Bush: Defeating Extremism by Offering Govt. Responsive to Popular Will

[BurtWorm]

"And the only way to defeat this ideology in the long term is to defeat it through another ideology, a competing ideology, one that -- where government responds to the will of the people."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/20...


It should go without saying that he was not talking about the mass focus group called America.


"Democracy is a beautiful thing, and that people are allowed to express their opinion. I welcome people's right to say what they believe. Secondly, evidently some of the world don't view Saddam Hussein as a risk to peace… you know, size of protest, it's like deciding, well, I'm going to decide policy based upon a focus group."

George W. Bush, February 18, 2003.


More interesting, Bush made this remark later in the same press conference (today's) at which he said a govt. responsive to the people's will was the best weapon against terrorism:

BUSH: I don't think you've ever heard me say: Gosh, I better change positions because the polls say this or that. I've been here long enough to understand, you cannot make good decisions if you're trying to chase a poll.

And so the second part of your question is, look, I'm going to do what I think is right, and if, you know, if people don't like me for it, that's just the way it is...

[Rex]

1. Yeah and how is that focus group working out for you

Sir Shithead? People are ALLOWED to express their opinion? Gosh and all this time I thought it was a RIGHT, not a privilege. Silly me.

[BurtWorm]

2. This is just an amazing exchange, revealing Bush's profound confusion

about what he's doing in Iraq:

BUSH: Imagine what the world would be like with him in power. The idea is to try to help change the Middle East.

Now look, part of the reason we went into Iraq was -- the main reason we went into Iraq, at the time, was we thought he had weapons of mass destruction. It turns out he didn't, but he had the capacity to make weapons of mass destruction.

But I also talked about the human suffering in Iraq. And I also saw the need to advance a freedom agenda. And so my answer to your question is that -- imagine a world in which Saddam Hussein was there, stirring up even more trouble in a part of the world that had so much resentment and so much hatred that people came and killed 3,000 of our citizens.

You know, I've heard this theory about, you know, everything was just fine until we arrived and -- you know, the stir-up-the-hornet's- nest theory. It just doesn't hold water, as far as I'm concerned.

The terrorists attacked us and killed 3,000 of our citizens before we started the freedom agenda in the Middle East. They were ...

QUESTION: What did Iraqi have to do with that?

BUSH: What did Iraq have to do with what?

QUESTION: The attacks upon the World Trade Center.

BUSH: Nothing. Except for it's part of -- and nobody's ever suggested in this administration that Saddam Hussein ordered the attack. Iraq was a -- Iraq -- the lesson of September the 11th is: Take threats before they fully materialize, Ken.

Nobody's ever suggested that the attacks of September the 11th were ordered by Iraq. I have suggested, however, that resentment and the lack of hope create the breeding grounds for terrorists who are willing to use suiciders to kill, to achieve an objective. I have made that case.

And one way to defeat that -- you know, defeat resentment -- is with hope. And the best way to do hope is through a form of government.

Now I said, going into Iraq, "We've got to take these threats seriously before they full materialize." I saw a threat.


Is this a Grover Norquist Republican speaking?! Of course Bush doesn't believe a word he's saying. But it's not clear what the hell he believes about Iraq, except that the insanity is not going to stop on his watch.

[damntexdem]

4. Dubya's profound confusion?

Or his profound continuing attempts to confuse?

[BurtWorm]

5. It may be the confusion of a liar trying desperately to get the lie right

and forgetting what he's said before. I'll grant you that.

[damntexdem]

3. Were Dubya to try "where government responds to the will of the people" ..

in Iraq, it would be the first time he'd tried it anywhere. But he won't, couldn't if he wanted to.

[MikeyJones]

6. That's an admission of guilt

"And so the second part of your question is, look, I'm going to do what I think is right, and if, you know, if people don't like me for it, that's just the way it is..."

Well that's pretty much an admission that he doesn't give a fuck what his voters and the people he supposedly serves care about. As if anybody on this board didn't already know that.

[newyawker99]

9. Hi MikeyJones!!

Welcome to DU!!

[MikeyJones]

10. Thanks for the welcome!!

Nice to meet you.

[Marrak]

7. Absolutely, Mr Preznit...

Pathetically vapid...couldn't find his ass with both hands

[BurtWorm]

8. kick