all know that bushie is mr. perfect -- he who never makes a mistake. When asked if he could think of a single mistake he stammer and stuttered.

So this story is as good as any about how bushie is framing the "bad" intelligence -- but his decision to invade and murder is one he would still do -- knowing what he knows now.

O.K. so mr. bushie -- what do you know now? You haven't learned a damn thing you are now telling us that you intend to invade another country if you feel it in your gut that they need to be invaded. So will you, mr. bunny pants bushie order someone to be tortured to provide bogus "intelligence" to back up your desire for a hard on -- which we know you get when you see lots of dead bodies and bombs dropping and pieces of humans being vaporized.

Have I mentioned how much I really hate these sons of bitches? Let me add that I wish them no harm -- but I still hate them all -- all the sleazy Neo-cons and their sleazy plans for world domination.

[Ganja Ninja]

16. He admits nothing and still blames the whole thing on ...

"faulty intelligence" so I don't see what's new in any of this. When he says that he purposely plotted and lied to start a war so they could create a cash cow bonanza for the oil companies and war profiteers that support him, then and only then are we getting a true confession. Anything less is just more lies and misdirection.