Former president George H.W. Bush forcefully defended his son’s handling of the Iraq war Thursday, saying critics of the current president have forgotten the "extraordinary brutality" of deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
"Do they want to bring back Saddam Hussein, these critics?" the elder Bush told USA TODAY in a rare interview. "Do they want to go back to the status quo ante? I don’t know what they are talking about here. Do they think life would be better in the Middle East if Saddam were still there?"
Let me answer! Let me answer! Yes, I think the Middle East would be better off if Saddam were still there. Five years of U.N. pressure would have shut him down. There wouldn’t be so many dead Iraqis. There wouldn’t be so many dead Americans. We’d have adequately supported our war in Afghanistan. We’d perhaps have found Bin Laden. Our children wouldn’t be owing $1 trillion dollars.But mainly, Daddy Bush, you said it wrong. You should have said Do they think life would be better in the Middle East U.S. if Saddam George W. were never still there? Now there’s a question I can really sink my teeth into…
Do you think Barbara made him do it? He always tells people that his wife will get mad at him if he does or doesn’t do something she wants. His autobiography gave his reasons for not taking Sadaam out in the first gulf war. He didn’t cry at Jeb’s dinner in Florida because he was happy that Jeb wouldn’t get a chance to run for president. I think he should just apologize to the nation for encouraging his son to run for president when he knew he wasn’t up to the task. No matter how many times his son insults him. He never asked his advice before he went to war and he picked Rumsfield when he knew his father couldn’t stand him. He also spit in Jim Bakers face after Baker helped form the Iraq Study Report and also ignored his father’s National Security Advisor Brent Scrowcroft when he seriously adviced him not to go to war with Iraq.
I hate to admit that I liked GHWB. I didn’t love him, but I liked him okay for a Republican. I feel sorry for him having negated his own [medium] legacy by going down in history as being the main reason the worst President in our history got elected. And yes, I expect Barbara was in the mix…