The Bush spin on bombing Pakistan "back to the Stone Age"

[Hulsey13]

Maybe it's just me, but my head is spinning right now after reading the story on CNN about President Bush and his reaction to the report that the US threatened to bomb Pakistan if they did not help the US with its war on terror.

First, Pakistani President Musharraf says he was threatened by the US: http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/09/22/bush.musharraf/index.html

Then, President Bush feigns shock at the story: "I was taken aback by the harshness of the words," he said.

And finally, the spin: "All I can tell you is that shortly after 9/11, Secretary Colin Powell came in and said President Musharraf understands the stakes, and he wants to join and help route out an enemy that has come and killed 3,000 of our citizens."

The implication here is that it must have been Colin Powell - currently on the outs with the administration - that made the threat to the Pakistani President.

Of course, the truth is very different: Richard Armitage, then U.S. deputy secretary of state, is the official whom Musharraf identified in the CBS report. In an interview Friday with CNN, Armitage denied the allegation.

Is it just me? Am I seeing spin and dodging where there isn't any? Or will people run with this and decide, if the threat was made at all, that it came from Colin Powell? Nothing like a deceitful offense to make up for a pitiful defense, right? Make Colin Powell spend time defending himself against this crap, and he won't have any time to keep fighting the administration on the importance of the Geneva Convention.

Okay, off my paranoid soapbox now.

John Hulsey
Cpl/USMC
1985-1989

(All quotes in this post are from CNN at http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/09/22/bush.musharraf/index.html.)

[BOSSHOG]

1. No paranoia teammate

I saw a story on DU this morning dated sometime in late September 2001 about how the bush administration put the heat on Pakistan to cooperate or else and Armitage was in the middle of it. Time for Powell to tell bush to go fuck himself. bush knew about the threat back then but his base does not care if he lies, then or now or ever. He and his base are scum.

They don't even care about Mark Twains advice anymore: always tell the truth and you will never have to remember anything. They don't give a fuck about the truth or remembering anything.

[cliss]

2. Hi, Hulsey 13 and welcome

to the DU:smoke:

So you're wondering about Good Old Boy Bush and his credibility????

Here's the best advice I can give you. If his Lips are moving, he's lying. Just plain lying, all day every day.

Now as far as us bombing Pakistan, I do NOT believe Colin Powell went with the threat to Musharraf. I believe Richard Armitage was the one who told Musharraf.

Bush often uses Prop Supports, like Colon Bowel who is one of the few people who has any shred of crediblity left. Don Rumsfailed does this all the time: he pulls in people, says "Colin Powell agreed with me that we should do this...." "Colon Powell said we should do this..."

They just use him as a prop support for their own lying. Powell never had any power they just used him as their Storefront Mannequin.

[louis-t]

3. Yeah, and 2 months before that stupidface didn't even know

who the hell the guy was.

[Hoping4Change]

4. Thanks for posting this and welcome to DU.

:hi:

[NOLADEM]

5. I wish this story would pass

It is a loser for us. The middle believes in the sentiment behind the quote.

Pakistan is a sore spot. Bushco leaked this quote to put salve on it, showing that Bushco muscled Musharraf.

Ignore this Rovian press maneuver and move on, please.

[liberaldemocrat7]

6. If Musharaff tells that Bush threatened to bomb Pakistan into stone age

If Musharaff tells that Bush threatened to bomb Pakistan into stone age after 9-11 if he would not help get Al Qaeda and the Taliban you can probably say that the notion that the Bush administration threatened to bomb the Taliban into the stone age in July 2001 because they would not go along with the gas and oil pipelines, had more value and appears close to the facts.

Musharaff has given credence to the Bush provocation that Dasquie and Brisard told of in their Book "Forbidden Truth"


In the Bush press conference Bush appears to have lied that he did not realize his administration threatened Pakistan after 9-11 and Musharaff would not say anything until his new book comes out but apparently he will say that on his interview with 60 minutes.

[Jacobin]

7. Armitage is denying he said it, now.