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GW Bush-the backstory.

Ray9

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The 24 hour news cycle is awash with the greatness of George HW Bush. This will probably last for at least a week maybe longer. When someone dies we like to focus on the good things about them. But US presidents are different. They have profound effects on the lives of many people and they are public figures. Bush’s greatness has a backstory.

To review let’s go back to a meeting on July 25, 1990. Saddam Hussein was rattling a sabre with 30,000 troops amassed on the Border of Kuwait. Iraq had a long standing dispute with Kuwait over debts owed that it used to finance its war with Iran. In addition Kuwait was producing petroleum at high levels which was driving Iraq’s oil revenues down. Saddam was at the end of his rope and he fully intended to annex Kuwait under the pretext of it stealing his oil through slant drilling.

This is where HW enters the picture. He dispatched April Glaspie, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, with a message for Hussein. The message did not say, if you attack Kuwait we will intervene militarily; it said something quite different. Glaspie delivered Bush’s message that the US wanted to maintain friendly relations with Iraq and was curious as to Saddam’s intentions.

Saddam made his case to Glaspie and she essentially responded by saying that what happens between Arabs stays between Arabs and is of no concern to the US. This was printed in the New York Times Sept. 1990. Clearly Saddam understood this to mean that the US didn’t care which Arabs it was getting oil from as long as it was getting it. He promptly attacked Kuwait eight days later.

After a global outcry Bush realized his fatal mistake and initiated the Gulf War to try to save face. On witnessing the slaughter and carnage imposed on Saddam’s troops as they tried to retreat on a highway to hell, Arab hatred of the US escalated and the first attack on the World Trade Center occurred in 1993.

Saudi Arabia attacked it again in 2001 utterly destroying it and son George W. Bush responded by attacking Iraq which had no part in it. Saving face is important and blood is thicker than water. 3,000 innocent American citizens died for that blood.

The flags drop, the legacy is safe and the Kool Aid is served. Don’t worry, it never runs out.
 
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The 24 hour news cycle is awash with the greatness of George HW Bush. This will probably last for at least a week maybe longer. When someone dies we like to focus on the good things about them. But US presidents are different. They have profound effects on the lives of many people and they are public figures. Bush’s greatness has a backstory.

To review let’s go back to a meeting on July 25, 1990. Saddam Hussein was rattling a sabre with 30,000 troops amassed on the Border of Kuwait. Iraq had a long standing dispute with Kuwait over debts owed that it used to finance its war with Iran. In addition Kuwait was producing petroleum at high levels which was driving Iraq’s oil revenues down. Saddam was at the end of his rope and he fully intended to annex Kuwait under the pretext of it stealing his oil through slant drilling.

This is where HW enters the picture. He dispatched April Glaspie, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, with a message for Hussein. The message did not say, if you attack Kuwait we will intervene militarily; it said something quite different. Glaspie delivered Bush’s message that the US wanted to maintain friendly relations with Iraq and was curious as to Saddam’s intentions.

Saddam made his case to Glaspie and she essentially responded by saying that what happens between Arabs stays between Arabs and is of no concern to the US. This was printed in the New York Times Sept. 1990. Clearly Saddam understood this to mean that the US didn’t care which Arabs it was getting oil from as long as it was getting it. He promptly attacked Kuwait eight days later.

After a global outcry Bush realized his fatal mistake and initiated the Gulf War to try to save face. On witnessing the slaughter and carnage imposed on Saddam’s troops as they tried to retreat on a highway to hell, Arab hatred of the US escalated and the first attack on the World Trade Center occurred in 1993.

Saudi Arabia attacked it again in 2001 utterly destroying it and son George W. Bush responded by attacking Iraq which had no part in it. Saving face is important and blood is thicker than water. 3,000 innocent American citizens died for that blood.

The flags drop, the legacy is safe and the Kool Aid is served. Don’t worry, it never runs out.

you went from zero to infowars in two seconds
 
The 24 hour news cycle is awash with the greatness of George HW Bush. This will probably last for at least a week maybe longer. When someone dies we like to focus on the good things about them. But US presidents are different. They have profound effects on the lives of many people and they are public figures. Bush’s greatness has a backstory.

To review let’s go back to a meeting on July 25, 1990. Saddam Hussein was rattling a sabre with 30,000 troops amassed on the Border of Kuwait. Iraq had a long standing dispute with Kuwait over debts owed that it used to finance its war with Iran. In addition Kuwait was producing petroleum at high levels which was driving Iraq’s oil revenues down. Saddam was at the end of his rope and he fully intended to annex Kuwait under the pretext of it stealing his oil through slant drilling.

This is where HW enters the picture. He dispatched April Glaspie, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, with a message for Hussein. The message did not say, if you attack Kuwait we will intervene militarily; it said something quite different. Glaspie delivered Bush’s message that the US wanted to maintain friendly relations with Iraq and was curious as to Saddam’s intentions.

Saddam made his case to Glaspie and she essentially responded by saying that what happens between Arabs stays between Arabs and is of no concern to the US. This was printed in the New York Times Sept. 1990. Clearly Saddam understood this to mean that the US didn’t care which Arabs it was getting oil from as long as it was getting it. He promptly attacked Kuwait eight days later.

After a global outcry Bush realized his fatal mistake and initiated the Gulf War to try to save face. On witnessing the slaughter and carnage imposed on Saddam’s troops as they tried to retreat on a highway to hell, Arab hatred of the US escalated and the first attack on the World Trade Center occurred in 1993.

Saudi Arabia attacked it again in 2001 utterly destroying it and son George W. Bush responded by attacking Iraq which had no part in it. Saving face is important and blood is thicker than water. 3,000 innocent American citizens died for that blood.

The flags drop, the legacy is safe and the Kool Aid is served. Don’t worry, it never runs out.

The US did not approve the invasion of Kuwait.

It wasn't the hatred over the highway to hell that drove Osama Bin Ladin. It was our maintaining a combat base on Saudi holy grounds.

The Saudi Arabia did not attack the World Trade Center in 2001. Some Saudis that were part of a terrorist organization did.

The Iraq war was not because of 9/11.

Where do you get your *special* understanding of history from?
 
The US did not approve the invasion of Kuwait.

It wasn't the hatred over the highway to hell that drove Osama Bin Ladin. It was our maintaining a combat base on Saudi holy grounds.

The Saudi Arabia did not attack the World Trade Center in 2001. Some Saudis that were part of a terrorist organization did.

The Iraq war was not because of 9/11.

Where do you get your *special* understanding of history from?

Oh, it was those weapons of mass destruction that no one ever found? Lol.
 
This thread is already so far off both rails that I can only offer that and nothing more.
 
The 24 hour news cycle is awash with the greatness of George HW Bush. This will probably last for at least a week maybe longer. When someone dies we like to focus on the good things about them. But US presidents are different. They have profound effects on the lives of many people and they are public figures. Bush’s greatness has a backstory.

To review let’s go back to a meeting on July 25, 1990. Saddam Hussein was rattling a sabre with 30,000 troops amassed on the Border of Kuwait. Iraq had a long standing dispute with Kuwait over debts owed that it used to finance its war with Iran. In addition Kuwait was producing petroleum at high levels which was driving Iraq’s oil revenues down. Saddam was at the end of his rope and he fully intended to annex Kuwait under the pretext of it stealing his oil through slant drilling.

This is where HW enters the picture. He dispatched April Glaspie, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, with a message for Hussein. The message did not say, if you attack Kuwait we will intervene militarily; it said something quite different. Glaspie delivered Bush’s message that the US wanted to maintain friendly relations with Iraq and was curious as to Saddam’s intentions.

Saddam made his case to Glaspie and she essentially responded by saying that what happens between Arabs stays between Arabs and is of no concern to the US. This was printed in the New York Times Sept. 1990. Clearly Saddam understood this to mean that the US didn’t care which Arabs it was getting oil from as long as it was getting it. He promptly attacked Kuwait eight days later.

After a global outcry Bush realized his fatal mistake and initiated the Gulf War to try to save face. On witnessing the slaughter and carnage imposed on Saddam’s troops as they tried to retreat on a highway to hell, Arab hatred of the US escalated and the first attack on the World Trade Center occurred in 1993.

Saudi Arabia attacked it again in 2001 utterly destroying it and son George W. Bush responded by attacking Iraq which had no part in it. Saving face is important and blood is thicker than water. 3,000 innocent American citizens died for that blood.

The flags drop, the legacy is safe and the Kool Aid is served. Don’t worry, it never runs out.

I think you are looking for the CT forum
 
Herbert Clark Hoover was a good man, too.
 
The 24 hour news cycle is awash with the greatness of George HW Bush. This will probably last for at least a week maybe longer. When someone dies we like to focus on the good things about them. But US presidents are different. They have profound effects on the lives of many people and they are public figures. Bush’s greatness has a backstory.

To review let’s go back to a meeting on July 25, 1990. Saddam Hussein was rattling a sabre with 30,000 troops amassed on the Border of Kuwait. Iraq had a long standing dispute with Kuwait over debts owed that it used to finance its war with Iran. In addition Kuwait was producing petroleum at high levels which was driving Iraq’s oil revenues down. Saddam was at the end of his rope and he fully intended to annex Kuwait under the pretext of it stealing his oil through slant drilling.

This is where HW enters the picture. He dispatched April Glaspie, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, with a message for Hussein. The message did not say, if you attack Kuwait we will intervene militarily; it said something quite different. Glaspie delivered Bush’s message that the US wanted to maintain friendly relations with Iraq and was curious as to Saddam’s intentions.

Saddam made his case to Glaspie and she essentially responded by saying that what happens between Arabs stays between Arabs and is of no concern to the US. This was printed in the New York Times Sept. 1990. Clearly Saddam understood this to mean that the US didn’t care which Arabs it was getting oil from as long as it was getting it. He promptly attacked Kuwait eight days later.

After a global outcry Bush realized his fatal mistake and initiated the Gulf War to try to save face. On witnessing the slaughter and carnage imposed on Saddam’s troops as they tried to retreat on a highway to hell, Arab hatred of the US escalated and the first attack on the World Trade Center occurred in 1993.

Saudi Arabia attacked it again in 2001 utterly destroying it and son George W. Bush responded by attacking Iraq which had no part in it. Saving face is important and blood is thicker than water. 3,000 innocent American citizens died for that blood.

The flags drop, the legacy is safe and the Kool Aid is served. Don’t worry, it never runs out.
Good job, Alex Jones couldn’t have concocted a better BS story himself.
 
Good job, Alex Jones couldn’t have concocted a better BS story himself.

allow me to rewrite it this way:

George Herbert Walker Bush is dead and buried with full honors as the 41st president of the United States. What we are told to remember about him is circulating on television, radio, newspapers and social media. Apparently he was great man who did great things like say we needed a kinder, gentler nation and no new taxes. I voted for Ross Perot to try and save the company pensions and affordable health insurance you no longer get.

The official narrative is awash with quaint references of bush being the “quiet”, unappreciated president who did no harm. The problem is I don’t have amnesia. An article in the New York Times on Sept. 23, 1990 pointed out that the invasion of Kuwait which resulted in the Gulf War began with Bush and his kinder, gentler approach to a menace named Saddam Hussein.

Hussein was rattling a sabre with 30,000 troops amassed on the Border of Kuwait. Bush dispatched April Glaspie, US Ambassador to Iraq on July 25, 1990 to meet with Hussein where she delivered a message. The message did not say, if you attack Kuwait we will intervene militarily. Glaspie delivered Bush’s message that the US wanted to maintain friendly relations with Iraq and was curious as to Saddam’s intentions.

Saddam was at the end of his rope because he was heavily in debt to Kuwait and Kuwait was producing oil at a high level cutting into Iraq’s revenues. Saddam was testing the waters when he announced to Glaspie that he fully intended to annex Kuwait under the pretext of it stealing his oil through slant drilling unless a solution could be reached.

Incredibly, Glaspie responded by saying that the US has no opinion on border disputes between Arab nations. Clearly Saddam understood this to mean that the US would not intervene; he promptly took Kuwait eight days later.

Students of history may recognize that this is the kind of lethal diplomatic incompetence that starts major wars and the Gulf war ensued ending with Saddam’s retreating troops mixed with civilians in Volkswagens being slaughtered on the highway of Death which enraged Arabs everywhere.

1993: Arab revenge attack # 1 on World Trade Center. 2001: attack #2 by agents of Saudi Arabia utterly destroys it. 2003: Bush’s son attacks Iraq which had no part in 9/11 obscuring a black mark on his father’s legacy.

For those who don’t have “official” amnesia.
 
allow me to rewrite it this way:

George Herbert Walker Bush is dead and buried with full honors as the 41st president of the United States. What we are told to remember about him is circulating on television, radio, newspapers and social media. Apparently he was great man who did great things like say we needed a kinder, gentler nation and no new taxes. I voted for Ross Perot to try and save the company pensions and affordable health insurance you no longer get.

The official narrative is awash with quaint references of bush being the “quiet”, unappreciated president who did no harm. The problem is I don’t have amnesia. An article in the New York Times on Sept. 23, 1990 pointed out that the invasion of Kuwait which resulted in the Gulf War began with Bush and his kinder, gentler approach to a menace named Saddam Hussein.

Hussein was rattling a sabre with 30,000 troops amassed on the Border of Kuwait. Bush dispatched April Glaspie, US Ambassador to Iraq on July 25, 1990 to meet with Hussein where she delivered a message. The message did not say, if you attack Kuwait we will intervene militarily. Glaspie delivered Bush’s message that the US wanted to maintain friendly relations with Iraq and was curious as to Saddam’s intentions.

Saddam was at the end of his rope because he was heavily in debt to Kuwait and Kuwait was producing oil at a high level cutting into Iraq’s revenues. Saddam was testing the waters when he announced to Glaspie that he fully intended to annex Kuwait under the pretext of it stealing his oil through slant drilling unless a solution could be reached.

Incredibly, Glaspie responded by saying that the US has no opinion on border disputes between Arab nations. Clearly Saddam understood this to mean that the US would not intervene; he promptly took Kuwait eight days later.

Students of history may recognize that this is the kind of lethal diplomatic incompetence that starts major wars and the Gulf war ensued ending with Saddam’s retreating troops mixed with civilians in Volkswagens being slaughtered on the highway of Death which enraged Arabs everywhere.

1993: Arab revenge attack # 1 on World Trade Center. 2001: attack #2 by agents of Saudi Arabia utterly destroys it. 2003: Bush’s son attacks Iraq which had no part in 9/11 obscuring a black mark on his father’s legacy.

For those who don’t have “official” amnesia.
The above revised “story” is only slightly more in line with the actual history of events than your original totally skewed version.

A New York Times editorial asserting the Gulf War began with HW Bush’s “kinder, gentler” approach is an opinion only, and not one shared by those who were directly involved with diplomatic endeavors to avoid the confrontation that ultimately ensued, including the governments/leaders of Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. Extensive efforts were made by the region’s leaders to avoid direct confrontation. Saddam Hussein was unwilling to reason, instead he demanded to be forgiven billions of dollars in debt from his previous war with Iran, and wanted (demanded) oil profits from Kuwait because he believed they were slant drilling, stealing oil from Iraq. A charge that was never verified.

There is no record or credible reporting to back up your claim that Hussein told Glaspie he intended to invade/annex Kuwait. In fact, during her conversation, Glaspie asked “What are your intentions?" Saddam says it is a reasonable question, and he acknowledges that this is even our "duty" as a superpower. But he quickly returns to his list of grievances, and says he’s tried everything to resolve his problem with Kuwait. Had Hussein replied that he intended to invade/annex Kuwait there is no doubt that would have resulted in a dramatic change in position by the U.S. and Middle East allies involved.

Glaspie’s approach, as directed by the administration, can and should be criticized for it’s lack of force and clarity. Blaming Glaspie or HW Bush for Hussein invading Kuwait is a shameful perversion of history. The blame rightly, and squarely, rests solely on the shoulders of Saddam Hussein (rot in pieces).

A handful of references for your review:
https://www.nytimes.com/1990/09/23/...-iraqi-document-on-meeting-with-us-envoy.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/02/AR2008040203485.html
https://foreignpolicy.com/2011/01/09/wikileaks-april-glaspie-and-saddam-hussein/
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/s...ailed-why-saddam-hussein-invaded-kuwait-37237
https://www.history.com/topics/middle-east/persian-gulf-war
 
Oh, it was those weapons of mass destruction that no one ever found? Lol.

The Iraqi Air Force said they took the chemical weapons to Syria.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_Sada

But I get it. George HW Bush was ten times the man your precious Dear Leader is. No wonder you’ve resorted to laughable attempts at a smear job.
 


Well, we can at least thank Trump for killing the conservative war hawks. Today almost everyone agrees that the Iraq war, Afghanistan, and even Vietnam were bad ideas. The hippies were right.
 
The above revised “story” is only slightly more in line with the actual history of events than your original totally skewed version.

A New York Times editorial asserting the Gulf War began with HW Bush’s “kinder, gentler” approach is an opinion only, and not one shared by those who were directly involved with diplomatic endeavors to avoid the confrontation that ultimately ensued, including the governments/leaders of Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. Extensive efforts were made by the region’s leaders to avoid direct confrontation. Saddam Hussein was unwilling to reason, instead he demanded to be forgiven billions of dollars in debt from his previous war with Iran, and wanted (demanded) oil profits from Kuwait because he believed they were slant drilling, stealing oil from Iraq. A charge that was never verified.

There is no record or credible reporting to back up your claim that Hussein told Glaspie he intended to invade/annex Kuwait. In fact, during her conversation, Glaspie asked “What are your intentions?" Saddam says it is a reasonable question, and he acknowledges that this is even our "duty" as a superpower. But he quickly returns to his list of grievances, and says he’s tried everything to resolve his problem with Kuwait. Had Hussein replied that he intended to invade/annex Kuwait there is no doubt that would have resulted in a dramatic change in position by the U.S. and Middle East allies involved.

Glaspie’s approach, as directed by the administration, can and should be criticized for it’s lack of force and clarity. Blaming Glaspie or HW Bush for Hussein invading Kuwait is a shameful perversion of history. The blame rightly, and squarely, rests solely on the shoulders of Saddam Hussein (rot in pieces).

A handful of references for your review:
https://www.nytimes.com/1990/09/23/...-iraqi-document-on-meeting-with-us-envoy.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/02/AR2008040203485.html
https://foreignpolicy.com/2011/01/09/wikileaks-april-glaspie-and-saddam-hussein/
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/s...ailed-why-saddam-hussein-invaded-kuwait-37237
https://www.history.com/topics/middle-east/persian-gulf-war

Thanks for the links. The op was written from memory. I'm 71.
 
Thanks for the links. The op was written from memory. I'm 71.
With respect from another AARP member who also occasionally forgets things, before beginning a thread/posting negative and inflammatory comments, it is a good idea to first take time to validate those older recollections.
 
Dems like George HW Bush so because he was a globalist and a good deal of his life was spent helping others. You dems emulate HW. Never-Trumpers, too.
 
allow me to rewrite it this way:

George Herbert Walker Bush is dead and buried with full honors as the 41st president of the United States. What we are told to remember about him is circulating on television, radio, newspapers and social media. Apparently he was great man who did great things like say we needed a kinder, gentler nation and no new taxes. I voted for Ross Perot to try and save the company pensions and affordable health insurance you no longer get.

The official narrative is awash with quaint references of bush being the “quiet”, unappreciated president who did no harm. The problem is I don’t have amnesia. An article in the New York Times on Sept. 23, 1990 pointed out that the invasion of Kuwait which resulted in the Gulf War began with Bush and his kinder, gentler approach to a menace named Saddam Hussein.

Hussein was rattling a sabre with 30,000 troops amassed on the Border of Kuwait. Bush dispatched April Glaspie, US Ambassador to Iraq on July 25, 1990 to meet with Hussein where she delivered a message. The message did not say, if you attack Kuwait we will intervene militarily. Glaspie delivered Bush’s message that the US wanted to maintain friendly relations with Iraq and was curious as to Saddam’s intentions.

Saddam was at the end of his rope because he was heavily in debt to Kuwait and Kuwait was producing oil at a high level cutting into Iraq’s revenues. Saddam was testing the waters when he announced to Glaspie that he fully intended to annex Kuwait under the pretext of it stealing his oil through slant drilling unless a solution could be reached.

Incredibly, Glaspie responded by saying that the US has no opinion on border disputes between Arab nations. Clearly Saddam understood this to mean that the US would not intervene; he promptly took Kuwait eight days later.

Students of history may recognize that this is the kind of lethal diplomatic incompetence that starts major wars and the Gulf war ensued ending with Saddam’s retreating troops mixed with civilians in Volkswagens being slaughtered on the highway of Death which enraged Arabs everywhere.

1993: Arab revenge attack # 1 on World Trade Center. 2001: attack #2 by agents of Saudi Arabia utterly destroys it. 2003: Bush’s son attacks Iraq which had no part in 9/11 obscuring a black mark on his father’s legacy.

For those who don’t have “official” amnesia.

Perhaps if you start rewriting something, you should at least be factual in your first sentence. GHWB is dead, but he is not yet buried and he hasn't finished receiving his "full honors". Why should anyone continue to read when you get that basic wrong?
 
Perhaps if you start rewriting something, you should at least be factual in your first sentence. GHWB is dead, but he is not yet buried and he hasn't finished receiving his "full honors". Why should anyone continue to read when you get that basic wrong?

That's because the piece was written for a print publication that won't display it for another week. I often put my work on political websites to get critiqued before I submit it. You people are tough critics and I appreciate that.
 
The 24 hour news cycle is awash with the greatness of George HW Bush. This will probably last for at least a week maybe longer. When someone dies we like to focus on the good things about them. But US presidents are different. They have profound effects on the lives of many people and they are public figures. Bush’s greatness has a backstory.

To review let’s go back to a meeting on July 25, 1990. Saddam Hussein was rattling a sabre with 30,000 troops amassed on the Border of Kuwait. Iraq had a long standing dispute with Kuwait over debts owed that it used to finance its war with Iran. In addition Kuwait was producing petroleum at high levels which was driving Iraq’s oil revenues down. Saddam was at the end of his rope and he fully intended to annex Kuwait under the pretext of it stealing his oil through slant drilling.

This is where HW enters the picture. He dispatched April Glaspie, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, with a message for Hussein. The message did not say, if you attack Kuwait we will intervene militarily; it said something quite different. Glaspie delivered Bush’s message that the US wanted to maintain friendly relations with Iraq and was curious as to Saddam’s intentions.

Saddam made his case to Glaspie and she essentially responded by saying that what happens between Arabs stays between Arabs and is of no concern to the US. This was printed in the New York Times Sept. 1990. Clearly Saddam understood this to mean that the US didn’t care which Arabs it was getting oil from as long as it was getting it. He promptly attacked Kuwait eight days later.

After a global outcry Bush realized his fatal mistake and initiated the Gulf War to try to save face. On witnessing the slaughter and carnage imposed on Saddam’s troops as they tried to retreat on a highway to hell, Arab hatred of the US escalated and the first attack on the World Trade Center occurred in 1993.

Saudi Arabia attacked it again in 2001 utterly destroying it and son George W. Bush responded by attacking Iraq which had no part in it. Saving face is important and blood is thicker than water. 3,000 innocent American citizens died for that blood.

The flags drop, the legacy is safe and the Kool Aid is served. Don’t worry, it never runs out.

I watched Glaspie's testimony to Congress on this matter. The term she was instructed to use was that, if Saddam invaded Kuwait, the US would consider it a matter of "inter-arab affairs".

Bush was a devious crook.
 
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