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Friday, September 28, 2007

Be Very Wary

I can't improve on this. From Slate:

The Spanish newspaper El País recently published the transcript of a conversation between President George W. Bush and then-Prime Minister José María Aznar on Feb. 22, 2003—a few weeks before the invasion of Iraq—and it confirms some (though not all) of the most dreadful accounts and suspicions about Bush's intentions and nature.

It may be a bit late in the day for another round in the debate over how the war in Iraq began. But the time is ripe for a discussion of what qualities the next president should possess—and the transcript reveals that, in many aspects, they should be the opposite of President Bush's qualities.

The crucial exchange, in this respect, comes toward the end of the conversation, when the two leaders are discussing the magnitude of changing Saddam Hussein's regime by force.

AZNAR: The only thing that worries me about you is your optimism.

BUSH: I'm an optimist because I believe that I'm right. I'm a person at peace with myself. It was our turn to face a serious threat to peace.


Here, in three sentences, is the first lesson on how to assess the current crop of presidential candidates: Don't pick anyone who utters, or seems capable of believing, those three sentences.

Read more here.

3 Swings of the bat:

Anonymous said...

All In The Translation: Leaked Spanish Memo Does NOT Show Bush “Planned To Invade Iraq No Matter What”

http://themoderatevoice.com/war/15333/its-all-in-the-translation-leaked-spanish-memo-does-not-show-bush-planned-to-invade-iraq-no-matter-what/

Anonymous said...

All presidential candidates think they're right. That's why they run.

Other Side said...

Anonymous: That's all fine. I'll wait to see if Slate has a different take on the translation later.

However, the point of the post was about the three sentences highlighted. The delusions of Bush as to his role in history. Slate's and my opinion.