Bush Biographer: He Planned Iraq Invasion as CANDIDATE

[KoKo]

(Many DU'ers remember this, but in light of DSM it would seem this is even more evidence of manipulation of intelligence to meet his own ends and probably when he and Cheney allowed the PNAC'ers to have free reign.)
.....................

Published on Thursday, October 28, 2004 by GNN.tv
Two Years Before 9/11, Candidate Bush was Already Talking Privately About Attacking Iraq, According to His Former Ghost Writer
by Russ Baker


HOUSTON -- Two years before the September 11 attacks, presidential candidate George W. Bush was already talking privately about the political benefits of attacking Iraq, according to his former ghost writer, who held many conversations with then-Texas Governor Bush in preparation for a planned autobiography.

"He was thinking about invading Iraq in 1999," said author and journalist Mickey Herskowitz. "It was on his mind. He said to me: 'One of the keys to being seen as a great leader is to be seen as a commander-in-chief.' And he said, 'My father had all this political capital built up when he drove the Iraqis out of Kuwait and he wasted it.' He said, 'If I have a chance to invade·.if I had that much capital, I'm not going to waste it. I'm going to get everything passed that I want to get passed and I'm going to have a successful presidency." Herskowitz said that Bush expressed frustration at a lifetime as an underachiever in the shadow of an accomplished father. In aggressive military action, he saw the opportunity to emerge from his father's shadow. The moment, Herskowitz said, came in the wake of the September 11 attacks. "Suddenly, he's at 91 percent in the polls, and he'd barely crawled out of the bunker."

That President Bush and his advisers had Iraq on their minds long before weapons inspectors had finished their work - and long before alleged Iraqi ties with terrorists became a central rationale for war - has been raised elsewhere, including in a book based on recollections of former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill. However, Herskowitz was in a unique position to hear Bush's unguarded and unfiltered views on Iraq, war and other matters - well before he became president.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/1028-01.htm

[natrat]

1. just thinking about how popular he would be

because of the vast sums of money that could be stolen for his friends---i bet that's what it comes down to

[Vinca]

2. My husband has the theory that from day one he planned to be a

"war president" because "war presidents" always win a second term. All things considered, it makes sense.

[Poiuyt]

14. I am sure that is the case

Bush was talking smack about Iraq long before 9/11. There is no question in my mind that Bush wanted to start a war to improve his political power.

[KoKo]

27. kick....

[Carla in Ca]

28. Good point.

My husband and I feel he ran for president so he COULD invade Iraq for his daddy...it was always, always going to happen.

[Norquist Nemesis]

3. Regime change had long been a policy

even under Clinton. The problem is Bush lied to the nation and the world for support.

[KoKo]

4. Yep....but it depends on how you do it....Carrot and Stick/Warning bombing

under UN approval or all out Invasion by lying to the United Nations and your own people.

Regime change of anyone we don't like has always been our policy. Usually we use skullduggery and thuggery of our CIA to accomplish it. Everything Clinton did in Iraq was was "multilateral."

What Bush did was "Independent." well...except for a little help from his Poodle over there in GB.

[Norquist Nemesis]

9. Absolutely Agreed!

Which is why I made the point about Bush's lies.

[Kansas Wyatt]

13. "Don't forget Poland!!! Don't forget Poland!!!"

On another note. Stubby's criticism of his father squandering his political capital in the first Gulf War proves how much of an idiot he is. Poppy Bush only had the mandate for removing Iraq from Kuwait, and the Arab community would have rebelled against the coalition if Poppy would have pushed to Baghdad. Just like all of the foreign fighters pouring into Iraq today, yet Stubby still has no clue.

[KoKo]

21. I don't get the "Poland" thing....unless you are equating him with Hitler?

Is that what you are saying?

[Supersedeas]

5. using War as a political tool to force Legislature to cave??

[DrDebug]

7. The philosophy of Hegel

Use conflict to achieve your goals. Hitler used the same philosophy.

[psychopomp]

6. kick

[FreedomAngel82]

8. Yep

I remember reading about that at the info clearing house website.

[KoKo]

12. It went down the "Memory Hole" like so much evidence about Bush

and his crimes. And, if I remember the Bush family confiscated all of this Biographer's computer files of the draft of the book because they were in a huff over his leaking this info.

Without the Intenet we wouldn't be able to go into arhives for all this information. I think they've underestimated the amount of evidence at a finger click that's damning and incriminating to them. :shrug:

At least he and Blair act like they will never be caught out.

[Straight Shooter]

10. A great leader rising on the bloody corpses of his subjects.

It's mind-boggling.

[Gabi Hayes]

22. you mean something along these lines?

[Bridget Burke]

11. A few more interesting points:

* In 2003, Bush's father indicated to him that he disagreed with his son's invasion of Iraq.

* Bush admitted that he failed to fulfill his Vietnam-era domestic National Guard service obligation, but claimed that he had been "excused."

* Bush revealed that after he left his Texas National Guard unit in 1972 under murky circumstances, he never piloted a plane again. That casts doubt on the carefully-choreographed moment of Bush emerging in pilot's garb from a jet on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in 2003 to celebrate "Mission Accomplished" in Iraq. The image, instantly telegraphed around the globe, and subsequent hazy White House statements about his capacity in the cockpit, created the impression that a heroic Bush had played a role in landing the craft.

* Bush described his own business ventures as "floundering" before campaign officials insisted on recasting them in a positive light.

More details in the article.

[SpiralHawk]

15. Bush claims he was "excused" from TANG duty

Wrong. Another Bush lie. I do not excuse him. He was AWOL. Hell, he deserted. He -- and the nation -- will just have to deal with it.

[eek]

16. i kinda think that he was told he was "excused"

you know how people like the bushes never do their own dirty work.

telling the spoiled, lazy, ADD, alkie, dopefiend kid he's "excused" is all he needs to know.
not bright enough to retain more information nor trustworth enough to keep his yap shut.
plausible deniability.
i think it is that way with much of his admin. remember, he gets super-short briefings and won't even read those!
he's not integral enouggh to the system to even disturb his jogging when the rest of DC is being evacuated.

And then there's that storytime in florida....

[ThomWV]

17. Kick

[Johonny]

18. Plan

As far as I can tell there was no "plan" in the Iraq war. Let's say he wanted to do it real bad and wasn't really bother by details like planning.

[Stinky The Clown]

19. I've heard this story before, but that doesn't change the fact that

it is soooo fucking sick. He wants a successful presidency cuz his FATHER wasted capital? We're expected to sacrifice our children because he wants to best his father at something?

HOW FUCKING DARE HE?

This arrogant piece of shit motherfucker from a piece of shit dysfunctional family has to use OUR CHILDREN as pawns is his one upsmanship game with his fucking DADDY????

This man belongs on history's trash heap as the greatest failed president we ever had. He belongs on history's trash heap for being one of the worst leaders the world has ever known.

This man is bad on a level that makes other failed leaders appear benign and lovable. He is a failure of BIBLICAL proportions.

[Judi Lynn]

20. This is good! Very interesting, isn't it?

Mickey Herskowitz is one courageous man in making this public. The whole world needs to hear it.

[NVMojo]

23. yep, it ties in with the old PNAC agenda that was posted on their site

several years ago.

[KoKo]

24. Newbie DU'ers....please click the link and read the WHOLE article...

the one that went down the "Memory Hole." It's a great read, really.

[jazzjunkysue]

25. I remember this, and newamericancentury.org: 1997 letter to Clinton

Our neocons wanted Iraq in 97, so they sent Bill a letter in 97 asking to invade Iraq. But noone knew about it. IF the shit hits the fan and they get really scared, they might pullit. We should all make sure we've told everyone about it for the future when they force them to take it down: www.newamericancentury.org. It'll curl your hair.

[KoKo]

26. kick....

[UTUSN]

29. Annnnndddd KICK n/t