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Bush: I Lie to the Soldiers to Make Them Feel Good

ABC:

Bush conceded earlier that before the surge began last year, he was pessimistic about the way the war in Iraq was going.

“How worried were you?” Raddatz asked.

“I was worried. Look, I’m worried any time it looks like we’re going to fail in Iraq,” Bush said.

During that time in 2006, when many were saying Iraq was in a full-blown civil war, Bush kept his rhetoric upbeat, saying in speeches that We’re winning” and “We have a plan for victory.”

Raddatz asked the president about that, and the president insisted he did it to keep up troop morale.

“That’s as much to try and bolster the spirits of the people in the field as well — you can’t have the commander in chief say to a bunch of kids who are sacrificing that either it’s not worth it or you’re losing. What does that do for morale?” Bush said.

— Scott

This entry was posted on Saturday, April 12th, 2008 at 10:58 pm   You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Comments

  1. Nergol

    April 13th, 2008 at 4:18 am

    In related news, just a little justice has been served, in that no one wants to hire renowned torturer, perjurer, and general liar for hire Alberto Gonzales:

    http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/13/washington/13gonzales.html

  1. Anders

    April 13th, 2008 at 6:43 am

    Hah, he just comes right out and says it.

    I sense a sticker coming on ? :)

  1. Anders

    April 13th, 2008 at 7:23 am

    Heres a good picture that might make a good bumper sticker

  1. Mace Price

    April 13th, 2008 at 12:26 pm

    …Not yet you haven’t.

  1. Scott

    April 13th, 2008 at 2:02 pm

    http://www.northstarwriters.com/ct089.htm

    Odom also made hash of claims that Al Qaeda will have a staging area in Iraq for further attacks against the United States if we withdraw our entire military presence.

    “The Sunnis will soon destroy Al Qaeda if we leave Iraq,” Odom said. “The Kurds do not allow them in their region, and the Shiites, like the Iranians, detest Al Qaeda. To understand why, one need only take note of the Al Qaeda public diplomacy campaign over the past year or so on Internet blogs. They implore the United States to bomb and invade Iran and destroy this apostate Shiite regime.

    “As an aside, it gives me pause to learn that our vice president and some members of Congress are aligned with Al Qaeda on spreading the war to Iran.”

  1. Anders

    April 13th, 2008 at 2:16 pm

    “As an aside, it gives me pause to learn that our vice president and some members of Congress are aligned with Al Qaeda on spreading the war to Iran.”

    Brilliant. Totally true as well. Cheneys and the neo-cons are with al qeada on Iran.

  1. Mace Price

    April 13th, 2008 at 2:49 pm

    …Hey Dirty Dick?…Dude??…In my book a covert buddyin’ up with the fuckin’ Qaeda is wrong!

  1. AA

    April 13th, 2008 at 3:46 pm

    Okay, I realize this may not be an ideal place to post this but I thought that you Stressbloggers should have a look at this propaganda:

    Let’s ‘Surge’ Some More

    The U.S. military is the most respected institution in Iraq, and many Iraqi boys dream of becoming American soldiers. Yes, young Iraqi boys know about “GoArmy.com.”

    As the outrages of Abu Ghraib faded in memory – and paled in comparison to al Qaeda’s brutalities – and our soldiers under the Petraeus strategy got off their big bases and out of their tanks and deeper into the neighborhoods, American values began to win the war.

    Iraqis came to respect American soldiers as warriors who would protect them from terror gangs. But Iraqis also discovered that these great warriors are even happier helping rebuild a clinic, school or a neighborhood. They learned that the American soldier is not only the most dangerous enemy in the world, but one of the best friends a neighborhood can have.
    …to say that the tribes who fight with us are “rented” is perhaps as vile a slander as to say that George Washington’s men would have left him if the British offered a better deal.

    This leads us to the most out-of-date aspect of the Senate debate: the argument about the pace of troop withdrawals. Precisely because we have made so much political progress in the past year, rather than talking about force reduction, Congress should be figuring ways and means to increase troop levels. For all our successes, we still do not have enough troops.

    Over the past 15 months, we have proved that we can win this war. We stand now at the moment of truth. Victory – and a democracy in the Arab world – is within our grasp. But it could yet slip away if our leaders remain transfixed by the war we almost lost, rather than focusing on the war we are winning today.

    http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120787343563306609.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries

  1. Bob Bogus

    April 13th, 2008 at 4:00 pm

    It’s hard to believe that anyone is dumb enough or brainwashed enough to buy that War Street Urinal bullshit. But many do, far too many.

  1. Anders

    April 13th, 2008 at 4:14 pm

    Someone must have some very incriminating pictures of the guy who wrote that drivel.

  1. Mace Price

    April 13th, 2008 at 4:45 pm

    …Yeah, plus it’s not very good Propaganda either; even for the semi-Literate…With a few key Historical adjustments, what ya got here in essence is an American version of Algeria…Complete with Torture driven Intelligence.

  1. Anders

    April 13th, 2008 at 4:49 pm

    “Over the past 15 months, we have proved that we can win this war. ”

    Haven’t the last 15 months been the worst RE US soldier deaths ? i know last year was THE deadliest year of the war with regard US deaths.

  1. Mace Price

    April 13th, 2008 at 5:30 pm

    …Take it from me, once you Fuck up?—You have to face the consequences—Of course there are fuck ups, and then there are fuck ups. Indeed, the neo-Cons realized this paradigm long before they husbanded the Invasion of Iraq; and as a result? The consequences will be a Permanent Military Occupation…Which is precisely what Wolfowitz, Feith, Abrams, Perle, their supplicant Cheney, and the rest of The Clean Breakers who gave us this disaster…Had in mind all along…

  1. Mace Price

    April 13th, 2008 at 5:36 pm

    …What are ya gonna do??—Lemme know?

  1. phil

    April 13th, 2008 at 7:04 pm

    Yeah, but we still have to suffer the consequences to pay for their stupidity and poor leadership.

    But one consolation is that their place in history is guaranteed. And it won’t be very flattering either.

  1. Mace Price

    April 13th, 2008 at 8:20 pm

    …Yeah I guess so, but, some of us aren’t inclined to take it sittin’ down. I recall someone at Stress once commented “Just how many Arabs do we have to see slaughtered wholesale in the ironic name of “Iraqi Freedom” before this Bloodletting ends?…I think it was SteveC.

  1. Mace Price

    April 13th, 2008 at 9:10 pm

    …As the much patronized Bukowski once observed…”Death wants more death.” So be it, I’d have to say the Grim Reaper is a today a most happy presence.

  1. Troy

    April 13th, 2008 at 9:15 pm

    “Just how many Arabs do we have to see slaughtered wholesale in the ironic name of “Iraqi Freedom” before this Bloodletting ends?”

    There’s still oil and Israel there, so there’s no reason for them to stop.

  1. stevec

    April 13th, 2008 at 9:18 pm

    Yeah I guess so, but, some of us aren’t inclined to take it sittin’ down. I recall someone at Stress once commented “Just how many Arabs do we have to see slaughtered wholesale in the ironic name of “Iraqi Freedom” before this Bloodletting ends?…I think it was SteveC.

    Nope…. Wasn’t me.

  1. Mace Price

    April 13th, 2008 at 9:44 pm

    …OK SteveC, maybe, if it wasn’t you? It might have been Phil….I’ll remember soon as I’m sober…Still, in my book? It might as well have been one of us “Radicals”…Past that Brethren? Consider: Words are like bullets, the more you fire—The greater the probability of say…7 out of 1000 striking, and thus compromising, the essence of the Adversary’s lying Polemic…and allow me to say that the current Adversary’s canned Polemic? Is manifestly weak…heh heh heh.

  1. Bob Bogus

    April 14th, 2008 at 1:50 am

    Shit, it looks like Barr has gone off the rails when it comes to South America. When I said my vote for Ron Paul was the last vote I would ever cast, it looks like that is still gonna stand…Fuck voting…

    http://antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=12689

  1. Bob Bogus

    April 14th, 2008 at 1:51 am

    And fuck politicians…

  1. Mace Price

    April 14th, 2008 at 1:58 am

    …Amen Brother.

  1. Oscar Goldman

    April 14th, 2008 at 3:38 am

    It’s possible that he’s uninformed, and lacking advisors and staff to help him formulate a cohesive libertarian stance on things. Perhaps that could change…?

  1. phil

    April 14th, 2008 at 7:28 am

    Mace

    Not my words either……. but most of this country is indeed “laying down”.

    I was active in local politics and charity groups, even did guest commentary for Gannett newspapers on behalf of Ron Paul. While many agreed with me and supported him, the ones who disagreed had absolutely no clue as to what they were talking about. Even our local leaders, some of whom are friends, have no idea what they are doing or have any true knowledge of what is going on around us. The reason for the others that are in government is to get whatever it is they want to get out of it (ie: higher office, better pension, zoning issues, etc).

    I know 2 people who joined the planning board, voted on and influenced issues that were obvious conflicts of interest. After getting what they want, they quit as they didn’t even have the decency to finish their terms. One other guy who used to be on the planning board is trying to get a local ice cream parlor shut down that borders his property because he claims the site plan wasn’t followed properly (the drive thru speaker bothers him), even though the government sponsored engineering firm approved it. Now, the town government comes after the ice cream parlor and lets the engineering firm off the hook. The funny thing about this case is that this guy sold this commercially zoned property years ago! Its really his own fault for sellling it rather than using it as a buffer zone.

    Then we have the “Environmentalist” who doesn’t want kids playing in the park across the street from her mansion so she runs for Council and tries to disband the Recreation Commission and stock it with her cronies.

    Most still see the government as something that will get them what they want, when they want it. Until that mindset changes, things will go on the same.

  1. Bob Bogus

    April 14th, 2008 at 11:29 am

    Damn, this blog is infested with McCain ads and when ya click on them the McCainiac yells at you. But everytime you click on them it costs McCainiacs campaign go I click the hell out of ‘em. Hah!

  1. stevec

    April 14th, 2008 at 11:34 am

    BB:

    I had the ceiling put in my basement. I’m getting “prepared” …

    What is the verdict on the HEMP? Does it have a place in my Bunker…. er Compound…. er Domestic Preparedness Center???

  1. Anders

    April 14th, 2008 at 11:38 am

    Poor lad. Sounds like he’s making the best of things though, good luck to him.

  1. Anders

    April 14th, 2008 at 11:45 am

    oops wrong thread :)

  1. Mechanized

    April 14th, 2008 at 2:24 pm

    Speaking of lies and excuses, the incessant support for the invasion and continued occupation of Iraq by evangelicals has become quite tiring.

  1. Bob Bogus

    April 14th, 2008 at 2:50 pm

    Yes Stevec, ya ought to give’em a try but I’d go with the smallest quantity so you can see how you like them since they cost a lot.

  1. phil

    April 14th, 2008 at 2:57 pm

    Regarding the Criswell who wrote the article referred to be Mechanized…… His predictions will be just as accurate as this Criswell.

    http://www.criswellpredicts.com/criswell.htm

    God forbid that any of these ministers promote peace!!

  1. Scott

    April 14th, 2008 at 3:05 pm

    Promoting peace is how you can tell they’re the devil.

  1. phil

    April 14th, 2008 at 3:09 pm

    The guys who promote war the best always seem to be in a higher economic bracket too, ever notice?

  1. Mace Price

    April 14th, 2008 at 9:08 pm

    …Yes I have Phil, it never fails.

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