Bush’s responsibility

I wrote an edit last week that called for President Bush to accept repsonsibility that at least the initial information and decision on going into Iraq were wrong. (link) Since then British Prime Minster Tony Blair accepted full responsibility but Bush keeps changing the reason for going to war, even claiming it “made America safer.”

White House press veteran Helen Thomas asked some tough question on this issue Monday, but Press Secretary McClellen brushed her off. Transcript inside.

Q Prime Minister Blair took full personal responsibility for taking his nation into war under falsehoods — under reasons that have been determined now to be false. Is President Bush also willing to take full, personal responsibility –

MR. McCLELLAN: I think Prime Minister Blair said that it was the right thing to do; that Saddam Hussein’s regime was a threat.

Q Those were not the reasons he took his country into war. It turned out to be untrue, and the same is true for us. Does the President take full, personal responsibility for this war?

MR. McCLELLAN: The issue here is what do you to with a threat in a post-September 11th world? Either you live with a threat, or you confront the threat.

Q There was no threat.

MR. McCLELLAN: The President made the decision to confront the threat.

Q Saddam Hussein did not threaten this country.

MR. McCLELLAN: The world — the world, the Congress and the administration all disagree. They all recognized that there was a threat posed by Saddam Hussein. When it came to September 11th, that changed the equation. It taught us, as I said –

Q The Intelligence Committee said there was no threat.

MR. McCLELLAN: As I said, it taught us that we must confront threats before it’s too late.

Q So the President doesn’t take full responsibility?

MR. McCLELLAN: The President already talked about the responsibility for the decisions he’s made. He talked about that with Prime Minister Blair.

Q Personal responsibility?

McClellen then switched to a different journalist, not answering the question.
link to White House stranscript