Via the NYT: Bush Proclaims Support for Iraqi Premier
President Bush today proclaimed Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki “the right guy for Iraq,” and said the two had agreed to speed the turnover of security responsibility from American to Iraqi forces.[...]
“I’ve been able to watch a leader emerge,” the president said, describing the threats Mr. Maliki said he had received since becoming prime minister, including shells being fired at his house.
The president added, “You can’t lead unless you’ve got courage. He’s got courage and he’s shown courage over the last six months.”
I must confess, whenever Bush makes such pronouncements based primarily on a personal meeting, my mind always goes back to his statements about looking into Putin’s heart. Since that assessment was a tad off the mark, I have to wonder about Bush’s capacity to make these judgments.
Having said that, I am not sure that the President has much in the way of options here. While it is highly questionable that Maliki is, indeed, “the right guy” he is the one who the process legally placed in that slot and it isn’t as if there are a lot of other options at the moment. Not to mention we already put pressure to replace his predecessor.
November 30th, 2024 at 8:48 am
I must confess, whenever Bush makes such pronouncements based primarily on a personal meeting, my mind always goes back to his statements about looking into Putin’s heart.
My main question is why he keeps saying such stupid things? I recognize that his options are limited given the mess he’s created but that doesn’t mean he has to spout out meaningless platitudes that do nothing to address the complexities of the situation.
Furthermore, the fact that he keeps on saying exactly the same thing about Maliki–and the war in Iraq, in general (e.g. “stay the course,” “finish the mission”)–while essentially not making any ACTUAL progress on the ground suggests that HE BELIEVES his empty rhetoric.
It is the latter which is highly problematic for US security. And at this point, I dont think its possible for him to change.
I would like to see an analysis done, but it always seems he justifies his policies using very solipsistic logic (e.g. “I believe,” “I am the decider,” etc…) rather than actually assessing a situation and making an argument based on weighing the costs and benefits of action or inaction.
He has consistently hidden behind platitudes (“evildoers” “axis of evil,” “promoting freedom”) for the bulk of his presidency–now, events are catching up with him and he just comes off looking pathetic.
November 30th, 2024 at 9:20 am
I agree with your assessment. It borders on the surreal at this point.
December 1st, 2024 at 10:31 am
Well, well, well. What do we have here? Bush making another one of his “statements”. I’m surprised there aren’t any grammatical errors in this one. Maybe he forgot to add some in to make us all believe he’s an idiot as like he usually does. He really is clever for portraying himself as a complete idiot. Even though I am far from being a Bush supporter, one can’t ignore his sneaky technique that many Americans believe.
December 1st, 2024 at 10:51 am
I equate his comment to the one he made in New Orleans: You’re doing a heck of a job Brownie.