Bush 'Shaken' by Iraqi Prisoner Abuse
Inside the White House
White House Coverage
Dan Froomkin
From The Washington Post
Tuesday, May 04, 2004; 10:50 AM
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In a rare expression of disappointment with any aspect of the war in Iraq, President Bush told a group of regional reporters yesterday that he was "shaken" by the reports of prisoner abuse in Iraq "because I know this doesn't reflect the values of our country." <font size=3>
Bush invited reporters from the Detroit News, Detroit Free Press and Booth Newspapers onto his luxuriously outfitted campaign bus as it rolled through Southwest Michigan.
From the transcript of the interview:
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"Q: Have you been shaken at all by anything that's happened in the last month?
"THE PRESIDENT: Yes, I have. I've been shaken by the reports of abuses to the prisoners in Iraq. I'm shaken because I know that this doesn't reflect the values of our country. And I spoke to the Secretary of Defense about that again today. And I said, I need a full report on whether or not these abuses are widespread, or whether they're contained to a particular unit. And there are ongoing investigations, and he will get those to my desk as quickly as possible."<font size=3>
It was an unusual acknowledgement from the president, who has consistently refused to express any regrets about the war in Iraq in spite of growing criticism over statements before the war about weapons of mass destruction and a failure to anticipate the difficulty of occupation.
At his news conference three weeks ago, Bush could find nothing to say when asked to name his biggest mistake.
And most notably, he has remained stolid even in the face of growing U.S. casualties. Again, from yesterday's transcript:
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"Q: Mr. President, I think it was 137 American troops were killed in Iraq last month, 10 overnight, I think it was. When you get your morning briefing or hear of these deaths, what's your reaction? Do you pound the table? Do you get mad? Do you get emotional?
"THE PRESIDENT: No, I'm sad. I'm sad. And I'm sad because I know that somebody hurts and somebody grieves, somebody's heart is broken. Laura and I spent time with the families of those who have died, and it is a -- it's a hard, but necessary part of the job."
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Also, in a surprisingly frank exchange about the political campaign, as Richard A. Ryan writes in the Detroit News: "Bush conceded he learned a lesson in Michigan in 2000 when he was 'whipped' twice, first in the primary by Arizona Sen. John McCain and then by Vice President Al Gore in the general election."
From the transcript:
"The lesson I learned in 2000 is that you can get whipped here. (Laughter.) So I'm going to change it. The lesson I learned in 2004 is you can win in Michigan with a positive, upbeat campaign, that speaks -- you know, that speaks about a vision that is hopeful and optimistic.
"But, listen, I had a couple of good lessons in your state, which you might remember -- not only once, it might have been twice I learned that lesson in 2000. (Laughter.)"
Reporters began the interview by trying to lure the president into a controversy dividing residents of the great state of Michigan:
"Do you consider the people that live here Michiganders or Michiganians?
"THE PRESIDENT: I consider them to be solid Americans.
"Q: Good answer."
Prisoner Abuse
Adam Entous of Reuters reports that "Bush told his defense secretary on Monday to take 'strong actions' against those responsible for abusing Iraqi prisoners and quickly assess whether the problem is more widespread as finger-pointing broke out over who is to blame in the scandal."
Read the transcript of press secretary Scott McClellan's press gaggle for more on that.
The news of prisoner abuse threatens to undermine the rationale for unseating Saddam Hussein that Bush espouses most often these days: that the United States ended a regime that was torturing and abusing Iraqis.
As Anne E. Kornblut reports in the Boston Globe, Bush as recently as yesterday in Michigan repeated "that Iraq is better off now that Saddam Hussein is gone and his 'torture cells are closed,' summoning an image that has haunted troops in recent days."
My fellow washingtonpost.com columnist Jefferson Morley writes that the photographs of prisoner abuse are increasingly leading the international press to compare Bush to Saddam Hussein.
About That Bus Tour
Mike Allen of The Washington Post writes: "President Bush boarded a bus emblazoned 'Yes, America Can,' shed his suit jacket and set out across the Midwest on Monday to chat with supporters and offer himself as a sympathetic leader attuned to working-class values. . . .
"White House officials said they wanted to use the first swing of Bush's last campaign to leverage a natural advantage they believe he has yet to exploit against Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) -- that he is more approachable and likable."
Elisabeth Bumiller writes for the New York Times: "On the first extensive trip of his re-election campaign, President Bush went rumbling by luxury bus across southern Michigan on Monday with the intensity of a man running as if the election were six days away rather than six months."
As for the bus itself: "Campaign aides said Mr. Bush's bus had three rooms, including a kitchenette, as well as a flat-screen television, black leather sofas and chairs, and the presidential seal displayed on a back wall. Name cards were placed on the chairs this morning for Mr. Bush and the first lady, as well as for Karl Rove, Mr. Bush's chief political adviser."
Peter Wallsten writes in the Los Angeles Times: "Although Bush aides insist that their travel plans were laid long ago, the 'Yes, America Can' express follows a similar tour by Kerry last week designed to hammer away at the nearly 2.8 million manufacturing jobs lost nationwide since Bush took office."
Richard Benedetto and Judy Keen write in USA Today: "Bush made it clear at his first stop that he's ditching the formality of presidential appearances for the regular-guy approach politicians employ. 'You think it's all right if I take off my jacket?' he asked. The crowd yelled its assent. 'We're not in Washington anymore,' he said."
David Gregory of NBC News called it "the kind of made-for-TV event this White House loves to produce." He concluded: "This bus tour is little more than a campaign gimmick, one used by both sides. But in a race promising to be a photo finish, White House aides say the president won't pass up any chance to energize his core supporters." |
