Word: iraq
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...majority correctly faults the Bush administration for coddling Saddam Hussein in the years--even days--leading up to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. We congratulate them on their miraculous hindsight. But Bush's error was one of judgement, not of intention. By maintaining friendly ties with Iraq, he had hoped to tame Hussein's aggressiveness. A fatal miscalculation, we agree, but an understandable one given the complicated history of the region...
Perhaps Bush's greatest foreign policy failure, ironically, was his handling of Iraq in the months preceding the Gulf War. For years, the U.S. directly aided the Iraqi government of Saddam Hussein and helped build up his military with weapons sales. Then, in the weeks before Hussein invaded Kuwait, Bush appeased the dictator through Ambassador April Glaspie. Just days before the invasion, in fact, Glaspie told Hussein that the U.S. had "no opinion" on the "border disagreement with Kuwait...
...there are other shady dealings. We still don't know the full extent of American appeasement of Saddam Hussein before the Gulf War. Some now charge that the Bush administration was selling arms to Iraq right up to the time Hussein invaded Kuwait. And we do know that as secretary of state, James A. Baker III made sure that Iraq received $1 billion in farm credit guarantees despite the Agriculture Department's independent ruling to limit such guarantees because of concerns about Iraq's possible involvement in an international bank scandal...
...Resting on Eye-Level Podium--most of debate. .Phony Exaggerated Grins--3 .Drawing of attention to ears--Not this time. Media BashesNone, instead, he quotes The Washington Post Only once last night 5 times. but quotes The Wall Street Journal once, and tells Bush to get a Nexis/Lexis on Iraq twice. Congress 2, and he talks about cutting down Congressional staffs 11, holds out hope for "new Congress" only once. 3, and talks about going into Washington and "holding hands" with people Stock Phrases ."Tax"--20 times "Jobs"--13 times, exactly the same number as the last debate .The word...
Bush would probably prefer not to be judged on his record of prophecy regarding Iraq and China. But at least those subjects were raised. What comes through from the 1988 debates is the stunning irrelevancy of most of the exchanges. Never mentioned was the fast-escalating savings-and-loan crisis. Not a word was devoted to the economic challenge from Japan. There was never more than a hint, even from Dukakis, that paper prosperity might soon give way to remorseless recession...