by James Glaser
April 14, 2004

George Bush, at last night's speech and press conference would not admit any mistakes or take any personal responsibility for anything that has happened during his term in office. He was asked about that repeatedly and could not remember one mistake that he had made.

The reason the President was on television last night, was that his poll numbers are falling and the nation is shocked by the fact that in the first 13 days of this month, 83 American troops have been killed and 582 American troops have been wounded in Iraq. That is an average of over fifty causalities a day. America has not seen those kinds of losses since Vietnam.

George Bush is confident, maybe a little arrogant, and resolute about staying in Iraq. When asked about whom we would be turning power over to on June 30th, the President said that the United Nations was figuring that out right now and we would soon know.

Two and a half months from now President Bush will be turning the sovereignty of Iraq over to somebody, but he does not know who that will be until some United Nations official tells him. Almost 700 Americans have died and over 18,000 have been wounded or injured in Iraq so far and we still do not know who we are giving the country to.

I took notes as I listened to the President and here are some of the things I wrote down;

Bush said, "Some of the Iraqi troops performed brilliantly." I have never heard that from any Commander or news person in Iraq.

Bush said, "We are changing the world." He said this many, many times.

He said, (I don't have a perfect quote here) If the General in Iraq needs more troops or equipment, Bush will send them. American families and communities are still having fund raisers to buy body armor for their loved ones.

"Most of Iraq is stable."

George Bush said, "We are not an Imperial Power, as Germany and Japan can attest to." If that statement was true, then why do we still have tens of thousands of our troops in both of these countries? World War II ended 59 years ago.

George Bush, "Iraqis have as much right to freedom as we do." Of course we can't let them have enough freedom to pick their own form of government.

George Bush, "Terrorists want to persecute women, get weapons of mass destruction, and kill Jews." I think some terrorists have some real demands and none of these are in them.

"Most Iraqis want us there."

"Free Societies are Peaceful Societies."

George Bush believes that he can bring freedom and democracy to the world with a gun. He thinks all of the killing we are doing in Afghanistan and Iraq is making the United States safer.

I don't see it that way. I think every time we kill an innocent child or his mother or father, or grandparent, we are making long term enemies. I think that is why we have been attacked. I think George Bush and his policies will make the number of terrorists in the world grow. I don't think our nation has even looked at the reason that terrorists hate us enough to kill themselves to take some of us out.

Right now thousands of people hate us enough to do anything to punish us, if we keep attacking whoever we want, that number will grow to the millions.