Diplomatically- To The MAX!!

NEW YORK- President Bush today said he had tried to avoid war with Iraq "diplomatically to the max."

Speaking to a business group in Irvine, Ca., he admitted mistakes were made in planning for the Iraq invasion, but he defended the troop level, saying "it was the troop level necessary to do the job," and he would commit the same number if given a second chance.

Editor and Publisher

Tried to avoid war to the max he did. Well, there you go. That pretty much settles everything doesn't it? The PNAC and the Rebuilding America's Defenses: Strategies, Forces and Resources for a New Century papers suggest a pre-existing motive. The 60 Minutes Drumheller interview says something else about the intelligence "cherry picking." And you can take that Downing Street Memo however you'd like... hippy. But "to the max" oozes integrity, sincerity, a man of the peopleness that speaks clearly. When W said he had "no war plans on his desk" you know he meant that in more than just the most meaningless literal sense. He was diplomatic to the max.

When Hans Blix says the US chose to ignore UN weapons inspectors' evidence, we don't know how to gauge that. Maybe that's true, from a certain perspective. But how do we know if we can trust that perspective? The president, for all his shortcomings, at least tells us the degree to which he tried something: to the MAX!

Hans Blix, "I think they chose to ignore us."

But to what degree, Hans? To the max? I don't think so.

Tyler Drumheller: "The policy was set. The war in Iraq was coming and they were looking for intelligence to fit into the policy."

How do I know I can believe you, Tyler? Could you say that to the max? If you could, why didn't you?

And El Presidente (for his visit to California W will be El Presidente) says he would be willing to do the same thing again. Would Hans or Tyler do the same things again? These two seem to be conceding some type of mistakes. Can't trust mistake makers.

El Presidente says he would make the same choices all over again.

Well how can you argue with that? I mean other than by resigning your "generalship" and saying it was a mistake, how could you argue with that?

My President is trying things to the max. I don't even try things to the max... maybe to the extreme, but not the max. I think I'm begining to see the light. Maybe I can be one of the 33% who approve.

Yes... I see it. I just want someone who will try... try to the max. That doesn't jibe with my teaching philosophy though. I can't just pass a kid 'cos they try- Whoops, I'm not trying to the max.