The Art Of Blindness: America's Bush Version

Press Conference ที่ตัดตอนมาบางส่วน ของ ประธานาธิบดี George W. Bush หลังกลับมาจากอิรัก เมื่อ 14 มิ.ย. 2006



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THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Thank you. I've just returned from Baghdad, and I was inspired to be able to visit the capital of a free and democratic Iraq.

In other words, part of the success in Iraq depends upon the Iraqis and their will and their desire. The Iraqi people have expressed their desires, and now it's up to the government to follow through.

The Prime Minister is taking immediate action to implement a plan to improve security and his top priority is around Baghdad. Operation Together Forward started this morning. This operation is a joint effort to restore security and rule of law to high-risk areas in the capital city. It will be carried by some 26,000 Iraqi soldiers, some 23,000 Iraqi police, backed up by over 7,200 coalition forces. Iraqi troops will increase the number of checkpoints, enforce a curfew, and implement a strict weapons ban across the Iraqi capital. Baghdad is a city of more than 6.5 million residents, and we've got to recognize that it's going to take time for these operations to take hold.

We want to help them build the command and control capacity of their ministries. [Ministry of Defense and Interior] In other words, you can't have an effective army unless you've got command and control coming out of government.

And, of course, we will encourage them [Iraqi government] and help them investigate and punish human rights violations in order to earn the confidence of all Iraqis.

Under this initiative [new rule of law initiative – to improve the Iraqi judicial system] , we'll help train Iraqi judges, increase security so they can do their jobs, improve Iraqi prison capacity, and help the Iraqi government provide equal justice for all its citizens.

To revitalize the Iraqi economy, the Prime Minister is working to increase oil and electricity production. We spent a lot of time talking about energy in Iraq. I reminded the government that that oil belongs to the Iraqi people, and the government has the responsibility to be good stewards of that valuable asset and valuable resource.

We have -- we're working with the Iraqi government on measures to protect key infrastructure from insurgent attacks. There's rapid repair teams that are being established that will quickly restore oil and electricity production if and when attacks do occur.

I was impressed with the Prime Minister, and I'm impressed by his team. I told him that America is a nation that meets its commitments and keeps its word. And that's what we're going to do in Iraq. It's in our interest that Iraq succeed. More importantly, it's in the interest of the Iraqi people.

By helping this new government succeed, we'll be closer to completing our mission, and the mission is to develop a country that can govern itself, sustain itself, and defend itself, and a country that is an ally in the war on terror. We'll seize this moment of opportunity to help the Prime Minister. We'll defeat our common enemies. We'll help build a lasting democracy in the heart of the Middle East, and that will make Americans and Iraqis and the world more secure.

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My dear Bush, that's what you see, that's what you want yourself to see, and that's what you want us all to see, right? Oh, all I have seen is another story? Oh, are we reading 'Catch-22' when many events in the book are described from very, very differing points of view? If then, will you ever learn more about the event with each and every iteration?

God Bless you and Good America!