WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush took the blame on Wednesday for going to war in Iraq over faulty intelligence but said he was right to topple Saddam Hussein and urged Americans to be patient as Iraqis vote.
"It is true that much of the intelligence turned out to be wrong. As president I am responsible for the decision to go into Iraq, and I am also responsible for fixing what went wrong by reforming our intelligence capabilities and we're doing just that," he said.
But he said, "My decision to remove Saddam Hussein was the right decision" because he was deemed a threat and that regardless, "We are in Iraq today because our goal has always been more than the removal of a brutal dictator."
Bush's new admission was significant in that he rarely admits mistakes, although he has acknowledged failures in U.S. intelligence on Iraq before.
His administration touted Iraqi weapons of mass destruction as a reason for going to war in March 2003, but such weapons were never found.
In an interview with Fox News to be aired on Wednesday night, Bush gave strong endorsements to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney, both frequently accused by critics of pushing the war on false pretenses.
"He's done a heck of a job," Bush said of Rumsfeld, "and I have no intention of changing him." As for Cheney, "my respect for him has grown immensely," Bush said.
Bush's Iraq comments came in the last of a series of four speeches outlining his Iraq strategy and trying to bolster American support for the war, came a day ahead of an Iraqi election that will pave the way for formation of a permanent government.
I guess one way to look at things is, are you of the party of Ted Kennedy... or are you of the party of Tom Delay. I think I will go shoot myself. Both suck beyond measure. Most Americans fit somewhere in the middle. It is my guess that what we see and what we really know are very different. We are pawns and are played like a fiddle. My party stands for fiscal conservatism. That is they are stingy with the taxpayers money. They also believe in a hand up and not a hand out. They believe in the U.S. constitution and not international law. When you own a piece of land it is yours!!!, and not up for debate with local politicians as to whether it might be more valuable with a Marriot hotel on it. That pork is something you should eat and not a $250 million bridge to an Island where 50 people live. That is I should not be taxed for such stupidity. That you use the military only when it is necessary but that you do have a military to use when you need it. That less government is better than more government. That the my idea of the U.S. Constitution is more like that of Antonin Scalia and not that of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. That the power should lie in the hands of the people and not a few power hungry egotistical ****s. I guess that makes me a libertarian. Unfortunately they don't have a chance. So I will vote for the likes of John McCain instead of Hillary Clinton next time.
I will say this much. The world is a better place without Saddam. It will continue getting better as other nations become better educated and get rid of their dictators.
Politicians, mostly, are all the same. They just play different tunes.
well if your ted kennedy, it's, "The shirt heard 'round the world." Wow get it get ted. Greek by any chance to you listen to howie carr, you should i think you would like him.
Personally I care less what any democrat, any republican or any politician in the world has to say or believe. I always stayed out of politics cause the more I know the more confused I get… Of course I always try to keep myself updated and educated on what's going on around me - my opinion... worth less then 1 cent. All I am going to say is: God help us!
I could write 4 pages on this subject....so I'm not going to write anything, as I'll only get all wound up. All I have to say is I did not vote for Bush. And....as a student of history I'd rate Bush a below average president.
Disclaimer: FBI if you're reading this please do not tap my cell phone calls.
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Guess what...
I got a fever!
And the only prescription... is more cowbell!
