Hoax from the Left?

[usregimechange]

Democrats.com and other sites quote Bush saying this of Bin Laden: "I don't know where he is and I really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority."

That appears to be a hoax. These are as close as I could find:

"So I don't know where he is. You know, I just don't spend that much time on him, Kelly, to be honest with you."

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/03/2002031...

[Occulus]

1. Almost as bad, IMO.

[Clete]

2. I have a foggy memory of Rummydumdummy saying something

similar, but I can't prove it.

[Cha]

3. I trust democrats.com and I don't trust the white house.

If they said bush said then I believe they heard it or read it.

[NWHarkness]

4. Well....

that's much less of a distortion of what was said than claiming that Al Gore said he invented the internet.

[usregimechange]

6. Still

don't we need to be honest when calling W on items? If not we look like idiots! The truth about W is bad enough, lets not perpetuate lies. no where does any legit news source quote him saying he doesn't care!

[never cry wolf]

5. Why do you say that?

Just because it's not on the propoganda central website??

COLUMN: The president's often short attention span
By Jeff Postelwait
Daily O'Collegian (Oklahoma State U.)
04/28/2003

(U-WIRE) STILLWATER, Okla. — "Dead or alive," said the president. We were promised Osama bin Laden's head on a platter. On Sept. 13, 2001, President Bush said this to a grieving and shocked nation, "The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him." But then his focus shifted and there was a new public enemy number one: Saddam Hussein. Eighteen months later to the day, President Bush said this of bin Laden, "I don't know where he is and I really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority."

here's where i found it:http://www.pbs.org/weta/washingtonweek/voices/200304/04...

[usregimechange]

9. ?

Where is his source? Where did W say it at?

[Cha]

19. I just knew! There ...democrats.com works really really hard...

and the white house is made up of Lies!

[Mz Pip]

7. They don't care

THat's how they act anyway. Bin Laden is only mentioned when Bush needs to remind us that the war on terra will be a long one, lasting well into his next term. THe subtext is that we'd better re-selct him or we'll never get him

MzPip

[Tinoire]

8. I specifically recall Bush saying

that Bin Laden was not a priority. Yahoo yanked the story I had bookmarked shortly after it came out (a few weeks).

If you can't find the words, I'd suggest Bush's comportment and actions should be enough to convince anyone that that's exactly how he feels.

[roughsatori]

10. Your link is to a known Hoax site! NT

[Melsky]

13. it's not a hoax site

perhaps you are thinking of www.whitehouse.org which is a parody.

And a very funny one too!

[roughsatori]

14. I know exactly what site it is, and I reiterate it is a Hoax Site

I've been to www.whitehouse.org many times. As have I to the original posters link to that obvious Hoax site sponsored by our tax dollars.

[salin]

20. For an example...

listen to the president make a speech- tape it. Then read the "cleaned up" transcript that appears on the linked site. Voila - no more president potatoe - just clean the errors up, and they never happened. And that doesn't even get into the number of documented lies (er... exagerations? hyperbolic statements?) made by this admin, covered on that site that gets passed off as "real". Doesn't fall under the rubric of "hoax"?

[0rganism]

15. perhaps you missed the point of roughsatori's comment

Besides, we all know whitehouse.com is where the REAL government is represented.

[usregimechange]

11. Let me

check ebsco and lexus...

[disgruntella]

12. this is it - not the exact words

But it is the same date that the quote you posted is attributed to.
(Edit: At least I think it is - are you referring to this?
"I don't know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and I really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority."
- George W. Bush, March 13, 2002.)

I included the entire response to the reporter's question so the whole context is there.

Transcript of Bush press conference
March 13, 2002 Posted: 7:35 PM EST (0035 GMT)
http://www.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/03/13/bush.transcri... /

<snip>
QUESTION: Do you believe the threat that bin Laden posed won't truly be eliminated until he is found either dead of alive?

BUSH: As I say, we hadn't heard much from him. And I wouldn't necessarily say he's at the center of any command structure. And, you know, again, I don't know where he is.

I'll repeat what I said: I truly am not that concerned about him. I know he is on the run. I was concerned about him when he had taken over a country. I was concerned about the fact that he was basically running Afghanistan and calling the shots for the Taliban.

But, you know, once we set out the policy and started executing the plan, he became -- we shoved him out more and more on the margins.

He has no place to train his al Qaeda killers anymore. And if we find a training camp, we'll take care of it -- either we will or our friends will. That's one of the things that's part of the new phase that's becoming apparent to the American people is that we're working closely with other governments to deny sanctuary or training or a place to hide or a place to raise money. And we got more work to do.

See, that's the thing the American people have got to understand -- that we've only been at this six months. This is going to be a long struggle. I keep saying that. I don't know whether you all believe me or not. But time will show you that it's going to take a long time to achieve this objective.

And I can assure you I am not going to blink, and I'm not going to get tired, because I know what is at stake. And history has called us to action and I am going to seize this moment for the good of the world, for peace in the world and for freedom.
<end snip>

(Edit: just the facts; i will reserve my editorial comment )

[usregimechange]

17. yes that is the one

and the phrase, "I don't know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and I really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority" was apparently made up.

[disgruntella]

18. well, it's more clear and concise

Than Bush's press conference rambling, IMHO.

[0rganism]

16. it appears to be an editorial summation of the press conference response

Whether or not it is an accurate one would be up to the interpretation of the reader. But you're quite right, if he didn't actually say it, we shouldn't attribute it to him as a quote.

Edit: has anyone got the realplayer link for the audio file to work?

[ConsAreLiars]

21. Where exactly

do you find the quote you attribute to "Democrats.com and other sites"?

I did a google search and found it only on two web pages - the Daily O'Collegian (Oklahoma State U.) and a reprint at one other location. You accuse Democrats.com of a faulty paraphrase (at worst) but fail to even cite the page where this allged misquote appeared. Where did you hear that this "misquote" appeared at that site. Who gave you this idea? Have you ever seen this quote anywhere other than the Oklahoma college paper I cite above? Why did you make this accusation?

[Jolene]

22. Could you please offer the link

to the democrats.com page which publishes the quote you cite?

You're talking about the image on the front page? That cites the author of both the image and the quote, and offers a link. Perhaps you should click on that link, and ask him.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

23. Nope the White House tends to scrub ther version from what I recall

Daily Howler and Media Whores have caught them doing it as have DU'ers.

[Samuraimad]

24. bingo!

fuck the WH transcripts, give me the audio!

[jenm]

25. His staff sure thinks so

The incumbent JCS chairman, GEN Richard Meyers, is on record with the following: "The goal has never been to get bin Laden." (interview on "Novak, Hunt & Shields," CNN, 5 April 2002).