President Bush's mistake

[SCOOTER93]

A week or so ago, someone ask President Bush if he had made any mistakes.

He couldn't/wouldn't think of any, and the story sort of died.

 

I don't understand why people don't want to admit their mistakes, I would admit my mistakes, if I made any.

 

Seriously, back in Dec. 2002, he had his vote from congress to invade Iraq, but instead of going ahead, he went back to the UN AGAIN for another resolution and gave the French another chance to stab us in the back. (Notice the root word for RESOLUTION is RESOLUTE, meaning, well I guess it has lost all meaning by now) Meantime, the Iraqi's, and likely the Russian's, were busy loading up trucks from Al Qaqa (sp) and hauling stuff to Syria. Which might have something to do with why we can't find "The good stuff".

 

Also, the delay almost got our troops bogged down in the desert summer. It didn't happen, but it was too close.

 

Question: Would that have been political suicide for Bush to have admitted that mistake?

 

Scooter93

[john5746]

I doubt it, but he probably thought it would be.

 

The incredible thing about this question is that people are asked stuff like this in interviews all the time. He should have expected it in the debates after it became an issue. You can easily prepare for questions like that ahead of time. It tells me his team did not want him to admit to any mistakes at all. But, hey he won.

[Aardvark]

If a politician admits a mistake it is pounced upon, blown out of all proportion by the media and used to attack him.

 

I can understand his reticence.

[Tetrahedrite]

Meantime' date=' the Iraqi's, and likely the Russian's, were busy loading up trucks from Al Qaqa (sp) and hauling stuff to Syria. Which might have something to do with why we can't find "The good stuff".

Scooter93[/quote']

Is it possible "the good stuff" never existed, and GW was off at the UN so that he wouldn't look like a fool when the "good stuff" couldn't be found?

[The Nacho]

Here are 100 mistakes Bush has made:

 

 

 

 

1. Failing to build a real international coalition prior to the Iraq invasion, forcing the US to shoulder the full cost and consequences of the war.

 

2. Approving the demobilization of the Iraqi Army in May, 2003 – bypassing the Joint Chiefs of Staff and reversing an earlier position, the President left hundreds of thousands of armed Iraqis disgruntled and unemployed, contributing significantly to the massive security problems American troops have faced during occupation.

 

3. Not equipping troops in Iraq with adequate body armor or armored HUMVEES.

 

4. Ignoring the advice Gen. Eric Shinseki regarding the need for more troops in Iraq – now Bush is belatedly adding troops, having allowed the security situation to deteriorate in exactly the way Shinseki said it would if there were not enough troops.

 

5. Ignoring plans drawn up by the Army War College and other war-planning agencies, which predicted most of the worst security and infrastructure problems America faced in the early days of the Iraq occupation.

 

6. Making a case for war which ignored intelligence that there were no Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq.

 

7. Deriding "nation-building" during the 2000 debates, then engaging American troops in one of the most explicit instances of nation building in American history.

 

8. Predicting along with others in his administration that US troops would be greeted as liberators in Iraq.

 

9. Predicting Iraq would pay for its own reconstruction.

 

10. Wildly underestimating the cost of the war.

 

11. Trusting Ahmed Chalabi, who has dismissed faulty intelligence he provided the President as necessary for getting the Americans to topple Saddam.

 

12. Disbanding the Sunni Baathist managers responsible for Iraq's water, electricity, sewer system and all the other critical parts of that country's infrastructure.

 

13. Failing to give UN weapons inspectors enough time to certify if weapons existed in Iraq.

 

14. Including discredited intelligence concerning Nigerian Yellow Cake in his 2003 State of the Union.

 

15. Announcing that "major combat operations in Iraq have ended" aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln on May 1, 2003, below a "Mission Accomplished" banner – more U.S. soldiers have died in combat since Bush's announcement than before it.

 

16. Awarding a multi-billion dollar contract to Halliburton in Iraq, which then repeatedly overcharged the government and served troops dirty food.

 

17. Refusing to cede any control of Post-invasion Iraq to the international community, meaning reconstruction has received limited aid from European allies or the U.N.

 

18. Failing to convince NATO allies why invading Iraq was important.

 

19. Having no real plan for the occupation of Iraq.

 

20. Limiting bidding on Iraq construction projects to "coalition partners," unnecessarily alienating important allies France, Germany and Russia.

 

21. Diverting $700 million into Iraq invasion planning without informing Congress.

 

22. Shutting down an Iraqi newspaper for "inciting violence" – the move, which led in short order to street fighting in Fallujah, incited more violence than the newspaper ever had.

 

23. Telling Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan about plans to go to war with Iraq before Secretary of State Colin Powell.

 

Counterterrorism

 

24. Allowing several members of the Bin Laden family to leave the country just days after 9/11, some of them without being questioned by the FBI.

 

25. Focusing on missile defense at the expense of counterterrorism prior to 9/11.

 

26. Thinking al Qaeda could not attack without state sponsors, and ignoring evidence of a growing threat unassociated with "rogue states" like Iraq or North Korea.

 

27. Threatening to veto the Homeland Security department – The President now concedes such a department "provides the ability for our agencies to coordinate better and to work together better than it was before."

 

28. Opposing the creation of the September 11th commission, which the President now expects "to contain important recommendations for preventing future attacks."

 

29. Denying documents to the 9/11 commission, only relenting after the commissioners threatened a subpoena.

 

30. Failing to pay more attention to an August 6, 2001 PDB entitled "Bin laden Determined to Attack in U.S."

 

31. Repeatedly ignoring warnings of terrorists planning to use aircraft before 9/11.

 

32. Appointing the ultra-secretive Henry Kissinger to head the 9/11 commission – Kissinger stepped down weeks later due to conflicts of interest.

 

33. Asking for testimony before the 9/11 commission be limited to one hour, a position from which the president later backtracked.

 

34. Not allowing national Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice to testify before the 9/11 commission – Bush changed his mind as pressure mounted.

 

35. Cutting an FBI request for counterterrorism funds by two-thirds after 9/11.

 

36. Telling Americans there was a link between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda.

 

37. Failing to adequately secure the nation's nuclear weapons labs.

 

38. Not feeling a sense of urgency about terrorism or al Qaeda before 9/11.

 

 

 

39. Reducing resources and troop levels in Afghanistan and out before it was fully secure.

 

40. Not providing security in Afghanistan outside of Kabul, leaving nearly 80% of the Afghan population unprotected in areas controlled by Feudal warlords and local militias.

 

41. Committing inadequate resources for the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

 

42. Counting too heavily on locally trained troops to fill the void in Afghanistan once U.S. forces were relocated to Iraq.

 

43. Not committing US ground troops to the capture of Osama Bin Laden, when he was cornered in the Tora Bora region of Afghanistan in November, 2001.

 

44. Allowing opium production to resume on a massive scale after the ouster of the Taliban.

 

Weapons of Mass Destruction

 

45. Opposing an independent inquiry into the intelligence failures surrounding WMD – later, upon signing off on just such a commission, Bush claimed he was "determined to make sure that American intelligence is as accurate as possible for every challenge in the future."

 

46. Saying: "We found the weapons of mass destruction. We found biological laboratories."

 

47. Trusting intelligence gathered by Vice President Cheney's and Secretary Rumsfeld's "Office of Special Plans."

 

48. Spending $6.5 billion on nuclear weapons this year to develop new nuclear weapons this year – 50% more in real dollars than the average during the cold war – while shortchanging the troops on body armor.

 

 

 

49. Ignoring the importance of the Middle East peace process, which has deteriorated with little oversight or strategy evident in the region.

 

50. Siding with China in February, 2004 against a democratic referenda proposed by Taiwan, a notable shift from an earlier pledge to stand with "oppressed peoples until the day of their freedom finally arrives."

 

51. Undermining the War on Terrorism by preemptively invading Iraq.

 

52. Failing to develop a specific plan for dealing with North Korea.

 

53. Abandoning the United States' traditional role as an evenhanded negotiator in the Middle East peace process.

 

 

54. Signing a report endorsing outsourcing with thousands of American workers having their jobs shipped overseas.

 

55. Instituting steel tariffs deemed illegal by the World Trade Organization – Bush repealed them 20-months later when the European Union pledged to impose retaliatory sanctions on up to $2.2 billion in exports from the United States.

 

56. Promoting economic policies that failed to create new jobs.

 

57. Promoting economic policies that failed to help small businesses

 

58. Pledging a "jobs and growth" package would create 1,836,000 new jobs by the end of 2003 and 5.5 million new jobs by 2004—so far the president has fallen 1,615,000 jobs short of the mark.

 

59. Running up a foreign deficit of "such record-breaking proportions that it threatens the financial stability of the global economy."

 

60. Issuing inaccurate budget forecasts accompanying proposals to reduce the deficit, omitting the continued costs of Iraq, Afghanistan and elements of Homeland Security.

 

61. Claiming his 2003 tax cut would give 23 million small business owners an average tax cut of $2,042 when "nearly four out of every five tax filers (79%) with small business income would receive less" than that amount.

 

62. Passing tax cuts for the wealthy while falsely claiming "people in the 10 percent bracket" were benefiting most."

 

63. Passing successive tax cuts largely responsible for turning a projected surplus of $5 trillion into a projected deficit of $4.3 trillion.

 

64. Moving to strip millions of overtime pay.

 

65. Not enforcing corporate tax laws.

 

66. Backing down from a plan to make CEOs more accountable when "the corporate crowd" protested.

 

67. Not lobbying oil cartels to change their mind about cutting oil production.

 

68. Passing tax cuts weighted heavily to help the wealthy.

 

69. Moving to allow greater media consolidation.

 

70. Nominating a notorious proponent of outsourcing, Anthony F. Raimondo, to be the new manufacturing Czar—Raimondo withdrew his name days later amidst a flurry of harsh criticism.

 

71. Ignoring calls to extend unemployment benefits with long-term unemployment reaching a twenty-year high

 

72. Threatening to veto pension legislation that would give companies much needed temporary relief.

 

 

 

73. Under-funding No Child Left Behind

 

74. Breaking his campaign pledge to increase the size of Pell grants.

 

75. Signing off on an FY 2005 budget proposing the smallest increase in education funding in nine years.

 

76. Under-funding the Title I Program, specifically targeted for disadvantaged kids, by $7.2 billion.

 

77. Freezing Teacher Quality State Grants, cutting off training opportunities for about 30,000 teachers, and leaving 92,000 less

 

teachers trained than the president called for in his own No Child Left Behind bill.

 

78. Freezing funding for English language training programs.

 

79. Freezing funding for after school programs, potentially eliminating 50,000 children from after-school programs.

 

 

 

80. Not leveling with Americans about the cost of Medicare – the president told Congress his new Medicare bill would cost $400 billion over ten years despite conclusions by his own analysts the bill would cost upwards of $500 billion over that period.

 

81. Silencing Medicare actuary Richard Foster when his estimates for the Administration's Medicare bill were too high.

 

82. Letting business associate David Halbert, who owns a company which stands to make millions from new discount drug cards, craft key elements of the new Medicare bill.

 

83. Underfunding health care for troops and veterans.

 

84. Allowing loopholes to persist in Mad-Cow regulations.

 

85. Relaxing food labeling restrictions on health claims.

 

86. Falsely claiming the restrictions on stem cell research would not hamper medical progress.

 

87. Reducing action against improper drug advertising by 80 percent.

 

 

88. Abandoning the Kyoto Treaty without offering an alternative for reducing greenhouse effect.

 

89. Counting on a voluntary program to reduce emissions of harmful gasses—so far only a tiny fraction of American companies have signed up.

 

90. Gutting clean air standards for aging power plants.

 

91. Weakening energy efficiency standards.

 

92. Relaxing dumping standards for mountaintop mining, and opening the Florida Everglades and Oregon's Siskiyou National Forest to mining.

 

93. Lifting protection for more than 200 million acres of public land.

 

94. Limiting public challenges to logging projects and increased logging in protected areas, including Alaska's Tongass National Forest.

 

95. Weakening environmental standards for snowmobiles and other off-road vehicles while pushing for exemptions for air pollution proposals for five categories of industrial facilities.

 

96. Opposing legislation that would require greater fuel efficiency for passenger cars.

 

97. Reducing inspections, penalties for violations, and prosecution of environmental crimes.

 

98. Misleading the public about the Washington mad cow case and the likely effectiveness of USDA's weak testing program.

 

99. Withdrawing public information on chemical plant dangers, previously used to hold facilities accountable for safety improvements.

 

100. Cutting grants to state and local governments in FY 2005, forcing states to make massive cuts in job training, education, housing and environment.

 

What do ya think of that, all you Bush-lovers out there?!?

[ecoli]

Sorry microx, you're wrong. Bush's biggest mistake was not axphixiating on that pretzel when he had the chance.

[swansont]

Sorry microx, you're wrong. Bush's biggest mistake was not axphixiating on that pretzel when he had the chance.

 

The Secret Service pounced on the pretzel and wrestled it to the ground before that could happen.

[Coral Rhedd]

Interesting list Microx, although I don't agree with you that everything on the list is a mistake. Many are both mistakes and deceptions and many are deceptions only. Take this one:

 

15. Announcing that "major combat operations in Iraq have ended" aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln on May 1, 2003, below a "Mission Accomplished" banner – more U.S. soldiers have died in combat since Bush's announcement than before it.

 

This was a lie and Bush knew it was when he said it. It was not a mistake however because the moment and the image were powerful and he used them in his campaign to good results. On your lists there are a few others like this. Politically they are redeemed from the category of "mistake" by the fact that they were politically successful. We have never had a president who lied so effectively. The lies won him a second term.

 

Success at being President often seems more important to the men we elect than success at benefiting the world. For instance, Jimmy Carter was a good man but not a good President. Bill Clinton was a good President but is not a good man. George Bush is neither a good man nor a good President and is awarded a second term. That he managed this without being particularly smart, gracious, charming, or adept is nothing short of amazing. Instead his team created an incredible lie machine and the press colluded in its success.

 

Those lies he told were powerful. When you have an electorate willing to believe, miracles can happen.

 

It hardly surprises me that he will not admit to having made mistakes. Nothing succeeds like well told, oft repeated lies.

[ecoli]

Which proves a lot can be achieved if your firends and relatives are rich oil merchants.

[Tetrahedrite]

Which proves a lot can be achieved if your firends and relatives are rich oil merchants.

And just how far from a democracy the USA (and to a lesser extent other westernised countries) really are!!

[budullewraagh]

my heart bleeds

[Perennial]

Question: Would that have been political suicide for Bush to have admitted that mistake?

 

In his case - yes. He has build up such a ivory tower for himself that mistakes aren't conceivable as far as he is concerned. Usually people, politicians included, don't consider themselves infallible, or being guided by "higher powers", in which case admitting what everyone already knows ain't a problem. Usually these people come up on top, but not always as can be seen.

[JohnB]

Which proves a lot can be achieved if your firends and relatives are rich oil merchants.

It also proves how little you achieve electorally when you go around telling people they're wrong and then asking them to vote for you.

 

From the figures I've seen (and from listening to NPR) it's obvious that "America's Heartland" didn't agree with the Democrat policies. It's known as the Bible belt, do you really think they would back for example "Gay Rights"?

 

Just out of curiousity, do you think the Dems are winning votes now, by telling these people that they are stupid? Saying "You're dumb, you're easily scared, you don't understand..." this is a vote winning strategy?

 

To get people to vote for you, they have to want to vote for you. Insulting and condescending statements are not how to win friends and influence people.

[Phi for All]

Here are 100 mistakes Bush has made:{-snip-}

What do ya think of that' date=' all you Bush-lovers out there?!? [/quote']In the future, please credit your sources. While I think the above list shows us the president's pitiful record in vivid detail, cutting and pasting without reference implies you wrote these yourself.

 

Did you?

 

100 Reasons.pdf

[john5746]

It also proves how little you achieve electorally when you go around telling people they're wrong and then asking them to vote for you.

 

From the figures I've seen (and from listening to NPR) it's obvious that "America's Heartland" didn't agree with the Democrat policies. It's known as the Bible belt' date=' do you really think they would back for example "Gay Rights"?

 

Just out of curiousity, do you think the Dems are winning votes [b']now[/b], by telling these people that they are stupid? Saying "You're dumb, you're easily scared, you don't understand..." this is a vote winning strategy?

 

To get people to vote for you, they have to want to vote for you. Insulting and condescending statements are not how to win friends and influence people.

 

Actually, it shows that small states have more power electorally per capita.

 

The conservatives do the exact same thing as the dems. One of the biggest complaints is that dems have no principles(morals). If one of them is equal rights, shouldn't they stand for that even when unpopular? It has been done before.

[Coral Rhedd]

It also proves how little you achieve electorally when you go around telling people they're wrong and then asking them to vote for you.

 

From the figures I've seen (and from listening to NPR) it's obvious that "America's Heartland" didn't agree with the Democrat policies. It's known as the Bible belt' date=' do you really think they would back for example "Gay Rights"?

 

Just out of curiousity, do you think the Dems are winning votes [b']now[/b], by telling these people that they are stupid? Saying "You're dumb, you're easily scared, you don't understand..." this is a vote winning strategy?

 

To get people to vote for you, they have to want to vote for you. Insulting and condescending statements are not how to win friends and influence people.

 

You are right that it is not wise to insult the people. Sadly, it is also not difficult to insult the people either. We have come to a sad pass when we are so insecure as a nation that we actually want to elect the dumber guy.

 

Kerry did not lose the election because he supported gay rights. Indeed, I thought he was rather tepid on gay rights. Kerry lost the election because he is a very unexciting personality.

 

IMO, Bush won the election because he managed to use 9/11 to terrify everyone. This is not exactly taking the high ground is it?

[ecoli]

Actually, it shows that small states have more power electorally per capita.

 

This is very true. I had a friend who figured out the exact amount electoral power each state had by dividing it's number of electoral votes by the population. I believe Wyoming came out with the most voting power. The Electoral collage is stupid and outdated. It should be more directly porpotioned to the population.

[The Nacho]

In the future' date=' please credit your sources. While I think the above list shows us the president's pitiful record in vivid detail, cutting and pasting without reference implies you wrote these yourself.

 

Did you?

 

100 Reasons.pdf

 

No, I didn't. I don't have THAT much free time. (Although it doesn't take much effort to find mistakes that Bush has made...) I got them from This Website

 

Sorry microx, you're wrong. Bush's biggest mistake was not axphixiating on that pretzel when he had the chance.

 

That might not have been that good, because then Cheyney would be prez...

[john5746]

You are right that it is not wise to insult the people. Sadly' date=' it is also not difficult to insult the people either. We have come to a sad pass when we are so insecure as a nation that we actually [b']want[/b] to elect the dumber guy.

 

Kerry did not lose the election because he supported gay rights. Indeed, I thought he was rather tepid on gay rights. Kerry lost the election because he is a very unexciting personality.

 

IMO, Bush won the election because he managed to use 9/11 to terrify everyone. This is not exactly taking the high ground is it?

 

With elections that close, many things probably could have changed it. If the CBS(Rather) report had been true or not have happened at all, the swift boaters, Kerry's statement about Cheney's daughter bothered me.

[Phi for All]

We have come to a sad pass when we are so insecure as a nation that we actually want[/b'] to elect the dumber guy.

This bothers me most, that because he speaks poorly and seems to come off as kinda stupid, half the population excuses him for the above 100 mistakes and votes him in anyway.

 

 

"We don't mind that Bush ignores his top advisors and acts on bad intelligence. We learned our lesson about smart, Rhodes Scholar presidents with that lecher Clinton." --Joe Voter

[JohnB]

Coral, I only used the Gay Rights thing as an example, I didn't mean it to be taken as the prime cause.

 

To be honest, looking from the outside, the campaign on both sides was a joke. Swift boaters, generals writing letters supporting Kerry. "Shrub".

 

There was more time and effort put into insulting the other side than discussing the issues. When the issues did come up, they were always described in hysterical terms. (Remember, I'm in Australia so I didn't see all that you saw. My viewpoint is probably scewed. but that's how it looked.)

 

But I mean, really, you people were arguing about who would make a better President on the basis of what each had done or not done during a war 30 years ago. You've got to be kidding. "War record" was a big part of the debate, and you wonder why some people think you may be warlike?

[Extremely broad brush mode]

"Middle America" has an ingrained dislike for "Washington", "Government" and "People from big cities telling us what's best for us". If Hillary Clinton gets the Dems nomination in 2008, she will go down, big time.

 

The people who used to lean to the left "liberal" side, now lean the other way. The Dems are percieved as being run by a white wine swilling elite (we call them "Cabernet Communists" ) who think they have some sort of moral "right" to tell the rest of the country how to live. I'm not saying that's how it is, I'm saying that's how it's percieved. If the Dems want any sort of chance, they have to change that perception and put up a candidate that doesn't typify it.

 

Look at the Democrat Presidents and where they're from;

Grover Cleveland 1893-97. New Jersey.

Woodrow Wilson 1913-21 Virginia.

Franklin D, Roosevelt 1933-45 New York.

Harry S. Truman 1945-53 Missouri.

John F. Kennedy 1961-63 Massachusetts.

Lyndon Johnson 1963-69 Texas.

James Earl (Jimmy) Carter 1977-81 Georgia.

William Jefferson Blythe Clinton IV 1993-2001 Arkansas.

 

So in the last 115 years, most of the winning Dem candidates came from the "heartland" states. A New Yorker hasn't won in 60 years.

 

Add to that, the fact is that the Dems have been losing ground steadily at local and state levels too, as well as losing Congressional seats. The only reason for that is that the Dem policies are not what the majority of people want.

 

For the vast majority of people, it's not who you like (or who's policies you prefer), but who you dislike least.

 

The "Heartland" states join the military in a greater proportion than the big cities and they are proud of that fact. The Dems are percieved as being somewhat "anti-military" which means they are percieved as being against something that "Middle America" is proud of. If you are against something I believe in, I ain't gonna vote for ya.

"We don't mind that Bush ignores his top advisors and acts on bad intelligence. We learned our lesson about smart, Rhodes Scholar presidents with that lecher Clinton." --Joe Voter

And that is exactly the type of snide, superior comment that gets right up their noses. From their POV, if that's how Dems view their beliefs and opinions, then they won't associate with or vote for them.

[/Extremely broad brush mode]

 

In a nutshell, if the Dems wish to have any chance of winning the Presidency in 2008, then they need policies that the majority of people will like, and a candidate that the majority of people will vote for. If you can't do these two things, you don't deserve to win, and you won't.

 

That's an Aussies take on the whole thing anyway.

[Phi for All]

Please keep in mind, JohnB, that in the US the Dem and the Rep politicians, based on their voting records, are practically indistinguishable. The voters still have a distinction in their minds, but the elected officials all listen and vote the way the PACs and lobbyists tell them to. It's not necessarily corruption, simply a matter of who is in your face showing an interest in what you're doing.

 

The voters are not, the lobbyists are.

 

So unless you take the time and spend the resources to join a group who communicates on an almost daily basis with the politicians, you aren't really represented. This country is artificially split down the middle idealogically because the pols stump with the voters in mind, but vote based on what their funders want. And the funders can also afford to sway the media to try and imflame the partisan sentiments of the voters as well.

 

It's not really about the Rep or Dem platforms anymore. It's about where the biggest money is. Always has been, really, it's just that media availability and spin science are at an all-time high.

[Ophiolite]

We have never had a president who lied so effectively. The lies won him a second term.

As they did with Nixon. And at least he lied about comparatively inconsequential matters (A burglary versus .......insert long list....) and was arguably an effective, perhaps an outstanding statesman.

[Coral Rhedd]

As they did with Nixon. And at least he lied about comparatively inconsequential matters (A burglary versus .......insert long list[/i']....) and was arguably an effective, perhaps an outstanding statesman.

 

Well at least Nixon's upper lip would sweat. Bush and Clinton don't have a "tell." Seasoned liars, both of them.

 

About Clinton. I voted for Clinton. I even loved Clinton for a while, but the thing about his being a lech -- well actually I think it was rather worse than that. Some testimony from a woman in his home state was not even pursued because it was thought that she wouldn't be a sympathetic witness and because her experience wasn't relevant to his lying about not "having sex" with Monica.

 

Bush is an absolutely cynical politician. He mistakes mouthing Biblical pieties for moral leadership. He is a man of such frat boy hubris that he is willing to serve more as a figurehead than a leader while his business men friends help him rape the nation. Maybe he actually thinks he is running things. That's scary.

 

Makes you long for Gerald Ford, doesn't it? Maybe in the long run, boring is better.

[ecoli]

The dems put their money on the wrong horse. If they wanted to win the election, they should have nominated someone more charismatic, and looked less like a tree.