Bush "not telling truth" in memoirs: Germany's Schroeder

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BERLIN - Gerhard Schroeder hit back on Tuesday at claims by former U.S. president George W. Bush in his newly released memoirs that the German ex-chancellor had broken his word over support for an invasion of Iraq.

"Former American president Bush is not telling the truth," Schroeder said in a statement.

Bush said in his memoirs that he told Schroeder in an Oval Office meeting in January 2002 he was determined to make diplomacy work but cautioned that while the military option was Washington's last choice, he would use it if necessary.

"What is true of Afghanistan is true of Iraq," Bush quotes Schroeder as saying. "Nations that sponsor terror must face consequences. If you make it fast and make it decisive, I will be with you."

Schroeder was against the March 2003 invasion, stridently rejecting what he branded a military "adventure", and his opposition is seen as one of the main reasons for his re-election in September 2002.

"I continued to work with Gerhard Schroeder on areas of mutual interest. But as someone who valued personal diplomacy, I put a high premium on trust. Once that trust was violated, it was hard to have a constructive relationship again," Bush says in his book "Decision Points" released on Tuesday.

Schroeder confirmed on Tuesday that he had told Bush that he would "stand reliably on the side of the U.S." if it was confirmed that Iraq was sheltering those responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks.

"But this link, as it became clear during 2002, was false and contrived. This goes for reasons (for the invasion) given by Bush and (vice president #######) Cheney too.

"As we know today, the Bush administration's reasons for the Iraq war were based on lies."

France's then-president Jacques Chirac also opposed the war, and a deep transatlantic rift ensued until the end of Schroeder's tenure and the election of Angela Merkel as chancellor in 2005, when relations began to thaw.

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Bush+telling+truth+memoirs+Germany+Schroeder/3801490/story.html

[The_Dude 1,142]

LOL. Bush lying about a war in Iraq, again? Shocking.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Bush has told so many lies he doesnt know what the truth is

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

Screw Schroeder. The guy was always in Putin's pocket.

[Obama 2012 1,714]

If Bush lied, then 9.11 was an inside job...

you can't have it both ways.

Everyone saw the same intelligence reports, so cut the ####### on "bush lied"

[slim 1,530]

Aren't Bush and Cheney still facing war crimes trials if they step foot onto German soil?

Or was that France?

I don't know. Maybe it was Italy where we "rendered" a few of their citizens and now they'd like to chat with someone about it. Either way, I bet those two doofuses will steer clear of European vacations for a while.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

If Bush lied, then 9.11 was an inside job...

you can't have it both ways.

Everyone saw the same intelligence reports, so cut the ####### on "bush lied"

Bush lied. He may not have known he lied, but he did.

[The_Dude 1,142]

If Bush lied, then 9.11 was an inside job...

you can't have it both ways.

Everyone saw the same intelligence reports, so cut the ####### on "bush lied"

Paul, I think most are talking about THE lie. You know, when he said that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and that Al-Qaida was in Iraq and behind this. I think the worst part were the un-principled congress who knew he was full of sh!t, but voted to fund the war anyways for fear of being viewed as unpatriotic.

Aren't Bush and Cheney still facing war crimes trials if they step foot onto German soil?

Or was that France?

I don't know. Maybe it was Italy where we "rendered" a few of their citizens and now they'd like to chat with someone about it. Either way, I bet those two doofuses will steer clear of European vacations for a while.

Actually Slim, I believe that is a town in Vermont that wants to try them on war crimes.

[slim 1,530]

Actually Slim, I believe that is a town in Vermont that wants to try them on war crimes.

Gary's been here?

[The_Dude 1,142]

Gary's been here?

I have no idea, it's a town called Brattleboro, VT.

[slim 1,530]

I have no idea, it's a town called Brattleboro, VT.

I thought the pres/vp were immune from lawsuits and prosecution from "lower" authorites.

Also, I'm pretty sure there are a few European nations that have active warrants out for those d!ckheads.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Screw Schroeder. The guy was always in Putin's pocket.

You don't know much about the man. He actually pushed and accomplished the very reforms that eventually cost him his job, cost his party dearly in elections since but that now allow Germany to strive economically and lead Europe out of the global recession ahead of all other nations. He's done a great job as chancellor and he chose to not kick the can down the road just to be re-elected time and again. We'd be lucky to have a leader like him to actually tackle the structural issues that our political class continues to let linger decade after decade. If such leader then happens to be successful in the private economy, I'd have no issue with that at all.

[scandal 951]

I think most are talking about THE lie. You know, when he said that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and that Al-Qaida was in Iraq and behind this. I think the worst part were the un-principled congress who knew he was full of sh!t, but voted to fund the war anyways for fear of being viewed as unpatriotic.

You are right that it's very important to distinguish between 9/11, al Quaida and their bases in Afghanistan abetted by the Taliban on the one hand, and the pretexts for the War in Iraq on the other hand. Criticizing the Bush Administration behavior in the latter does not imply criticism of the former.

As to "un-principled congress who knew he was full of sh!t" - I remember well my own views and reactions at the time. I remember Saddam categorically refusing to allow inspectors back into the country, failure to take any steps to comply with the UN resolutions and have sanctions lifted and the threat of war averted. He certainly wasn't acting innocent. Then, I remember Colin Powell's UN Speech, complete with satellite photographs of what Powell claimed was convincing evidence of WMD. It convinced me, and I supported the war based on that evidence. Of course, we've all learned a great deal since, most particularly that there never were WMD in Iraq. I'm sure that Powell was deceived (he's said as much) and don't fault him. I'm also willing to believe that most members of Congress were deceived too, though not those members of the House Intelligence and Armed Services Committees that were given access to the raw intel, unscrubbed and unvarnished. In short - I wouldn't call Congress "unprincipled" or "full of sh!t" on this question, I give them the benefit of the doubt.