QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President. In the latest CBS News poll, 50 percent of Americans say they favor a beginning of an end to U.S. military involvement in Iraq; 43 percent said, keep fighting, but change tactics. By this and many other measures, there is no clear mandate to continue being in Iraq in a military form. I guess my question is, are you still willing to follow a path that seems to be in opposition to the will of the American people?
THE PRESIDENT: I am willing to follow a path that leads to victory, and that’s exactly why we’re conducting the review we are. Victory in Iraq is achievable. It hasn’t happened nearly as quickly as I hoped it would have. I know it’s — the fact that there is still unspeakable sectarian violence in Iraq, I know that’s troubling to the American people. But I also don’t believe most Americans want us just to get out now. A lot of Americans understand the consequences of retreat. Retreat would embolden radicals. It would hurt the credibility of the United States. Retreat from Iraq would dash the hopes of millions who want to be free. Retreat from Iraq would enable the extremists and radicals to more likely be able to have safe haven from which to plot and plan further attacks.
And so it’s been a tough period for the American people. They want to see success. And our objective is to put a plan in place that achieves that success. I’m often asked about public opinion. Of course, I want public opinion to support the efforts. I understand that. But, Jim, I also understand the consequences of failure. And, therefore, I’m going to work with the Iraqis and our military and politicians from both political parties to achieve success.>
I thought the election said they want to see more bipartisan cooperation; they want to see us working together to achieve common objectives. And I’m going to continue to reach out to Democrats to do just that.
Often, reading the Presidential Press conferences or watching snippets on the news gets confusing, so I thought I’d simplify this one for you:
QUESTION: I guess my question is, are you still willing to follow a path that seems to be in opposition to the will of the American people?
THE PRESIDENT: Yes.
It’s still too complicated. Let’s try again:
QUESTION: 93% of Americans want you to do something different in Iraq. Are you going to do something different?
THE PRESIDENT: No.
It’s the part that follows that is, however, the point at hand:
But I also don’t believe most Americans want us just to get out now. A lot of Americans understand the consequences of retreat. Retreat would embolden radicals. It would hurt the credibility of the United States. Retreat from Iraq would dash the hopes of millions who want to be free. Retreat from Iraq would enable the extremists and radicals to more likely be able to have safe haven from which to plot and plan further attacks.
In Iraq, it was the coming of the Americans that embolden[ed] radicals. And further, enable the extremists and radicals to more likely be able to have safe haven from which to plot and plan further attacks, is a continuation of the confluence of Al Qaeda Terrorists and Iraqis, a false connection from day one. He has played this card for over three years now, that we are fighting the Terrorists in Iraq that attacked us. That is not now, nor has it ever been true.
I personally wish that I could believe that our motives were what he says, to improve our credibility, or to make us safer, or to help the innocent Iraqis who are dying in vain. I have come to believe that the Administration is still attempting to establish a government that will give us access to their oil resources. And I’m suspicious that they are thinking that they have only two years left to try to do the same thing in Iran – regime change followed by oil access.
Bush’s answers in his Press Conferences are rehearsed, evasive, and use a technique known as flooding. It goes like this:
- Acknowledge the intent of the question first
I know it’s — the fact that there is still unspeakable sectarian violence in Iraq, I know that’s troubling to the American people.
- Throw in a snappy transition sentence
But I also don’t believe most Americans want us just to get out now.
- Then say the same thing you’ve said all along
Retreat would embolden radicals. It would hurt the credibility of the United States. Retreat from Iraq would dash the hopes of millions who want to be free. Retreat from Iraq would enable the extremists and radicals to more likely be able to have safe haven from which to plot and plan further attacks.
It’s the transition sentence that is the logical flaw. Why doesn’t the reporter then ask, "You just said ‘But I also don’t believe most Americans want us just to get out now.’ Why do you think that? It’s not what they say. What information lead you to that belief?" The only effective counter to flooding of this sort is to find the logical flaw, and flood back, sticking to that flaw like a heat seeking missle, using an unassailable transition:
"I hear that you believe many Americans agree with your thoughts on the matter, but 93% of Americans say that they don’t. Our Generals say they don’t. The Neoconservatives interviewed in Vanity Fair say they don’t. The Iraq Study Group doesn’t. What makes you think that anyone other than your closest associates agree with what you just said?"
Would confrontation of this sort have any effect. I think so. George Bush is an extremely fragile narcissistic man – dependent on the minute to minute reflection of the immediate surround. When he leaves a Press Conference getting away with such tripe, he thinks he’s a king. If he left feeling like he’d been in an failed dog fight, he’d be a lot more likely to be afraid to do the kind of dumb stuff he does. The only real weapon against George Bush is personal humiliation.
Let the carnage begin…
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