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catman
Joined: 18 Jul 2004
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 Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 11:47 pm Post subject: Bush says U.S. moral standing not diminished under his watch |
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In the final news conference of his presidency, George W. Bush strongly dismissed suggestions that the United States lost its moral standing during his administration, insisting his most vociferous critics are few.
Bush touched on a range of topics during the press conference, including foreign policy, the economy, criticism of his administration, and the mistakes and disappointments of his presidency. He also mentioned the pressures and challenges facing president-elect Barack Obama, who will be sworn in on Jan. 20.
Bush bristled when asked whether certain policies like the war in Iraq, U.S. interrogation tactics and the detention centre at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, had a negative impact on America's moral standing.
"I strongly disagree with the assessment that our moral standing has been damaged," Bush said. "It may be damaged amongst some of the elite, but people still understand America stands for freedom, that America as a country provides such great hope."
Bush pointed to Africa, India and China as having a positive view of U.S compassion and generosity.
He said only a few European countries disagreed with the decision to invade Iraq. As for the countries criticizing the detention of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, he said many have refused to accept the prisoners.
Bush said he doesn't worry about his popularity because those types of debates "will matter not if there's another attack on the homeland.
"My view is that most people around the world, they respect America," he said. "And some of them don't like me. I understand that � some of the writers and opiners and all that. That's fine; that's part of the deal. But I'm more concerned about the country and how people view the United States of America."
'Mission Accomplished' slogan a mistake, Bush concedes
Bush was also asked why he sparked such passionate and personal criticism. But he rejected the notion that those critics are in the majority. He said the people he met on his travels throughout the country, including those who disagreed with him, were always civil.
"I view those who get angry and yell and say bad things and, you know, all that kind of stuff, as just a very few people in the country," Bush said.
"I don't see how you can get back home in Texas, and look in the mirror and be proud of what I see if I allowed the loud voices, the loud critics, to prevent me from doing what I thought was necessary to protect this country."
Bush also listed a number of mistakes he believed occurred under his watch, including putting the slogan "Mission Accomplished" on an aircraft carrier shortly after Saddam Hussein was toppled from power. He also cited his attempt to reform social security immediately rather than focusing on reforming immigration.
He said the revelation of U.S. abuses at the Abu Ghraib detention camp in Iraq was a "huge disappointment," and not finding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq was a "significant disappointment."
Bush referred to the enormous weight on Obama, describing what it might feel like when, after taking the oath of office, he enters the Oval Office for the first time as president.
"There'll be a moment when the responsibility of the president lands squarely on his shoulders," Bush said.
He said the biggest security threat facing Obama will be another attack on the United States.
"That will be the major threat," Bush said. "I wish that I could report that's not the case, but there's still an enemy out there that would like to inflict damage on America � on Americans."
The outgoing president will deliver his farewell address to the nation during prime time on Thursday night, White House press secretary Dana Perino said.
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VanIslander
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
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| Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 3:43 am Post subject: |
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*beep* liar!
at a news conference early in his first administration he was asked about the considerable political capital America had and he had said he plans to spend it!
and he did, he spent a lot of political capital
the good will and sympathy toward America right after 9/11 was incredibly high, and he pissed it away with his posturing and war drums and constant offenses against everyone who didn't see things his way
it was a nasty, brutish time in American politics spurred and enflammed by the Bush Administration. |
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Joo Rip Gwa Rhhee
Joined: 25 May 2003
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| Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 7:15 am Post subject: |
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| VanIslander wrote: |
*beep* liar!
at a news conference early in his first administration he was asked about the considerable political capital America had and he had said he plans to spend it!
and he did, he spent a lot of political capital
the good will and sympathy toward America right after 9/11 was incredibly high, and he pissed it away with his posturing and war drums and constant offenses against everyone who didn't see things his way
it was a nasty, brutish time in American politics spurred and enflammed by the Bush Administration. |
That the US had the sympathy of the world after 9-11 is a myth. |
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canuckistan
Mod Team
Joined: 17 Jun 2003
Location: Training future GS competitors.....
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| Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 11:24 am Post subject: |
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More than a few people have remarked at how gobsmackingly clued out Mr President was in meetings concerning major issues--no questions, no curiosity, no comments of any substance.
No point in getting any hopes up that vacuousness will ever change. |
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Kuros
Joined: 27 Apr 2004
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| Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 12:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Joo Rip Gwa Rhhee wrote: |
That the US had the sympathy of the world after 9-11 is a myth. |
I agree, but it is no defense of Bush's heedless rhetoric and reckless actions.
I have a trouble with the statement that the US had moral authority in the first place. Attributing morality to entire nation-states is troublesome. Better to restrict attribution of morality to regimes, if one must attribute morality (and I think in some situations one must, the Nazi regime was certainly immoral).
What is more important is that the US has an efficient mechanism for reinvention and reform: its called elections. There will be a substantial part of the world that does not recognize elections for what they are, and instead glaze over in anger, resentment, hatred, etc when they see the American flag. But there is just as substantial portion of the world that understands what elections are about, and are grateful that 2009 has brought a break from the leadership of 2001-2008. |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 2:22 pm Post subject: |
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| That the US had the sympathy of the world after 9-11 is a myth. |
'The world' is a very large and complex place. Some of the people in it are chronically anti-American and disagree with whoever is president and whatever the policies. Nothing satisfies them except perhaps when the US has a problem. But that's only part of the world.
There is another part of the world's people. They don't automatically hate and distrust the US. It's those people we lost moral authority with. That photo of the guy with the black hood over his face, standing on a box, arms outstretched, electrodes attached to his fingers and wires hanging down... |
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caniff
Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Location: All over the map
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| Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 3:06 pm Post subject: |
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| VanIslander wrote: |
*beep* liar!
at a news conference early in his first administration he was asked about the considerable political capital America had and he had said he plans to spend it!
and he did, he spent a lot of political capital. |
He was initially upfront about his plans, but not enough people took him at his word. Boy, were they wrong.
Now he's just spinning. |
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Pligganease
Joined: 14 Sep 2004
Location: The deep south...
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| Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 4:04 pm Post subject: |
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I think this is just one more little piece of evidence that shows how out of touch our President really is.
He doesn't think that the United States is more loathed around the world since he's taken office? Really?
I think he probably knows better, but is simply blowiong smoke to the simpletons still naive enough to believe him.
He essentially changed the United States from a "religious" state into a "religious state." (Does that make sense?) Now, any good will we had with other religious states is squandered.
Hopefully, that will begin to change over then next administration. |
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Big_Bird
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Location: Sometimes here sometimes there...
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| Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 4:16 pm Post subject: |
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| Ya-ta Boy wrote: |
| Quote: |
| That the US had the sympathy of the world after 9-11 is a myth. |
'The world' is a very large and complex place. Some of the people in it are chronically anti-American and disagree with whoever is president and whatever the policies. Nothing satisfies them except perhaps when the US has a problem. But that's only part of the world.
There is another part of the world's people. They don't automatically hate and distrust the US. It's those people we lost moral authority with. That photo of the guy with the black hood over his face, standing on a box, arms outstretched, electrodes attached to his fingers and wires hanging down... |
Yes, this is true. Since his presidency, people I knew who were quite infatuated with America (including a few Arabs/Iranians I know) began to greatly resent and distrust the US (as an entitiy). |
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khyber
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Compunction Junction
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| Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 4:21 pm Post subject: |
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| That the US had the sympathy of the world after 9-11 is a myth. |
What sympathy they had (and I'd wager it was much larger than you'd want to admit
But I do imagine that this outlook is far more comforting for a Bush supporter than the alternative.
Can't speak to the objectivity but they quote some reputable (I think) sources for surveys:
http://www.comw.org/pda/0609bm37.htmlThe cited Richard Bernstein article is easily found on the paper's webpage and a fine read. |
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caniff
Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Location: All over the map
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| Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 9:59 pm Post subject: |
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As an American, I would hope that the world can recognize that recent years have seen a significant (and ever-expanding) disconnect between the US gov't and the people at large. Regardless of this, many of the world's people (and some posters here on Dave's) prefer to lump Americans into one monolithic category, which is completely obtuse.
Here's my ode to the outgoing Bush admin:
http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=XCpFk0q_kCs&feature=related
(Put it up to about 5:25.) |
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RJjr
Joined: 17 Aug 2006
Location: Turning on a Lamp
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| Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 11:41 pm Post subject: |
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"Not finding weapons of mass destruction was a significant disappointment." -- W
I wish he would elaborate. Does he think they had some that we didn't find or is he disappointed that they didn't have any? |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 11:46 pm Post subject: |
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| Interesting choice there, caniff. |
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caniff
Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Location: All over the map
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| Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 11:50 pm Post subject: |
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| Ya-ta Boy wrote: |
| Interesting choice there, caniff. |
I thought it was fitting (on many levels). |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 1:34 am Post subject: |
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There's a remarkable piece on The Rachel Maddow Show that speaks to this issue. It's called 'The Age of Diplomacy'. (At the moment I'm getting a series of 'This page cannot be displayed' messages so I can't make a link). There is a call for a 46%  increase in hiring at State because it's been so de-emphasized over the last years. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs has called for refocusing on diplomacy rather than the military.
It's worth a look. |
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