Much has been made of Bush’s interview late last week with Radio and Television Ireland. To be sure, there are plenty of interesting angles.
Bush was unusually testy about the reporters’ penchant for interrupting his long, rambling answers (he ended up saying “let me finish” nine times). In fact, the White House was so irritated, it retaliated against the reporter by filing a complaint and against the network by canceling a scheduled interview with Laura Bush. How classy.
What’s worse, the reporter that outraged the president, Carole Coleman, later admitted that she had to submit her questions to the White House in advance.
“[T]he policy of the White House is that you submit your questions in advance, and so they had my questions for about three days. They knew I was going to ask tough questions and I think he was prepared for that.”
How terribly embarrassing for the United States. We are led by a man who requires reporters to submit questions in advance?
But while the heated exchange and petty response has been interesting, let’s not overlook that the interview itself contained a few bizarre Bush classics.
When asked about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, for example, Bush brought back the same discredited argument that was in vogue 16 months ago.
“The United Nations said, disarm or face serious consequences. That’s what the United Nations said. And guess what? He didn’t disarm. He didn’t disclose his arms.”
Perhaps Bush is a little behind on the news, but I think we now know that Hussein didn’t “disclose” his WMD because he didn’t actually have any. That’s what the whole disarmament charge was about — WMD. Bush is still saying Hussein “didn’t disarm” as if the argument still has merit. The man is obviously a little confused.
Then Bush showed the extent to which 9/11 is still his ultimate trump card.
Coleman: “But, Mr. President, the world is a more dangerous place today. I don’t know whether you can see that or not.”
Bush: “Why do you say that?”
Coleman: “There are terrorist bombings every single day. It’s now a daily event. It wasn’t like that two years ago.”
Bush: “What was it like September the 11th, 2001?”
I haven’t a clue what Bush is talking about, and I suspect, neither does he. Terrorist attacks in Iraq have gotten worse over the last year and Bush’s response is to rely on the only talking point he really likes. “Oh yeah? 9/11!” It’s as if Bush uses 9/11 reflexively to any question about terrorism that he doesn’t know how to answer.
There was also this frightening exchange about the president’s religious motivations.
Coleman: “Do you believe that the hand of God is guiding you in this war on terror?
Bush: “Listen, I think that God — that my relationship with God is a very personal relationship. And I turn to the good Lord for strength. And I turn to the good Lord for guidance. I turn to the good Lord for forgiveness.”
So, was that a “yes” to the question?
But my favorite moment of the interview, which as far as I can tell went completely unnoticed, came in response to a question about democracy in the Middle East.
Coleman: “[Y]ou will be discussing at the EU summit and the idea of bringing democracy to the broader Middle East…. Is that something that really should start, though, with the solving of the Israeli-Palestinian crisis?”
Bush: “Well, I think, first of all, you’ve got a democracy in Turkey. And you’ve got a democracy emerging in Afghanistan. You’ve got a democracy in Pakistan.”
Putting aside for a moment the fact that Afghanistan isn’t anywhere close to free elections, how, exactly, can Bush describe Pakistan as a democracy?
Pervez Musharraf seized power in 1999 after a military coup. There was an “election” in April 2002 in which Pakistan offered its citizens a one-candidate ballot. Indeed, the national referendum that allowed Musharraf to keep his self-appointed title of president, offered voters this question:
“For the survival of the local government system, establishment of democracy, continuity of reforms, end to sectarianism and extremism, would you like to elect President General Pervez Musharraf as president for five years?”
A democracy? I don’t think so.