Bush: "I'm Sure People View Me As A War Monger"

In Riyadh today, the president danced a traditional sword dance with one of the princes of the royal family. It was a public -- and a little awkward -- display of affection, all part of Bush's first visit to Saudi Arabia aimed at repairing strained relations between the world's biggest oil producer and the world' s biggest oil consumer.

The president sat down with "Nightline" co-anchor Terry Moran at one of the vast royal palaces, and it became clear who holds the cards right now in the oil markets, with the price up near $100 a barrel...

..."I have talked to these leaders face to face," he said. "I have asked them point blank, 'Do you understand how difficult these issues are?' Yes. 'Are you prepared to make the painful political compromises?' They say they are."

Despite that optimism, the president also said that he does feel misunderstood in the Middle East.

"My image [is] 'Bush wants to fight Muslims.' And, yes, I'm concerned about it. Not because of me, personally. I'm concerned because I want most people to understand the great generosity and compassion of Americans," he said.

"I'm sure people view me as a war monger and I view myself as peacemaker," the president said. "They view me as so pro-Israeli I can't be open-minded about Palestinian peace, and yet I'm the only president ever to have articulated a two-state solution. And you just have to fight through stereotypes by actions."

Read entire article.

See a slideshow of Bush in Saudi Arabia.

Comments

[blackjack]

Not only is he a WAR MONGER his whole CRIME FAMILY ARE WAR CRIMINAL and should be tried in a WORLD COURT and along with TONEY BLAIR

[degjack]

...", he said with a smirk.

[Rosanneofpgh]

What is the hell are you sniffing, fuckwad???

[verisimilitudeness]

No sir Mr. Bush. I think the world views you as the depraved, feckless cretin you are, and truly aspire to be. You're living the dream.

[jimmyaj]

You talked to them, George? Was that a squeal or a whine? How far over and for how long did you have to bend? Get used to it. Your cronies have been doing the American people for years...

[randyw]

O M G is it a cold day in Hell or did BOOSH speak the truth for once? ? ? Did a lightbulb turn on above the Deciders head? ?

[3443649]

The sad part about this goof balls statemnt is he is proud of it!

[schoolmaster]

Is history repeating here? We gave weapons to Saddam fighting Iran. We ended up having him hanged. Now under Bush's grace we are 20 billion dollar worth modern war fare to Saudis knowing that majority of 9/11 terrorists are Saudis, just to defend themselves against Iran, in case. Is there a deeper story behind it connected with their oil supply to USA?

[larstein]

Bush looked highly medicated. A blank, zombied expression, the desperate smile of anti-depressants, his chronically tortured speech, all signs that the guy ain't all there anymore. He looks lost, incapable of understanding what has happened to whatever tiny shard of dignity he has pretended to possess. His only refuge is to hide within a delusonal challenge to reality. "You think I'm a war monger, I think I'm a peace maker. My reality vs yours. Nyah, nyah, nyah."

[Quaoar]

Bin Laden/Bush '08

[texastornado]

set up em lone star beers barkeep weis fixen to have us a hoedown. Yippeeee!!!

[mrskittles]

His face is morphing into something that is mirroring his lack of soul/conscience. His beady little eyes and ugly meth-mouth are becoming more pronounced every day - the evil within is emerging for all to see. The coup d'etat of the US that has occurred (very cleverly engineered by the rightwingers) is being revealed. It is time to round up the citizens of our great nations (I'm Canadian) and gather our weapons of choice - let's storm the White House and get rid of these bastards. George Bush seems to like war, conflict and death - let's give it to him (and his co-conspirators). He keeps talking about spreading a message of democracy and freedom. What a fucking joke. Too bad the joke is on all of us. Let's change that soon. PLEASE.

[texastornado]

Don't it make you feel proudrenshit to have Chimp as your leader. The comander guy, the decider guy. Hotdang! can we kick ass or what.

[cae]

Duh.

[traveler501]

well, sure, among other things. I mean, he is also an oil monger, and a transfer-m­oney-back-­to-himself­-and-his-r­ich-friend­s monger...h­e's pretty a monger all around, but yeah...war monger for sure.