The Bush-Aznar Conversation "What emerges is a president full of swagger "

[L. Coyote]

The Bush-Aznar Conversation
BY Scott Horton - Sep 27, 2007
http://www.harpers.org/archive/2007/09/hbc-90001303

I agree with Ken Silverstein (http://harpers.org/archive/2007/09/hbc-90001301) – the note published yesterday by Spain’s El País of a conversation which occurred between President Bush and then-Prime Minister José Maria Aznar is a major further breakthrough in understanding the attitude of President Bush in the weeks just preceding the invasion of Iraq. The document is not quite as damning at the Downing Street papers, but it does tend to reinforce the major thrust of the British notes on Bush’s pre-invasion rants.

It is to be stressed that, as was the case with the British documents, this note is particularly credible in that it was recorded by a close ally which was publicly committed to supporting, and did support, Bush in his drive against Iraq.

What emerges is a president full of swagger noting how he will use the great resources of the United States to press other nations (specifically here: members of the Security Council) into line in upcoming votes. He is also resolved to proceed with the invasion no matter what the Security Council does, and no matter what Saddam does. He feigns certitude about his conclusions on Saddam’s involvement with WMD programs—though we now know that the intelligence community had come to discount the supposed evidence for Saddam’s pursuit of WMDs at the time. His convictions are delusional, or they are mere pretense.

Today, the Washington Post publishes a translation (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/26/AR2007092602414.html?hpid=topnews&sid=ST2007092602485) of the El País story with commentary. ........