Posted on 09/27/2007 11:25:25 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
The left is jumping over a report out of Spain that they say affirms their belief that Bush was going to go into Iraq no matter what happens:
Barcepundit:According to a new report published today by El Pais, Spain’s largest daily newspaper, Bush told then-Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar at the time that he was going to invade Iraq no matter what happened. Spanish speakers can read the transcript of their discussion — I’m a little rusty — but E&P has a report on the revelations.
According to the transcript, Aznar asked Bush to be more patient and emphasized the importance of a U.N. resolution. The president said he was out of patience. Aznar said he was worried that Bush was overly optimistic about what would happen. Bush reportedly said, “I am optimistic because I believe I am right. I am at peace with myself.”El Pais, the highest-circulation daily in Spain, today published what it said was the transcript of a private talk between President George W. Bush and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar on February 22, 2003, concerning the coming U.S. invasion of Iraq.
The conversation took place on the President’s ranch in Crawford, Texas. The confidential transcript was prepared by Spain’s ambassador to the United States, Javier Ruperez, the paper said.
Bush purportedly said he planned to invade Iraq in March “if there was a United Nations Security Council resolution or not…. We have to get rid of Saddam. We will be in Baghdad at the end of March.”
He said the U.S. takeover would happen without widespread destruction. He observed that he was willing to play bad cop to British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s good cop.
Editor and Publisher has a machine translation, which is quite atrocious.
[...]What it says is that the US would be in Iraq in mid-March whether there was a second UN resolution or not, one that Bush said he would try to get by all means, which is an entirely different matter. As everybody knows, there’s certainly a debate on whether the first resolution was enough or not -many reputable experts think it was, though there’s not unanimity on this, certainly. But the issue is different.
Oh, the first resolution was most definitely enough, there was no need for a second resolution and Bush knew this. Here is his translation:
[Bush: Saddam won't change and will keep playing games. The moment of getting rid of him has arrived. That's it. As for me, from now on I'll try to use the softest rhetoric I can, while we look for the resolution to be approved. If some country vetoes [the resolution] we'll go in. Saddam is not disarming. We must catch him right now. We have shown an incredible amount of patience until now. We have two weeks. In two weeks our military will be ready. I think we'll achieve a second resolution. In the Security Council we have three African countries [Cameroon, Angola, Guinea], the Chileans, the Mexicans. I'll talk with all of them, also with Putin, naturally. We'll be in Baghdad at the end of March. There's a 15% chance that by then Saddam is dead or has flown. But these possibilities won't exist until we have shown our resolution. The Egyptians are talking with Saddam Hussein. It seems he has hinted he'd be willing to leave if he's allowed to take 1 billion dollars and all the information on WMDs. Ghadaffi told Berlusconi that Saddam wants to leave. Mubarak tells us that in these circumstances there are big chances that he'll get killed.Interesting that Saddam wanted to take his WMD plans huh? I mean if we are to believe the left then Saddam really never wanted WMD's and any WMD program he had was no danger to anyone. But here he is insisting that he wanted to take his WMD plans with him.
We'd like to act with the mandate of the UN. If we act militarily, we'll do with great precision and focalizing our targets to the biggest degree. We'll decimate the loyal troops and the regular army will quickly know what it's all about. ... We are developing a very strong aid package. We can win without destruction. We are working already in the post-Saddam Iraq, and I think there's a basis for a better future. Iraq has a good bureaucracy and a relatively strong civil society. It could be organized as a federation. Meanwhile we're doing all we can to fulfill the political needs of our friends and allies. -- note: my emphasis and translation]
Barcepundit also notes that the correct translation depicts Bush as someone who DID NOT want war, he was no warmongerer:
ping!
Report Says Hussein Was Open To Exile Before 2003 Invasion ($1 billion and information on WMD's)
Saddam asked Bush for $1bn to go into exile
*****************************EXCERPT*******************************
Saddam Hussein offered to step down and go into exile one month before the invasion of Iraq, it was claimed last night.
Fearing defeat, Saddam was prepared to go peacefully in return for £500million ($1billion).
The extraordinary offer was revealed yesterday in a transcript of talks in February 2003 between George Bush and the then Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar at the President's Texas ranch.
The White House refused to comment on the report last night.
But, if verified, it is certain to raise questions in Washington and London over whether the costly four-year war could have been averted.
******************************EXCERPT*****************************
However, according to the tapes, one month before he launched the invasion Mr Bush appeared convinced that Saddam was serious about going into exile.
"The Eqyptians are speaking to Saddam Hussein," said Mr Bush.
"It seems he's indicated he would be prepared to go into exile if he's allowed to take $1billion and all the information he wants about weapons of mass destruction."
Asked by the Spanish premier whether Saddam - who was executed in December last year - could really leave, the President replied: "Yes, that possibility exists. Or he might even be assassinated."
bump
bookmark
March 2003 Document: Saddam Orders Iraq Central Bank to Give his Son 1 Billion Dollars http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1697062/posts
And if Bush had authorized the payment of 1 billion dollars and THAT came out. What would the loony left be saying about that?
Headline: BUSH PAYS OFF TERRORIST!!!
This is by far the most intriguing part of the "story". Why did Saddam want to take "information" regarding WMDs out of Iraq? Why was that so important to him? Did those documents show the location of the WMDs? Did it document any transfers to Syria? As usual the MSM is missing the real story behind the story.
The real story about WMD’s doesn’t help the media in their attempt to help Hillary!
Interesting that Saddam wanted to take his WMD plans huh? I mean if we are to believe the left then Saddam really never wanted WMD's and any WMD program he had was no danger to anyone. But here he is insisting that he wanted to take his WMD plans with him.Saddam never hurt a fly -- because he couldn't hear them scream.
Their pretty good at being idiots 95% of the time.
“Bush: Saddam won’t change and will keep playing games.”
President Bush was correct. What does the lamestream media believe the enforcement would have been once Saddam claimed to agree to terms or got the money?
War. Oh yeah right. That’s what happened after the nineeenth resolution Saddam failed to keep.
Couldn’t agree moreso E. They must protect their invested intererest.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.