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Let Me Finish!

Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2004 11:49 am
by Rspaight
Watch Bush smirk and spin through an interview with an aggressive Irish journalist:

http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/0624/primet ... 56_1c.smil

Ryan

Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2004 12:45 pm
by Chris M
I like this quote from Bush...."people join terrorists groups because they have no hope and no chance to raise their families in a peaceful world".

Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2004 1:34 pm
by Rspaight
I liked that, too. All this time, he's been telling us that terrorists hate freedom. Now he tells us that people become terrorists because they want freedom. Which is it?

Ryan

Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2004 2:05 pm
by Xenu
That was really, really awful. "We've helped the Irish! LOVE US!"

Posted: Sun Jun 27, 2004 4:56 pm
by Rspaight
Angry White House pulls RTE interview

The White House has lodged a complaint with the Irish Embassy in Washington over RTE journalist Carole Coleman's interview with US President George Bush.

And it is believed the President's staff have now withdrawn from an exclusive interview which was to have been given to RTE this morning by First Lady Laura Bush.

It is understood that both RTE and the Department of Foreign Affairs were aware of the exclusive arrangement, scheduled for 11am today. However, when RTE put Ms Coleman's name forward as interviewer, they were told Mrs Bush would no longer be available.

The Irish Independent learned last night that the White House told Ms Coleman that she interrupted the president unnecessarily and was disrespectful.

She also received a call from the White House in which she was admonished for her tone.

And it emerged last night that presidential staff suggested to Ms Coleman as she went into the interview that she ask him a question on the outfit that Taoiseach Bertie Ahern wore to the G8 summit.

Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2004 11:54 pm
by Patrick M
Bush: War not inciting terrorists
'I do believe the world is a safer place'
Friday, June 25, 2004 Posted: 11:51 AM EDT (1551 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In an interview with Irish television ahead of a U.S.-EU summit, U.S. President George W. Bush defended his stance on Iraq and said the war has not incited terrorists.

Bush leaves Friday for Ireland, where he will meet with European Union leaders Saturday before heading to Turkey for a NATO summit. Ireland currently holds the rotating six-month presidency of the EU.

In the sometimes combative interview with Irish network RTE -- the president at one point asking the interviewer to let him finish his answers -- Bush disputed the suggestion that the world is more dangerous with the focus on Iraq instead of Afghanistan and al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

"On September 11, 2001, we were attacked in an unprovoked fashion -- everybody thought the world was calm," the president told RTE's Carole Coleman at the White House.

"There [have] been bombings since then, not because of my response to Iraq. There were bombings in Madrid. There were bombings in Istanbul. There were bombings in Bali. There were killings in Pakistan."

Hundreds of people died in those attacks, which targeted Western interests or U.S. allies in the war on terrorism.

"I do believe the world is a safer place and becoming a safer place," the president said. "I know that a free Iraq is going to be necessary -- part of changing the world.

"People join terrorist organizations because there's no hope and there's no chance to raise their families in a peaceful world where there is not freedom ... so the idea is to promote freedom and at the same time protect our security.

Bush's comments came on a day where coordinated insurgent attacks in five Iraqi cities killed about 100 people, including civilians, Iraqi security service members and three U.S. troops.

"These people are willing to kill innocent people. They're willing to slaughter innocent people to stop the advance of freedom," Bush said.

"So the free world has to make a choice. Do we cower in the face of terror or do we lead in the face of terror? I'm going to lead in the face of terror. We will not let these terrorists dash the hopes and ambitions of the people of Iraq."

Bush appeared frustrated when Coleman interrupted him as he was talking about the Middle East.

"Please, please, for a minute, okay?" Bush said "It'd be better if you'd let me finish my answers and then you can follow up if you don't mind."

In Ireland, Bush will meet with Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, European Commission President Romano Prodi and EU security chief Javier Solana at Dromoland Castle near Shannon in the southwest of the island.

Thousands of protesters are expected in assemble in Dublin and in Shannon near the summit site. Ireland will deploy 6,000 police and troops to protect Bush and the EU leaders.

Further polarizing Irish public opinion against the war has been the Abu Ghraib prison scandal.

The president said the actions of a handful of troops should not be allowed to sully the image of a whole nation.

"I hope the Irish people understand the great values of our country," Bush said, "and if they think that a few soldiers represent the entirety of America, they really don't understand America then."

Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2004 12:18 am
by lukpac
Ryan, we need a talking points summary on this.

Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2004 8:53 am
by Rspaight
Here's the official White House transcript.

Here's my version. The questions are unchanged, and verbatim passages from the President are in red, just like Jesus in the Bible.

Q Mr. President, you're going to arrive in Ireland in about 24 hours' time, and no doubt you will be welcomed by our political leaders. Unfortunately, the majority of our public do not welcome your visit because they're angry over Iraq, they're angry over Abu Ghraib. Are you bothered by what Irish people think?

THE PRESIDENT: Aboo Ga-Rape was a few bad apples! If you Irish don't get that, you're just dumb.

We love the Irish. The Irish love us. There's a lot of Irish here. But you guys are idiots if you think we're all like those few bad apples. We're compassionate. But don't cross us, because we'll kick your ass. But we love the Irish.

Q And they're angry over Iraq, as well, and particularly the continuing death toll there.

THE PRESIDENT: Yeah, yeah, war is hell. But Saddam was a brutal dictator! He had mass graves! And torture rooms! Now Halliburton runs the mass graves and torture rooms.

Hey, did I tell you about those guys who came to see me? Saddam cut off their hands. Isn't that gross? We gave them new hands, because we're compassionate. I wonder if Halliburton makes fake hands?

Anyway, Saddam was evil. He had weapons of mass destruction and USED them against his OWN PEOPLE --

Q Indeed, Mr. President, but you didn't find the weapons of mass destruction.

THE PRESIDENT: Let me finish. Let me finish. May I finish?

Where was I? Oh, yeah. He said -- the United Nations said, disarm or face serious consequences. That's what the United Nations said. And guess what? He didn't disarm. He didn't disclose his arms. And, therefore, he faced serious consequences. But we have found a capacity for him to make a weapon. See, he had the capacity to make weapons. He was dangerous. And no one can argue that the world is better off with Saddam -- if Saddam Hussein were in power.

Q But, Mr. President, the world is a more dangerous place today. I don't know whether you can see that or not.

THE PRESIDENT: Huh?

Q There are terrorist bombings every single day. It's now a daily event. It wasn't like that two years ago.

THE PRESIDENT: 9/11! What about 9/11? You wanna talk about terrorist bombings --

Q But it's your response to Iraq that's considered --

THE PRESIDENT: Let me finish. Let me finish, please. Please. You ask the questions and I'll answer them, if you don't mind.

9/11 terror unprovoked attack bomb death evil scary. And me attacking Iraq has nothing to do with the terror, even though I keep saying it's the central front in the war on terror. Do you want to hear me recite the recent bombing locations? That have nothing to do with Iraq? What do you Irish know about terrorist bombings, anyway?

Q Indeed, Mr. President, and I think Irish people understand that. But I think there is a feeling that the world has become a more dangerous place because you have taken the focus off al Qaeda and diverted into Iraq. Do you not see that the world is a more dangerous place? I saw four of your soldiers lying dead on the television the other day, a picture of four soldiers just lying there without their flight jackets.

THE PRESIDENT: Listen, nobody cares more about the death than I do --

Q Is there a point or place --

THE PRESIDENT: Dear God, can't you just shut up and let me empathize with the dead people? Christ.

Anyway, I really care about death. I care about it a lot. But I do believe the world is a safer place and becoming a safer place. I know that a free Iraq is going to be a necessary part of changing the world. Listen, people join terrorist organizations because there's no hope and there's no chance to raise their families in a peaceful world where there is not freedom. Freedom. Freedom freedom freedom. And security. Lots of both. Good stuff. Did I mention that the terrorists hate freedom, because they want it so much. They're just jealous.

Q Mr. President, you are a man who has a great faith in God. I've heard you say many times that you strive to serve somebody greater than yourself.

THE PRESIDENT: Right.

Q Do you believe that the hand of God is guiding you in this war on terror?

THE PRESIDENT: Listen, me and God, we're like this. He makes me strong and powerful, and he forgives me if I screw up.

But God's all about peace. And freedom. Don't forget freedom. But I get great sustenance from my personal relationship. That doesn't make me think I'm a better person than you are, by the way. Because one of the great admonitions in the Good Book is, don't try to take a speck out of your eye if I've got a log in my own. Or something like that.

(smirks)

Q You're going to meet Bertie Ahern when you arrive in Shannon Airport tomorrow. I guess he went out on a limb for you, presumably because of the great friendship between our two countries. Can you look him in the eye when you get there and say, it will be worth it, it will work out?

THE PRESIDENT: Sure. You think I'd do all this war stuff if I didn't think it'd work? I wouldn't do that if I didn't think it would work. Let me stall a bit longer, please.

Q Why is it that others --

THE PRESIDENT: I said shut the HELL up and let me stall! I've gotta run out the clock here, because you're asking me real questions.

And so, yes, I can turn to my friend, Bertie Ahern, and say, thank you, thanks for helping, and I appreciate it very much. And there will be other challenges, by the way.

Q Why is it that others don't understand what you're about?

THE PRESIDENT: Beats me. I guess it's up to history -- but that won't matter 'cause we'll all be dead.

I don't care what people think. I do what I want. I'm saving the world here.

By the way, Tony Blair is on my side. Against terror, for freedom. You Irish like England, right?

Hmmmm, let's see, talking points, talking points. Gotta drag this out. Oh, yeah -- let me say one other thing about America that your viewers must know -- is that not only are we working hard to promote security and peace, we're also working to eradicate famine and disease. There is no more generous country on the face of the earth than the United States of America, when it comes to fighting HIV/AIDS. As a matter of fact, it was my initiative --

Q Indeed, that's understood --

THE PRESIDENT: Just SHUT UP! I'm stalling here! -- my initiative, that asked Congress to spend $15 billion over five years to battle this pandemic. And we're following through on it. Eventually. I know we've only coughed up a few hundred million so far, but the rest is coming. Trust me. And no other country in the world feeds more of the hungry than the United States. We're a compassionate nation.

Q Mr. President, I know your time is tight, can I move you on to Europe? Are you satisfied that you are getting enough help in Iraq from European countries? You have come together, you are more friendly now -- but they're not really stepping up to the plate with help, are they?

THE PRESIDENT: What are you talking about? Europe loves me. Except France. Bunch of cheese-eating surrender monkeys. They've got no balls. They voted for that UN resolution thing, but then wouldn't let me go to war. Pansies.

But I'm sure Chirac will come around. And the rest all love me.

Q And how do you see the handover going? The next few weeks are going to be crucial. Can democracy really flourish with the violence that's going on? A hundred Iraqis dead today, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT: What is it with you and the death? You think I like death? That I just sit here in the White House and read the paper and get all warm and fuzzy about my numbers going south? Wrong! I don't read the paper. So there.

Anyway, it's no wonder there's all the death, what with the fact that they're evil and all. Evil terror death slaughter killer brutal bloodthirst. Kill! Kill! Kill! They hate freedom, the freedom they want so badly that they became terrorists. So what, we just let them have their freedom-hating bloody killing the innocent thing?

Not me. I'm a leader. We will not let these terrorists dash the hopes and ambitions of the people of Iraq. There's some kind of attitude that says, oh, gosh, the terrorists attacked, let's let the Iraqis suffer more. We're not going to let them suffer more. We're going to work with them. And I'm most proud of this fellow, Prime Minister Allawi. He's strong and he's tough. He says to me, Mr. President, don't leave our country, help us secure our country so we can be free. 'Cause freedom and security, that's what's good. As opposed to terror and death, which are bad. That's what I'm trying to say here.

Q Indeed, Mr. President, just to get back to that. Can I just turn to the Middle East --

THE PRESIDENT: Sure.

Q -- and you will be discussing at the EU summit and the idea of bringing democracy to the broader Middle East.

THE PRESIDENT: Right.

Q Is that something that really should start, though, with the solving of the Israeli-Palestinian crisis?

THE PRESIDENT: Oh, crap, don't ask me about that. Let's talk about Turkey or Pakistan --

Q But shouldn't that be on the top of the list --

THE PRESIDENT: I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP AND LET ME CHANGE THE SUBJECT! How am I supposed to remember my talking points if you keep interrupting my off-topic rambling? I'm gonna have a word with the embassy about you, young lady. I'm the President!

Hey, all I'm saying is that there's democracy happening other places. Why are you so obsessed with the damn Palestinians? I said they could have a state. I'm the first President who did that. The first! So get off my back. We're working on it.

It's just like Iraq -- what they really need is a good dose of smart bombs and --

Q And a bit more even-handedness from America?

THE PRESIDENT: -- and we're working on security measures. And America -- I'm the first President to ever have called for a Palestinian state. Did I mention that? The first. That's, to me, sounds like a reasonable, balanced approach. But I will not allow terrorists to determine the fate -- as best I can, determine the fate of people who want to be free. That's what I want you Irish to understand. Terror is bad. Freedom is good.

Q Mr. President, thank you very much for talking to us.

THE PRESIDENT: You're welcome, you rude hussy.