Buckley Says Bush Will Be Judged on Iraq War, Now a `Failure'

[sabra]

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=anN._IfoJo1M&refer=us

Buckley Says Bush Will Be Judged on Iraq War, Now a `Failure'

March 31 (Bloomberg) -- William F. Buckley Jr., the longtime conservative writer and leader, said George W. Bush's presidency will be judged entirely by the outcome of a war in Iraq that is now a failure.

``Mr. Bush is in the hands of a fortune that will be unremitting on the point of Iraq,'' Buckley said in an interview that will air on Bloomberg Television this weekend. ``If he'd invented the Bill of Rights it wouldn't get him out of his jam.''

Buckley said he doesn't have a formula for getting out of Iraq, though he said ``it's important that we acknowledge in the inner councils of state that it (the war) has failed, so that we should look for opportunities to cope with that failure.''

The 80-year-old Buckley is among a handful of prominent conservatives who are criticizing the war. Asked who is to blame for what he deems a failure, Buckley said, ``the president,'' adding that ``he doesn't hesitate to accept responsibility.''

[Larkspur]

1. Buckley backed Lieberman in 1988. Wonder what Holy Joe thinks of him now?

[Wickerman]

2. Bush* "doesn't hesitate to accept responsibility'

:wtf: I've rarely agreed with Buckley, this isn't helping me to start.

[gratuitous]

10. Bush certainly accepts responsibility

It's just that there are no consequences for that, and Bush knows it. Heck, I could accept responsibility for the kidnapping of the Lindberg baby -- doesn't mean anything is going to happen to me for it.

Bush knows his base will extol his "virtues" for being manly enough to step up to the plate and accept "responsibility" for a mess that is totally his fault, but they won't demand anything further from Commander Bunnypants. The usual media chuckleheads will swoon over Bush's forthright and steadfast manner, and thanks to some statistical bump, his poll numbers will climb to 36% approval. This will be roundly celebrated as proof that Bush is now on a roll, because he has publicly acknowledged that the Bush Doctrine is a failure. Only by recognizing the obvious will Bush once again be rehabilitated in the eyes of the pundits who don't hold him accountable in any way, shape or form.

Time for another round of Presidemential Medallions of Freedomhood, if you ask me.

[MADem]

3. Ah, the Arch Conservative Lion in Winter!!!

This is old Lizard Tongue's last hurrah...he desperately wants to be on the right side of history as he dodders off into the sunset.

He's been shopping this theme for the past several weeks, in fact. Wonder if he's got a book draft parked next to the IBM Selectric???

Buckley, often called the father of contemporary conservatism in America, articulated his beliefs in National Review magazine, which he founded in 1955. His conservatism calls for small government, low taxes and a strong defense. Both Ronald Reagan and Barry Goldwater said they got their inspiration from the magazine.

In the interview, Buckley criticized the so-called neo- conservatives who enthusiastically embraced the Iraq invasion and the spreading of American values around the world.

``The neoconservative hubris, which sort of assigns to America some kind of geo-strategic responsibility for maximizing democracy, overstretches the resources of a free country,'' Buckley said.

While praising Bush as ``really a conservative,'' he was critical of the president for allowing expansion of the federal government and never vetoing a spending bill.

The president's ``concern has been so completely on the international scope that he can be said to have neglected conservatism'' on the fiscal level, Buckley said. ...

[Vincardog]

5. aWoL is bankrupting the USA on purpose. It is all part of the Reich

Wing conspiracy to destroy the USA and allow the Corporations to fleece the world unimpeded. All power to the FASCISTS.
:mad: :puke: :mad: :puke: :mad: :puke: :mad: :puke: :mad: :puke: :mad: :puke: :mad: :puke: :mad: :puke: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :thumbsdown: :thumbsdown: :thumbsdown: :thumbsdown: :thumbsdown: :thumbsdown: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant:

[cliss]

12. See how they have their cake, and they eat it too .

Praising bush as a real conservative, but was critical of the president for allowing expansion of the federal government and never vetoing a spending bill.

Let's get this straight, once and for all: Bush is NOT A CONSERVATIVE. He never has been. Bush is a radical. All of his plots are part of the radical group which is running the country.

The fact that Mr. Buckley cannot tell the difference is alarming. Bush has not done anything conservative during his reign.

[MADem]

13. WFB is an 80 year old fool who looks 90!

His horseshit comments about the Monkey being conservative are made to save HIMSELF face. He can't admit that HE is wrong, and he doesn't want to be shut out of the odd 'salons de rightwing assholes' where he is still on the guest list.

[rodeodance]

4. abit of satire left in him.

...The 80-year-old Buckley is among a handful of prominent conservatives who are criticizing the war. Asked who is to blame for what he deems a failure, Buckley said, ``the president,'' adding that ``he doesn't hesitate to accept responsibility.''

[MADem]

8. I can just see the old coot, sticking out his tongue like he has a craving

for fava beans and chianti, while rolling those poppy eyes and stretching out his lizard neck.

He sure is a character!

[SlavesandBulldozers]

6. lol. doesn't hesitate to accept responsibility. good one.

n/t

[Bucky]

7. "acknowledge in the inner councils of state"? It's a democracy, dillweed!

We should acknowledge in public on tv, radio, and newspapers... and in future congressional debates... that the policy of preemptive warmaking is a disaster.

[Double T]

9. The truth is sometimes undeniable, even by conservative republicans

[3waygeek]

11. Yet another instance

of Republican plagiarism -- this time from Google.

[DavidDvorkin]

14. Wrong, Bill

He'll also be remembered for destroying democracy in America. He'll probably be remembered for that more than for behaving toward Iraq the way Hitler behaved toward Poland.

[goforit]

15. Pomposity and hypocrasy are hand in hand with Buckley. Buckley is #1

fan of this Iraqi War and he too should pay up for
fanning the flames of war.