In Speech, Bush* to Ask Americans and Allies for Teamwork on Iraq

[kskiska]

President Bush will use a prime-time address tonight to make a conciliatory appeal to countries that opposed the war in Iraq and will warn Americans that peace will take much more time, administration officials said yesterday. He also will reveal the amount of money he plans to request from Congress for Iraq next year, officials said.

The tone and content of the 8:30 p.m. White House address will continue a fundamental reworking of the administration's Iraq strategy that first became apparent last week when Bush decided to negotiate for a U.N. mandate for a multinational force in Iraq as a way to attract more troops and money from allies.

(snip)

Analysts called the address an attempt by Bush to take command at a time when his justification for the war has proved factually flawed, his planning for the occupation is being criticized as inadequate, and Iraq is beset by rising sectarianism, sabotage and chaos.

Ivo H. Daalder, a senior foreign-policy fellow at the Brookings Institution, said he sees no indication that Bush plans to redress the concerns that have made foreign governments reluctant to contribute money or troops to the occupation.

"This is typical Bush: 'I know what's right; here is what's right; you have to do what I tell you to do,' " Daalder said. "They think they can fix this with a speech instead of doing the hard work of traveling to these countries and convincing them that we're willing to listen to their point of view and figure out what they need for us to do in order for us to do this together."

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36362-2003Sep6.html

[ixion]

1. too little too late

The time for working together was before this madness began, when the Bush junta refused to work with the international community, IMHO.

Bush is up a creek. :bounce:

[MasonJar]

2. Bush

Bush is just trying to salvage his job so he can continue his destruction of the US and the world. He is just trying to save his onery hide which should be in jail.

[Zhade]

32. He should be under a suicide watch...

...in the Hague, awaiting execution for treason and crimes against humanity.

His administration should be there, too.

[madrchsod]

3. well that pretty much sums up the speech

but the chocalot makers want their cut of the iraqi pie and i bet georgie won`t give them any..they`ll never trust him and they will wait him out. even the conseratives in france are in no hurry to join into bush`s war......

[aquart]

9. You know what? I bet they want no part of that pie.

They were smart enough to know from the beginning that this pie is poison.

[htuttle]

33. It's as if the US and UK are writhing on the ground after eating some...

...and are clutching their guts with stomach pains, and then they say to Europe, Russia, and the UN, "Hey, do you want some of this pie?"

Will they answer:
1) "Of course not. We TOLD you not to eat that. Get back to us after you sober up."
Or
2) "Sure, we'll have some, just to get in on the collective agony.."

I think it will be #1.

[SharonAnn]

4. WTF? Teamwork? Bush?

Oxymoron.

[liberalmuse]

5. Take this, Bush!

<censored gesture> You don't know the meaning of 'teamwork', you unilateral thug. You probably should have thought of this before you snubbed and slandered the U.N. and crapped all over every American not reeling in a multi-million dollar income.

[alcuno]

6. I wonder what will happen in Iraq over the next couple of days?

When I heard that * would be speaking, I started to wonder what the response in Iraq would be.

[DoYouEverWonder]

27. Have you noticed how quiet it has been in Iraq

the last few days? Seems we might be having another one of those bad news blackouts, so W can get a bump in the polls. Too bad those quiet spells always end with a blast.

[madaboutharry]

7. This is the beginning of the end for Bush

The numbers are now against him. The press is no longer willing to sully their own hands by covering for him. The democrats smell blood in the water. He lied us into war and every day more and more Americans are figuring this out. The smirk is gone from his face and he looks tired, old, and scared. The Europeans and allies he flipped the bird to are now preparing their spitballs. The speech tomorrow night can not undo the damage, it will only contain more half-truths and lies. This administration can't tell the truth, if they did it would bring down the government by Monday morning. Maureen Dowd tonight has compared this "Miserable Failure" to his father, but I think Bush, Jr. is going to be remembered in way more similar to Richard Nixon.

[aquart]

10. I hope he's scared.

I never want him to sleep.

[AndyTiedye]

35. If he get's too scared he'll....

:nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke:
:scared:

[RevolutionStartsNow]

8. Dem candidates are already preparing their statements!

Watch their websites (esp. Dean's, of course) for the response when he's done.

[Paschall]

11. Daalder: "This is typical Bush..."

...Make a conciliatory appeal to Paris and Berlin via US television at 8:30 pm Washington time.

I guess he expects Chirac and Schroeder to stay up (to 2:30 and 3:30 am respectively) to watch it.

[Frances]

12. I don't understand

the need for a speech. Bush announced Mission Accomplished already. And we have the action figure dolls to prove it.
(sarcasm)

[kodi]

13. bush wants europe to suit up as the hind quarters of a vaudeville horse

they will have to carry a significant portion of the burden, be keep entirely in the dark, and have no way of knowing where the hell they are going.

come on over europe, we want you on our team.

george bush reminds me more and more of that pugsely adams character from the addams family show doing his "pick-a-card" trick where all the cards are aces of spades. he's so dumb that he thinks that no one can figure out the trick.

[grasswire]

14. I'm thinking...

....more along the lines of Joe Btfsplk.

[kodi]

16. seems bush is making his own bad luck,

and the only cloud over his head is that mushroom one cheney mentioned

[karlschneider]

36. LOL...I wonder how many DUers remember Joe..........

:D
Or the Shmoos?

[Khephra]

15. This speech is going to be a tremendous failure

There's no signs that the UN will sign-up for anything Bush offers unless he offers them exactly what they want and in a humble fashion.

Can anyone imagine Bush being humble and giving enough to enlist the UN behind him at the last moment?

His actions reek of Royalty...all of the Bushies' actions do. They don't think it's possible to fail. That's why they're in the trouble they're in now.

They're incapable of thinking any other way. They're just not adaptable to change. The only answer for the Neocon is to bomb and break others into submission.

They don't have what it takes to bring the world together in or for Iraq.

[Buns_of_Fire]

17. Tough cupcakes, WhistleAss

You broke it, you bought it. Germany and France were smart enough not to get mixed up in this in the first place, and I don't think any rootin' tootin' six-gun-shootin' Cowboy Dubya antics -- whether accompanied by a quivering lower lip or not -- are going to convince them they were mistaken in their assessment of the situation.

This "speech" is for domestic consumption only -- and even then, only the disciples in the Cult of Boosh are going to believe a damn thing he says.

[radfringe]

18. GOPers love

to point to Reagan as the one that restored "American Pride"..

by not building a credible coalition force prior to invading Iraq, and not having to crawl to the UN, hat in hand, and munching crow, the whistleass has destroyed "american pride"

With the typical bravado and empty rhetoric of "...Going it alone..." and pooh-poohing the "chocolate makers" and "old Europe", the whistleass and GOPer choir have put us in the position of having to ask for help.

No matter how the whistleass spins it - going to the UN at this time is an admission that we can't "go it alone"

[underpants]

22. My wife's call on how this will be SPUN

W and his charges will hit the airwaves and say ~"Hey we did all the heavy lifting and now ...

either:
-They (the UN) is trying to cash in

Or

-We are willing to share some control because we are such team players and we want a WORLD solution to this.

It's all BS but he is just prepping for the campaign and how the make things look opposite than as they really are. What is he going to do tell the truth?

[DoYouEverWonder]

28. So does the UN

have W by the balls?

The UN should only intervine in Iraq, if and when W allows UN weapons inspectors back into the country.

[underpants]

29. The whole thing is about $$$$$

Aside from American companies (through European subsidiaries) lke Halliburton doing deals in Iraq with Saddam the French and Germans had interests there as well. As much as it would be nice if the UN really was altruistic in this matter that really isn't the case.

"Administrative control" is code speak for oil$$$$$ and water $$$$$$$$.

You cna pay me now or you can pay me later and if you pay me later you pay more.

Get out the checkbook W.

[nolabels]

19. Bush, resign now.

It is much too late parlor games, your moment has passed you by, save what you can and do the rest of the world a favor. It will only get worse for you now. The depth of your hubris is will be the measurement of the dynamics to your descent into the boils of disgust.

[underpants]

24. a mea culpa perhaps?

I'm sorry for lying to you about our real goals in Iraq
I'm sorry for lying our nation into an unneeded war and a quagmire
I'm sorry for the complete lack of anything even resembling domestic policy ( except for the looting of the treasury to pay off my cronies)
I'm sorry for turning the economy into a third world level operation
I'm sorry for the "UN are wimps" implications and "irrelevant debating society" stuff. LOOK we really need your help now.
I'm sorry for dissing Arafat. LOOK we really need your help now.
I'm sorry for the aircraft carrier embarassment
I'm sorry for slashing vet's benefits.

Maybe he will apologize AGAIN to the Chinese for knocking OUR plane out of the sky.

[nolabels]

31. I was kind of thinking of that secret society at Yale

That one called "Skull and Bones" where they have that initiation ceremony, his buddies sit around and watch his naked body that is painted blue as he lays in that coffin and he describes his sexual fantasies while masturbating to the tune ;-)

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

20. Segue from "Shock and Awe" to "Shuck and Jive."

Daalder hit the nail on the head. I had ot confirm that the quote was real because it reads too damn true to be repeated in American media.

[snippy]

21. Perhaps Whistle Ass will confess that he is shocked and awed by what

a fuck up he is.

[ewagner]

34. LOL

Too funny! I never thought of it that way but you are absolutely correct.....

..shuck and jive......:)

[underpants]

23. This REAKS of someone who writes and believes his own press clippings

The American media will sell and resell whatever he says, the rest of the world will see it as laughable American politics, and the rightwingers will be screaming "The BBC (foreign press) hates America" to head off any differing opinions.

[Enraged_Ape]

25. Was Bush's justification for war "factually flawed"?

Or did he just lie about it?

The press is finally running out of euphemisms for the L-word. This does not look good for the idiot chimp.

[ninkasi]

26. I've known guys like him...

and what I expect is for him to try to portray himself as the gracious one by "forgiving" the rest of the world, and offering them another chance to play on his team. The idea that he might be in the wrong is just not one his reptile mind can accept.

[0007]

30. Team work = more money & more foreign

Nothing more & nothing less. Except for the patriotic rhetoric and junior's faith in good Merikans to do the right thing.

To do the right thing will be the key. A guilt trip will be layed upon the Merikans tonight. I refuse to watch this type of entertainment.

[JPace]

37. AWOL has never made.....

a speech without his irritating characteristics
of smirking, swaggering and threatening. This
is a time of pain for Americans, Millions out
of work, Millions with no medical coverage,
Millions painfully connected to the war and
death in Iraq. AWOL is incapable of connecting
personally to that pain and will come off
as arrogant, and out of touch.