Bush: The generals are to blame for the mess in Iraq

Our Leader: Don't blame me, blame my generals

How else can you read this statement of his during his press conference today?

Those are all legitimate questions that I'm sure historians will analyze. I mean, one of the questions is, should we have sent more in the beginning? Well, I asked that question, do you need more, to General Tommy Franks. In the first phase of this operation, General Franks was obviously in charge, and during our discussions in the run up to the decision to remove Saddam Hussein after he ignored the Security Council resolutions. My primary question to General Franks was, do you have what it takes to succeed? And do you have what it takes to succeed after you succeed in removing Saddam Hussein? And his answer was, yes.

Now, history is going to look back to determine whether or not there might have been a different decision made. But at the time, the only thing I can tell you, Wendell, is that I relied upon our military commander to make the proper decision about troop strength. And I can remember a meeting with the Joint Chiefs, who said, we've reviewed the plan. I remember - and seemed satisfied with it. I remember sitting in the PEOC, or the Situation Room, downstairs here at the White House, and I went to commander and commander that were all responsible of different aspects of the operation to remove Saddam. I said to each one of them, do you have what it takes? Are you satisfied with the strategy? And the answer was, yes. (my emphasis)

This is yet another reminder of what a difficult time satirists have spoofing the Cheney-Bush regime. The Onion did a piece a couple of weeks ago called Bush: Maybe U.S. Military 'Just Not Very Good' 06/27/07. They have their imaginary Bush saying:

When the decision was made to liberate Iraq, I was going on what my advisers were telling me and what everyone has said for nearly a century - that the U.S. military is the best in the world. But if that were the case, and we did have the most powerful army, navy, marines, and air force on the globe, we would be winning, right?

That was satire. But is it so very different from what Bush said today in those two paragraphs I just quoted?

Tags: bush, iraq war

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