Bush's Biggest Regrets

**Cincy Fan 44** Wed Nov 12, 2008 4:09 pm

http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/20081112/pl_bloomberg/ahlrnlvfhsmc

Nov. 12 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush said he regrets the display of the ``Mission Accomplished'' sign as backdrop for a speech he gave about a month after the March 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.

``To some, it said, well, `Bush thinks the war in Iraq is over,' when I didn't think that,'' he said in a CNN interview today. ``It conveyed the wrong message.''

The sign was hung on the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln on May 1, 2003, when Bush landed on the carrier wearing a flight suit to declare that major combat operations in Iraq were over. That speech has since served as a rallying point for critics of Bush's policies in Iraq.

Bush also cited other regrets in the CNN interview, which was conducted aboard the U.S.S. Intrepid in New York after a Veterans Day ceremony.

``I regret saying some things I shouldn't have said,'' Bush said. He cited comments he made after the Sept. 11 attacks, when he said of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden: ``I want justice. There's an old poster out West that said, 'Wanted, dead or alive.'''

He also said he regretted telling Iraqi insurgents in 2003: ``There are some who feel like that the conditions are such that they can attack us there. My answer is, bring 'em on.''

`Be Careful'

In the interview yesterday, he said, ``My wife reminded me that, `hey, as president of the United States, be careful what you say.'''

Bush, 62, also described his Nov. 10 meeting at the White House with his successor, President-elect Barack Obama, and said he asked former President Bill Clinton for advice on handling the transition.

``It was interesting to watch him go upstairs,'' Bush said of Obama's visit. ``He wanted to see where his little girls were going to sleep. Clearly, this guy is going to bring a sense of family to the White House, and I hope Laura and I did the same thing. But I believe he will, and I know his girls are on his mind and he wants to make sure that first and foremost, he is a good dad.''

Bush said he would return to Texas when he hands over the presidency Jan. 20 and may write a book.

``I want people to know what it was like to make some of the decisions I had to make,'' he said. ``I've had one of those presidencies where I've had to make some tough calls, and I want people to know the truth about what it was like sitting in the Oval Office.''

I know he has regrets and a lot of people don't like him, but there is one fact that remains...we were not attacked on our own soil again after 9/11. Who would have thought on 9/12/01 that in the 7 following years, there would be no more attacks on our soil? I didn't.

Guest Wed Nov 12, 2008 4:27 pm

Cincy Fan 44 wrote:I know he has regrets and a lot of people don't like him, but there is one fact that remains...we were not attacked on our own soil again after 9/11. Who would have thought on 9/12/01 that in the 7 following years, there would be no more attacks on our soil? I didn't.

I'm not sure I follow...

I didn't have a major auto accident either, but that doesn't mean that "W" kept it from happening. I'm sure there's a lot of things that could be said as to why he wasn't a "good for nothing baffoon", but I also don't think the US really has any more security other than security measures.

Canuck Wed Nov 12, 2008 4:38 pm

meta4 wrote:
Cincy Fan 44 wrote:I know he has regrets and a lot of people don't like him, but there is one fact that remains...we were not attacked on our own soil again after 9/11. Who would have thought on 9/12/01 that in the 7 following years, there would be no more attacks on our soil? I didn't.

I'm not sure I follow...

I didn't have a major auto accident either, but that doesn't mean that "W" kept it from happening. I'm sure there's a lot of things that could be said as to why he wasn't a "good for nothing baffoon", but I also don't think the US really has any more security other than security measures.

I would venture to say the US has more widespread paranoia due to his administration policies and some of the decisions he made.

Guest Wed Nov 12, 2008 4:59 pm

Canuck wrote:
meta4 wrote:
Cincy Fan 44 wrote:I know he has regrets and a lot of people don't like him, but there is one fact that remains...we were not attacked on our own soil again after 9/11. Who would have thought on 9/12/01 that in the 7 following years, there would be no more attacks on our soil? I didn't.

I'm not sure I follow...

I didn't have a major auto accident either, but that doesn't mean that "W" kept it from happening. I'm sure there's a lot of things that could be said as to why he wasn't a "good for nothing baffoon", but I also don't think the US really has any more security other than security measures.

I would venture to say the US has more widespread paranoia due to his administration policies and some of the decisions he made.

Totally agree!

**Cincy Fan 44** Wed Nov 12, 2008 5:10 pm

meta4 wrote:
Cincy Fan 44 wrote:I know he has regrets and a lot of people don't like him, but there is one fact that remains...we were not attacked on our own soil again after 9/11. Who would have thought on 9/12/01 that in the 7 following years, there would be no more attacks on our soil? I didn't.

I'm not sure I follow...

I didn't have a major auto accident either, but that doesn't mean that "W" kept it from happening. I'm sure there's a lot of things that could be said as to why he wasn't a "good for nothing baffoon", but I also don't think the US really has any more security other than security measures.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that most seem to want to blame the president for any little thing that goes wrong in this country (job loss, gas prices, food prices, etc.), so in my estimation I'll give him credit for there not being any more attacks on our courtry since 9/11. If others don't feel that way, that's fine. It's just the way I feel though.

Guest Wed Nov 12, 2008 6:07 pm

I feel more threatened now than I did before Bush's policies starting taking place after 9/11. 9/11 had no effect on my opinion of national security. I feel we're just as likely to be attacked now as we were then.

IrishGuy Wed Nov 12, 2008 6:28 pm

Jugomugo wrote:I feel more threatened now than I did before Bush's policies starting taking place after 9/11. 9/11 had no effect on my opinion of national security. I feel we're just as likely to be attacked now as we were then.

Seriously? Not flaming, just asking. I feel safer knowing that I, along with everyone else will be damn near strip searched before boarding a plane. I don't know if this was necessarily "Bush's policy" but I know it wasn't like that before 9/11.

Guest Wed Nov 12, 2008 6:32 pm

Considering the crap the TSA pulls nowadays with passengers, I'm more nervous of the TSA than terrorists.

**Mort** Tue Dec 02, 2008 12:30 pm

Our security policy's used to be pretty weak when it came to flying in this country so it was good that it was finally put in it's place.

Bushco and his daddy and Reagan before him were all puppet's hell Reagan didn't even have a law degree! Bush's Biggest Regrets 14142

floridafun Tue Dec 02, 2008 7:05 pm

?? wasnt reagans sag experience probably just about as valuable as a law degree turned out to be for the guy who was unable to define the word "is"? farao

Only six actually had law degrees:

Rutherford B. Hayes - Harvard Law School

William Taft - University of Cincinnati Law School

Franklin Roosevelt - Columbia Law School (completed requirements but did not officially graduate)

Richard Nixon - Duke University School of Law

Gerald Ford - Yale Law School

Bill Clinton - Yale Law School

Barack Obama - Harvard Law School

**Mort** Fri Jan 16, 2009 1:17 pm

great post I didn't know that

It should be noted, that the hospital is directly under the jurisdiction of the Pakistani Armed Forces, which has close links to the Pentagon. U.S. military advisers based in Rawalpindi. work closely with the Pakistani Armed Forces. Again, no attempt was made to arrest America's best known fugitive, but then maybe bin Laden was serving another "better purpose". Rumsfeld claimed at the time that he had no knowledge regarding Osama's health. (see CBS transcript above).

Needless to say, the CBS report is a crucial piece of information in the 9/11 jigsaw. It refutes the administration's claim that the whereabouts of bin Laden are unknown. It points to a Pakistan connection, it suggests a cover-up at the highest levels of the Bush administration.

Dan Rather and Barry Petersen fail to draw the implications of their January 2002 report. They fail to beg the question: where was Osama on 9/11? If they are to stand by their report, the conclusion is obvious: The administration is lying regarding the whereabouts of Osama.

Inpatient dialysis treatment tends to be longer than 24 hours in most American hospitals, which suggests that Osama would have been discharged from the Hospital on or "after" September 11.

If the CBS report is accurate and Osama had indeed been admitted to the Pakistani military hospital on September 10, courtesy of America's ally, he was in all likelihood still in hospital in Rawalpindi on the 11th of September, when the attacks occurred. In all probability, his whereabouts were known to US officials on the morning of September 12, when Secretary of State Colin Powell initiated negotiations with Pakistan, with a view to arresting and extraditing bin Laden

I was also thinking if they know where Bin Laden is , wouldn't it be the perfect topper to GW's leave.... to all of a sudden " we have Bin Laden" !!http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO311A.html

I wouldn't put anything past Cheney

floridafun Sun Jan 18, 2009 12:38 pm

and WHO was the prez when 9-11 happened? why all the "since 9-11" safety feelings when the intel was there but ignored until after 9-11 happened?

**Cincy Fan 44** Sun Jan 18, 2009 1:20 pm

floridafun wrote:and WHO was the prez when 9-11 happened? why all the "since 9-11" safety feelings when the intel was there but ignored until after 9-11 happened?

Um yeah, and Clinton was the POTUS when the USS Cole was attacked in Oct. 2000 and our embassy was bombed in I believe Somalia. Has that stuff happened since then? I for one certainly expected a wave of attacks to continue when I woke up on September 12, 2001. Hasn't happened.

**Mort** Mon Jan 19, 2009 11:31 am

I for one don't think one will

Guest Mon Jan 19, 2009 11:43 am

I think Bush's biggest regret will be the selection of Dick Cheney as VP and allowing himself to be surrounded by people who thought like Dick Cheney.

floridafun Mon Jan 19, 2009 2:32 pm

the interesting things are the things he has no regrets about..and his reasoning on how "misunderestimated" he had been by the press..and does that include the public in general ? i gotta say thats true..none of us had underestimated him nearly to level he soared to! seeing him speak is much more telling than reading part of an interview for me.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/12/bush.press.conference/index.html#cnnSTCVideo

on katrina--for a few days after this, several news people tried to find out from bush people where the 30,000 number came from because it seemed a gross exageration, and nobody had answers. the only thing the folks interviewed from the area of new orleans about this were sure of is that iwhatever the number of people--definately not near the numbers he gave, it was locals/volunteers from several states that did all the rescues in that first week..fishermen, fire dept people, former military, even some unsung movie stars. no guard, no fema at least til the 4th or 5th day and then kinda at arms length.

floridafun Mon Jan 19, 2009 2:38 pm

Cincy Fan 44 wrote:
floridafun wrote:and WHO was the prez when 9-11 happened? why all the "since 9-11" safety feelings when the intel was there but ignored until after 9-11 happened?
Um yeah, and Clinton was the POTUS when the USS Cole was attacked in Oct. 2000 and our embassy was bombed in I believe Somalia. Has that stuff happened since then? I for one certainly expected a wave of attacks to continue when I woke up on September 12, 2001. Hasn't happened.

so...your saying that because the most horrific attack on us and on our soil thus far and happened on his watch made you feel safe long as he was prez. but you quaked in fear and nervously awaited another attack off our shores after the uss cole attack when clinton was prez? pig

Guest Mon Jan 19, 2009 3:04 pm

floridafun wrote:
Cincy Fan 44 wrote:
floridafun wrote:and WHO was the prez when 9-11 happened? why all the "since 9-11" safety feelings when the intel was there but ignored until after 9-11 happened?
Um yeah, and Clinton was the POTUS when the USS Cole was attacked in Oct. 2000 and our embassy was bombed in I believe Somalia. Has that stuff happened since then? I for one certainly expected a wave of attacks to continue when I woke up on September 12, 2001. Hasn't happened.

so...your saying that because the most horrific attack on us and on our soil thus far and happened on his watch made you feel safe long as he was prez. but you quaked in fear and nervously awaited another attack off our shores after the uss cole attack when clinton was prez?

Hey, come on now... he we bought and paid for that feeling of security... like at least 3 or 4 times over at this point! Very Happy

WE ALL better take whatever satisfaction this big successful war gives!

floridafun Mon Jan 19, 2009 4:53 pm

i guess your right...hey think i will shoot an email to obama and give him an fyi there is a dictator running uganda and i have heard they have gold there..and bonus is there are terrorist bases there. think they probably have wmd? and that darn nasty dictatorship gets all profits!! we could strike, move in and occupy, and get a civil war going on there in the snap of a finger! that should make some feel safer here in our homeland!! yeah....thats the ticket cheers

**Cincy Fan 44** Mon Jan 19, 2009 7:23 pm

floridafun wrote:
Cincy Fan 44 wrote:
floridafun wrote:and WHO was the prez when 9-11 happened? why all the "since 9-11" safety feelings when the intel was there but ignored until after 9-11 happened?
Um yeah, and Clinton was the POTUS when the USS Cole was attacked in Oct. 2000 and our embassy was bombed in I believe Somalia. Has that stuff happened since then? I for one certainly expected a wave of attacks to continue when I woke up on September 12, 2001. Hasn't happened.

so...your saying that because the most horrific attack on us and on our soil thus far and happened on his watch made you feel safe long as he was prez. but you quaked in fear and nervously awaited another attack off our shores after the uss cole attack when clinton was prez?

Hell of lot safer than if Gore had been in office. Gore would have taken the "Thank you sir may I have another" approach. Laughing

Guest Tue Jan 20, 2009 10:26 am

Cincy Fan 44 wrote:
floridafun wrote:
Cincy Fan 44 wrote:
floridafun wrote:and WHO was the prez when 9-11 happened? why all the "since 9-11" safety feelings when the intel was there but ignored until after 9-11 happened?
Um yeah, and Clinton was the POTUS when the USS Cole was attacked in Oct. 2000 and our embassy was bombed in I believe Somalia. Has that stuff happened since then? I for one certainly expected a wave of attacks to continue when I woke up on September 12, 2001. Hasn't happened.

so...your saying that because the most horrific attack on us and on our soil thus far and happened on his watch made you feel safe long as he was prez. but you quaked in fear and nervously awaited another attack off our shores after the uss cole attack when clinton was prez?
Hell of lot safer than if Gore had been in office. Gore would have taken the "Thank you sir may I have another" approach.

Facts to support this stupid accusation please. Liberals don't want Americans killed either!

floridafun Tue Jan 20, 2009 10:29 am

and out of respect for mr bush and his potential eventual legacy..

http://search.live.com/video/results.aspx?q=snl+ann+coulter+site%3Amsn.com&docid=587570873086&FORM=VIVR

who knows what else he prevented?!? santa

Guest Tue Jan 20, 2009 11:28 am

Cincy Fan 44 wrote:
Hell of lot safer than if Gore had been in office. Gore would have taken the "Thank you sir may I have another" approach.

heh... Sure, why not... however you probabaly have to admit that Gore would not have indvaded Iraq... which might mean that we could have focused on Afghanistan, and may have actually brought Osama bin Laden to Justice... but yea, it's hard to tell How many terrorist acts George Bush prevented (on US soil).

floridafun Tue Jan 20, 2009 6:00 pm

and how many hurricanes he prevented... santa

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