http://electioncentral.tpmcafe.com/blog/electioncentral/2007/apr/24/bush_2006_elections_were_mandate_for_surgeBush: 2006 Elections Showed Mandate For "Surge"
By Greg Sargent | bio
Update: It gets even more intriguing. Steve Benen points out that Bush's argument today was strikingly similar to a Charles Krauthammer column from ten days ago.Amazing. President Bush just wrapped up his latest attack on Congressional Dems over Iraq. Check out this remarkable bit of rhetorical hocus-pocus: (video at link)
Here's a transcript:
Last November the American people said they were frustrated and wanted change in our strategy in Iraq. I listened. Today General David Petraeus is carrying out a strategy that is dramatically different from our previous course. But the American people did not vote for failure, and that is precisely what the Democratic leadership’s bill would guarantee.Got that? The American people voted in 2006 for a change of course in Iraq. Bush gave them a change of course in the form of a "surge." This shows, therefore, that he listened to the American people and gave them the change they wanted.
Never mind, of course, that Bush gave them precisely the opposite change that they asked for. It's sad that this needs to be restated, but polls have consistently shown majorities favoring withdrawal from Iraq and strong majorities opposed to the surge. Here's one. And here's another. The only thing you can do when confronted by such transparently deceptive rhetoric is sit back and marvel at the sheer audacity and desperation of it.
Relatedly, it's also worth noting that Bush actually may be right that Americans didn't vote for "failure." Because according to some polls, Americans simply don't appear to see the prospect of withdrawal in such terms -- that is, in the terms Bush wants them to. While I haven't been able to find perfect polling on that question, some surveys are suggestive. Polls show that Americans reject the notion that withdrawal is equivalent to surrender, and also reject the notion that it would represent a setback in the broader "war on terror."
So maybe the President got that one right, at least.