Bush Press Conference with PM Harper and President Calderon

	Duration: 10:45 minutes Upload Time: 07-08-21 22:35:52 User: deiphilus :::: Favorites
Description: Bush is sluggish till he starts talking about Iraq. Hmmm... PRESIDENT BUSH: The way I view Iraq is from the security perspective and a political perspective. I made a decision to send more troops into Iraq to provide enough security for reconciliation to have the time to take place. It appears to me -- and I certainly don't want to prejudge General David Petraeus's report back home -- but there is some progress being made. In other words, one aspect of my decision is working. There are two types of political reconciliation that can take place in a new democracy: One is from the top down, and one is from the bottom up. Clearly, the Iraqi government has got to do more through its parliament to help heal the wounds of years -- having lived years under a tyrant. It's not easy to go from a tyrannical society where the tyrant brutalized his people and created deep suspicions into one in which people are willing to work more closely together. The Iraqi people made a great step toward reconciliation when they passed the most modern constitution in the Middle East, and now their government has got to perform. And I think there's a certain level of frustration with the leadership in general, inability to work -- to come to get, for example, an oil revenue law passed or provincial elections. On the other hand, I do want to point out that the Iraqi parliament has met and passed 60 different pieces of legislation. They do have a budgeting process that is in the process of distributing a significant amount of money from the central government to the provincial governments, and the money they're distributing is oil revenues. So there may not be an oil revenue distribution law, but there's oil revenues being distributed. There's bottom-up reconciliation taking place. It's noticeable and tangible and real, where people at the grassroots level are sick and tired of the violence, sick and tired of the radicalism, and they want -- and they want a better life. And they're beginning to reject the extremists that have the desire to have a safe haven, for example, from which to launch further attacks on America. In other words, there's a process taking place. And the fundamental question is, will the government respond to the demands of the people? And if the government doesn't demand -- respond to the demands of the people, they will replace the government. That's up to the Iraqis to make that decision, not American politicians. The Iraqis will decide. They have decided they want a constitution, they have elected members to their parliament, and they will make the decisions, just like democracies do. And the question that we have to face in America is, is it worth it? Does it matter whether or not this young democracy survives? Is it in our national interests that this difficult experiment with democracy in the Middle East work? And I've come to the conclusion that it is. It's in our interests, because a failed Iraq could easily yield a safe haven from which the extremists and radicals who once attacked us could attack us again. A failed Iraq would become a recruiting tool for the very same people that still want to attack America. And so it's in our interests. I told you the other day at a press conference -- I don't know if you were there or not -- but if you don't believe it's in American interests to be there, you won't find any political reconciliation that is -- that is worth defending. If you do think it's in our interests, our security interests, then you'll be able to see political reconciliation taking place, some at the top and some at the bottom. Now, Ambassador Crocker and General Petraeus will be coming back to brief the Congress in about a month's time, and I'm looking forward to hearing their briefing. And I would hope that members of Congress from both political parties listen very carefully to the report they bring back, as we all make decisions about what's best for our national security in regards to this one theater in the war against the extremists and radicals. http://petulantrumblings.com
Comments
KIDiotequeA ::: Favorites He doesnt want to prejudge Patreus' report? The White House is writing it!! 07-08-22 10:53:57 _____________________________________________________
chicagodmt ::: Favorites Bush speaks like he's faking his way through a book report. "Moby Dick...it was about a big fish, in otherwords, it was about a whale." 07-08-22 14:08:37 _____________________________________________________
MistaJohnsonG ::: Favorites 4 minutes of butt-kissing, an interesting answer to a question (with some good points regarding Iraq), and then, "we believe it's an international passage-way", and then we don't question, rather support Canadian sovereignty?...Lay off the dope Mr. President. 07-08-24 02:57:45 _____________________________________________________
MistaJohnsonG ::: Favorites PS: Does anyone know where I can find Harpers turn? 07-08-24 03:04:33 _____________________________________________________
bbrodsky ::: Favorites i wish his name was wilson so i could punch him in the eye 07-08-24 03:29:01 _____________________________________________________