Bush (6/28/05): Sending more Americans would undermine our strategy

No Worries · Jan 8, 2007

Bush (6/28/05): Sending more Americans would undermine our strategy of encouraging Iraqis to take the lead in this fight
Think Progress has the video and the words of the President from June of 2005. Back then, Bush was going to listen to the military commanders. Back then, sending more troops would send the wrong signal. Back then, sending more troops would "undermine our strategy":

Some Americans ask me, if completing the mission is so important, why don’t you send more troops? If our commanders on the ground say we need more troops, I will send them. But our commanders tell me they have the number of troops they need to do their job. Sending more Americans would undermine our strategy of encouraging Iraqis to take the lead in this fight. And sending more Americans would suggest that we intend to stay forever, when we are, in fact, working for the day when Iraq can defend itself and we can leave. As we determine the right force level, our troops can know that I will continue to be guided by the advice that matters: the sober judgment of our military leaders.
Click to expand...

Problem is that Bush never, ever listened to the military and never, ever had a strategy.

Bush is out of control. These are very scary times. The President is putting his ego before the needs of our country. He's willing to sacrifice U.S. soldiers because he cannot admit his mistake.

rhadamanthus · Jan 8, 2007

Does this kind of flip flop even surprise anyone anymore?

mc mark · Jan 8, 2007

Everything changed after the New Way Forward.

RocketMan Tex · Jan 8, 2007

vlaurelio · Jan 8, 2007

so new way forward means
1) we discourage Iraqis from taking the lead in this fight
2) we intend to stay forever because Iraq can never defend itself

mc mark · Jan 8, 2007

where's the bridge? Can someone show me the bridge?

Q Is there something different about the way this plan was put together that makes it more likely to succeed than, say, [Garner], or Bremer, or the Pentagon, State, Allawi, et cetera -- was it a procedural --

MR. SNOW: Ask me Thursday. I mean, there are a lot of elements here -- again, a lot of the -- I can give you a much better answer when we have it, because I can start laying out for you different ways in which things are done. I can't do it yet. But I'll be able to give you a better answer --

Q You can't say something like you've reached further to more outside experts, or talked to different levels of commanders, or something like that?

MR. SNOW: All of the above and more.
Click to expand...

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/01/20070108-7.html

[edit] oh there's more...

Q Do the Democrats or any of the opponents have the executive authority to stop anything that the President is going to present? In other words, is he going to need to ask Congress to approve something?

MR. SNOW: Well, ultimately, anything you do has budgetary implications. I think there was a question earlier today, are we seeking resolutions, and that sort of thing -- and I want to wave you off of that. What you do have, though, is basically budget is policy. So Congress is going to be engaged in the appropriations and authorization process and, you know, through those, they're going to be debating a lot of things. And so that's sort of par for the course.

Q But in terms of anything out of the Pentagon -- the troops, deployment, any of the programs we initiate - the President, alone, has the authority to --

MR. SNOW: You know what, I don't want to play junior constitutional lawyer on this, so let's wait until we see what happens, if you have specific questions about constitutional authority. But, you know, Congress has the power of the purse. The President has the ability to exercise his own authority if he thinks Congress has voted the wrong way.

***
Q The President, obviously, though, did not read what happened November 7th as a mandate to start bringing troops home.

MR. SNOW: The President believes that -- if you take a look, Jim, at the elections, you can read any number of messages -- I mean, when people were asked in exit interviews what was their top concern, Iraq was number four, corruption was number one. And guess what? You had 10 members of the Republican caucus who had problems, and they all lost.

So you can read a lot of results. There is an understandable -- people don't want to be at war; we don't want to be at war, the President doesn't want to be at war. But the fact is you've got a situation where terrorists and a terror network is determined to try to do whatever it can to destabilize this country and other parts of the world --

Q But the President is comfortable, then, with saying to the American people, I saw what happened November 7th -- actually, you're upset about corruption?

MR. SNOW: No, I think, Jim, people would be a lot less upset if he didn't take seriously his obligations as Commander-in-Chief.

***

Q I guess the challenge would be who besides the President thinks that the war is winnable at this stage?

MR. SNOW: I think millions of Americans believe that this war is winnable, and I think, furthermore, that it's important to rebuild the sense of political unity. One of the things the President has often said is, the only way we lose if we lose our will. And it is clear that there have been political debates in this country.

And it's also interesting because, again, I've heard a lot of Democrats saying, we want to succeed in Iraq. And, therefore, the question for them is, that's great, we agree, so let's find out what your ideas are, if you think you've got a different or a better idea; let's find out how you'll support the military in this endeavor. That's worth doing. And, frankly, done the right way will reassure the American people that all of Washington is serious about doing the right thing and doing it in the right way. And so we've got an opportunity here I think of getting thoughtful debate.
Click to expand...

Forums

Bush (6/28/05): Sending more Americans would undermine our strategy

No Worries Contributing Member

rhadamanthus Contributing Member

mc mark Contributing Member

RocketMan Tex Contributing Member

vlaurelio Contributing Member

mc mark Contributing Member

Share This Page

About ClutchFans

Rockets Content

Support ClutchFans!