Regrets? Bush Still Draws a Blank

[DeepModem Mom]

WP: Bush Still Draws a Blank
By Dan Froomkin
Special to washingtonpost.com
Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Nearing the bitter end of eight ruinous years in office, President Bush still won't acknowledge a single substantive thing he did wrong. Asked if he had any regrets in a CNN interview yesterday, Bush copped to a few public-relations gaffes many years ago. His tone, however, was anything but apologetic. In fact, he seemed quite pleased with himself.

It's all very reminiscent of that April 2004 press conference, when Bush was famously flummoxed when asked to describe his biggest post-9/11 mistake -- and what lessons he had learned from it. Bush's response at the time solidified his reputation as someone who engaged in little or no self-reflection. Four and a half momentous years later, does he think nothing went wrong? Or does he simply think it wasn't his fault?

(From) the transcript of his interview yesterday with CNN's Heidi Collins....

*

Collins: "I imagine you probably have a moment in your presidency that you are most proud of, and a moment I'm sure you most regret."

Bush: "I regret saying some things I shouldn't have said."

Collins: "Like?"

Bush: "Like 'dead or alive,' or 'bring 'em on.' And, by the way, my wife reminded me as president of the United States, you better be careful what you say. I was trying to convey a message. I could have conveyed it more artfully.

"Being on this ship reminds me of when I went to the USS Abraham Lincoln and they had a sign that said 'Mission Accomplished.' I regret that sign was there. It was a sign aimed at the sailors on the ship, but it conveyed a broader knowledge. To some it said, well, Bush thinks the war in Iraq is over, when I didn't think that. But nonetheless, it conveyed the wrong message. So, there are things I've regretted."

*

As it happens, all three of these incidents were indicative of serious failings way beyond an unfortunate turn of phrase or misplaced banner. His "dead or alive" comment was not an accident, it was a perfect expression of the cowboy thinking that got us into the Iraq war in the first place. "Bring 'em on" remains shocking not because it was inartful, but because it exemplified an insufficiently serious concern about putting other people's lives at risk. And "Mission Accomplished" took on such incredible resonance at least in part because it called attention to Bush's failure to plan for what turned out to be the real war....

Here are some questions the next reporter who gets a sit-down with the president might well ask:

* Would he, in retrospect, have prepared differently for the occupation of Iraq?

* Does he wish he had issued clearer directives against torture in Iraqi prisons?

* Would he, in hindsight, have been more skeptical of the WMD intelligence?

* Does he regret not having heeded that pre-9/11 briefing on the threat posed by Osama bin Laden?

* Does he regret not having done more to prevent the destruction of New Orleans?

(W)hat else might Bush reasonably regret?...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2008/11/12/BL2008111201617_pf.html

[tigereye]

1. how did such a foolish and thoughtless person ever become President?

:cry:

[bdamomma]

2. he will never acknowledge the harm he has done to this country

or to others. Harold Fineman of Newsweek was on last night on Hardball he mentioned that any normal human being would be wringing his hands right now regarding how the country is right now. But Fineman was not surprised Bush did not acknowledge his mistakes.

Plus if anyone heard Fineman say any normal human being...........but we know Bush is not a normal human being.

[DeepModem Mom]

3. Thanks, alyce -- I didn't see that. Fineman is right, of course. nt

[Crankie Avalon]

4. 1. So, he thinks he would have found bin Laden if only he had held off saying...

"dead or alive" and Iraq would have gone differently if hadn't of said "bring em on"?

2. This guy's just kicking his feet up thinking over the old days and waiting for January 20. That seems like a lot of weeks to wait for presidential-level action during an economic crisis like this one. We only have "one president at a time," right?

[Marr]

5. Those suggested questions give him far too much credit.

Does he wish that he'd offered clearer directives against torture in Iraqi prisons...? The evidence shows that he and his administration actively pushed for torture, and even got involved in the minutia. The torture at Abu Ghraib *was* their policy, not some gang of "bad apples" ignoring orders.

Would he have been more skeptical of the WMD intel? They fabricated the WMD intel. They *knew* it was bullshit.

[no_hypocrisy]

6. You can't regret what you've done if you don't know what you've done.

[Ilsa]

7. Regretting things he* said? How about his order to invade Iraq? nt

[bdamomma]

8. go here, and give whatever you can give.

this must be done.

http://prosecutegeorgebush.com/donate.htm