Democratic Underground Latest Greatest Lobby Journals Search Options Help Login
Google

Dean: Bush does not have the "credibility" or "capability" to attack Iran.

Printer-friendly format Printer-friendly format
Printer-friendly format Email this thread to a friend
Printer-friendly format Bookmark this thread
This topic is archived.
Home » Discuss » Archives » General Discussion: Presidential (Through Nov 2009) Donate to DU
 
madfloridian Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-15-05 01:13 PM
Original message
Dean: Bush does not have the "credibility" or "capability" to attack Iran.
Transcript in pdf and video clip here:

Transcript and video clip of Dean on Face the Nation

SCHIEFFER: "I want to ask you about some politics in a minute. I want to go back to one international question. The president said earlier this week that if diplomacy fails, that we may have to resort--he said every option will be on the table including military action, concerning Iran, if they go ahead with plans that--and we begin to think they're building a nuclear weapon. What's your response to that?

Dr. DEAN: My response that that's the proper thing for any president to say. When I was
running for president I said the same thing. You can never take any option off the table. The problem with this president is he doesn't have the credibility either at home or abroad to make that into a believable statement. The problem is the president's got 138,000 people pinned down in Iraq. He doesn't have the capability to do anything in Iran nor the international support to do anything because of his extraordinary blunders so far in defending the country.

So while no president can ever take any option off the table, this president's words are--can't be take seriously by people either at home or abroad. He has allowed a real danger to the United States, which is an atomic or nuclear-armed Iran to be--to go for five years while he has focused on what I frequently refer to as the...

SCHIEFFER: But if he said we may have to resort to military action, you can see circumstances where you would support that.

Dr. DEAN: What I--I didn't say that, Bob. What I said was...(Schieffer did that to him twice, and Dean corrected him at once.)

SCHIEFFER: No. I'm just asking.

Dr. DEAN: Well, that sounded like a statement, not a question. I think obviously you have to look at what the circumstances are. The problem, again, with this president is he squandered our resources in Iraq, which was not a danger to the United States. He doesn't have much left to fight a country that is a danger to the United States. So while he--any president should always say, Democrat or Republican, that no option should be taken off the table, he lacks the credibility both here and abroad to actually exercise that option. He shouldn't say it, because it can't be delivered upon."




Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
liberalpragmatist Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-15-05 01:23 PM
Response to Original message
1. Excellent
The truth is that we, in concert with the world community, need a credible threat of force to deal with major crises, including North Korea and Iran, and places like Sudan.

But this president, having blundered us into a quagmire in Iraq has completely shot our credibility and made the world a more dangerous place. We are incapable of making credible threats of force for leverage, being bogged down in Iraq. Other threats are multiplying, Iraq is becoming a haven for international terrorism and a civil war which could cause major instability in the region, and Iran and North Korea are emboldened to do whatever they can do.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
ibegurpard Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-15-05 01:26 PM
Response to Original message
2. Not only did he squander our credibility
He squandered all of the good will the rest of the World has towards the United States.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
madfloridian Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-15-05 06:02 PM
Response to Reply #2
6. And that's not a good thing.
We are not safer than before. Bush has made a hell of mess of everything.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Immad2 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-15-05 01:34 PM
Response to Original message
3.  Go get em, Dr. Dean!
:woohoo: :applause:
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
madfloridian Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-15-05 02:27 PM
Response to Original message
4. And the link to the Crooks and Liars video clip.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
lojasmo Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-15-05 02:36 PM
Response to Original message
5. Yup. I loved that part. EOM
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
DU AdBot (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view 
this author's profile Click to add 
this author to your buddy list Click to add 
this author to your Ignore list Thu Oct 31st 2024, 06:25 PM
Response to Original message
Advertisements [?]
 Top

Home » Discuss » Archives » General Discussion: Presidential (Through Nov 2009) Donate to DU

Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators


Important Notices: By participating on this discussion board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.

Home  |  Discussion Forums  |  Journals |  Store  |  Donate

About DU  |  Contact Us  |  Privacy Policy

Got a message for Democratic Underground? Click here to send us a message.

© 2001 - 2011 Democratic Underground, LLC