‘Because I told them it had to’

January 26, 2007

I don’t think the president fully understands that force of will is not a foreign policy.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said yesterday that President George W. Bush did not consult her before announcing his new strategy for the war in Iraq — a sign that, despite the cozy rhetoric, the relationship between Washington’s two powerhouses has already had its share of friction.

In an interview, Pelosi also said she was puzzled by what she considered the president’s minimalist explanation for his confidence in the new surge of 21,500 U.S. troops that he has presented as the crux of a new “way forward” for U.S. forces in Iraq.

“He’s tried this two times — it’s failed twice,” the California Democrat said. “I asked him at the White House, ‘Mr. President, why do you think this time it’s going to work?’ And he said, ‘Because I told them it had to.’ ” (emphasis added)

Asked if the president had elaborated, she added that he simply said, ” ‘I told them that they had to.’ That was the end of it. That’s the way it is.”

According to Aravosis, Pelosi reportedly followed up, “Why didn’t you tell them that the other two times?” It’s a good question.

As amusing as this is, there are two quick points to make. First, one of the more common far-right complaints of late is that Dems, as far as the White House is concerned, are “beyond consultation on Iraq.” Apparently, the Bush gang is taking that quite literally, and has decided not to communicate with congressional leaders about major military decisions at all. So much for cooperation with the co-equal branch of government.

And second, on the “it has to” work point, that seems to be an all-too-common refrain from this president.

I’m reminded of this article from a couple of weeks ago.

As part of a campaign to market the new strategy, Mr. Bush’s aides insisted that the plan was largely created by the government of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki.

Yet Mr. Bush sounded less than certain of his support for the prime minister, who many in the White House and the military fear may be intending to extend Shiite power over the Sunnis, or could prove incapable of making good on his promises. “If the Iraqi government does not follow through on its promises, it will lose the support of the American people and it will lose the support of the Iraqi people,” Mr. Bush declared.

He put it far more bluntly when leaders of Congress visited the White House earlier on Wednesday. “I said to Maliki this has to work or you’re out,” the president told the Congressional leaders, according to two officials who were in the room. Pressed on why he thought this strategy would succeed where previous efforts had failed, Mr. Bush shot back: “Because it has to.” (emphasis added)

He’s quite a bold visionary, isn’t he? The president tells Dems that Iraqis will come through because he told them “they had to.” The president tells Republicans that his strategy will work because “it has to.”

It’s a bit like listening to a child who believes he or she can will something to happen, just by hoping really hard.

It’s good that you done that, George.

  • This is like an old sedan careening off a cliff, out of control. The brakes are out, there seems to be no hope for the frantic occupants of the vehicle. Suddenly the driver shouts, “Don’t worry, kids, I’ll just throw it into reverse! That will save us!”

    “How do you know, Daddy?”, they shout.

    “Because it has to.”, he replies grimly.

    Reassuring, isn’t it.

  • who was it who said they didn’t want to form a special group to get together and work on this issue? i think they said the existing committees that have worked so well in the past can do the job … so much for cooperation!

  • Here’s my theory: Bush believes in the Bible, which states clearly that a) God controls all things, and b) God picks the leaders of the world’s nations. So when he sees Iraq going to shit, he doesn’t worry, because God picked him, and because God picked Bush, God would never let him fail in Iraq.

    To Bush, the trouble in Iraq is only a “test”, to see if George will “curse God and die” as the book of Ecclesiastes puts it. He thinks there’s going to be another miracle save, like every time he cratered an oil venture. All he needs is his own force of will (ie faith).

  • Pelosi reportedly followed up, “Why didn’t you tell them that the other two times?”

    I don’t care how many times she blinks during a speech — I love that woman (in an ideological kind of way).

    Oh … and I just HAVE to win the lottery.

    **crosses arms, taps foot, and waits**

  • Racerx – I think that’s probably a pretty accurate theory, well said. Scary but well said.

  • This sad, demented little president makes me think of another George, who told some tall tales to a stupid person…

    “tell me about the rabbits, George.”

    “Tell me again about how we’re going to have place of our own some day, and be happy keeping rabbits. And we’ll chase these cats away! ”

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Of_Mice_and_Men

  • Bush expresses the juvenile, spoiled brat, view of the world perfectly. All that matters to him is that he wants it, and that makes it so. And past failures have no more impact on that belief than any other facts. Me, me, me. Dressing it up in theological terms, while consistent, does an injustice to theological attempts at reasoning.

  • I think it’s called “magical thinking”, as in: “…magical thinking is “a fundamental dimension of a child’s thinking.” –Zusne and Jones

  • History has shown that great men can, through the sheer force of their will, change the course of the universe. As exhibit A, I give you Capt. Jean-Luc Picard of the Starship Enterprise. He tells his staff. “Make it so Number One,” and it becomes so.

    You can add “Make it so-er” to the list of “Decider” and “Decision-maker” as this president’s attributes.

    Pelosi reportedly followed up, “Why didn’t you tell them that the other two times?” Replied the president, “No, really, because this time I’m serious!” Who can argue with kind of logic?

  • Curmudgeon, CLOSE…but if you want to use that analogy, it would be more accurat to have the daddy say “children, I am going to floor the gas pedal, because we ARE going in the right direction, just not with enough resources”

    Because throwing it in reverse would be to admit he was going in the wrong direction completely, and we know how W handles those kinds of thoughts.

  • Yes, like Peter Pan if we all just “believe” then Tinkerbell won’t die…

    As exhibit A, I give you Capt. Jean-Luc Picard of the Starship Enterprise. He tells his staff. “Make it so Number One,” and it becomes so.

    Curmudgeon, CLOSE…but if you want to use that analogy, it would be more accurat to have the daddy say “children, I am going to floor the gas pedal, because we ARE going in the right direction, just not with enough resources”.

    Between CBs even-nautred posts (“tirades” they are not) and comments like the above are why I love this place …

  • It’s just too bad that those folk are so polite… What Pelosi should have said is “grow up and get a life”

    And, 2-face @3… you’re right; the existing committees hadn’t worked too well in the past. But, erm…I hate to remind you… Those were *Pubic* committeees. It’s not for nothing that that group of congresscritters is called “RepubliCAN’Ts”…

  • To Bush, the trouble in Iraq is only a “test”, to see if George will “curse God and die” as the book of Ecclesiastes puts it.

    [Racerx @4]

    I’d prefer Bush as Job II. Complete with boils.

  • I think Bush’s “because it has to,” comment is less to do with juvenile impulses than it does with addictive behavior. Some people say that an alcoholic never “recovers” but is always “recovering.” Perhaps Bush seems to think that he can “recover” from Iraq too.

  • I know magical thinking doesn’t work. Kerry didn’t get elected, the carbon dioxide levels are not diminishing, my dishes aren’t stacked and cleaned in the morning.

    Bringing Condi Rice into the circle – is she supposed to be Tinkerbell or Wendy?

  • I would venture a guess that the two instances mentioned above are most likely the same instance being mentioned at two different times.

    Not that that changes anything about the Prez acting like a spoiled little kid. I’m just sayin’…

  • To Bush, the trouble in Iraq is only a “test”, to see if George will “curse God and die” as the book of Ecclesiastes puts it.

    [Racerx @4]

    I’d prefer Bush as Job II. Complete with boils.
    —————The answer is orange

    Nah…let’s go with that bit about Lot’s Wife. Turn Bush into a pillar of salt by making him watch Iraq explode in flames—and feed him to the cows….

  • It is also a way to set up the Military as the excuse for the failure. By saying “it has to” sets the future stage for blaming the military and our soldiers for not trying hard enough to win.

    I’ve already seen glimpses of this on some conservative sites in which the soldiers are blamed for failing the president’s will.

  • “I said to Maliki this has to work or you’re out,” the president told the Congressional leaders…

    As interesting as the “force of will” comment is, I think the more provocative part of this statement is the “or you’re out” part. I thought Maliki was democratically elected. How can bush tell him he’s out?

  • Sounds like good “strategery” to me. And if Pelosi said really said that, she gets the Stephen Colbert “Speak Truth to Power” award.

  • ‘Because I told them it had to’ – BG2

    Brrr! Is there a more mentally crippled individual in such a place of authority since the last year of the Reagan administration?

    These Republican’ts, they sure can pick ’em.

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