Bush's denial has him questioning why Iraqis won't warm to his occupation

[bigtree]

August 16, 2006

Bush Said to Be Frustrated by Level of Public Support in Iraq

By THOM SHANKER and MARK MAZZETTI

WASHINGTON, Aug. 15 — President Bush made clear in a private meeting this week that he was concerned about the lack of progress in Iraq and frustrated that the new Iraqi government — and the Iraqi people — had not shown greater public support for the American mission, participants in the meeting said Tuesday.

Those who attended a Monday lunch at the Pentagon that included the president’s war cabinet and several outside experts said Mr. Bush carefully avoided expressing a clear personal view of the new prime minister of Iraq, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki.

More generally, the participants said, the president expressed frustration that Iraqis had not come to appreciate the sacrifices the United States had made in Iraq, and was puzzled as to how a recent anti-American rally in support of Hezbollah in Baghdad could draw such a large crowd. “I do think he was frustrated about why 10,000 Shiites would go into the streets and demonstrate against the United States,” said another person who attended.

Participants said Mr. Bush appeared serious and engaged during the lunch, which lasted more than 90 minutes, as the experts went through a lengthy discussion of the political, ethnic, religious and security challenges in Iraq. And through it all, Mr. Bush showed no signs of veering from the administration’s policies to support the new government and train Iraqi security forces to take over the fight, and only then bring American troops home.


report: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/16/washington/16policy.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

[knowbody0]

1. not to worry!

Mommy will comfort him - mayhaps roasted PIG for dinner.

[Dhalgren]

2. "Who needs a back-rub?!"

[bigtree]

4. or maybe they need a lieberman-on-man smooch

[MrCoffee]

3. Cognitive Dissonance

"the feeling of uncomfortable tension which comes from holding two conflicting thoughts in the mind at the same time."

He honestly *believes* everything they told us in the pre-war pep rally. He truly, honestly, deeply thought Iraq was the land of milk and honey, that we'd be greeted as liberators, and that once Saddam was removed from power, everything would be fine. He really really did.

And now, I don't believe that he can literally comprehend what's happening over there. And that's the scariest part; not that they lied to us to start the war, but that they lied to themselves.

[opihimoimoi]

5. He seems bewildered his ideas and projects are being rejected

/ignored.

Does he think he is GOD or something close?

Many Leaders fell into that...Read our Human History going back to 5,000 years.

Bush is no different...

He is an "I" and MY" guy....everything is "ME" to him....

Meism to the extreme....

[MrCoffee]

7. I don't think it's a god complex, necessarily...

For a long time I just thought they (BushCo) were evil bastards. Now I'm not so sure. I'm more and more of the opinion that they weren't lying in the sense that they knew the truth and were telling us something different, but that they were telling us THEIR truth. It looks like lies because it's so disconnected from reality.

But now we see that reality has been knocking on the door, and * just simply can't make any sense of it. Reality does not mesh with his "reality".

I'm starting to get VERY NERVOUS about what this bunch of delusional freaks will do after November.

[opihimoimoi]

10. One concern is a desperate cling to power through some loophole

or another....in their case...some percieved loophole

Stuck on Stupid

[heidler1]

9. When will it occur to * that either God lied to him or God is dead or he

is not God or his judgment sucks?

[opihimoimoi]

11. If he talks Frazzeled, think of his Brain...Frazzeled thoughts canardly

thimk.....They repeat....

[Felinity]

6. Maybe he should talk to Ken Mehlman (K&R)

Brainboy Kenny says that we have a new approach--no longer staying the course, but "adapting to win" (vs. cutting and running--still only two alternatives).

If you missed this jewel, catch The Daily Show rerun from yesterday, 8/15. Priceless.

[sinkingfeeling]

8. Bush's main problem is that he lives in a parallel universe of non-

reality. He gets all 'puzzled' that people the world over demonstrate against him and his failed policies of 'shock and awe'. Since there isn't anyone else on the planet who understands what the hell the 'American mission' in Iraq is, how can he expect anybody to support it?

[peekaloo]

12. Where is the love? Where is the love?

"appeared serious and engaged during lunch"......reminds me of that recent Daily Show montage about DimWit's love of vittles. :rofl: