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04/22/2004: "Unreal"
Excerpts from Bob Woodward's interviews with President Bush were published in today's Washington Post.
I want to work you back, take you to the day I declared war, or committed the troops. When I went in the Command Center, and it was a -- I was fully prepared at this point in time, reluctant to use troops. Tried diplomacy, tried diplomacy, tried diplomacy, recognized we would have to use troops, had the troop build-up there. Got very frustrated with the diplomatic circle. Working with [British Prime Minister Tony] Blair, [Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria] Aznar, [Australian Prime Minister John] Howard, all of whom stayed the course. 'Mr. President, we need this diplomacy.' The big build-up there. Began to wonder, worry about America saying: Well, maybe Bush isn't serious about Saddam. Why the build-up? Why the hesitation? There was a lot of conflicting pressures, and so by the time it came time to commit, I was fully ready to go psychologically, and knowing it was the right thing to do. But it was a dramatic moment.
Um. Speechless. Why on earth did they let Bob Woodward near Bush?
Who could possibly defend such a shallow understanding of politics, diplomacy, and war?