Divine Inspiration

Apparently, it's not about oil, WMDs, human rights, Halliburton, or even the Straussian Grand Plan. Palestinian PM Mahmoud Abbas quoted Bush as saying:

God told me to strike at al Qaida and I struck them, and then he instructed me to strike at Saddam, which I did, and now I am determined to solve the problem in the Middle East. If you help me I will act, and if not, the elections will come and I will have to focus on them.

Now, it's no surprise that Dubs is a religious guy, and more power to him, but the wording here is just a touch disconcerting. Does the President literally believe that God is giving him personal instructions? Does he hear voices? If so, are we sure it's not just Paul Wolfowitz playing with a megaphone?

Comments

[Anonymous]

it'd've been funnier if he'd said "smote."

[Anonymous]

oh god, now Bagge's pretending he's Sanchez.

a Holocaust denying thug makes up some quote & it's so funny to use it to talk about that Volfovitz again. har har.

[Beowulf]

"And George...stop touching yourself!"

[joe]

I agree with the troll. Thinking that the Deputy Sec. of Defense and the Defense Policy Board influence the President's thinking on defense policy is pretty good evidence that you dress up in an SS uniform in your free time. Bastards!

Anyway, either the Prime Minister appointed by Arafat is lying, or the President appointed by William Renquist thinks that he needs to devolve into Tarzan-speak when dealing with an Arab leader. I wonder if his called himself the Great White Father.

[david f]

Beowulf -- Real Genius! excellent movie! (do you think that babs put license plates in georgie's underwear, too?)

drf

[non-story]

Jesus, Julian, let's look at some context.

This is Abbas talking to Hamas. So there are at least two possibilities about GWB not saying this:

1) Abbas is lying b/c he thinks it will make GWB sound more palatable to Hamas

2) Abbas is lying for some other reason.

3) There is some sort of mistake in translation, understanding, etc.

This is hardly proof that Bush is a theocrat or a paranoid schizophrenic or anything

CONTEXT...CONTEXT...CONTEXT

[FastNBulbous]

Oh, yes, you can always trust what a co-founder of a terrorist group who is known more familiarly by a nom de guerre has to say.

[Russ]

Julian, I know it's a cliche but "more power to him"?

[Todd Fletcher]

This quote is highly suspect. I doubt it will pan out as true.

[trainwreck]

The problem with God is he is so damned wishy washy, he tells anyone anything they want to hear!

[Anonymous]

I love the Democatic Underground! oh, wait, this is Hit and Run. Sorry, so hard to tell the two apart!

[The Mountain Goat]

I talked to God last night, and He said He never talks to Bush. Through a burning bush once, but never to G.W.

[hobgoblin]

I can't improve on the ridicule of Sanchez already posted, except to point out that even Bush at his most hackneyed couldn't spew this many malaprops at one time. C'mon, really, Bush's quote translated to Abu Mazen, told to the press in arabic by Mazen, and then translated back into english. Is it even a quote anymore?

Lame, just lame, Sanchez.

Jeez, "If you help me I will act, and if not, the elections will come." What American has EVER said "the elections will come"?

W as Yoda, please.

[Mike E]

"the president appointed by Rhenquist", Joe you show that Bush has done a pretty admirable job thus far. After all, why would you STILL be using that tired and lame line 2 1/2 years after the fact?

Gimme' a prez who listens to God any day over one who lets his children decide crucial nuclear strategy and policy, ala the Slickster and Chelsea. (yup Joe, I used the term "Slickster" to show you that you are not the only one spewing profoundity as old as, well, Bob Byrd)

[dhex]

ahh, but we can be somewhat sure chelsea clinton exists. unless she's some sort of homely robot. and even then, she still exists...robotically.

then again, i would assume most heads of state have imaginary friends. it's the simplest way to explain international politics.

[Lefty]

"I don't bring God into my life to?to, you know, kind of be a political person."?Interview with Tom Brokaw aboard Air Force One, April 24, 2003

[Tim Stich]

"The problem with God is he is so damned wishy washy, he tells anyone anything they want to hear! "

So true!

Which reminds me of the Simpson's rerun last night. Lisa is told by God to lead the French against England in battle as Joan of Arc. She does so and is captured and put on trial in Britain. Calling God as a witness (who appears in the form of a ray of sunshine) the English general is peeved that God told him he would be victorious against the French. God then hems and haws saying, "Uh, this is a bit awkward. I never thought you would be in the same room together. Gotta go!" Then Lisa gets burned at the stake.

[J Mann]

I can't believe you reported this as a fact, Sanchez. Let's see:

1) If Bush said these kind of things in everyday life, we'd know about it by now, because it would be the kind of story that at least the alternative press (including Maureen Dowd) would eat up.

2) So instead, we're supposed to believe that he told *Abu Mazen*, a guy he barely knows, and IS A MUSLIM, that he is fighting Al Quada on the instructions of a Christian god? Even if he were that stupid, the translator and secret service guys would tackle the President before he got halfway through the sentence.

I don't know who you are, but I *hope* that you're smart enough to take this quote with about 50 grains of salt.

[HH]

Sounds a lot like this...

[HH]

The White House has called this quote a fabrication.