Bush 'taken aback' by Musharraf comment

[G_j]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060922/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush

Bush 'taken aback' by Musharraf comment
By DEB RIECHMANN, Associated Press Writer


WASHINGTON - President Bush said Friday he was "taken aback" by a purported U.S. threat to bomb Pakistan back to the Stone Age if it did not cooperate in the fight against terrorism after the Sept. 11 attacks.

<snip>
In an interview to air Sunday on CBS-TV's "60 Minutes" program, Musharraf said that after the attacks, Richard Armitage, then deputy secretary of state, told Pakistan's intelligence director that the United States would bomb his country if it didn't help fight terrorists.

He said that Armitage had told him, "Be prepared to go back to the Stone Age."

Armitage has disputed the language attributed to him but did not deny the message was a strong one
<snip>

[Solly Mack]

1. Bush is a liar...he was just taken aback that Musharraf would tell

on him

[G_j]

3. that was my first thought also

how dare he

[Solly Mack]

10. Exactly. Bush doesn't like his pets turning on him

[Javaman]

19. The truth shall set us free. nt

[Copperred]

20. Yes it will....

PLEASE SUPPORT THE BALOCHIE AND AFGHAN (PASHTUN) SECESSION FROM PAKISTAN.

[Karenina]

22. Offered w/o comment

[CoffeeCat]

8. More leaders need to step up to the plate...

...and reveal the sadistic, bullying tactics that this administration
uses to push everyone around.

These classless clowns don't know the first thing about leadership and diplomacy.
They know how to bully--like a bunch of thugs.

The international leaders (and also the ones inside our borders) need to step
up and reveal these bastards for who they are.

Furthermore, Mush reported that Armitage said that "The American people
want your cooperation." They're speaking for US. That's sickening. They're
doing these things in OUR NAME.

I applaud Mush for being honest.

God only knows that dirty deals and awful tactics they've done--that we'll never
know about.

[Solly Mack]

12. A good many would have to expose their own corrupt behavior to

do that...so they won't

Which is pretty much why Bush will get away with his crimes...too many people are complicit in them...here and abroad

[lyonn]

16. Bullying - bush is the Classic bully

He gets to the podium and rants about his wants and desires for "his" government, people, etc. Get him in a corner and he really strikes out. How dare the low life peons not agree with him.

[Bonhomme Richard]

2. Armitage is one of the worst of the bunch.

He hides behind this" good guy just doing what he is told, Aw Shucks I didn't mean it, bumbling minion". He is in this up to his eyeballs.
His roll is the stooge and he plays it well.

[coalition_unwilling]

13. He (Armitage) reminds me of Adolf Eichmann. Mid-level functinary making

sure the trains (to Auschwitz or Afghanistan) run on time.

[rodeodance]

29. a reporter recently called him the 'town gossip" (DC)

[snappyturtle]

4. Poor Musharraf---better watch his back and watch for

coup attempts! Bet * won't let this go unanswered!

[kestrel91316]

18. Yep, I betcha he's a marked man now...........

[xultar]

5. My quesiton is...seems like the statement bombing back to the stone

ages sounds like an American type statement.

Where would the Pakistani guy come up with such an Americanism?

[Binka]

9. Ding Ding I Have Been To Pakistan Absolutely Wretched Place

Perv Mush would have said something like "we will bomb you into 20 years ago" if he were speaking in the context of Pakistan. Armitasshole surely made this crack.

[coalition_unwilling]

14. Brings up echoes of AF General Curtis Lemay and the

campaign of aerial bombardment against North Vietnam. (LeMay also instrumental in fire-bombing of Tokyo and other Japanese metropolitan areas during WWII and an advocate for bombing\invading Cuba during Cuban Missile Crisis.)

[truthisfreedom]

6. ah, i love the smell of truth in the morning. smells like ELECTION VICTORY

bush was taken aback that his "forced loyalty" didn't stick.

[rsdsharp]

7. This all sounds so much like the

"carpet of bombs or carpet of gold" choice presented to Afghanistan.

[Disturbed]

11. The "Coalition of the Willing" of the Iraqi Occupation.

The Busholini Regime does have a knack for nifty phrases. You can bet that they were offered carrots or big sticks for supplying troops.

[tanyev]

28. Ding, ding, ding!

That's what I thought of, too.

[TankLV]

36. Which we were all roundly criticized as "tinfoiler" and "wacko conspiracy

nuts" for even SUGGESTING the TRUTH about bunkerboy's and his fellow repukes character.

WE ARE VINDICATED!

But, alas, too many of those who criticized us have been booted for showing their true colors during the LIE-berman affair!

[lyonn]

15. This alleged bush remark sounds very similar to one he

made to Ari Fleisher concerning a question from Helen Thomas about reason for war with Iraq and if Saddam was any worse than many other dictators (Hubris, Introduction):

"Did you tell her I'm going to kick his sorry motherfucking ass all over the Mideast?"

These seem to be the remarks that the repubs thrive on, a real tough guy that says what he means and means what he says. The hell with inteligent thought, diplomacy, history, all the things that a President should consider. We are in a alternate universe these days.

[daleo]

17. Another non-denial denial

"Armitage has disputed the language attributed to him but did not deny the message was a strong one"

In other words, he is claiming that every single word may not be exactly the same as Musharraf has reported, which one could say about any conversation at any time, assuming it has not been taped or that it is not by actors reading a script.

"He said he had a State Department cable of his conversation with the intelligence chief read to him Friday "and there was, in no way, that threat.""

As if the State Department cable was in the room with them. Naturally the language would have been softened for the official record.

Everyone gets something out of this:
- Musharraf gets to claim that he had no choice but to go along with Bush, for domestic consumption in Pakistan.
- Bush gets to look like he was playing tough with Pakistan, for domestic consumption in the U.S.

This controversy may well be staged.

[progressivebydesign]

21. Exact phrase was reported in the book about threatening Taliban.

Remember that book, the one by the French intelligence experts? The book told that Bush threatened to bomb them into the stone age if they did not agree with several demands, one being allowing the pipeline through there by Unocal.

As IF Bush and his scary people would not threaten anyone.. give me a break. With hatchet men like Armitage and Bolton around, please.

[cornermouse]

23. The really sad thing is that I believe Musharraf.

And if Bush is taken aback, its because he thought Musharraf would keep his mouth shut about it.

[Disturbed]

25. Didn't that phrase originate from Barry Goldwater?

Didn't he say that about Vietnam?

[yellowcanine]

31. Yes, it is a good point - not a phrase a non American is likely to come

up with. Circunstantial evidence that some American told him this and why would he need to lie about it being Armitage. Armitage has pretty much conceded that a conversation of this type took place - he is just denying using that particular language. From the Plame affair we know that Armitage is careless with language. I believe he said this.

[lovuian]

24. Bush realized that Pakistan was talking to Iran

that what was the big surprise

[sofa king]

26. The threat was a lot more personal than that.

At the time and still to this day, the United States provides personal, very high-tech security for President Musharraf. One of the devices is designed to jam radio controlled roadside bombs, and was apparently successfully used in December, 2003, to prevent an explosives cache from collapsing a bridge over which Musharraf's motorcade was passing.

However, considering who we're dealing with, it's not out of the realm of possibility that the incident was in fact a reminder to President Musharraf as to who exactly it is who is guaranteeing his life and how easily that guarantee can be taken away.

[kitty1]

27. Musharaff could be attracted to team Hugo/Iran now....

First he let's hundreds of taliban prisoners go free, now this. It makes for interesting speculation doesn't it.

[whathappened]

30. jr and his lie's

one thing that sticks in my mine about this , jr, said the first he heard of this was when he read it in the new papers , i thought he did'nt read the news papers

[leesa]

32. You can bet your ass it was a direct quote then. Just like when they

told the Taliban in July 2001, regarding their offer for the pipeline deal, they could have "either a carpet of gold or a carpet of bombs" and said the bombing would commence when the snow flies (October) if they refused the deal. They refused. The bombing commenced in October as planned.

[HuffleClaw]

33. hell, there could be VIDEO of it

and they'd still worm out of it somehow. 'he was only kidding!'

[Gman]

34. The Taliban was told the same thing

regarding their cooperation with the building of the gas pipeline that Unical wanted to build across Afghanistan and through Pakistan:

"At one moment during the negotiations, the US representatives told the Taliban, 'either you accept our offer of a carpet of gold, or we bury you under a carpet of bombs,'" Brisard said in an interview in Paris.

http://www.atimes.com/c-asia/CK20Ag01.html

[Delphinus]

35. Thanks for letting me read that article.

I now remember when I heard about it - I hope this is one big piece of the deconstruction of the BFEE.

[kitty1]

37. I bet he was also taken aback when A Khan sold nuclear secrets

to both Iran and North Korea in 2003. Khan also sold centrifuges to Iran. Now how can somebody be an ally for the war against terror and a good friend to Shrub while his countryman is trading secrets to the enemy. And Bush allows this blatant betrayal because???