- Joined
- May 19, 2004
- Messages
- 14,256
- Reaction score
- 9,002
- Location
- Texas
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Libertarian - Right
Source: SFGATE
President Bush said Friday the United States does not intend to attack Iran to crush its suspected nuclear weapons project but added that "you never want a president to say never." He expressed hopes that a European diplomatic initiative would persuade Tehran to abandon any such program.
In interviews with European journalists at the White House, Bush was asked about an opinion poll showing that 70 percent of Germans believe the United States is planning military action against Iran.
"I hear all these rumors about military attacks, and it's just not the truth," said Bush, who leaves Sunday for Europe to mend fences with allies. "We want diplomacy to work."
The president sat down for a series of broadcast interviews with correspondents from Russia, France, Belgium, Slovakia and Germany in connection with a five-day trip to Europe. There were repeated questions about whether the United States would attack Iran.
"Listen, first of all, you never want a president to say 'never.' But military action is certainly not _ it's never the president's first choice. Diplomacy is always the president's first _ at least my first choice."