Bush: “I Was Unprepared For War”
President Bush admits to Charlie Gibson in an interview to air Monday night on ABC, that he was unprepared to lead a nation that could possibly be at war.
GIBSON: What were you most unprepared for?
BUSH: Well, I think I was unprepared for war. In other words, I didn’t campaign and say, “Please vote for me, I’ll be able to handle an attack.” In other words, I didn’t anticipate war. Presidents — one of the things about the modern presidency is that the unexpected will happen.
This is reminiscent of “I don’t think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees” during the Katrina tragedy, in spite of a 41-page report by the Department of Homeland Security’s National Infrastructure Simulation and Analysis Center (NISAC), predicting just that. It is also consistant with the administration’s admission that it didn’t anticipate the Iraq insurgency.
Unprepared for war; unprepared for a national emergency; unprepared for the contingencies of a war BushCo started. What a legacy!
“We know what they have and we know where it is.”
“Good job, Brownie.”
December 1st, 2008 at 3:04 pm
“One of the things about the modern presidency is that the unexpected will happen.”
Oh, brother. It is to weep for the utterly pathetic leadership of the last 8 years.
Incidentally, Leonard Pitts Jr. of the Miami Herald had an EXCELLENT commentary on those who have begun to eulogize fondly and kindly on Bush’s failed administrations:
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/leonard-pitts/story/782541.html
December 1st, 2008 at 4:07 pm
I do understand it when he says he was unprepared. I think he is underestimating himself when he limits his unpreparedness to only war…..as far as I can see, he was certainly unprepared for a wide range of arenas encompased in managing the administration of the United States.
December 1st, 2008 at 4:28 pm
“Unprepared for war; unprepared for a national emergency; unprepared for the contingencies of a war BushCo started.”
Perhaps that’s why the American people didn’t vote for him in 2000.
December 1st, 2008 at 4:32 pm
Can you mention this to Hannity –
How can you possibly judge the new president before his 4 years are up, because he has to reverse everything that bush did in the past 8 years in order for this country to survive..
December 1st, 2008 at 5:13 pm
Please tell Hannity that monies have been going upstream for years; how about sending some down stream so the 90 percents of us can survive.Alan –
Please ask Hannity why is he so nasty about the democrats; clearly the younger generation who put in an extreme effort to fight the crooked repubs, are going to change things whether he likes it or not.
December 1st, 2008 at 5:20 pm
So glad W finally has come clean! Now at long last he knows something we all have known all along, tyhat he was unprepared PERIOD!
December 1st, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Alan – please tell hannity that since the 90 percent of Americans are broke now, he and his rich buddies are going to have to pay to get the country working again.
December 1st, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Alan,
Does “The Alan Alert” exist as of yet? I signed up on day one of the new site and I have not received any emails.
December 1st, 2008 at 5:26 pm
GOOD RIDDANCE “Bushie”. THANKS for ALL of the war dept !
Now we have the “bail out” dept on top of that !
When a politican asks for money, just take him out and FLOG him[or her] !
[They] NEVER make do with LESS !
PRICELESS !!?
December 1st, 2008 at 6:08 pm
I think every time a Republican says anything about how Obama is going to ruin the country we should say “Only history can be the judge”.. OR AT LEAST WAIT UNTIL INAUGURATION DAY
December 1st, 2008 at 6:42 pm
Good greif,i knew that before we went in. Nooo, we have JOHN WANYE BUSH in office and look at the crap now. Boy it stinks. Can you smell the crap in your face,you right wing thinkers?
December 1st, 2008 at 9:02 pm
No Steve, sadly many of them don’t.
To this day, I know many conservatives still walking around saying stuff like “George Bush is the best President this country has every had” and “I’m sure glad we had George Bush to keep us safe for the past 7 years”.
Do you really think people like that admit their wrong?
December 1st, 2008 at 11:10 pm
Wheres all the Rethuglican troll Bushco supporter comments on this storyline ?? Thats what I thought ; avoiding the “truth” like the Bubbas-in-Denial they really are.
This is the damndest thing I’ve heard from Bush in the last 8 long years — the “truth” (however trivialized) — he must be losing it (or he’s up to something).
Now , to get rid of the pathetic excuse for a liberal that goes by the name of Colmes.
December 1st, 2008 at 11:29 pm
Bush hasn’t admitted that he was wrong. In fact, when challenged about would he go into Iraq knowing what we know now, he had no reasonable response. Reality is just not part of that cowboy’s world.
December 2nd, 2008 at 1:47 am
You are quite right. Sadly,the drums are still beating on right wing talk radio and sadly so many play the same tune. The post on UFO,s, perhaps this branch of the GOP is from outer space. Program robots with the same buffoon message.
December 2nd, 2008 at 6:44 am
I don’t believe that any incoming President is prepared for a war. Not FDR, Not JFK, Not Reagan, not any President elect is prepared for war. They know that it is a possibility because of the nature of the world, but every war is different and fought differently. How can anyone be prepared for war?
One thing is certain about being the Pres. of the U.S. and that is the unexpected can and usually does happen sometime during their 4 to 8 year term.
I know this is a liberal blog, but if you are intellectually honest with yourselves you would have to agree with this. I never voted for Clinton, but I NEVER hurled the type of insults at him like I have heard from liberals these past eight years.
December 2nd, 2008 at 9:07 am
Steve,
You knew going in what kind of President George Bush was going to be? No one really knew him, just like they didn’t know Bill Clinton, and just like they don’t know Barack Obama.
Bill Clinton didn’t really turn out as bad as I envisioned he would. Partly because we had divided government his last six years.
Did I agree with everything G.W. did over the past eight years? No. I thought he let spending get out of control, didn’t agree with the prescription drug bill, and he put more federal government into our schools. I think I am honest enough to disagree with our President, but do I think he screwed everything up as you and your liberal friends think? Of course not. He is just human with his own set of ideas and agenda just as you or I.
He has been our President these past eight years and I respect him and the office. Just as I will respect Obama and the office he is about to enter. I will not agree with many of his ideas or his agenda, but that is part of what makes this country great. The ability to disagree and speak out against our leaders and their agenda.
December 2nd, 2008 at 9:17 am
It is refreshing to hear Bush come out of his shell and speak frankly with America after all this time but I, as a liberal, find it bittersweet at best.
Where were these human admissions of imperfection in the height of the Iraq War or more recently when the markets first dove? I don’t want Bush to cut off his hand politically speaking but a little leather on the ball would be nice in terms of who is responsible and directly accountable for any shadyness in Wall St or Washington St. Honesty is a better policy than what we’ve seen for the past eight. Why do we get it in only the last two months? (Maybe I ask too much)
December 2nd, 2008 at 10:21 am
I don’t think that President was prepared for anything that happened in his administration. No new presidents are.
Dick Cheney was the stronger of the two and led President down the rosy path that the Iraq people would welcome us.
Common sense would tell you no country would welcome invaders. Plus either they didn’t understand the power of the religion factor in the Middle Eastern countries or they didn’t know about that factor.
I would think that they would know about the religion factor because of all the trouble between the Protestants and the Catholics in Ireland. Regligon causes most of the wars throughout history.
However, this is no time to cry over spilled milk.
December 2nd, 2008 at 11:22 am
Wow. Oh, F—king, just, “Wow.”
Willy: “Steve, You knew going in what kind of President George Bush was going to be? No one really knew him….”
Ohhhhhh. YES! YES THEY DID KNOW HIM, BACK IN 2000 THEY KNEW HIM! I KNEW HIM, dead to rights!
I knew, that any president as dumb as Bush appeared, and championed by the rabid right (led by Gingrich, Rove, Robertson, Falwell, etc., with no moderation by Dole, Goldwater, etc.) was going to be a DISASTER.
Absolutely. Saw it RIGHT from the get-go. Make NO mistake.
Bush was being heralded as a “nice guy you’d like to have a beer with,” a guy who couldn’t spell, read, or talk, didn’t know basic geography or international politics, and you know why he was elected?
Because we were too comfortable. Clinton put EVERYTHING on the right track, but he was demonized by the Rabid Right’s sh—iest political tactics, and the country couldn’t STAND another four years of made-up lawsuits, drummed-up impeachments and the high-pitched whining of the religious right and neocon media.
EVERYONE wanted to coast after the Clintons worked their asses off, no one more so than Bush himself, and THAT is part of his latest admission, even if he doesn’t mention Clinton outright.
Mark you, when Bush was first elected, I thought to myself, “OK. Well, that’s it, so let’s just cross our fingers and pray nothing MAJOR happens on an international or domestic scale, financially, environmentally, or politically, and maybe we can get through to 2004 OK and find a better president.”
Right off the bat, Bush cut taxes. Didn’t cut services, mind you, and sent us all rebate checks or whatever, and he never really addressed the dot-com bust (a relative HICCUP, compared to the rest of Bush’s administration). But maybe, I thought, maybe he won’t be as stupid, shortsighted, and pointless during the rest of his administration, this is only the beginning, after all.
Then, when 9/11 hit 8 months after he took office, he said a lot of stupid things that made MOST of us groan, acting, as Steve put it, John Wayne.
And the “free to disagree” right that you’re so thankful for NOW, Willy? Ask the Dixie Chicks about being able to express an opinion after 9/11 hit! Ask Bill Maher! We were supposed to blindly follow a stupid idiot that other idiots in this country had voted for, and were now making us bow down to, even though he was a complete dolt!
The conservative wing of this country forced us to worship and pay respect to “stupid” and “underhanded,” and now the chickens are coming home to roost.
The worst-case-scenario future was readily apparent to MANY of us in the U.S., before he was elected, and crystallized shortly after he was elected and took office.
Just wanted to dispel any skepticism anyone might have had about “No one saw the last 8 years coming.”
Are you kidding me? Anyone who wanted to rape our financial system, destroy our economy, or carry out an act of big-time terrorism saw their opportunity coming from a mile away once Bush was elected (hell, it was probably WHY he was elected in the first place!), and they used this opportunity to their own great advantage, at OUR expense.
What amazes me is that the Neocons are still running the Republican Party at all! That they even have a voice in the GOP at all, is just confounding to this former Republican.
December 2nd, 2008 at 11:58 am
Thank God we didn’t have any elephant stampedes down our main streets….thanks, George….
Willy, what makes a conservative come to this site and post the things you do? I’m really curious…what prompts you to do that on purpose…the place is called Liberaland….doesn’t that give you a clue as to who would be here??? And, knowing that, wouldn’t you be prepared for what you see here???
Speaking of prepared….Bush was prepared only to be the dry drunk he was…..he set a record for the number of non working days while in office for any president we’ve had. Our situation is better than it could have been had he been there more often…
December 2nd, 2008 at 12:17 pm
More like George was unprepared to be president judging from the last 8 years .
December 2nd, 2008 at 12:45 pm
I knew back in 2000 that the son of “read my lips, no new taxes” would be a disasterous choice. I also had a sneaky suspicion that W invaded Iraq because of daddy’s hatred of Saddam. Anybody remember the old joke, “what do Saddam Hussein and pantyhose have in common?”
December 2nd, 2008 at 2:09 pm
Willy,welcome back.I thought you had gone into hiding after that ‘liberal vietnam vet who’s name i forgot’s post.
I notice you mention some of GWB’s failings just like i see Sean Hannity do.I notice you didnt mention in your list of failings Iraq or Afghanistan.Nor did I see you dare to make an audacious statement that GWB’s successes were his Iraq or Afghanistan policies,approaches. Where do you stand on these,dare I ask you to state?
As far as foreseeing what GWB may have done,i dont really care.What I do care about is the redefinition of the concept of freedom.
So,Willy,Freedom is the right to disagree with your elected leaders,voice your dissent,and sit back in impotent contentment while you watch them disregard your views anyway?Because that’s what GBW did over 8 years.
Clinton offended sensibilities(Lewinsky et al).Name one freedom he abrogated.Bush took my tax dollars and spent them on A war I didnt consent for(and a lot of other things the government didnt have the money for,which is why we’re in this mess now).I protest,voice my dissent,and Bush carries on.This is your idea of freedom?
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Don’t know any President who is “ready” for war anymore than I know a soldier who is “ready” for what combat really is.
God forbid anything happens during the next 4 years, although Biden seems to know that something evil is looming behind the golden curtain. I doubt very seriously that Obama would be “ready” for anything like 9/11. How could anyone?
I guess we will see. Especially since he is still not commenting much on Pakistan and what recently happened in India.
December 2nd, 2008 at 5:12 pm
TDRO: “I knew back in 2000 that the son of “read my lips, no new taxes” would be a disasterous choice. I also had a sneaky suspicion that W invaded Iraq because of daddy’s hatred of Saddam.”
Exactamundo, TDRO. Vendetta was one of my first thoughts, too.
December 2nd, 2008 at 5:39 pm
To actually think that President Bush planned and orchestrated 9/11 and all the events before and after all the UN resolutions talked Tony Blair into helping along with numerous other countries to fight world wide terror just because of his fathers’ hatred of saddam. I really enjoy coming on this web site to get opposing views and healthy debate but it always amazes me on how out of touch some people are.
December 2nd, 2008 at 7:12 pm
MK,
What did 9/11 have to do with Iraq? Why do you bring it up? Iraq was about WMDs, the ones that the UN had already forced Iraq to get rid of prior to the US invasion/bombing of Iraq.
December 2nd, 2008 at 7:22 pm
WILLY, WILLY , WILLY. BUSH gave us a 1,000,000 spins for being in IRAQ. I was in his camp after 911. Fired up to get those freaking ass wipes. He lost me with that IRAQ talk. I was againist it from the start. We had a no fly zone. Their where no WMD,s. Going it alone and defying the UN after they sent inspectors in their and found nothing. Going their with our troops had a oppsite effect on extreme ISLAMIC thinking. They wanted us to invaded IRAQ. The ass wipes that attack us are living in moutains of AFGHANISTAN. We need more troops their because BUSH drop the ball. Like OBAMA said in his speech in DENVER. SEN McCAIN said he will follow evil to the gates of hell, but he won,t even go to the cave where the evil is. No one is ready for THE WHITE HOUSE,i know that,but i am willing to bet you 5 bucks that you thought McCAIN was. Anit UN,anti world has got us no where and our nation has lost standing due to BUSH polcies. Abuse of power and VP that abused power as well. I am not againist AMERICA and served 3 yrs in the NAVY. Voted for Nixon twice. I am open minded unlike neocons that have ruin the GOP. Reagan was a total turn of for me. Smalltown values,middle AMERICA and that same idealism has led this country into failure. You neocons need to wake up and smell the coffee it is a time for a change.
December 2nd, 2008 at 8:13 pm
Wonder, as many might, a president enters office in peaceful time and shortly there after WAR breaks out. Would ANY president be prepared for WAR? Better question might be is anyone, other than military, prepared for war? An even better question would be that being a limp winged liberal in office is that person preped for war? Of course not! Again, the military is.
Yet, old liberals blame everything on everyone else never takinmg blame for anything. Ckeck out the liberal congress.
December 2nd, 2008 at 9:35 pm
Howard, your conservative Congress, president, and SCOTUS got us where we are today. Forgive us if the Democratic Congress has had a little difficulty finding the magic wand to make the last 13 years disappear.
Incidentally, your question, “Would ANY president be prepared for WAR?” reminds me to ask, just what was it Bush and Cheney did during Vietnam? I don’t remember them actually serving when they were presented with the opportunity…But they tarnished a couple of actual war heroes’ records, Kerry & McCain.
December 2nd, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Good greif HOWARD, are you in denial of the mistakes BUSH has made? I guess the wall street mess was caused by liberals when right ran amok. Under BUSH when he failed their was always a different spin for why. All i can say is JOHN WAYNE jr,s with neocon brains the size of t rex have led us into failure. Change is coming my brother.
December 2nd, 2008 at 9:51 pm
Good Morning Robert,
Hey, I knew coming onto this site what it was all about. I know what I write does not go with the way the majority of you in Liberaland think. You want to know why I am here? OK. I believe in and open and honest discussion on the issues. What I post here is what I believe. I do know and am prepared for what I see on this site.
So, Robert, are you telling me that I am not welcome here? Should I not pay attention to what the other side is saying? Should I just sit back for the next four years while Barack Obama is president and ignore everything he does? If I do that then I wouldn’t be an informed citizen. I wouldn’t be an informed voter.
Is that what you did the last eight years? Or did you pay attention to what our government was doing in order to form your opinions?
Anyway, Robert, good talking to you. I hope you will continue to make me welcome here.
December 3rd, 2008 at 8:21 am
Karthik,
I haven’t gone anywhere. I just had a busy weekend and a busy couple days here after the holiday.
I didn’t list Iraq and Afghanistan as GW failings because I don’t think that they were. Sure he stumbled on several decisions in Iraq but let me explain my position.
In our history as a nation when we have been engaged in a war we always come out of the gate slowly. We are never totally sure of our enemy’s strengths or weaknesses. Therefore it takes some time to develope a solid strategy to throughly engage the enemy and to bring them to their knees.
Mistakes are always made in wartime. That is how we learn and become stronger and better equipped to defeat the enemy. And trying to fight a war without innocents getting hurt or killed is impossible.
The sucesses in Iraq are many. Children, both boys and girls, are able to obtain an education now. The infrastructure is rapidly developing. Fifteen of the eighteen provinces are now under Iraqi control. The insurgency is all but wiped out. The open markets are all over the cities in Iraq. Iraq has a freely elected government. Women are not being tortured and abused any more. The mass graves are no longer being filled with innocent victims. The torture chambers are shut down. Saddam is dead. Thousands of insurgents, aka terrorists, are either dead or incarcerated. They have their oil flowing again. On that point, I think Bush failed in not pressuring the Iraqi government to fund the rebuilding and the war with their oil money surplus.
The Constitution of the United States of America gives the President and the Congress the sole power to defend the United States of America. My tax dollars going to that purpose does not bother me at all. What bothers me is the government taking my tax dollars and spending them on one social program heaped upon another and another and another etc… Now they keep trying to force national health care upon me (us). I have spoken out against this many times and they have yet to listen to me. As you say the govetnment just “carries on”.
The bottom line is your one voice and or my one voice does not carry. Add millions upon millions of voices to ours and Washington will listen. Problem is to many in this country will just tell me the “my opinion doesn’t mean a thing” so they remain silent.
Good to talk to you again. Take care.
December 3rd, 2008 at 8:44 am
I am waiting patiently to hear democrats blame everything bad that happens during the next four years on Obama, the same way they have blamed everything bad that has happened on Bush and republicans.
Not gonna happen.
willy, stick around. There are more conservatives here than just you.
December 3rd, 2008 at 9:08 am
T. Mason,
I don’t plan on going anywhere. It seems to me that some on this site are afraid of differing opinions. Maybe they are afraid that we might convert a few liberals with our insightful, common sense facts.
Take care.
December 3rd, 2008 at 9:34 am
Hmmm.I guess I cant get some people to own up responsibility.Have tried my best with you,T Mason.
So let me recapitulate:Bush comes to power,promises to cut taxes, cuts taxes.
Bush does nothing to cut spending.He deigns to use his veto sufficiently,and the government runs up the largest ever debt seen,the ONE factor behind this economic mess that is MORE a cause of the mess than ALL THE OTHER FACTORS PUT TOGETHER. I blame the guy for bleeding the economy to death. You think I’m just looking for someone to blame?
Perhaps you should at SOME point relook at ur own definition of fiscal conservatism. As i’ve tried to tell your ilk MANY times on this website, Fiscal Conservatism is NOT about reducing taxes.The principle is absolutely right, but you have given a bunch of potential frauds(the government) the right to print currency, and devalue the residual income the government lets you keep, when they want to spend on things they dont have the money for. Expecting lower taxes is a fair instinct, but you have got to get smarter than that, if you really value fiscal conservatism. Then again, if you want to be a socialist who is happy with lower taxes and big government,big government deficits,currency devaluation that comes with it, suit yourself.
December 3rd, 2008 at 10:10 am
Willy, I actually was sincere in asking why someone from the radical right would hang out here. It just appears, without asking, that it would be “charging windmills” on a pretty healthy pace. Thanks for the post letting me understand your motives. I don’t have the power to approve or disapprove anyone being here.
Mason…
” am waiting patiently to hear democrats blame everything bad that happens during the next four years on Obama, the same way they have blamed everything bad that has happened on Bush and republicans.
Not gonna happen”
You answered your own question. The rationale is simple, we won’t have to blame him because he has already accepted responsibility for himself…unlike George who STILL can’t admit he isn’t perfect. Sheesh…..I thought you’d even see that one.
Oh, and another thing, I’m not sure the word “blame” is appropriate since things can only get better after the disaster that Bush jerk left…..yarrrrrr
“Aint hard takin’ treasure from corpses” Huzzah!!
December 3rd, 2008 at 11:29 am
Willy,
The conservatives used to outnumber the liberals on this blog, but starting a couple days before the election they all started disappearing. I’m glad you have stuck around, I really doubt many opinions are changed on this blog – but at least we can understand from each other the basis on which we form our opinions.
December 3rd, 2008 at 11:35 am
T. Mason,
I mostly saw Bush get blamed for stuff that was his fault, I suspect Obama will get blamed for stuff that is his fault.
However, obviously zealots on the right will blame everything bad on Obama, just like zealots on the left blamed everything bad on Bush.
December 3rd, 2008 at 11:38 am
Willy, I welcome you on here. You don’t seem to huff and puff, and you don’t seem to dish out anything you can’t take in return. Wish more of the conservatives on here could aspire to that.
Trees is OK, too. The preaching is a bit trying, especially because it tends to backfire, but oh well. That’s just Trees.
I understand why you’re on here. I went to Hannity’s site once, to try out what you’re able to try out here for free..? And when I read the rules, it basically repelled anyone who held differing opinions. It reeked of Hannity’s guerrilla bullying tactics– “I’m going to play dirty and kick sand in your face, but if you do the same to me, I’ll cut your mic or call the beach police and have them cart you away– ESPECIALLY if it looks like I’ll lose the fight.”
And, I hear you can’t even post on Limpball’s site without paying for it, which I refuse to do.
December 3rd, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Hehe Sarah.
Thats why I came here too.I wanted to call Hannity’s bluffs, and couldnt do it on his website.Came here out of ‘lack of choice’…didnt know who Alan was,always figured he was a dummy on H&C who seldom spoke,and never called Hannity’s bluffs(perhaps because it could cost him his job).Alan seems to have come out on his own,with strong answers on a wide range of issues,since election day.
December 3rd, 2008 at 2:56 pm