Airport Security Officer: I heard Bush say in 1999 that he would "finish the job" in Iraq

[sabra]

Please take this story with a grain of salt...

I met an individual over the weekend who works as a security officer for a Midwest airport. He works on the team that handles security when VIP's come through the airport. So I was having a conversation with him, and the subject of Iraq came up. He then goes to me, "I knew back in 1999 that Bush would attack Iraq". That definitely got my attention, and I asked him to elaborate. He told me about how back in '99 when Bush was campaigning he had a few hours of downtime at this airport. Bush was a major schmoozer, talking it up with everyone. He then reached this one security officer, and asked him if he could count on his vote. The officer said he had one question/concern. He told Bush how he served in the Gulf war, and that he still has a sour taste because Sr. didn't "finish the job" (go after Saddam). It was then that Bush replied, that the officer has his word that when Bush would become president, he would indeed "finish the job" in Iraq.

Now this could have just been campaign rhetoric, who knows? However this story in my opinion isn't outside the realm of possibility, nor that shocking.

[BridgeTheGap]

1. Entirely plausible

The neo-cons certainly had it planned well before '99.

[EST]

2. Nifty story.

True or not, realistic or not, it serves as another indicator of the changing attitudes toward this American idol president.

[TomInTib]

3. I don't doubt it at all.

You can pick up some amazing tidbits of information in airports.

Like when I was stranded at JFK in that ice storm in February and struck up a conversation with a Delta pilot.

When I found out he was IRR and told him that I was still eligible for assignment, we started talking war stories.

He told me he knew about twenty pilots who were at Ft Lewis learning how to drive eighteen-wheelers because some genius at DoD had decided too many trucks were being blown up due to slow reaction times on the part of the drivers.

[soothsayer]

4. lol! he'll never finish the job unless the job is a cluster-eff

[Vilis Veritas]

5. That would seem to imply some sort of conspiracy...

No way. Not the neo-cons...

Do I really need the tag?

[moondust]

6. I can believe it.

You heard it everywhere: "They didn't finish the job." It was like a big red stain on the Republican balance sheet. I imagine it drove them crazy through the years to hear people keep pointing out their big shortcoming, perhaps to the point of developing an obsession to go back and "finish the job."

[kestrel91316]

7. In 2000, long before Bush was "elected", I was telling people he would

have us at war within a year of taking office, and I was right. I wasn't sure exactly who we would be at war against (Iraq was high on the list), but I KNEW he was salivating at the prospect. He telegraphed his thirst for blood with his words and body language, IMHO.

[sabra]

8. exactly, that's why the story seemed very plausible to me...

[Trillo]

9. Interesting, but "hearsay".

Too bad it's not recorded somewhere.

[damntexdem]

10. He should have construed that comment as a threat:

kept Dubya off the plane. Hell, should have arrested him as a terrorist.

;-)