He Didn't Wanna
Among the many parts of the 60 Minutes interview with President Bush that aired last night was Bush's description of watching the Saddam execution video.
Is it just me, or does this seem incredibly cowardly and childish? It seems to me that, after starting this war to depose Saddam, describing him as an evil akin to Hitler and Stalin, and spending thousands of lives and billions of dollars to achieve this end, there's a moral obligation for Bush to watch the distasteful conclusion. All the way.
Perhaps I should be glad that he isn't slavering over the video, watching it over and over while smirking. (Not that I doubt someone in the White House's circle might be.) It could be worse. Still, he should watch the whole thing at least once.
Beyond his personal responsibility, part of his homework as the head of an effort to pacify the fractious parties in Iraq, should be watching the entire video that Sunnis are now holding against us (and the government we're about to send more troops to defend.) How can he claim to understand the passions inflaming the country when he can't even bring himself to watch a video seen by millions?
I'm sorry, Mr. Bush, but men who start wars forfeit their right to delicate sensibilities. War is ugly, and brutal, and bloody. While your past experience may have led you to think that war involves sitting at home while others do the bleeding and the dying and the killing, it doesn't really work that way. You started this fight, Mr. Bush, the least you can do is watch a few minutes of bad cell-phone video about it.
After all, his head doesn't pop off. That's this other guy.
Bush tells Pelley he saw video of the execution on the Internet. “Somebody showed me parts of it. Yeah. I didn't wanna watch the whole thing,” he says.To get the full flavor of his tone and timing, listen to the exchange here.
“Well, you keep saying ‘parts of it.’ What do you mean you ‘didn't wanna watch the whole thing?’” Pelley asks.
“Well, I just, I wasn't sure what to anticipate beyond the yelling and stuff like that. And I didn't…,” Bush says.
“You didn't wanna see him go through the trapdoor,” Pelley asks.
“Yeah. Yes. I didn't,” the president says.
Is it just me, or does this seem incredibly cowardly and childish? It seems to me that, after starting this war to depose Saddam, describing him as an evil akin to Hitler and Stalin, and spending thousands of lives and billions of dollars to achieve this end, there's a moral obligation for Bush to watch the distasteful conclusion. All the way.
Perhaps I should be glad that he isn't slavering over the video, watching it over and over while smirking. (Not that I doubt someone in the White House's circle might be.) It could be worse. Still, he should watch the whole thing at least once.
Beyond his personal responsibility, part of his homework as the head of an effort to pacify the fractious parties in Iraq, should be watching the entire video that Sunnis are now holding against us (and the government we're about to send more troops to defend.) How can he claim to understand the passions inflaming the country when he can't even bring himself to watch a video seen by millions?
I'm sorry, Mr. Bush, but men who start wars forfeit their right to delicate sensibilities. War is ugly, and brutal, and bloody. While your past experience may have led you to think that war involves sitting at home while others do the bleeding and the dying and the killing, it doesn't really work that way. You started this fight, Mr. Bush, the least you can do is watch a few minutes of bad cell-phone video about it.
After all, his head doesn't pop off. That's this other guy.
posted by Paul at 8:39 AM |
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