Bush Cracks Door on Nuclear Option?

[Rose Siding]

Excerpts of President Bush's interview yesterday in the Oval Office with editors and reporters of The Washington Times

In the course of the campaign, I said this a couple of times, that "Laura and I live on the east side of the mountain, the sunrise side, not the sunset side. It's the side to see the day that is coming, not to see the day that is gone." I said that because I wanted people — to convey a sense of my great optimism about what we stand for and what America believes.

The quote isn't complete, though, because the president also has got to be able to see the day that is gone in order to deal with — predict the day that is coming, as I make big decisions. The day that is gone tells me a lot about what is going to happen, in my judgment. And I talked a lot about Japan on the campaign trail, about how Koizumi is one of my close friends. The guy is a lot of fun to be with, by the way, an interesting character. And yet, my dad fought them, mortal enemies ... and they killed a lot of people and attacked our country. But because we believe that freedom can change societies and convert enemies to allies — Harry Truman and others believed that — Japan is now a strong ally and the world is more peaceful as a result of it.

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20050111-114349-9789r.htm

Is this a trial balloon? It sounds like one of those remarks he refers back to in explaining how he's been saying something all along, as if that meant it should come as no surprise. It's ambiguous, but bombing Japan fits within the parameters of the remark as much as a couple of other specifics might.

[BattyDem]

1. If he nukes somebody ...

he will start World War III ... and this time, it will be the world against us! :scared:

[beam me up scottie]

9. "If he nukes somebody..."

I suggest Civil War II if he even so much as suggests it.
It's up to us to stop him, we let him invade Iraq. The rest of the world would be behind us.

[Be Brave]

2. There is a reason why the bomb has not been used on any society

since Hiroshima and Nagasaki. If his thick skull fails to understand why, then his skull is thicker than I thought.

[tanyev]

3. WTF?

"Laura and I live on the east side of the mountain, the sunrise side, not the sunset side. It's the side to see the day that is coming, not to see the day that is gone."

Is that banal, insipid, or both? I guess he's doing his Raygun imitation, but geez. Reminds me of the anecdote of him in school writing a paper and using a thesaurus to spice it up a bit. Ended up with "the lacerates ran down my face" to describe crying. He got a very bad grade and I suspect is still nursing a grudge over it.

[spanone]

4. Put nothing past these ghouls. We are at war right now for no reason.

[Rose Siding]

7. I remember he talked about his dad before the Iraq invasion

Of Saddam he said, "he tried to kill my dad". This reminded me of that.

[Deja Q]

5. Hmmm. I'd live on the west side. Sunrises are cooler with a mountainous

silouhette...

* is a typical fool.

That or he prefers sunsets with the mountainy background.

[VioletLake]

6. It's a message to the repo man. n/t

[rurallib]

8. I believe he wants

to see what pretty colors the sunrise will be if he nukes something. So what if a few people die? It'll be worth it too see those pretty colors early in the morning before he sits down to color.