The Bush and Blair press conference

On May 25, 2006, Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair held a prime time press conference at the White House. While they presented much to discuss, I will in this post focus on part of Bush's closing remarks concerning Iraq.

The final question to both men was "Could I ask both of you which missteps and mistakes of your own you most regret?"

George gave a two-part answer, the first part of which was as follows:

Sounds like kind of a familiar refrain here -- saying "bring it on," kind of tough talk, you know, that sent the wrong signal to people. I learned some lessons about expressing myself maybe in a little more sophisticated manner -- you know, "wanted dead or alive," that kind of talk. I think in certain parts of the world it was misinterpreted, and so I learned from that.

I heard various media types saying how this sort of thing was something new from ol' George. Well, on this point this was not new. As discussed in Bush almost admits a mistake, Bush made almost identical comments back on January 13, 2005, although at that time he did not call saying "dead or alive" a "regret." My, I guess he has become a changed man. Then again, maybe not. His claim that his "tough talk" was misinterpreted is just a big steaming pile of crap. How was it supposed to be interpreted? Notice that on May 25, 2006, he made no effort to explain the actual meanings he intended to convey. However, on January 13, 2005, he did offer such an explanation, namely that

"Sometimes, words have consequences you don’t intend them to mean,” Bush said Thursday. "'Bring ’em on' is the classic example, when I was really trying to rally the troops and make it clear to them that I fully understood, you know, what a great job they were doing."

I said it on January 19, 2005, and I'll say it again: bullshit.

Back in January 2005 Bush also addressed the "dead or alive" comment thusly:

Well, it was just an expression that came out. I didn’t rehearse it.’

“I don’t know if you’d call it a regret, but it certainly is a lesson that a president must be mindful of, that the words that you sometimes say. ... I speak plainly sometimes, but you’ve got to be mindful of the consequences of the words.

(emphasis added). So you see that Bush's confession on May 25, 2006, was nothing new. He simply repeated some of what he said almost a year and a half earlier. My opinion of this repeat performance is the same as the one expressed in the last paragraph of Bush almost admits a mistake. Bush's statements were bullshit then, and they are bullshit now.

The day following the press conference I heard David Brooks explain Bush's comments as a sign that the gap between what the Bush administration says in private and in public has narrowed. Brooks opined that in private the Bush administration has always been a bunch of realists while in public they have made all these ridiculously positive statements. Brooks said that this approach made administration officials seem brain dead, but that in fact they have always discussed the Iraq situation in realistic terms.

I want some of what Brooks is smoking. Perhaps Bush administration officials have not been brain dead, but they have without a doubt been arrogant, delusional, and stupid beyond comprehension. Just go to the Cosmic Wheel Index and then to the "Iraq" heading for a veritable plethora of examples of that arrogance, delusion, and stupidity.