During a 2007 press conference, then-President George W. Bush warned the United States would be forced into another conflict in Iraq if troops were withdrawn too soon. As the American people prepare to hear from President Obama about his strategy to deal with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, Glenn played Bush’s words on radio this morning and explained why he does not believe Obama’s instincts on Islamic extremism are reliable.
“To begin withdrawing before our commanders tell us we are ready… would mean surrendering the future of Iraq to al Qaeda,” Bush said in 2007. “It would mean that we’d be risking mass killings on a horrific scale. It would mean we’d allow the terrorists to establish a safe haven in Iraq to replace the one they lost in Afghanistan.”
“It would mean increasing the probability that American troops would have to return at some later date to confront an enemy that is even more dangerous,” he concluded.
As Pat and Stu explained, while they are certainly not Bush’s biggest fans, they never doubted his intentions when it came to keeping the American military and the American people safe.
“George W. Bush is a guy who obviously had a lot of flaws, but I do not doubt that he loves our troops more than anything,” Stu said. “And I do not doubt that he really believes Islamic extremism is a serious problem. And even he wasn't even close to [handling] this right.”
While Glenn doubts Obama will really put forth any real policy or strategy in his speech tonight, Stu is quite fearful of what military intervention would look like under this President’s leadership.
“I don't trust him with this sort of power,” Stu said frankly. “Legitimate military intervention, a crushing blow to ISIS, I do not trust this president with the lives of our most important resource: Our troops. I don't trust him with that. I don't trust him executing that power well.”
“This president – and I'm not judging him and I'm not saying he's on the side of the Muslim terrorists or anything else – I'm saying I don't believe his instincts on Islamic extremism and my instincts are in line,” Glenn concluded. “I just don't believe it.”
Front page image courtesy of the AP