The Spanish Downing Street memo?

September 26, 2007

In February 2003, the president was insistent that he hoped to find a peaceful solution to his standoff with Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, and would work with and through the United Nations to resolve the conflict. At least, that was what he was saying publicly.

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.

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.

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.”

Of course, this isn’t bigger news because we knew all of this already. You mean, Bush was lying when he said in February 2003 that he still hoped to avoid the conflict? You don’t say.

I’d offer a more complete report about exactly what was said, but my Spanish isn’t nearly good enough. If Spanish speakers want to identify some key quotes in comments, it’d be very helpful.

In the meantime, E&P used Google to offer this very rough transcript. It’s obviously wrong in some parts, but it at least offers the gist of the conversation.

BUSH: Saddam Hussein will not change and will continue playing. The moment has arrived for undoing of him. It is thus. I, as for me, will from now on try to use the possible subtlest rhetoric, while we looked for the approval of the resolution….Saddam Hussein is not being disarmed. We must take to him right now. We have shown an incredible degree of patience until now. They are left two weeks. In two weeks we will be militarily ready. I believe that we will obtain the second resolution…. We will be in Baghdad at the end of March. A 15% of possibilities that exist then Saddam Hussein is dead or has gone away…

We would like to act with the mandate of the United Nations. If we acted militarily we will do it with high accuracy and focusing much our objectives. We will decimate the loyal troops and the regular army quickly will know which it is…. We are developing a package of humanitarian aid very hard. We can win without destruction. We are raising Iraq already post Saddam, and I believe that there are good bases for a future better. Iraq relatively hard has a good bureaucracy and a civil society. It would be possible to be organized in a federation. Meanwhile we are doing all the possible one to take care of the necessities political of our friends and allies.

AZNAR: It is very important to count on a resolution. … The next Wednesday [16 of February] I see myself with Chirac. The resolution already will have begun to circulate.

BUSH: It seems to me very well. Chirac knows the reality perfectly. Their intelligence services have explained it. The Arabs are transmitting him to Chirac a very clear message: Saddam Hussein must go away. The problem is that Chirac is created Mister Arab and in fact the life is making them impossible. But I do not want to have no rivalry with Chirac….

This is as the Chinese torture of the water. We must end it.

AZNAR: I agree, but it would be good for counting on the maximum number of possible people. Then a little patience.

BUSH: My patience is exhausted. I do not think to go beyond half of March.

[Saddam] is a thief, a terrorist, a criminal military. Compared with Saddam, Milosevic would be a Mother Teresa. When we enter we are going to discover many more crimes and we will take to the Court the International to him of Justice of Is It. Saddam Hussein thinks that already it has escaped. Think that France and Germany have stopped the process of their responsibilities….

AZNAR: In fact the greater success would be to gain the game without shooting a single shot and entering Baghdad.

BUSH: For me it would be the perfect solution. I do not want the war. I know what they are, the wars. I know the destruction and the death that bring with himself. I am the one that she has to console to the mothers and the widows of deads. By all means, for us that would be the best solution…

AZNAR: We needed that you help us with our public opinion….

BUSH: When within years History judges us I do not want that people ask themselves so that Bush, or Aznar, or Blair did not face their responsibilities. In the end, which people wants is to enjoy freedom. ..

AZNAR: The only thing which it worries to me about you is your optimism.

BUSH: I am optimistic because I believe that I am in the certain thing. I am peacefully with me same.

I think it’s fine that someone ran the Spanish through a Babelfish translation to get a rough idea, but this internet-generated literal translation is becoming viral before anyone is able to provide a real (nuanced, human-generated) translation.

Many years ago there was a story about a English-to-Russian-and-back-again computer. The researchers put in the idiom “out of sight, out of mind” to be translated into Russian, and they took the Russian and translated it back into English: “Blind Idiot”

  • I’m willing to bet that at least some of these quotes from Bush are better English than what he actually said.

  • Bush: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Iraq.

    (With apologies to Borat, who at least *knows* that he’s a comedian.)

  • I translated the more interesting, later half and emailed it to Josh Marshall but he hasn’t done anything with it yet. In my opinion the most intriguing parts are obscured by the crappy automatic translation.

    Bush: Chirac knows perfectly well what’s going on. His intelligence
    services have explained it to him. The Arabs are giving Chirac a very
    clear message: Saddam Hussein must go. The problem is that Chirac
    thinks he’s Mister Arab and it’s really making our lives difficult.
    But I don’t want to have a rivalry with Chirac. We’ve got different
    points of view, but I’d like to leave that out of it. Give him my
    best, really! The less he feels a rivalry between us, the better it is
    for everyone.

    Aznar: How will the resolution be combined with the inspectors’ report?

    Rice: We actually won’t know until Feb. 28th, the inspectors are
    giving their written report on March 1., and their appearance before
    the Security Council won’t be until the 6th or 7th. We’re not
    expecting much from this report. As with the others, they’ll try to
    put the good along with the bad. I have the impression that Blix will
    be more negative this time about the intentions of the Iraqis. After
    the inspectors’ appearance before the security council we expect a
    vote on our resolution within a week. The Iraqis, meanwhile, will try
    to argue that they’re complying with our demands. It’s not true and
    it’s not enough, but they will announce the destruction of some
    missiles.

    Bush: This is like Chinese water torture. We’ve got to put an end to it.

    Aznar: I agree, but it would be good to have the most allies possible.
    Have a little patience.

    Bush: My patience has run out. I don’t think I’m going to wait beyond
    the middle of March.

    Aznar: I’m not asking for you to have infinite patience. Just that you
    do what’s possible to line everybody up.

    Bush: Countries like Mexico, Chile, Angola and Cameroon must know that
    this is an issue of U.S. security and act with a sense of friendship.
    [Chilean President] Lagos must know that the Free Trade Agreement with
    Chile is pending in the Senate and that a negative attitude could put
    its ratification in danger. Angola is receiving Millenium Account
    funds and these could also be in jeopardy if they don’t show us
    results. And Putin should know that his attitude is putting US-Russian
    relations in danger.

    Aznar: Tony wants to leave it until the 14th of March.

    Bush: I’d prefer the 10th. This is like a good cop, bad cop game. I
    don’t care if I’m the bad cop and Tony is the good one.

    Aznar: Is it true that there’s some chance that Saddam Hussein will go
    into exile?

    Bush: Yes, there’s a possibility. He might even be assassinated.

    Aznar: Exile with a guarantee?

    Bush: No guarantees. He’s a thief, a terrorist, a war criminal.
    Compared to Saddam, Milosevic was like Mother Teresa. When we go in,
    we’re going to discover a lot more crimes and we’re going to take them
    to the International Tribune in the Hague. Saddam Hussein thinks he’s
    already escaped. He thinks France and Germany have stopped the process
    of holding him accountable. He also thinks the demonstrations last
    week protected him. And he thinks I’m weakened. But the people around
    him know that that’s not how things are. They know that their future
    lies in exile or else in a coffin. That’s why it’s so important to
    keep the pressure on him. Gaddafi told us indirectly that this is the
    only way to stop him. The only strategy Saddam Hussein has is to
    delay, delay, delay.

    Aznar: Really, the greatest success would be to win without firing a
    single shot or entering Baghdad.

    Bush: For me this would be the perfect solution. I don’t want war. I
    know what war is. I know it brings destruction and death. I’m the one
    who has to console the mothers and the widows of the dead. Of course
    this would be the best solution. It would save us $50 billion, too.

    …

    Aznar: What we’re doing is a very profound change for Spain and for
    the Spanish people. We’re changing the policy that the country has
    followed for the last 200 years.

    Bush: I’m guided by a historical sense of responsibility, same as you.
    When history judges us in a few years, I don’t want people to ask why
    Bush, or Aznar, or Blair didn’t face up to their responsibilities. In
    the end, what people want is to enjoy freedom. Not long ago, in
    Romania, they reminded me of the example of Ceausescu: all it took was
    for a woman to call him a liar for the whole repressive facade to
    crash down. This is the irrepressible power of freedom. I’m convinced
    that I’ll get the resolution.

    Aznar: That would be for the best.

    Bush: I made the decision to go to the Security Council. Despite
    disagreement in my administration, I told my people that we’ve got to
    work with our friends. It would be wonderful to count on a second
    resolution.

    Aznar: The only thing that worries me is your optimism.

    Bush: I’m optimistic because I believe I’m right. I’m at peace with
    myself. We’ve been put up against a serious threat to peace. It really
    irritates me to think about the Europeans’ insensibility towards the
    suffering that Saddam Hussein inflicted on the Iraqis. Maybe because
    he’s brown, he’s far away, he’s Muslim, a lot of Europeans think
    there’s no problem. I won’t forget what [Javier] Solana told me once:
    Why do we Americans think that Europeans are antisemites and incapable
    of facing up to their responsibilities? This defensive attitude is
    terrible. I have to recognize that Kofi Annan and I have magnificent
    relations.

    Aznar: He shares your ethical preoccupations.

    Bush: The more the Europeans attack me, the stronger I am in the United States.

    Aznar: We’ll have to make the Europeans appreciate your strength.

  • In particular I’m not certain about the last long paragraph Bush speaks, the sentence that begins “I won’t forget what Solana told me once.” If anyone else wants to check my work on that one, that’d be good.

  • Thank you, Neil. That’s great. The “Chinese torture of the water” let me know the rest was probably messed up, too.

  • Bush is always worse than I thought. It’s so humiliating (and terrifying) that the US has had such a rigid, arrogant cokehead for a leader. And now our great Congress has just given him more cover for attacking Iran (Kyl-Lieberman)–what are they thinking? Are they not paying any attention at all!

  • Awesome! Like reading subtitles of the telenovela version of Operation Iraqi Freedom!

    “I believe that there are good bases for a future better…”

    See! He was already planning military bases in Iraq. Or… he saw a basis for a better future.

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  • http://barcepundit-english.blogspot.com/2007/09/much-is-being-made-of-scoop-by-pro.html

    As Barcepundit points out, “If anything, the transcript proves precisely the opposing point that critics want to make. The conversation shows both Bush and Aznar trying to avoid war; that they were concerned of its human toll, and that Saddam wanted to flee with money… and WMD information. I guess all the people who are trumpeting this will stop sying now that Bush lied and mislead us on the WMD issue. Won’t hold my breath, though.

    “At one point Bush explicitely says: … “I don’t want war. I know what wars are like. I know the death and destruction they bring. I am the one who has to comfort the mothers and wifes of the dead. Of course, for us [a diplomatic solution] would be the best one. Also, it would save 50 billion dollars” [Barcepundit’s translation].

    “Clearly this is not an equivalent to the Downing Street memo, but a leak from a Zapatero administration official to an anti-Bush, anti-Aznar newspaper in the hope of embarrassing the two, and atrociously translated to make it all look worse. But I’m sorry to say they only embarrassed themselves. No matter how much you spin it, the memorandum shows exactly the opposite to what the [critics] say it shows.”

    http://barcepundit-english.blogspot.com/2007/09/much-is-being-made-of-scoop-by-pro.html

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