George Bush:
"God Ordered Me to End Tyranny in Afghanistan and Iraq"

EWEN MacASKILL / The Guardian Weekly (UK) 20oct2005

George Bush has claimed he was on a mission from God when he launched the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, according to a senior Palestinian politician in an interview to be broadcast by the BBC this month.

Mr Bush revealed the extent of his religious fervour when he met a Palestinian delegation during the Israeli-Palestinian summit at the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, four months after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

One of the delegates, Nabil Shaath, who was Palestinian foreign ministerat the time, said: "President Bush said to all of us: `I am driven with a mission from God'. God would tell me, `George, go and fight these terrorists in Afghanistan'. And I did. And then God would tell me, `George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq'. And I did." Mr Bush went on: "And now, again, I feel God's words coming to me, 'Go get the Palestinians their state and get the Israelis their security, and get peace in the Middle East'. And, by God, I'm gonna do it."

Mr Bush, who became a born-again Christian at 40, is one of the most overtly religious leaders to occupy the White House, a fact which brings him much support in middle America. Soon after, the Israeli daily news-paper Haaretz carried a Palestinian transcript of the meeting. But the Palestinian delegation was reluctant to publicly acknowledge its authenticity. The BBC persuaded Mr Shaath to go on the record for the first time for a series on Israeli-Palestinian diplomacy, Elusive Peace.

Religion also surfaced as an issue when Mr Bush and the British prime minister, Tony Blair, were reported to have prayed together in 2002 at his ranch in Texas — the summit at which the invasion of Iraq was agreed in principle. Mr Blair has consistently refused to admit or deny the claim.

Mr Shaath's comments came as Mr Bush delivered a speech aimed at bolstering US support for the Iraq war. He said that the US and its partners had disrupted at least 10 serious al-Qaida plots since September 11.

"Because of this steady progress, the enemy is wounded — but the enemy is still capable of global operations." He added that Islamic radicals had used a series of excuses to justify their attacks, from conflict with the Israelis to the Crusades 1,000 years ago. ^"We^'re facing a radical ideology with unalterable objectives: to enslave whole nations and intimidate the world," he said.

He conceded that al-Qaida, led in Iraq by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and other insurgents had gained ground in Iraq, but the US would not leave until security had been established.

He went on: "Some observers also claim that America would be better off by cutting our losses and leaving Iraq now. This is a dangerous illusion, refuted with a simple question:

"Would the United States and other free nations be more safe, or less safe with Zarqawi and Bin Laden in control of Iraq, its people, and its resources?"

God Tells Him to Invade Iraq, Afghanistan: Bush - Xinhua (China) 8oct2005

US President George W. Bush has claimed that he was on a mission from God when he launched invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a senior Palestinian official in an interview to be broadcast by BBC TV series this month.

Bush made the comments when he met Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas and then foreign minister Nabil Shaath during the Israeli-Palestinian summit in June 2003, just four months after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, BBC said in an excerpt of the interview released on Thursday.

"President Bush said to all of us: 'I'm driven with a mission from God'.God would tell me, 'George go and fight those terrorists in Afghanistan.' And I did," said Shaath, who is now the Palestinian information minister.

"And then God would tell me,' George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq' And I did," said Shaath.

Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian prime minister, who was also part of the delegation at Sharm el-Sheikh, told the BBC that Bush had said, "I have a moral and religious obligation. I must get you a Palestinian state. And I will."

A BBC spokesman said the content of the program had been put to the White House but it had refused to comment on a private conversation.

According to the BBC, White House spokesman Scott McClellan dismissed it as "absurd" allegations, saying "he's never made such comments."

The three-part BBC TV series, "Elusive Peace: Israel and the Arabs," is due to be broadcast on Monday from October 10 at 2200 BST (2200 GMT).

source: http://english.people.com.cn/200510/08/eng20051008_213092.html 25oct2005

Profile:
US President George W. Bush

US President George W. Bush won reelection as his opponent Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry conceded defeat Wednesday, Nov.3, 2004.

On July 6, 1946, Bush was born in New Haven, Connecticut, but his family soon moved to Texas which he now considers his home.

After receiving a bachelor's degree at Yale University in 1968, Bush served in the Texas Air National Guard for five years while tens of thousands of other people of his age including Democratic presidential contender John Kerry, fought in Vietnam.

His service in the National Guard came to the forefront during the 2000 campaign and back again during the 2004 campaign. Critics accused him of favoritism, saying his father, former US President George H.W. Bush, had pulled strings to help him shun the military duty in Vietnam.

After the guard service, Bush received an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1975. After graduating, he returned to Texas and began a career in energy business. With a group of other investors, he purchased the Texas Rangers baseball franchise in 1989 and served as a general managing partner.

Bush started his first bid for office in 1978 but lost to the incumbent in a congressional race. In 1994, he returned to politics and was elected governor of Texas, a position he held for the following six years.

After a bitter battle of vote recounting in Florida which lasted more than one month, Bush won the US presidential race in the 2000 election by a 5-4 Supreme Court decision.

In his first months of office, Bush stunned the world by carrying out a series of unilateral policies. Washington refused to ratify or even withdrew from international treaties on issues such as nuclear test ban, biological weapons control, missile defense, global warming and the International Criminal Court.

The terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001 boosted Bush's approval rating and offered him a golden opportunity to cast himself as a strong leader and a firm commander-in-chief. Bush launched a military strike in Afghanistan in 2001. In March 2003, he ordered a US-led invasion of Iraq despite the lack of international and UN support.

Realizing that he does not have advantage on domestic issues such as social security, health care and economy, Bush has successfully made Iraq and terrorism the center issues of the campaign.

source: http://english.people.com.cn/data/people/George_W_Bush.html 25oct2005