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White House Reacts to Bob Woodward Book; Revelatory ABC News Interview From April
September 05, 2008 10:21 PM
ABC News’ Luis Martinez reports: The White House has issued a statement tonight from National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley saying Bob Woodward's new book paints an "incomplete" portrayal of the Bush administration's Iraq policy in 2006 when it appeared that Iraq was spiraling out of control.
Hadley takes issue with Woodward's claim in "The War Within: A Secret White House History, 2006-2008" that President Bush continued to maintain publicly that U.S. forces were "winning” in Iraq while privately he had come to believe that the long-term strategy of training Iraq security forces and handing over responsibility to the new Iraqi government was failing.
The book is scheduled to be released Monday, but the book's contents have been written about in The Washington Post.
In his statement Hadley says, "The Washington Post article suggests that the President in his public statements during 2006 did not present a realistic picture of the situation in Iraq. This is not the case.”
However, in an interview in April with ABC News' White House correspondent Martha Raddatz, President Bush himself acknowledged that he had not been totally forthcoming about his Iraq strategy in 2006 at a time when Iraq was driven by ethnic conflict.
President Bush told Raddatz that he had continued to deliver upbeat public assessments of how the war was going even though by then he believed the Iraq strategy was failing.
RADDATZ: Did you think it would fail?
BUSH: I thought it was failing, yes, I did, and that's why -- and I listened to a lot of opinions. And as you remember, there were like all kinds of opinions. ....
RADDATZ: … All during that period -- April, May, June, July -- when things were really going downhill, people were talking about there being civil war …
BUSH: Yes.
RADDATZ: ... you were saying, "We're winning. We have a plan for victory. We are winning," up through October.
BUSH: Well, there was -- I also recognized -- I think if you'd go through the -- kind of fully analyze my statements, I was also saying, "The fighting is very tough, it's -- you know, the extremism is unacceptable. The murder is unacceptable." And you know, it's very important to be realistic …
RADDATZ: ... But the overall thing, when you say, "We're winning," you know what the American people hear. You know how that will play.
BUSH: Well, yes. I think we -- and I wanted -- that's as much trying to bolster the spirits of the people in the field as well as -- look, you can't have the commander in chief say to a bunch of kids who are sacrificing either, "It's not worth it," or, "You're losing." I mean, what does that do for morale? …
RADDATZ: It's one thing for the troops and boosting morale. I totally understand that. But do you think you lost credibility with the American people? Do you think that's one …
BUSH: Yes.
RADDATZ: ... of the reasons you couldn't sell this?
BUSH: I think the quickest way to lose credibility with the American people is for them to think the president makes decisions based upon the latest public opinion poll or what's good for a political party.
September 5, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (163)
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forget the press - I'm waiting for Palin to take questions from average people in their famous town hall meetings. I would be an idiot to ask less.
anybody can say look at me make scripted attacks
Posted by: watching | Sep 6, 2008 1:21:48 AM
At noon on 20 January 2009 this war criminal and traitor, George Worthless Bush, should go straight from the White House, to a 8 by 10 foot cell at the federal prison in Levenworth, Kansas and remain there then rest of his rotten, miserable, stinking life with no parole.And forced to clean toilets with his tooth brush the rest of his worthless life.
Posted by: P-51 jock | Sep 6, 2008 1:30:21 AM
Republicans lie at all levels; to Bush and Rove up is down, day is night, and wrong is right---distortions, misinformation and outright lies have eroded credibility with the President and his minions. Insecure, school yard bullies is what the Bush Administration and some Republican members of Congress have become; the time for this crowd to move along is timed to the November 4th election.
Posted by: Lou R | Sep 6, 2008 1:49:49 AM
Bush speechwriter Matthew Scully had crafted the speech and message even before Palin was picked. With minor changes to match Palins biography, A match made in heaven.
Posted by: researcher | Sep 6, 2008 1:50:31 AM
forget the press - I'm waiting for Palin to take questions from average people in their famous town hall meetings. I would be an idiot to ask less.
anybody can say look at me make scripted attacks
Posted by: watching | Sep 6, 2008 1:53:56 AM
If you put LIPSTICK on a pig...You still have a pig.
If you put LIPSTICK on a Republican... You still have a Republican..
But the pig smells better..
Posted by: P-51 jock | Sep 6, 2008 2:10:41 AM
Why is Obama afraid of a town hall meeting with McCain? Could it be his tele-prompter is not allowed. I will vote for a candidate, not a tele-prompter.
Posted by: John W. | Sep 6, 2008 2:11:33 AM
Bush lost credibility with the American people because he lied to us consistently and systematically. And now his GOP heir is telling us, don't bother with the issues, just trust him. Enough folks were fooled in 2000, and then in 2004. If we don't rise up and turn out this style of governance in 2008 we deserve to be lied to.
Posted by: hopesprings52 | Sep 6, 2008 2:12:08 AM
This story proves that the Bush administration will come out and flat lie. Note the year Bush came clean that he bs'ed us, 2006... That is between presidential elections. Now we are in a presidential election cycle and they are back into extreme lying mode on a topic they have already came somewhat clean on.
Some people like "Sunny" get upset and whine about the "liberal media" making Bush look bad. Reminder: those were Bush's own words. He admitted he was less than truthful about how things were going in Iraq. Now Woodward brings it up in a book before the election and here comes Hadley lying about it.
This is fair reporting. Just because it shows your "GW Boys" for the liars they are is no need to shoot the messenger. Blaming Woodward for GW's lies is pretty stupid and shows your bias is stronger than your common sense.
Posted by: Scalliwag | Sep 6, 2008 2:12:47 AM
Bush got us into this mess in Iraq, now, McCain will get us out. His surge has worked, this is one republican that has true leadership. McCain is getting us out of the Iraq mess, without giving the terrorists one of the largest oil producing areas in the world. If we listened to Obama, we would have a return visit to Iraq in a short time. It's better to fix the problem "right" the first time.
McCain-Palin in '08 & '12
Posted by: martha S. | Sep 6, 2008 2:17:22 AM
Woodward has caught the flavor of Bush, as we are aware.
We have the choice now to elect a proven leader, with leadership and experience to guide our country. However, we could elect a person that talks of change, but after 11 years of politics, he has no actions of "change". I believe the last person of "change", Bush, was proof, actions speak louder than words.
***** McCain/Palin *****
Posted by: Berger Johns | Sep 6, 2008 2:27:33 AM
Bush got us into this mess in Iraq, now, McCain will get us out. "
BOTH Bush and McCain, AND a lot of other people, got us into this.
Posted by: DennisNC | Sep 6, 2008 2:36:02 AM
END THE WAR! END THE WAR! END THE WAR!
This war is needlessly killing American Soldiers far more Honorable than McCain, who is part of the reason they were sent to die in the first place, based on some failed political posturing Bush needed to do to assert himself as the most powerful man in the world after the impotence he felt post 9-11.
WHAT A LOSER! PRISON TERMS WILL FOLLOW!
END THE WAR! END THE WAR! END THE WAR!
NOW!
Posted by: END THE WAR | Sep 6, 2008 3:06:11 AM
MCCAIN = EXECUTIVE DECISION
OBAMA - "PRESENT"
PALIN = EXECUTIVE EXPERIENCE
OBAMA = "NADA"
Posted by: McCain/Palin 2008 | Sep 6, 2008 3:06:49 AM
END THE WAR:
Unfortunately, most Americans love war and bullying others as long as they do not have to risk anything. If our leaders were the main problem, that could be easily corrected. Unfortunately, America is a little rotten at the core.
Posted by: DennisNC | Sep 6, 2008 3:22:01 AM
I am also a volunteer for the McCain camp to post and stir up trouble in places like this to intimidate Democrats.
I really am a normal guy who collects vintage toy robots in my spare time as well as a conservative Gay Republican.
I will do whatever it takes to put McCain in office, whatever it takes!
Posted by: Jim in OH | Sep 6, 2008 4:04:57 AM
I am fed all the links I post by my supervisor, who in turn gets his feeds from thousands of other volunteers who search the net for this sort of incendiary content.
I do it because it's fun to stir up trouble and no one can find me here in the Columbus region of Ohio.
In fact, even my Gay Democratic friends have no idea I do this. My lover thinks I will vote for Obama like him in Nov.
Posted by: Jim in OH | Sep 6, 2008 4:05:36 AM
I started doing this because until recently I never even voted. When I finally registered to vote, it was like being a born again Christian. You know, holier than thou and all.
I am actually tag teaming with a few other posters here who in turn pretend they are Democrats who become convinced of my rhetoric and concede point after point I make to them.
I do this because Obama does the same, except not as well as we do.
We have about 20 posters here alone who fire up drama back and forth, pretending to be stupid Democrats who pale in comparison to the Republican posters. The idea is to make the Dems look stupid.
I work 15 different blogs and boards with my team.
We all happen to be on the Gay Republican coalition. This was our way of volunteering our efforts to the elections.
Posted by: Jim in OH | Sep 6, 2008 4:06:30 AM
In fact, I am not always me. Other members of my team use the same names to post so it looks like we are always here.
This way we are dominating the board round the clock, even when I am sleeping or at work.
I am going to the vintage car show near here tomorrow with my lover. You wouldn't know it was me if you saw me!
OK, enough of this chatter, let me go back to being the idiot you all know and love.
Actually, it's time for another member of my team to take over now, so goodnight y'all!
Oh, one more thing, does anyone know how to repair a musical drummer toy robot?
Posted by: Jim in OH | Sep 6, 2008 4:07:12 AM
Dear Jim in OH
How refreshing that you share your gay schemes--three times no less. I have been reading your team's provocative and hate-filled efforts in many blogs along with PUMAs and 'alleged' Democrats turning to the fabulous saviour McCain-Palin ticket.
It is just soooo obvious that even real people like me can see it. You need not snigger.
To show how smart we have become to Republican lies and games, 70-80% of Americans have figured out that Bush-Cheney have lied to us and led us in the wrong direction and into the wrong wars.
So we are changing Washington: McCain-Palin '08, Palin '12.
"Bomb, Drill, Attack, Lie, Shoot the Messengers."
Posted by: susan | Sep 6, 2008 4:43:17 AM
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