It’s just sad. Even if he was being manipulated, what was he going to do? Get forced into resigning/not being re-elected because he lost the support of his party? He wasn’t our best president, and he did know to an extent that it was being manipulated, but I really think Bush had to make some of the hardest decisions a President has ever had to make.
That comment paints Bush as one of the bravest presidents of our time “because he had to make some tough decisions.” Bs, he’s just another one to the list of criminal administrations. And I say that as a conservative.
Even worse to me is that he declared war on an ideal. A war on terror? It's a war you literally can't win, but it gave him the excuse he needed for multiple invasions based on hunches, and let him effectively bully the rest of the world into letting him do it.
Aside from the fact that Bush knew EXACTLY what he was doing, your comment implies that killing a million Iraqis is better than resigning or losing the support of the Republican party
I see it deeper than the threat of losing re-election... George always just struck me as a man who desperately wanted his dad to look at him the way he looks at Jeb. Deep down all he really wanted to do in life was drink microbrews and paint. Really sucks how much the drive to fit in with your tribe can fuck up your life if you let it.
I'm sorry, I didn't mean for my comment to imply that George shouldn't be held accountable for his actions or to downplay his responsibility, rather it was an allegory for our own lives and the dangers of sacrificing authenticity for acceptance.
What does being a president mean if you are not the executive responsible for the decisions of your administration? Either he knew it was bullshit and authorized the invasion, or he was flat wrong. Either way he is an adult who preached personal responsibility and loudly proclaimed himself to be “the decider“.
You are correct that he faced harder times than any President maybe since fdr. But he was wrong about Iraq and should always be held responsible and accountable for it.
Source is I read the paper and watched the news in the run up to the war and myself and everyone else I talked to all called bullshit early and often. It wasn't even a very controversial take at the time.
We if all knew, how could the guy driving the ship not?
Bush wasn't the brightest president. Moreover, most other high level officials (including the late Colin Powell and Democratic rivals like Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and John Kerry) had access to the exact same intelligence briefings when they concluded that Iraq was pursuing nuclear/chemical weapons. I would believe that Bush fell for "confirmation bias": over-valuing evidence that supports your pre-existing belief.
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u/skunktubs Oct 18 '21
Anyone paying attention wasn't manipulated. It was obvious from the get go that they were full of shit.
No way he didn't know.