Bush: "The Iraqi people made their choice"

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

Bush Calls on Iraqis to Embrace Compromise



President Bush greets supporters after speaking about the U.S. military involvement in Iraq while at the Dorothy Betts Marvin Theatre at the George Washington University in Washington, March 13, 2006. REUTERS/Larry Downing

http://www.salon.com/wire/ap/archive.html?wire=D8GAST6G0.html

By JENNIFER LOVEN Associated Press Writer

March 13,2006 | WASHINGTON -- President Bush called on Iraqis Monday to embrace compromise as they negotiate a new unity government and asked Americans to show patience with the war even after weeks of "images of violence and anger and despair."

"The situation in Iraq is still tense," Bush said in the first of a new series of speeches on Iraq. The Feb. 22 bombing of a Shiite mosque in Iraq led to the deaths of hundreds in reprisal attacks. But though many fear the country may still be on the brink of civil war between rival Muslim sects, Bush said he was confident that would not happen.

"The Iraqi people made their choice. They looked into the abyss and did not like what they saw," he said. "By their response over the last two weeks, Iraqis have shown the world they want a future of freedom and peace and they will oppose a violent minority."

Bush said forming a new permanent government that represents all factions in Iraq is a key -- though difficult -- next step. Talks are under way to put together Iraq's first permanent, post-invasion government with participation by Sunni Arabs, Shiite Muslims and Kurds. "Forming a government will demand negotiation and compromise by the Iraqis; it will require patience on the part of America and her allies," he said. "Out of this process, a free government will emerge that represents the will of the Iraqi people instead of the will of one cruel dictator."

[CrazyOrangeCat]

1. Yeah, right . . .

They really chose to get blown to bits.

Miserable head-pattin' mofo.

:(

[SongOfTheRayne]

2. What WOULD happen if we just left?

We never should have invaded in the first place. But when we did, we had to stay to try to keep everything from falling apart. If all the American troops just left right now, though, WOULD things get any worse?

[Atman]

7. If we left, our troops would stop getting blown up by "IEDs"

and mothers' sons and daughters would stopped being killed for Bush's LIES.

Is anything else really that important? The Bush's and Cheney's and Rumsfelds could foot the rest of the bill out of the money they've looted from the US Treasury.

[SongOfTheRayne]

11. I mean what would happen to the Iraqi people.

Would things become more violent because of the insurgents? Or would there be less killing because they wouldn't riot as much?

We should have listened to france...stupid, stupid neocons. well, now they have what they want: a gateway to further pointless invasions. Who's next? Iran? Syria? Not North Korea, certainly, because they actually HAVE wmd's...

North Korea has their own, I guess that we'll leave them alone. For once they have the bomb, you see, we must use diplomacy...

[damntexdem]

14. How COULD things get worse? Hmm, let's see:

Al Jazerra starts broadcasting "Iraqi Idol."
"Survivor Iraq" starts an entire season.

[msongs]

3. bush invaded, bush is responsible for EVERYHTING since because

he changed the system from sadaamism (like it or not) to the mess there today.

Msongs
www.msongs.com/democratsmugs.htm

[Atman]

4. Huh? They looked into the abyss, and called for Satan to come devour them?

George, you're a fucking idiot. No one in Iraq called for us to come rain fire down upon them. Ahmed Chalabi doesn't count, because he wasn't actually in Iraq, he was up Dick Cheney's ass.

[Selatius]

5. The "Iraqi people" NEVER WERE GIVEN A CHOICE

Iraq, from the moment of its inception, is an artificial creation. You do not cobble together several different peoples together and expect harmony. Many of those groups have long-standing feuds that have lasted centuries, but that didn't stop the British Empire from drawing lines on a map and calling it "Iraq." Oh, and they'll carve away a little piece in the south to keep them even weaker and call it "Kuwait." Yeah, that'll keep the peoples there divided and weak instead of united in the face of British imperial power.

You cannot honestly expect a Jeffersonian style democracy to crop up in such an environment. Iraq is in no way a secular society. It is still very much a tribal one. Failure to understand the point will result in disaster.

[NYC]

6. Three years, not weeks.

...asked Americans to show patience with the war even after weeks of "images of violence and anger and despair."

[TheCowsCameHome]

8. Some choice. "Do as we say and shut the hell up."

Way to go, *W*

[damntexdem]

9. They made their choice? When ? Could that have been when:

80% of them told pollsters that they'd like to see the U.S. military leave Iraq?

[DinahMoeHum]

10. Yeah, they did indeed make their choice: THEY WANT US OUT OF IRAQ.

n/t

[MichiganVote]

12. $200Billion for "tense"? That's what it is? We paid that for "tense"?

What utter bullshit.

[shance]

13. The Iraqi people made their choice for the Bush Administration to invade?

The Iraqi citizens made this choice for the Bush Administration to bomb their country, to use Depleted Uranium, to terrorize and murder thousand of frightened, innocent Iraqi citizens?

Who won't this Administration blame for every action they are responsible for?

[NativeTexan]

15. They sure as hell didn't look at the abyss that is George W. Bush.......

.......and make a decision. They were INVADED and innocents were killed for the love of oil profit!

[donkeyotay]

16. Commander Clusterfuck made the choice to invade

He was even warned by his daddy's people that "forming a new permanent government that represents all factions in Iraq" would be extremely difficult. (Not to mention installing Chalabi would up the ante.) But bushboy had to listen to his neocon friends - the folks that candidate bush said would compensate for his complete lack of preparation for the job of president. Now he wants to sit back and pretend he's an innocent bystander to the train wreck he created. Sock puppet, this is a result of your policies, not choices made by Iraqis.