http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003315487Eight conservative columnists visited the White House yesterday to interview George W. Bush, and heard the president once again defend his Iraq War policies.
"(T)there are people out there that would like nothing more than to have another spectacular moment by killing the American people," Bush told the columnists, according to a transcript posted on U.S. News & World Report magazine's Web site. "And they're coming. ... That's why we need to be on the offense all the time. Iraq is the central part of this global war right now."
Columnists in attendance -- according to Michael Barone of U.S. News and Creators Syndicate -- included Barone, Tony Blankley of The Washington Times and Creators, Lawrence Kudlow of CNBC and Creators, Kathleen Parker and Charles Krauthammer of the Washington Post Writers Group, Daniel Henninger of The Wall Street Journal, Mark Steyn of the Chicago Sun-Times, and Byron York of National Review.
"Like many others who have been with Bush in the Oval Office, I have found him to be much more articulate and forceful in that setting than he often is in press conferences or in taking questions from traveling reporters," said Barone, who noted that the president began the meeting with lengthy opening remarks before taking questions from the columnists.
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/061025/25bushtranscript.htmTranscript: The President's Interview with Print Media Columnists<snip>
Bush: And my answer to it is, I see the threat, and will use American power to protect ourselves, and at the same time, try to create the first victory in this ideological – the first victories – in the ideological war of the 21st century.
So, much of the thinking and decision-making that I do now is based upon my belief that we're in this grand ideological struggle. It is a struggle between moderate people, and a struggle between ideologues who are totalitarian and kill to achieve an objective without conscience.
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The other thing that's really interesting about this particular part of the war on terror, and the overall war on terror, is we've got a military that is, one, full of decent, honorable, courageous people; two, who strongly support what we're doing – strongly. I find it really interesting that those most attuned with the stakes of the struggle are those who are right in the middle of the fight. And the reason I tell you that morale is high is because the re-enlistment rates are high and the sign-up rates are high. And everybody knows the stakes when they're signing up. They understand the rotations. You're a U. S. Marine, you understand you're there for seven months, home, and you're back. These guys are talking to people that have been two or three tours in Iraq. And yet, people are signing up, and they're saying, I want to do my duty.
And it's a remarkable country. They tell their parents, this is a – again, very unique in the sense that people are emailing their loved ones. I've worked rope lines and the wife says, I'm emailing my husband after the event. I said, tell her the commander – tell him the Commander-in-Chief respects him – send – and all of a sudden the guy – wow, Mom, I saw the President. It is amazing when there is that direct communication. The point is, is that when these people are motivated to fight these people, word gets back here and the families tell their friends, and their friends tell their friends. And it's just an interesting – it's just an interesting aspect of today's society.
As I say, people want to know, can you win? They're with us if we can win. If we're there and can't win, we're gone. If we can't win, I'll pull us out. If I didn't think it was noble and just and we can win, we're gone. I can't – I'm not going to keep those kids in there and have to deal with their loved ones. I cannot – I can't cover it up when I meet with a family who's lost a child. I cry, I weep, I hug. And I've got to be able to look them in the eye and say, we're going to win. I have to be able to do that. And I'm not a good faker.