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Of course it didn't in your mind...... you're an Obama

Posted By: lover..................... nm on 2009-04-19
In Reply to: Talk about twisting things around!!! - Marmann

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That's funny....he didn't seem to mind sticking
while, as just a Senator, he was out hob-knobbing with everyone in the middle east (the Obama tour) which he should not have been doing. He was acting as if he was the president, which he wasn't, and many democrats were not liking that as well.
He was good natured and he didn't mind making fun of himself...
which is more than O could do.
Apparently, you're not following this. Never mind.
X
Never mind, the no name posts explain it. You're just here to take a DUMP on the libs...nm
x
You're a liar. GT didn't curse. You're a filthy liar, but you are a gift from God.
God sent you here to as a constant reminder of the kind of person I DON'T want to be and if I ever have a bad day when I feel temporarily stupid, all I have to do is read your posts, and I realize there are those out there who are much worse off than I am and for them it's not temporary.
One word comes to mind, regards to Mr. Obama....sm



Karma.






It can be a (b)itch



I had a very open mind, and Obama is not my Lord - nm
x
Obama can't make up his mind whose butt
nm
You need to make up your mind. Is Obama a Nazi or a Communist? Do you...sm
know the difference? I think not. You are just being inflammatory. He is neither. He is a U.S. constitutional law professor and a proud patriotic American. You need to educate yourself instead of just spouting what you hear from people who are ignorant of the facts.
Ooops, didn't work..what happens when you're in a hurry.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/horsey/print.asp?id=1412
Why? Obama obviously didn't, he's still on

Joe Biden didn't think Obama was up to the job of...
Presidency either...and you don't get any more Democrat than Joe Biden. Of course, that all changed when he got added to the ticket.

There are a few conservatives who don't like John McCain...that is no secret. He has stepped on a lot of toes in his career because he puts country first and party second. That makes as many enemies as it does friends.

And it makes him, in my opinion, just what we need. I am ready for a President who puts his country first.

As to Sarah P and her photo ops...no different than Barack and his trip to germany and Israel. He only took news outlets in the tank for him and they would not dare ask him a tough question. Let's at least be fair about this.
Obama didn't choose this man..
He had this man chosen for him and probably had to be kicked pulling and screaming to this VP pick. If you have ever watched Biden speak, he has nothing but rave reviews of McCain. Sure, he's now running against him but he didn't suddenly change his feelings about him. He hasn't towards Obama either; he's just going through the motions in hopes of getting to the White House VP slot where he can make another run in 2012.
Um, I didn't say this was about Obama. It's about timing.

Israel knows the Bush admin supports them.  They know Obama does not.  It doesn't take a genius to deduct that if they are planning any kind of attack, they would want to do it while they have the support of the U.S.  Of course there are many other factors leading up to this attack, but the timing is significant in that they are squeezing it in just before they lose the support of the U.S.


I am interested to see when Obama is going ring in on this and what side he's going to land on.  The future of our nation will be significantly affected by our support of Israel.  Obama will be tested as soon as he takes the oath.  And he is going to fail.  I'll say it again, like I said back in November --- MARK MY WORDS!


FYI, The Palestinians are squatters.  The land has always belonged to the Israelis.  They will never win.  This is a battle that has been waging for centuries and Israel always prevails. 


I didn't know Obama was a reporter...(sm)

How this story was covered by either side is not the point.  Or, on second thought, maybe it is.  In case you haven't noticed, this is the kind of thing that Obama is trying to overcome - bipartisan politics.  Did I call them neocons?  Yes, because most of them are self-proclaimed neocons.  But who ended up calling Obama a nazi?  Hmmmm.


As noted in the OP, if you did not like the source provided, you could look it up through a media source that is more to your liking.  Maybe you couldn't find this story in conservative media.  Why do you think that is?


No, which is why I didn't vote for Obama....
**
Of course Obama didn't admit to that.
I heard Biden's speech - on MSNBC and then again on Fox. That was exactly what he was talking about.
Well...no, I didn't see any of the gaffes Obama made on...
Fox or Rush Limbaugh so you are "sure" wrong about that. Actually, on CNN...HARDLY a conservative outlet.

Some of Obama's "misstatements:"
Obama Gaffes on Iraq and Afghanistan
Email
Share May 13, 2008 8:27 PM

ABC News' David Wright and Sunlen Miller Report: Sporting a shiny new American flag pin at an appearance in Rush Limbaugh's hometown, Sen. Barack Obama came up with some novel reasons why the U.S. may be struggling in the war in Afghanistan.

"We don't have enough capacity right now to deal with it -- and it's not just the troops," Obama, D-Ill., told a crowd in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

Obama posited -- incorrectly -- that Arabic translators deployed in Iraq are needed in Afghanistan -- forgetting, momentarily, that Afghans don't speak Arabic.

"We only have a certain number of them and if they are all in Iraq, then its harder for us to use them in Afghanistan," Obama said.

The vast majority of military translators in both war zones are drawn from the local population.
Naturally they speak the local language. In Iraq, that's Arabic or Kurdish. In Afghanistan, it's any of a half dozen other languages -- including Pashtu, Dari, and Farsi.

No sooner did Obama realize his mistake -- and correct himself -- but he immediately made another.

"We need agricultural specialists in Afghanistan, people who can help them develop other crops than heroin poppies, because the drug trade in Afghanistan is what is driving and financing these terrorist networks. So we need agricultural specialists," he said.

So far, so good.

"But if we are sending them to Baghdad, they're not in Afghanistan," Obama said.

Iraq has many problems, but encouraging farmers to grow food instead of opium poppies isn't one of them. In Iraq, oil fields not poppy fields are a major source of U.S. technical assistance.

My comment: Ahem. Different countries mixed up did you say about McCain? Looks like Mr. Obama has that same problem.

In June 2008, Obama Misstated The Name Of Brownsville, TX:

Obama: "So if you've got a wall that's cutting the campus of the University of Texas in Brownville in half…" (Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks At The NALEO Conference, Washington, DC, 6/28/08)

In June 2008, Obama Falsely Claimed His Father Served In World War II:

Obama: "My father served in World War II, and when he came home, he got the services that he needed." (Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks At The NALEO Conference, Washington, DC, 6/28/08)

On May 23, Obama Mistakenly Says He's In "Sunshine" At Rally In Sunrise, Florida

Obama: "How's it going Sunshine? Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you everybody. It's good to be in Sunshine!" (Barack Obama, Campaign Rally, Sunrise, FL, 5/23/08)

South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "It Wasn't Clear If Barack Obama Knew Exactly Where He Was Friday Afternoon …" "It wasn't clear if Barack Obama knew exactly where he was Friday afternoon when he spoke at his mass rally at the BankAtlantic Center. He repeatedly used the term 'Sunshine' as a place name rather than 'Sunrise,' the city where the arena is located, including, 'How's it going Sunshine? Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you everybody. It's good to be in Sunshine.'" ("Did Obama Know Where He Was For Sunrise Rally?" South Florida Sun-Sentinel Blog, 5/24/08)

On May 16, Obama Mistakenly Says He's In Sioux City At Sioux Falls, SD Rally. Obama: "Illinois Sen. Barack Obama started his speech tonight with a gaffe. 'Thank you Sioux City,' he said, before realizing his mistake." ("Obama Starts Speech With Gaffe," Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 5/16/08)

My Comment: If you are correct and what you say reflects your intellect, then one would think Obama doesn't even know where he is half the time....?

"I think that DOMA, the Defense Against Marriage Act, was, was a (sic) unnecessary imposition on what had been the traditional rules governing marriage and how states interact on the issues of marriage." – Barack Obama, referring to the Defense Of Marriage Act (DOMA), 7/1/08

Obama Called Rapid City Grand Rapids. Obama: "We were in Grand Rapids with a—or Grand? – Rapid City. See I've been talking to long." (Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks At A Campaign Event, Aberdeen, SC, 5/31/08)

On May 9, Obama Claimed To Have Visited 57 States. Obama: "Because, you know, it is just wonderful to be back in Oregon, and over the last 15 months we've traveled to every corner of the United States. I've now been in 57 states, I think, one left to go. One left to go, Alaska and Hawaii I was not allowed to go to even though I really wanted to visit, but my staff would not justify it." (Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks At A Campaign Event, Beaverton, OR, 5/9/08)

On May 5, Obama Called Matt Lauer "Tim" Three Times In One Interview, Had To Be Corrected By Lauer. Obama: "Well, I think what it is, Tim, is, you know, that no person is defined by a few snippets taken over the course of a number of years …Well, Tim, I think that all of us have people in our lives who may have done some good things, and then we also see them doing some things that are disappointing. … Well, Tim, first of all, it's not me who's criticized these proposals." … NBC's Matt Lauer: "I just want to say, I know you've had a very long week, and so have I. You're saying Tim. I know, it's Matt Lauer. But believe me, I completely understand." Obama: "Matt, I'm sorry." Lauer: "We've both had a long week, Senator, believe me." (NBC's "Today," 5/5/08)

My final comment: These are not all the gaffes. There are many more. Just like you could post a bunch McCain has made and every other politician who ever ran...again, it has nothing to do with their minds. People misspeak, especially people who are called upon to speak as much as Presidential candidates. But if you can manage to be fair about this...if you think McCain is weak-minded because he misspeaks, then you should say the same thing about Obama...because he misspeaks just as often. And, no offense, if people would get away from the hard left (or right) blogs and quoting hard left (or right) media and look up things for themselves...they would see that most of the things said about EITHER candidate can usually be found about the other one as well with a little research. But, of course, you have to want to know the TRUTH, whatever it is...to research BOTH sides....and, bottom line...when people misspeak, it does not indicate they have a "mind" problem...but if it DID, Obama seems to be similarly "afflicted."

And a little tidbit about Fox News....they have as many dem Fox New contributors as Repub...Howard Wolfson, Bob Beckel to name two...and many more whose names I can't remember. When they have a Repub pundit, they always have a Dem pundit with him/her. That is more than I can say for most media outlets. And for the record, I am neither Dem nor Repub...Independent.
What if Obama didn't hate people like me? (sm)
I like Obama as a speaker, I think Obama is very intelligent and educated. I think Obama is very attractive. I like a lot of the ideas he has. I just cannot skirt around the issue of those he has associated with and the church he attended for 20 YEARS! I find it hard to believe he is not racist against me, a plain old white citizen. I think it doesn't matter that I have friends of all races, and that I love someone of another race. All that matters to his minister is that I am white and that makes him hate me, and if Obama didn't also hate me, and those like me, then why did he continue to attend that church and listen to the acid spewing from his minister's mouth for 20 years?   While I think it is horrible that our ancestors forced African's into slavery and treated them horribly, I didn't do it! I would never do it!  I love everyone! Why do I have to be a victim of prejudice now, just because I am white?  Why can't prejudice not exist either way?
Obama supported the bailout too didn't he?
I respect your right to vote for who you want to, but why is it whenever something negative is said about Obama it is rumor but whenever something negative is said about Mccain it is fact? Shouldn't it go both ways. I mean I'm not dumb, I know that a lot of the mudslinging on both sides is pure crap, but there is some truth to both sides.

I'm praying with you too, but I'm not praying for one candidate over another. I'm just praying that God will put the person HE wants in there and He will work in their heart to help them make the right decisions. But sometimes I fear we may have already pushed God out of our nation to much and we it may be time for the judgment on America, just like what happened to Israel.

No matter who wins, it's time to batten (right word?) down the hatches and start saving and probably start stocking up on canned food! We are in for a llloonnnggg winter!
the response didn't come from an obama supporter
If you're referring to my response to the OP about scraping the bottom of the barrel. FYI I'm voting for McCain.
You didn't watch Obama's speeches before the
He said "I will close Gitmo". All the O lovers were on here posting how wonderful that was; how glad they were to hear it. And now, you act as if you know nothihng about that? Obama wouldn't do such a thing? All he had to do was say, no, things will go forward, a trial will be had NOW, and there will be no freeze.

He didn't do that! And so it has started..

Obama didn't create this mess
I am amazed at the criticism directed at Obama regarding the current economic crisis.
1. Did he run up our huge debt with China?
2. Who blew billions on Wall Street without any oversight - Bush/Paulson - ring a bell?
3. Who gave us the stimulus checks last year that the government couldn't really afford to give?
4. Who got us into a $10 billion a month Iraq war when our allies and the UN Security Council could see that the "evidence" was total b.s.? Wasn't it McCain who said we would keep at it 100 years? How much has that and would that fiasco cost us?

I speak as a former Republican/turned independent. Both parties have sold us down the river to appeal to the interests of big multinationals interested in "free trade". How could we possibly hope to keep our economy healthy by allowing trade with people making pennies an hour? Our own profession is a microcosm of the maladies caused by the "global economy". We make far less and work much harder - finding it difficult to pay bills. It had to crash sometime.

I agree with you that this stimulus package will probably not do the trick, but to blame Obama for it is ridiculous. It would be the equivalent of having been sent in a barrel over the side of Niagara Falls, and halfway down Obama tries to figure out a way to soften the landing. He didn't put us in the situation - and maybe he can't get us out.

One thing is certain - McCain could not have done better. He would have kept us bleeding billions in Iraq that we simply do not have.

We are likely going to see runaway inflation. The government is committing itself to compounding the effects of the disaster - starting with Bush allowing Paulson to throw billions to his Wall Street buddies and the continuing effort to stave off the inevitable crash of our economy. The only way they can afford these megabillion plans is to print more money - and the money will become worth a lot less. Get ready for a $100 loaf of bread.


Didn't Obama say "NO LOBBYISTS"?
There are 12 lobbylists in his administration............but, of course, all Obama lovers will certainly defend them somehow!  They always do. 
OMG, I hope my post didn't look like I thought Obama did it
I know he didn't. He's a very decent person and respectful and when something is wrong he'll say so (and will have words with his people if they cross the line). I wasn't sure who did it. The news said they were going to tell us who is responsible but they never did (go figure). I just think its a horrible thing to happen to anyone and DH and I were talking tonight about when did all the nasty things like this start happening. I'm sure 100 or so years ago it wasn't bad like this. I just think it's a horrible world when someone is running for an office and people think its okay to do this. How low will they go?
Obama didn't even stop campaigning to mourn
I'm with you -- it's ridiculous to think we need a moratorium on this board.
Didn't the Washington Post back Obama?

My math isn't wrong. Gov. Blago+Mrs. Blago (real estate agent, or did you forget?)+Rezko=Obama. Can I make it any clearer?


 


Yeah, and didn't Michelle just tell us to judge Obama on his actions? sm
They finally let her out of her box onto the Larry King show, and that's one of the things she said.


I don't like his actions, one little bit.



He's bamboozled millions of people.
Thanks to Obama? Get Real. He didn't send jobs overseas....
Most MT companies will not offshore work. Most hospitals and large clinics DEMAND that their work not be sent overseas. Unfortunately, you have those that LIE and I worked for an MT company that sent overload work to India. It was indeed, unfortunate, as the quality was horrible. But, I've trained plenty of MTs who were just as bad with "supposed" experience. They could pass a test, they just couldn't work accurately consistently. I blame that on the "production pay system." I learned MT when they used to respect you and paid you by the hour. There was no demand on HOW MUCH as long as it was COMPLETELY accurate.
Well, I'm not right-wing but you're right, Obama
nm
You're the one not getting it. Obama doesn't not have to do much of anything

in order to win over a "moderate muslim" because they are by definition open to Western ideas regarding politics and general ideas.  They embrace a sort of liberal Islam in sharp contrast to the extremist or fundamentalist muslims who have zero tolerance and believe in and embrace the concept of Jihad against the infidels. 


I'm not just talking about muslims who live in the U.S., but muslims around the world.  For example, President Karzai of Afghanistan has been deemed a moderate muslim because of his political ideas which is why he fears violence against him from the extremists in his country.


Get it?  Obama saying that he wants to "win over" moderate muslims is akin to a MTSO saying they want to "win over" Indian MTs to work with them.  It won't be hard and will take very little convincing.  Not to mention King Obama is the "world's president."  Like I said, he's just posturing of the media.  The liberal media loves him and his pretty speeches.  Journalists have become babbling idiots since O burst on the scene. 


So what you're saying is that what was okay for Bush is now okay for Obama?
What about that change we can believe in and choosing morals over fear, etc, etc.? It was a bad idea in 2000 and it still stinks in 2010 - doesn't matter who's doing it.
I think you're right about him not liking Obama...
but what could his plan be when he keeps making himself look so dumb? Do you think maybe he's trying to make Obama look bad somehow?
What if Obama didn't hang around with terrorists? What if he was not a long-time follower of a r
Then I would be voting for him.
Obama didn't wait for his term to legally begin, he started on Nov. 5th.

The American people didn't listen to the anti Obama sentiments sm
That Ayers crapola is not applicable. All that bashing of Obama is over SOUR GRAPES BABY!!! WE WON, YES WE CAN, YES WE DID

You're not aware what Biden said about Obama?
There has been no harsher critic of Barack Obama's lack of experience than Joe Biden. Biden has denounced Barack Obama's poor foreign policy judgment and has strongly argued in his own words that "Americans are quickly realizing that Barack Obama is not ready to be President." His words. He stood on a stage shoulder to shoulder with Obama and said this very thing at the dem debates.

And, Biden's own words.
"I think he(Obama) can be ready, but right now I don't believe he is. The presidency is not something that lends itself to on-the-job training" AND......

"If the Democrats think we're going to be able to nominate someone who can win without that person being able to table unimpeachable credentials on national security and foreign policy, I think we're making a tragic mistake..."

About Obama's foreign policy he said..
"Having Talking Points On Foreign Policy Doesn't Get You There."

On Obama's voting against funding for US Troops overseas he said,
"If you tell me I've got to take away this protection for these kids in order to win the election, some things aren't worth it. Some things are worth losing over. That would be worth losing over. Hundreds of lives are being saved and will be saved by us sending these vehicles over which we are funding with this supplemental legislation. And I want to ask any of my other colleagues, would they, in fact, vote to cut off the money for those troops to protect them? That's the right question. This isn't cutting off the war. This is cutting off support that will save the lives of thousands of American troops."

On Obama's leadership in Iraq he said.....
"I Don't Recall Hearing A Word From Barack About A Plan Or A Tactic."

Biden on whether he would meet unconditionally with leaders of rogue states as Obama said he would.....
"Absolutely Positively No." Biden: "Would I make a blanket commitment to meet unconditionally with the leaders of each of those countries within the first year I was elected president? Absolutely positively no."

Oh, AND IT GETS EVEN BETTER......There's his undying love for John McCain, "God love 'em".
Biden has called McCain a personal hero and proclaimed that he would run on a McCain ticket. He has praised McCain’s stances on climate change and troop levels in Iraq. He acknowledged that McCain’s approach to foreign policy differs from President Bush’s — everything that flies in the face of lines of attack that Obama has been pushing against McCain. Remember he said he would be "honored to run against him or with him".(meaning McCain).

I mean, this is why the entire Obama/Biden ticket is such a joke...gotta wonder what is going on. Biden does not care for Obama at all nor his beliefs.

Biden thinks more highly of McCain than Obama and has said so.

Didn't you watch the democratic debates?

You're going to be blasted..you spoke against Obama
sad but true
You're right - Obama does look like a black Dickie.
xx
Yeah, and they're also all 30 something or younger...all Obama drones....

And I gather that's what you're hoping to happen because you hate Obama.

You're entitled to your opinion. I guess it depends on what side of the spectrum you're on.nm
x
I didn't miss any part and didn't say...
anything either way. I just posted a link.
We're not defending Bush we're pointing out the obvious
All you see in your view is Bush, Bush, Bush. Nobody else exists. You have yet to answer any of the questions I posed yesterday. We're not the one obsessing about Bush. I'm sure you'll counter that with I don't owe you any answers! It's really telling that for five or six days this board was mute about the Israel/Lebanon situation. You were too busy posting trash news about Bush like nothing was even happening, but I know that the left has wait for its talking points. You all cannot formulate opinions on your own. You have boilerplates ready to go though. *This is Bush's fault because _____________ but you have to wait on Howard Dean, Bill Clinton, etc. etc. to fill in the blanks for you. It's not just a phenomenon here but with all the left. You can count on at least two days of silence when something unforseen breaks out in the world, because they have to retreat to their bunkers to get their talking points straight, but it will always start with *This is Bush's fault because....
Hey, if they're smoking cigs, they're paying for SCHIP.
xx
They're too lazy to show patriotism......they're waiting
xx
So you're not racist but you're most definitely SEXIST and AGEIST!!!
"Someone more in our age group..."

"She should be taking care of her family."

Your true colors are showing, and they're truly ugly.
Just because they're LOSING doesn't mean they're VICTIMS.
What is it with people these days? You think that just because Hamas is getting its fanny handed to it that that magically makes them victims, and we should all weep and throw cash at them?

From the dawn of time, lesser civilizations have fallen to stronger ones.

It's why the human species survived and the neanderthals didn't.

It's why Rome conquered the Celts.

It's why the Barbarians conquered the Western Roman Empire.

It's why the British conquered the American Indians.

It's why the Spanish conquered the Aztecs.

It's why the Muslims conquered Israel the first time. But, since their societal progres seems to have permanently parked in the Stone Age, now Israel is conquering them right back.

Deal with it.
You're right. They're simply not worthy of a reply.

You're right....words are just words...so are Obama's...
...and don't/won't mean anything to many people, myself included.

He is no MLK.

It is a historic moment, of that I have no doubt. And yes, he has come far.

However, one still needs to have strength of character to back the words up for true meaning, and he is sadly lacking in that area.


This is the reason we are in Iraq and it's the same reason I didn't vote for him in 2000: Didn't

his own personal reasons.


http://www.tompaine.com/articles/20050620/why_george_went_to_war.php


The Downing Street memos have brought into focus an essential question: on what basis did President George W. Bush decide to invade Iraq? The memos are a government-level confirmation of what has been long believed by so many: that the administration was hell-bent on invading Iraq and was simply looking for justification, valid or not.


Despite such mounting evidence, Bush resolutely maintains total denial. In fact, when a British reporter asked the president recently about the Downing Street documents, Bush painted himself as a reluctant warrior. "Both of us didn't want to use our military," he said, answering for himself and British Prime Minister Blair. "Nobody wants to commit military into combat. It's the last option."


Yet there's evidence that Bush not only deliberately relied on false intelligence to justify an attack, but that he would have willingly used any excuse at all to invade Iraq. And that he was obsessed with the notion well before 9/11—indeed, even before he became president in early 2001.


In interviews I conducted last fall, a well-known journalist, biographer and Bush family friend who worked for a time with Bush on a ghostwritten memoir said that an Iraq war was always on Bush's brain.


"He was thinking about invading Iraq in 1999," said author and Houston Chronicle journalist Mickey Herskowitz. "It was on his mind. He said, 'One of the keys to being seen as a great leader is to be seen as a commander-in-chief.' And he said, 'My father had all this political capital built up when he drove the Iraqis out of Kuwait and he wasted it.' He went on, 'If I have a chance to invade…, if I had that much capital, I'm not going to waste it. I'm going to get everything passed that I want to get passed and I'm going to have a successful presidency.'"


Bush apparently accepted a view that Herskowitz, with his long experience of writing books with top Republicans, says was a common sentiment: that no president could be considered truly successful without one military "win" under his belt. Leading Republicans had long been enthralled by the effect of the minuscule Falklands War on British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's popularity, and ridiculed Democrats such as Jimmy Carter who were reluctant to use American force. Indeed, both Reagan and Bush's father successfully prosecuted limited invasions (Grenada, Panama and the Gulf War) without miring the United States in endless conflicts.


Herskowitz's revelations illuminate Bush's personal motivation for invading Iraq and, more importantly, his general inclination to use war to advance his domestic political ends. Furthermore, they establish that this thinking predated 9/11, predated his election to the presidency and predated his appointment of leading neoconservatives who had their own, separate, more complex geopolitical rationale for supporting an invasion.


Conversations With Bush The Candidate


Herskowitz—a longtime Houston newspaper columnist—has ghostwritten or co-authored autobiographies of a broad spectrum of famous people, including Reagan adviser Michael Deaver, Mickey Mantle, Dan Rather and Nixon cabinet secretary John B. Connally. Bush's 1999 comments to Herskowitz were made over the course of as many as 20 sessions together. Eventually, campaign staffers—expressing concern about things Bush had told the author that were included in the manuscript—pulled the project, and Bush campaign officials came to Herskowitz's house and took his original tapes and notes. Bush communications director Karen Hughes then assumed responsibility for the project, which was published in highly sanitized form as A Charge to Keep.


The revelations about Bush's attitude toward Iraq emerged during two taped sessions I held with Herskowitz. These conversations covered a variety of matters, including the journalist's continued closeness with the Bush family and fondness for Bush Senior—who clearly trusted Herskowitz enough to arrange for him to pen a subsequent authorized biography of Bush's grandfather, written and published in 2003.


I conducted those interviews last fall and published an article based on them during the final heated days of the 2004 campaign. Herskowitz's taped insights were verified to the satisfaction of editors at the Houston Chronicle, yet the story failed to gain broad mainstream coverage, primarily because news organization executives expressed concern about introducing such potent news so close to the election. Editors told me they worried about a huge backlash from the White House and charges of an "October Surprise."


Debating The Timeline For War


But today, as public doubts over the Iraq invasion grow, and with the Downing Street papers adding substance to those doubts, the Herskowitz interviews assume singular importance by providing profound insight into what motivated Bush—personally—in the days and weeks following 9/11. Those interviews introduce us to a George W. Bush, who, until 9/11, had no means for becoming "a great president"—because he had no easy path to war. Once handed the national tragedy of 9/11, Bush realized that the Afghanistan campaign and the covert war against terrorist organizations would not satisfy his ambitions for greatness. Thus, Bush shifted focus from Al Qaeda, perpetrator of the attacks on New York and Washington. Instead, he concentrated on ensuring his place in American history by going after a globally reviled and easily targeted state run by a ruthless dictator.


The Herskowitz interviews add an important dimension to our understanding of this presidency, especially in combination with further evidence that Bush's focus on Iraq was motivated by something other than credible intelligence. In their published accounts of the period between 9/11 and the March 2003 invasion, former White House Counterterrorism Coordinator Richard Clarke and journalist Bob Woodward both describe a president single-mindedly obsessed with Iraq. The first anecdote takes place the day after the World Trade Center collapsed, in the Situation Room of the White House. The witness is Richard Clarke, and the situation is captured in his book, Against All Enemies.



On September 12th, I left the Video Conferencing Center and there, wandering alone around the Situation Room, was the President. He looked like he wanted something to do. He grabbed a few of us and closed the door to the conference room. "Look," he told us, "I know you have a lot to do and all…but I want you, as soon as you can, to go back over everything, everything. See if Saddam did this. See if he's linked in any way…"


I was once again taken aback, incredulous, and it showed. "But, Mr. President, Al Qaeda did this."


"I know, I know, but…see if Saddam was involved. Just look. I want to know any shred…" …


"Look into Iraq, Saddam," the President said testily and left us. Lisa Gordon-Hagerty stared after him with her mouth hanging open.


Similarly, Bob Woodward, in a CBS News 60 Minutes interview about his book, Bush At War, captures a moment, on November 21, 2001, where the president expresses an acute sense of urgency that it is time to secretly plan the war with Iraq. Again, we know there was nothing in the way of credible intelligence to precipitate the president's actions.



Woodward: "President Bush, after a National Security Council meeting, takes Don Rumsfeld aside, collars him physically and takes him into a little cubbyhole room and closes the door and says, 'What have you got in terms of plans for Iraq? What is the status of the war plan? I want you to get on it. I want you to keep it secret.'"


Wallace (voiceover): Woodward says immediately after that, Rumsfeld told Gen. Tommy Franks to develop a war plan to invade Iraq and remove Saddam—and that Rumsfeld gave Franks a blank check.


Woodward: "Rumsfeld and Franks work out a deal essentially where Franks can spend any money he needs. And so he starts building runways and pipelines and doing all the necessary preparations in Kuwait specifically to make war possible."


Bush wanted a war so that he could build the political capital necessary to achieve his domestic agenda and become, in his mind, "a great president." Blair and the members of his cabinet, unaware of the Herskowitz conversations, placed Bush's decision to mount an invasion in or about July of 2002. But for Bush, the question that summer was not whether, it was only how and when. The most important question, why, was left for later.


Eventually, there would be a succession of answers to that question: weapons of mass destruction, links to Al Qaeda, the promotion of democracy, the domino theory of the Middle East. But none of them have been as convincing as the reason George W. Bush gave way back in the summer of 1999.