George W. Bush

2022 - 5 - 20

Post cover — Image courtesy of "The Washington Post"

George W. Bush called Iraq war 'unjustified and brutal.' He meant ... (The Washington Post)

The former U.S. president, who has faced criticism for the 2003 Iraq invasion, made an apparent verbal slip.

The weapons: Ukraine is making use of weapons such as Javelin antitank missiles and Switchblade “kamikaze” drones, provided by the United States and other allies. The fight: A slowly regenerating Russian army is making incremental gains in eastern Ukraine against valiant but underequipped Ukrainian forces. “The result is an absence of checks and balances in Russia.” Just before the slip-up, Bush — who at 75 blamed the gaffe on his age — had been comparing the leadership of Russia and Ukraine. He praised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whom he called a “cool little guy” and “the Churchill of the 21st century,” the latter statement echoing one he made after the two met virtually this month. “Oof,” tweeted Justin Amash, a former congressman who left the Republican Party to become an independent, in reaction to the video of Bush’s gaffe. But while the joke landed with some, many were quick to pounce on his verbal slip after nearly two decades of sharp criticism that Bush was unjustified in directing the United States’ 2003 invasion of Iraq, with some lobbing accusations that the 43rd president is a war criminal — the same label some have given Putin after his invasion of Ukraine this year, which has been widely criticized by the international community as illegal and inhumane.

Trying to condemn the war in Ukraine, Bush inadvertently calls Iraq ... (NPR)

In a speech, Bush criticized "the decision of one man to launch a wholly unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq — I mean of Ukraine."

You may click on “Your Choices” below to learn about and use cookie management tools to limit use of cookies when you visit NPR’s sites. If you click “Agree and Continue” below, you acknowledge that your cookie choices in those tools will be respected and that you otherwise agree to the use of cookies on NPR’s sites. NPR’s sites use cookies, similar tracking and storage technologies, and information about the device you use to access our sites (together, “cookies”) to enhance your viewing, listening and user experience, personalize content, personalize messages from NPR’s sponsors, provide social media features, and analyze NPR’s traffic.

George W Bush accidentally admits Iraq war was 'unjustified and ... (The Guardian)

Former president makes slip when speaking at his presidential library in Dallas on Wednesday.

It broke Iraq and set off a sectarian civil war in which hundreds of thousands of people died. There are whole books full of “Bushisms”, like his boast that people “misunderestimated” him, and how much he felt for single mothers “working hard to put food on your family”. I still do.”

George W. Bush Iraq-Ukraine Gaffe Raises Unanswerable Questions (New York Magazine)

Former president George W. Bush had a gaffe during a speech in Dallas condemning “the decision of one man to launch a wholly unjustified and brutal invasion ...

Bush executed an adequate save, saying he meant to say Ukraine. But then he reversed, noting that what he said was actually true of “Iraq too”? Was this a joke? “Seventy-five,” Bush added, prompting more laughter. Bush then chuckled and muttered, “Iraq too.

George W. Bush Accidentally Admits He Waged a “Brutal” and ... (Vanity Fair)

Until now! By complete accident! Speaking at an event in Dallas about the state of democracy, Bush noted that Russian president Vladimir Putin has systemically ...

Then he shrugged his shoulders and muttered, “Iraq too,” before blaming the slip of the tongue on being 75. Many were and remain extremely angry about this, but, obviously, most of the individuals responsible have never admitted that the reason for the invasion and subsequent war was entirely baseless, that lives were taken in vain, and that the entire exercise, per U.S. intelligence agencies, became “the ‘cause célèbre’ for jihadists, breeding a deep resentment of U.S. involvement in the Muslim world and cultivating supporters for the global jihadist movement.” Until now! If you lived through the early 2000s or know someone who did, you’re probably aware of the fact that the George W. Bush administration invaded Iraq on false pretenses, that troops stayed there for nearly a decade, and that the prolonged conflict resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people.

George W Bush accidentally condemns 'unjustified and brutal' Iraq ... (Sky News)

The former US president, who ordered the invasion of Iraq in 2003, made the blunder, branded "history's greatest Freudian slip", at an event on Wednesday.

"The result is an absence of checks and balances in Russia, and the decision of one man to launch a wholly unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq." George W Bush has accidentally condemned the "unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq", an operation he ordered himself in 2003. The former US president, who ordered the invasion of Iraq in 2003, made the blunder, branded "history's greatest Freudian slip", at an event on Wednesday.

George W Bush confuses Ukraine with Iraq during speech (1 News)

The former US President accidentally said "Iraq" when referring to Russia's "brutal and unjustified" decision to invade Ukraine.

"In contrast, Russian elections are rigged," Bush said. "Political opponents are imprisoned or otherwise eliminated from participating in the electoral process. But he stood by his decision to invade.