As we all prepare for Barack Obama to take the oath of office, the world seems to be relishing bidding George Bush farewell with a swift kick in the caboose.
While it slipped by rather quickly during his last press conference on Monday, President Bush’s use of the phrase, ‘things didn’t go according to plan,’ to explain the mistakes regarding the Iraq invasion, the travesty of Abu Ghraib and the public relations disaster of Guantanamo Bay, hasn’t gone unnoticed.
According to Patrik Etschmayer of the Swiss newspaper Nachrichten, this short and simple phrase correctly sums up the monumentally destructive legacy of George W. Bush and his neoconservative associates.
“Bush was to herald a century of America dominance and perhaps usher in a Republican Party reign of similar length. The structure of American Empire and the establishment of friendly democracies would be organized by these neo-con geniuses primarily with the use of brute force and military confrontation. Diplomacy, negotiation, and indeed, understanding other nations and people, were considered completely unnecessary and even harmful.”
If one wished to credit Bush with anything, it might be this: He has finally demonstrated that grandiose plans with no basis in reality cannot succeed, even if all of the resources of the world’s greatest power are put at their service.”
By Patrik Etschmayer
Translated By Patrik Etschmayer
January 15, 2009
Switzerland – Nachrichten – Original Article (German)
A week before the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama, still-President George W. Bush gave his last press conference. As expected, the entire event was a rather flippant affair with lots of laughter and just a few tough questions.
And when these difficult questions were posed, Bush very skillfully beat around the bush or made excuses, which in and of themselves have the potential to go down in history. So although he admits, that the “Mission Accomplished” sign on the aircraft carrier was a mistake – it was only because, “It sent the wrong message. We were trying to say something differently, but nevertheless, it conveyed a different message.”
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