Helen Thomas is My Hero

Veteran White House correspondent Helen Thomas asked Bush what some analysts called the most direct questioning he’s ever received on his reasons for invading Iraq.

3-21-06
Transcript follows:


HELEN THOMAS: I'd like to ask you, Mr. President, your decision to invade Iraq has caused the deaths of thousands of Americans and Iraqis, wounds of Americans and Iraqis for a lifetime. Every reason given, publicly at least, has turned out not to be true. My question is, why did you really want to go to war? From the moment you stepped into the White House, from your Cabinet -- your Cabinet officers, intelligence people, and so forth -- what was your real reason? You have said it wasn't oil -- quest for oil, it hasn't been Israel, or anything else. What was it?

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: I think your premise, in all due respect to your question and to you as a lifelong journalist, is that, you know, I didn't want war. To assume I wanted war is just flat wrong, Helen, in all due respect --

HELEN THOMAS: Everything --

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: Hold on for a second, please.

HELEN THOMAS: -- everything I've heard --

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: Excuse me, excuse me. No president wants war. Everything you may have heard is that, but it's just simply not true. My attitude about the defense of this country changed on September the 11th. We -- when we got attacked, I vowed then and there to use every asset at my disposal to protect the American people. Our foreign policy changed on that day, Helen. You know, we used to think we were secure because of oceans and previous diplomacy, but we realized on September the 11th, 2001, that killers could destroy innocent life. And I'm never going to forget it. And I'm never going to forget the vow I made to the American people that we will do everything in our power to protect our people.

Part of that meant to make sure that we didn't allow people to provide safe haven to an enemy. And that's why I went into Iraq -- hold on for a second --

HELEN THOMAS: They didn't do anything to you or to our country.

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: Look -- excuse me for a second, please. Excuse me for a second. They did. The Taliban provided safe haven for al-Qaeda. That's where al-Qaeda trained --

HELEN THOMAS: I'm talking about Iraq --

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: Helen, excuse me. That's where -- Afghanistan provided safe haven for al-Qaeda. That's where they trained. That's where they plotted. That's where they planned the attacks that killed thousands of innocent Americans.

I also saw a threat in Iraq. I was hoping to solve this problem diplomatically. That's why I went to the Security Council; that's why it was important to pass 1441, which was unanimously passed. And the world said, ‘Disarm, disclose, or face serious consequences’ --

HELEN THOMAS: -- go to war --

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: -- and therefore, we worked with the world, we worked to make sure that Saddam Hussein heard the message of the world. And when he chose to deny inspectors, when he chose not to disclose, then I had the difficult decision to make to remove him. And we did, and the world is safer for it.

Papa Yankee Was Right

Okay, so I'll just say it: maybe Steinbrenner was right. Maybe hurdling some of the world's top baseball players into the WBC a month before the season begins wasn't the greatest idea.

In any case...

Damon's left shoulder hurting.
Outfielder limited to pinch-hitting for Team USA at Classic



God, I seriously knew this was going to happen. Anyone who has been paying attention knows that he had a shoulder problem last season and took pain killers to keep playing.
Now those pain killers are banned by MLB.

WALK IT OFF, DAMON. COME ON! YOU'RE A FREAKIN' NEW YORK YANKEE NOW! 26 World Championships! 39 AL pennant wins! We don't have time for this WBC horseshit!

P.S. - I couldn't pass up an opportunity to post this disturbing pic.


Yankees owner George Steinbrenner laughs after threatening to run over a reporter while pulling away in a golf cart at Legends Field in Tampa, Fla.
(AP Photo)
Feb. 16, 2006

Don't Gimme That South Park Religion

Well, this is just completely disappointing...

Soul Singer Isaac Hayes Quits South Park



I mean, did he not realize from the beginning their plans to mock every religion, race, culture, celebrity, politician, political party, and ...well, every other noun known to man? Tom Cruise probably threatened to not invite him to the Scientology BBQ's.