BANNED Pres. Bush InterviewShow Video Details ↓ Interviewer: Unfortunately the majority of our public do not welcome your visit because they're angry over Iraq, they are angry over Abu Ghraib. Are you bothered by what Irish people think? George. W. Bush.: Listen, I hope the Irish people understand the great values of our country and if they think a few soldiers represents the entirety of America, they don't really understand America then. There have been great ties between Ireland and America and got a lot of Irish-Americans here that are really proud of their heritage and their country. But they must not understand if they are angry over Abu Ghraib, that this is what America represents. They don't understand our country. We don't represent that. We're a compassionate country, we're a strong country. We'll defend ourselves, but we help people. We've helped the Irish and we'll continue to do so, a good relationship with Ireland. Interviewer: And they're angry over Iraq as well in particularly the continuing death toll there. George. W. Bush.: Well I can understand that. People don't like war but what they should be angry about is the fact there was a brutal dictator there that had destroyed lives and put them in mass graves and had torture rooms. Listen, I wish they could have seen the 7 men that came to see me in the Oval Office. They had their right hands cut-off by Saddam Hussein because the currency had devalued when he was leader. And guess what happened? And Americans saw the fact that they had their hands cut off and crosses or Xs carved in their forehead. And he flew them to America and they came to my office with a new hand, grateful for the generosity of America and with Saddam Hussein's brutality in their mind. Now, Saddam Hussein had used weapons of mass destruction against his own people, against the neighborhood. He was a brutal dictator who posed a threat, such a threat that the United Nations voted unanimously to say Mr Saddam Hussein... Interviewer: Indeed Mr. President, but you didn't find the weapons of mass destruction. George. W. Bush.: Look, may I finish? He said the United Nations said disarm or face serious consequences, that's what the United Nations said. And guess what? He didn't disarm, he didn't disclose his arms and therefore he faced serious consequences. But we have found the capacity for him to make a weapon. You see he had the capacity to make weapons. He was dangerous and no one can argue that the world is better off with... than if Saddam Hussein were in power. Interviewer: But Mr. President, the world is a more dangerous place today. George. W. Bush.: Why do you say that? Interviewer: I don't know whether you can see that or not. There are terrorist bombings every single day. It's now a daily event, it wasn't like that 2 years ago. George. W. Bush.: What was it like September 11, 2001? It was a relative calm. Interviewer: But it was your response to Iraq... George. W. Bush.: Let me finish please, please. You ask the questions and I'll answer them if you don't mind. On September 11, 2001 we were attacked in a unprovoked fashion. Everybody thought the world was calm and then there have been bombings since then, not because of my response to Iraq. There were bombings in Madrid. There was bombings in Istanbul. There were bombings in Bali. There were killings in Pakistan. Interviewer: Indeed Mr. President, and I think Irish people understand that but I think there is a feeling that the world has become a more dangerous place because you have taken the focus off Al Qaeda and diverted into Iraq. Do you not see that the world is a more dangerous place? I saw 4 of your soldiers lying dead on the television the other day. A picture of 4 soldiers just lying there. George. W. Bush.: Listen, nobody cares more about their death than I do. Interviewer: Is there a point at which... George. W. Bush.: Let me finish. Please, please. Let me finish and then you can follow-up if you don't mind. Nobody cares more about the deaths than I do. I care about it a lot. But I do believe the world is a safer place and becoming a safer place. I know that a free Iraq is going to be necessary, part of changing the world. Listen, people join terrorist organizations because there is no hope. There is no chance to raise their families in a peaceful world where there is not freedom. And so the idea is to promote freedom and at the same time protect our security and I do believe the world is becoming a better place. Absolutely. Interviewer: Mr. President, you are a man who has a great faith in God, I've heard you say many times that you strive to serve somebody greater than yourself. George. W. Bush.: Right. Interviewer: Do you believe that the hand of God is guiding you in this war on terror? George. W. Bush.: I think that God, my relationship with God is a very personal relationship and I turn to the good Lord for strength and I turn to the good Lord for guidance. I turn to the good Lord for forgiveness. But the God I know is not one that... The God I know is one that promotes peace and freedom and... But I get great sustenance from my personal relationship. That doesn't make me think I'm a better person than you are by the way, because one of the great admonitions in the good book is don't try to take a speck out of your eye if I've got a log in my own. Interviewer: You're going to meet Bertie Ahern when you arrive in Shannon airport tomorrow. I guess he went out on a limb for you, presumably because of the great friendship between our two countries. Can you look him in the eye when you get there and say it will be worth it, it will work out? George. W. Bush.: Absolutely, I wouldn't be doing this. I wouldn't be making the decisions that I did if I didn't think the world would be better. Of course. But I'm not going to put people in harm's way or our young if I didn't think the world would be better. Interviewer: Why isn't... George. W. Bush.: Let me finish. So yes I can turn to by friend Bertie Ahern and say thank you. Thanks for helping and I'd appreciate it very much. And there will be other challenges by the way. Interviewer: Why is it that others don't understand what you're about? George. W. Bush.: History will judge what I'm about. But I'm the kind of person, I don't really try to chase popular polls, popularity polls. My job is to do my job. Make the decisions that I think are important for our country and for the world. I argue strongly that the world is better off because of the decisions I have made, along with others. America is not in this alone. One of our greatest allies in the world is your neighbor, Great Britain. Tony Blair has been a strong advocate for not only battling terrorists but promoting freedom for which I'm grateful. Let me say one other thing about America that your viewers must know, is that not only are we working hard to promote security and peace, we're also working to eradicate famine and disease. There is no more generous country on the face of the earth than the United States of America when it comes to fighting HIV AIDS. As a matter of fact, that was my initiative. My initiative to ask Congress to spend $15 billion over 5 years to battle this pandemic and we're following through on it. And no other country in the world feeds more of the hungry than the United States. We're a compassionate nation. Interviewer: Mr. President, I know your time is tight. Can I move you onto Europe? Are you satisfied that you are getting enough help in Iraq from the European countries? You have come together, you are more friendly now, but they aren't really stepping up to the plate to help, are they? George. W. Bush.: Well I think, first of all, most of Europe supported the decision in Iraq. Really what you're talking about is France and they didn't agree with my decision. They did vote for the UN security council resolution that said disclose, disarm or face serious consequences. We just had a difference of opinion about when you say something, do you mean it. Nevertheless, no doubt in my mind that president Chirac would like to see a free and democratic and whole Iraq emerge. And same in Afghanistan, they've been very helpful in Afghanistan. They are willing to forgive debt in Iraq. But most European counties are very supportive and are participating in the reconstruction of Iraq. Interviewer: And how do you see the handover going? The next few weeks are going to be crucial. Can democracy really flourish with the violence that's going on? 100 Iraqis dead today Mr. President. George. W. Bush.: Yeah, I don't like death either. You keep emphasizing the death and I don't blame you. But all that shows us is the nature of the enemy. These people are willing to kill innocent people. They are willing to slaughter innocent people to stop the advance of freedom. So the free world has to make a choice. Do we cower in the face of terror, or do we lead in the face of terror? And I'm going to lead in the face of terror. We will not let these terrorists dash the hopes and ambitions of the people of Iraq. There is some kind of attitude that says, oh gosh the terrorists attacked. Let's let the Iraqis suffer more. We're not going to let them suffer more. We're going to work with them. And I'm more proud of this fella, Prime Minister Allawi. He is strong and he's is tough. He says to me, "Mr. President, don't leave our country. Help us secure our country so we can be free." Interviewer: Indeed, Mr. President just to get back to that, can I just turn to the middle east? George. W. Bush.: Sure. Interviewer: You will be discussing at the EU summit the idea of bringing democracy to the broader middle east. George. W. Bush.: Right. Interviewer: Is that something that really should start though with the solving of the Israeli Palestinian crisis? George. W. Bush.: Well I think first of all, you've got democracy in Turkey. You've got a democracy emerging in Afghanistan. You've got an democracy in Pakistan. Interviewer: But shouldn't that be on the top of the list? George. W. Bush.: Please, please, please. It would be better if you let me finish my answers and then you can follow up, if you don't mind. And what I'm telling you is democracy can emerge at the same time that a democracy can emerge in the Palestinian state. I'm the first American President to have called for the establishment of a Palestinian state, the first one to do so. But then I believe it is in the Palestinian people's interest, I believe it is in Israel's interest. And yes we're working, but we can do more one thing at a time. And we are working on the road map with the quartet to advance the process down the road. Like Iraq, the Palestinian and the Israeli issue is going to require good security measures. Interviewer: And even more even-handedness from Americans? George. W. Bush.: And we're working on security measures and in America, I'm the first President to ever had called for a Palestinian state. That, to me, sounds like a reasonable, balanced approach. But I will not allow terrorists to determine the fate, as best I can, determine the fate of people who want to be free. Interviewer: Mr President, thank you very much for talking to us. George. W. Bush.: You're welcome. |