Bush on Iraq: 'We're kicking ass'
President Bush will give his progress report on Iraq next week, based on information from Gen. David Petraeus.
WASHINGTON (CNN) - When President Bush made a surprise visit to Iraq last weekend, he made clear he was pleased with what he saw.
"The security situation is changing," Bush told reporters during the visit. "There's more work to be done. But reconciliation is taking place."
But according to the Sydney Morning Herald of Australia, the president gave a more-to-the-point assessment to Australia Deputy Prime Minister Mark Vaile.
"We're kicking ass," Bush said to Vaile Tuesday, according the Herald, after the deputy prime minister inquired about his trip to Iraq.
On Thursday, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino would not confirm or deny the reported comment. (Related Video: Jack Cafferty reads your e-mails on Bush's blunt talk)
This isn't the first blunt comment Bush was overheard making to a world leader. At last year's G8 summit, a live microphone picked up the president telling then-British Prime Minister Tony Blair that the United Nations needs to "get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this s**t."
- CNN's Elaine Quijano contributed to this report
From CNN Politics
- Pressure builds on Biden to act on guns in wake of Colorado mass shooting March 23, 2021 12:16 pm
- Sidney Powell argues in new court filing that no reasonable people would believe her election fraud claims March 23, 2021 12:15 pm
- Postmaster General set to announce 10-year plan including longer mail delivery times and cuts to post office hours March 23, 2021 12:02 pm
- Progressive group launches $3.2 million advertising buy to push federal voting law March 23, 2021 11:01 am
- US and allies announce sanctions against Chinese officials for 'serious human rights abuses' against Uyghurs March 23, 2021 10:32 am
- Analysis: Trump's army takes aim at 2022 touting his election lies March 23, 2021 05:01 am
Rick (the Bush supporter) in Chicago,
"All you bush-haters are angry because we're actually succeeding? Granted it hasn't been easy but you're constant negativity about Bush makes you look like the idiots!"
Succeeding? Tell me, how many benchmarks have the Iraqis met? And how much has this cost in both dollars and lives?
Why is it nobody asks the Iraqis if THEY consider it a success?
Could it be because you wouldn't like the answer?
I think it is!
Success is measured by 1) the (show up every 5th day to train)Iraqis reaching their benchmarks and 2) their (it's too HOT to govern) govt hammering out a political solution to their OWN sectarian civil war so WE CAN LEAVE.
NOT by how much territory is controlled by U.S forces, Iraqi forces, how many insurgents we've killed OR ANY OTHER MEASURE for that matter.
If 100% of Iraq is controlled by U.S. forces and WE'RE STILL OVER THERE babysitting them and dying in the process, that "success" you're bragging about is completely useless.
Thanks for allowing me to correct your 20-something-percenter spin.
Welcome to reality!
Check the audio, I think he said kissing ass.
Hail the cheerleader.
What a chumpstain!!! He makes vermin look good!!!
Hey Jim in Fairfield, Ca -Clint in Menlo Park is my hero. The entire planet and most of the United States wants to kick his ass. So Jim crawl out from under your rock and smell the roses.
for all you wahoos out there, what he really said [because the left wing nimrod press wouldn't say it] is damn they d****d me in the hershey hiway agin' dang them. go,go gw, you d'MAN amongst the sheep.
Like an encyclopedia salesman with his foot in the door they just "keep selling"! Never take no for an answer, and don't let the facts get in the way of the dollar!
Carter Couch,
"I love listening to the liberal whine. Are you traitors getting nervous about the Petraeus Report? You should be considering your hoping for the US to be defeated in Iraq."
The report that the White house is gonna scrub clean and then spin like they did those EPA reports on global warming? Or SELECTIVELY release like those (4 out of 30) pages of the NIE that the press got ahold of last September? Or redact like the attorney firing memos? Or destroy (sorry, "misplace") like those million emails?
LOL .. yeah .. I'll trust a general who knows that if he doesn't tell Dubya what he wants to hear, he'll get ignored, replaced or retired like others before him.
You want me to trust Dubya, who said "I don't believe you can win a war on terror", before he said we WERE "absolutely" winning (in Iraq) up until the Nov 7th elections, which was before his Sec of Defense busted him for lying when he told a congressional committee we WEREN'T winning in Iraq?
Yep ... Dubya just REEKS of credibility doesn't he? LOL
But hey, look at the bright side! At least Dubya didn't fight the upcoming report like he did the 911 commission, and he probbly wont completely ignore it like he did the multi-volume "Future of Iraq" project commissioned by the State Department before the war, or the Iraq Study Group report that he shelved.
Right?
Iraq is kicking Bush's Ass and soldiers are dying in the meantime. This President is a joke. Your report is a joke. Shame on you.
It is no small wonder why the rest of the world thinks that Americans are arrogant, brash, reckless and otherwise stupid. I can't wait for elections and get back to truly meaningful foreign policy.
"Kicking ass" !!?? this reminds me of what this moron a.k.a George W. Bush said a couple of years ago when he said: "Bring it on".
He is right, asses are being kicked by mostly American's ass.
Can you spell, Vietnam !!??!!!
http://www.bushflash.com
http://www.infowars.com
I see that GB (better "DB") has begun to embrace the Lame Duck. Reminiscent of the Iraqi National Guard setting fire to the oil fields after the '91 invasion. Wonderful parallel...
What does it say about john kerry that Bush defeated him in 2004, when Bush is so despised?
He is a positive thinking Leader... totally love the guy. History will vindicate him... I hope liberal CNN posts this.
anybody believe him?
also in APEC in Australia he was so funny! I dont know where in english I could find that news. I read it in russian now! He said that prime-minister visited "austrian" (instead australian) army in Irak!
he said OPEC instead of APEC (he forgot where he is).
He again couldnt find exit after his speech!!!
Why american people voted for him second time ??? I am still surprised.
GWB was miss-quoted he really said "kissing ass" in referral to Haliburton and the rest of the military/industrial complex....what a joke...such a liar and thief (has stolen our rights).
I'd like to kick his ass all the way back to Bohemin Grove, The War was just an excuse to secure Oil for Cheney and his coherts Neo-con Nazis all of them.
I would also like to kick some ass, several asses, actually. Would the self-appointed snitch please include me in their report to the FBI? Thank you.
Bush is so right! And if we are lucky, we can just keep kicking terrorist ass forever and ever, all around the world!
Heck, we can keep kicing ass forever all across the UNIVERSE!
It will be even more successful than the war on drugs.
The legacy of the Bush/Cheney Administration: If you can't think critically, use bad words.
BUSH SAYS HES KICKING ASS IN IRAQ TELL THAT TO THE INNOCET CIVILIANS HES KILLED TO THE PARENYS OF THE SOLDIERSHE SENT OVER IN THIS USELESS WAR I WOLD LIKE TO KICK HIS ASS AND SHAKE HIS BRAINS UP HES A MENTAL CASE
This President is a traitor to our country and an enemy to mankind! He lied about 9-11 to start this ruinous war with Iraq - which had nothing to do with 9-11, and which was no threat to us at the time.
This unnecessary war, which our President wanted more than anything else, has led to tragedy and misery for millions of Iraqis and thousands of our own troops!
This smirking, lying, hollow man is a war criminal who should be tried and sentenced for his crimes against humanity. I cannot sufficiently express my contempt for this villain. Kicking ass, indeed. And why can't George Bush speak English? Didn't he have enough privilege and schooling in his youth??? DISGRACEFUL AND UGLY.
And he wants to deny health insurance for needy children after squandering HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS ON HIS WARS!!!
Who elected this guy again?
Oh yeah...we (collective Americans) did. Can we please try and do better in 2008?
This guy has got his head so far up his own ass it's not even funny. 6 1/2 years as the leader of the most powerful country in the world and he still swaggers and boasts like he's in a bar talking to his buddies about the chick he banged last night. Say it with me: 1/20/09...1/20/09...1/20/09...1/20/09...
"Kicking ass"?!?!? Even Stevie Wonder can see you're waaaaaaaay off. Try tellig the parents of the dead soldiers that we're "kicking ass" and see what they have to say.