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WP: Bush Says Election Ratified Iraq Policy
Washington Post (Page A01) ^ | Sunday, January 16, 2005 | Jim VandeHei and Michael A. Fletcher

Posted on 01/15/2005 8:39:28 PM PST by West Coast Conservative

President Bush said the public's decision to reelect him was a ratification of his approach toward Iraq and that there was no reason to hold any administration officials accountable for mistakes or misjudgments in prewar planning or managing the violent aftermath.

"We had an accountability moment, and that's called the 2004 elections," Bush said in an interview with The Washington Post. "The American people listened to different assessments made about what was taking place in Iraq, and they looked at the two candidates, and chose me."

With the Iraq elections two weeks away and no signs of the deadly insurgency abating, Bush set no timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops and twice declined to endorse Secretary of State Colin L. Powell's recent statement that the number of Americans serving in Iraq could be reduced by year's end. Bush said he will not ask Congress to expand the size of the National Guard or regular Army, as some lawmakers and military experts have proposed.

In a wide-ranging, 35-minute interview aboard Air Force One on Friday, Bush laid out new details of his second-term plans for both foreign and domestic policy. For the first time, Bush said he will not press senators to pass a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, the top priority for many social conservative groups. And he said he has no plans to cut benefits for the approximately 40 percent of Social Security recipients who collect monthly disability and survivor payments as he prepares his plan for partial privatization.

Bush was relaxed, often direct and occasionally expansive when discussing his second-term agenda, Iraq and lessons he has learned as president.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: bush; bushvictory; election2004; wariniraq; waronterror
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To: NewRomeTacitus

"But have a great time at your inaugural parties. Somehow my invitation must have been lost in the mail. I'm sure that my under $100 contribution (yet everything I could afford) had nothing to do with that (heh heh)."

Makes no sense, just like the rest of your post.


21 posted on 01/15/2005 11:34:02 PM PST by Republican Wildcat
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To: Cultural Jihad
Maybe you can lend George some of the national security briefings when you're done with them.

And "Republican Wildcat calls me senseless. I never made claims to being privy to such, just chided you "bots" for trying to place a mortal being on a pedestal. We got the best candidate our choices afforded - be happy. I'm going to fight him where he's wrong because I believe our predecessors didn't give their efforts and very lives to see this country handed over to the United Nations and bent over to be Mexico's bitch. Please pardon my language, good ladies out there, but I'm at a loss to find any way to put that more delicately.

22 posted on 01/16/2005 12:19:40 AM PST by NewRomeTacitus
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To: CyberAnt

It was too close for comfort. The bright side is that even with most of the media and almost all of the culture leaders in favor of Kerry, he couldn't raise enough support to get elected.


23 posted on 01/16/2005 12:33:47 AM PST by risk
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To: risk

Look people rejected Kerry, that is not the same thing as ratifying Iraq policy. We will know in a couple of years about that, I think. It will depend on events outside of control and prediction, but that is not W's fault. We tried, and now we will see if we made a difference in the long run.


24 posted on 01/16/2005 12:37:45 AM PST by southernred
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To: southernred

Agreed. I do think even if Americans don't like the Iraq war they don't want to repeat the mistakes we made in getting out of Vietnam.


25 posted on 01/16/2005 1:20:55 AM PST by risk
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To: Cicero
It's kind of a mystery to me why Bush keeps giving these exclusive interviews to his worst enemies. The Washington Post? The whole article is snide and superior, with constant little zingers thrown in that have nothing to do with the interview itself. The interviewers are certainly not exactly thrilled that the President has given them this big opportunity at a key moment right before the Inaugural.

He is exposing more about the lefty media than anything else by giving these interviews, imo. That's a bonus.

26 posted on 01/16/2005 4:22:47 AM PST by beyond the sea (Andrea Mitchell is Barbra Streisand on peyote ......and the north end of a south bound mule.)
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To: CyberAnt
"squeaker re-election" WHAT ..?? So how many votes over 3.7 million do you require before it's not a "squeaker"??

3% perecentage points is close. He also had the most votes against him than any candidate in history. He won, but "squeaker" is accurate.

You can't spin math.

27 posted on 01/16/2005 4:48:06 AM PST by FightinFederalist
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To: FightinFederalist
3% perecentage points is close. He also had the most votes against him than any candidate in history. He won, but "squeaker" is accurate. You can't spin math.

He also got more votes for him than any candidate in history. You're right. You can't spin math.

28 posted on 01/16/2005 5:47:27 AM PST by GeorgeBerryman
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To: NewRomeTacitus; Cultural Jihad; CyberAnt; Republican Wildcat
He already proclaimed he has a "mandate" from the people to pursue his not-an-amnesty

Ah, there's the problem. Tunnel vision.

29 posted on 01/16/2005 8:48:17 AM PST by Howlin (I need my Denny Crane!)
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To: West Coast Conservative

I hope that there was more to what he actually said because I would hope that the President would hold accountable people who gave him bad advice or bad information.


30 posted on 01/16/2005 11:19:17 AM PST by PFC
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To: West Coast Conservative

I believe the president says things to deliberately enrage the loony left.

I love it!


31 posted on 01/16/2005 11:21:53 AM PST by JoeV1 (The Democrats-The unlawful and corrupt leading the uneducated and blind)
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To: FightinFederalist

2000 was a "squeaker" - 2004 was not .. regardless of your math trumps all attitude. I find it interesting that the dems are all saying the same thing you are .. Hmmmm?

It wasn't a squeaker to me - and if all the illegal votes the dems used were eliminated - it would probably have been more like 5%.


32 posted on 01/16/2005 8:38:17 PM PST by CyberAnt (Where are the dem supporters? - try the trash cans in back of the abortion clinics.)
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To: GeorgeBerryman
He also got more votes for him than any candidate in history. You're right. You can't spin math.

Exactly, we'll put. To argue that it wasn't close doesn't lend any support to a leftist agenda.

33 posted on 01/16/2005 9:17:29 PM PST by FightinFederalist
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To: FightinFederalist
spelling correction, that's well put.
34 posted on 01/16/2005 9:18:19 PM PST by FightinFederalist
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To: CyberAnt
I find it interesting that the dems are all saying the same thing you are .. Hmmmm? It wasn't a squeaker to me - and if all the illegal votes the dems used were eliminated - it would probably have been more like 5%.

Talk about saying things the dems are saying... Let me guess - the illegal votes were a result of Diebold machines... Tin foil hat alert.

35 posted on 01/17/2005 7:41:34 AM PST by FightinFederalist
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To: FightinFederalist

Don't try to turn this around and say I'm some sort of kook - we already know some of the tricks the democrats do in order to get votes .. they have been widly publicized .. and no .. I'm not blaming the Diebold machines.

You might find out more if you would check my FReeper page before you start spouting your KOOK stuff! Geeeeeez, all you have to do is look at the election in Washington state and see what the dems do with elections. It's funny .. I don't see Jesse or Conyers out there in WA demanding that every vote count - especially when there are 8400 more votes than they have registed voters.

YOU'RE THE ONE WHO's AGREEING WITH THE DEMS - WHO ARE SAYING THIS ELECTION IS A "SQUEAKER" - NOT ME.


36 posted on 01/17/2005 9:21:55 AM PST by CyberAnt (Where are the dem supporters? - try the trash cans in back of the abortion clinics.)
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To: CyberAnt
You might find out more if you would check my FReeper page before you start spouting your KOOK stuff! Geeeeeez, all you have to do is look at the election in Washington state and see what the dems do with elections. It's funny .. I don't see Jesse or Conyers out there in WA demanding that every vote count - especially when there are 8400 more votes than they have registed voters.

Get an education - seriously.

37 posted on 01/17/2005 11:19:43 AM PST by FightinFederalist
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To: FightinFederalist

ROTFLOL!!

You poor thing .. can't take the challenge huh??


38 posted on 01/17/2005 11:29:40 AM PST by CyberAnt (Where are the dem supporters? - try the trash cans in back of the abortion clinics.)
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To: CyberAnt
You poor thing .. can't take the challenge huh??

The challenge of arguing logically with a believer? No I can't - your belief is stronger than my facts. Good luck with that.

39 posted on 01/18/2005 9:40:07 PM PST by FightinFederalist
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