Trevor McDonald Interviews Bush
Apparently what it takes to get a few tough questions put to Bush is to have him do an interview with someone from Europe, where they still have this thing called “journalism”. Anyway, here you go: Per a Guardian Unlimited transcript, Sir Trevor McDonald does the job on ITV’s Tonight with Trevor McDonald show: The Bush interview.
My favorite part:
TONIGHT: Is the administration at sixes and sevens about the insurgency in Iraq? The vice-president said that we’re in the last throes, or seeing the last throes of the insurgency. Donald Rumsfeld comes up and says we could be there for five, eight, 10, 12 years. Which is it? Which do you believe?
PRESIDENT BUSH: I believe that we will succeed in Iraq, because, one, the Iraqis want to live in a free society.
TONIGHT: But how long will it take, Mr President?
PRESIDENT BUSH: And, two, that the Iraqis want to take the fight to the enemy. And people want me to put a timetable on things; that’s a huge mistake. Putting a timetable on this – on our stay there in Iraq simply emboldens the enemy and discourages our friends. And so, therefore, my answer is just, quickly as possible, and we are making progress.
TONIGHT: Do you ever think maybe this was not such a good idea?
PRESIDENT BUSH: No, I’m actually confident it’s the right thing to do.
TONIGHT: You have never had any doubts at all about it?
PRESIDENT BUSH: I am absolutely confident that we made the right decision. And not only that, I’m absolutely confident that the actions we took in Iraq are influencing reformers and freedom lovers in the greater Middle East. And I believe that you’re going to see the rise of democracy in many countries in the broader Middle East, which will lay the foundation for peace.
July 5th, 2005 at 2:40 pm
Sorry, but those are tough questions? I would characterize them as softballs that play right into the talking points. But that’s just me. :-)
Disclaimer: I haven’t read the link, only what’s excerpted here.
July 5th, 2005 at 10:38 pm
Well, he’s a knight and all that, so I guess he has to maintain a certain amount of chivalrous decorum. The full version was at least a little stronger than the excerpt, though I’ll grant it was no Parliament-session grilling.
July 6th, 2005 at 9:21 am
Well, now I’ve read the whole thing, and it was at least straightforward, if not tough. My favorite part was the obligatory “no WMD” question, where Bush started by blaming the media (shocker), and then brought up 9/11 again. If he had somehow weaved in how it was Clinton’s fault, it woulda been a hat trick.