According to an upcoming BBC report, "Elusive Peace: Israel and the Arabs," to air on October 10, 17, and 24, Bush separately told Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas and Palestine's then foreign minister Nabil Shaath that God told him to invade Iraq, invade Afghanistan, and to create a Palestinian state.
Shaath, now the Palestinian information minister, said this:
President Bush said to all of us: "I'm driven with a mission from God.There was no immediate from the White House or from God.
"God would tell me, 'George, go and fight those terrorists in Afghanistan.'
"And I did, and then God would tell me, 'George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq...' And I did.
"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."
You're right. God told me the same thing, he told you.
ReplyDeleteI found your site surfing. Interesting reading on a subject often ignored.
God help us all!
ReplyDeleteLet me make it clear that I didn't post this because I have a beef with people of faith. I have no problem with a person of faith being in the White House. After all, the people who set up the country were predominantly people of faith (as am I), along with virtually all of the White House occupants.
ReplyDeleteBut it is the manner in which Bush's faith plays a role that disturbs me. He wears his faith on his sleeve because he knows it will get certain people to come out and vote. Kerry's faith is criticized as hollow because they don't want the faithful to get confused about whom to choose.
And this faith of his is leading him to make policy that has led to many unnecessary deaths.
I'm uncomfortable with the whole thing. If I were president, I would probably pray over every major decision, but that conversation would be between me and God, and I'm pretty sure God would have me listen to a lot of different voice. God would probably also make sure I read his entire book, and not just the Cliff Notes (or "the Holy Scripture for Dummies") that miss a lot of the important stuff. I mean, when you say God is guiding you but you're setting up policy to rape God's creation and you're making decisions that lead to innocent people's deaths, maybe you're not paying attention.
Good grief. And you take the Palestinian "Information Minister" at his word, just because it fits with your pre-existing belief about "the manner in which Bush's faith plays a role that disturbs" you.
ReplyDeleteIf you saw the same program I did, the footage also carried a subtitle that states that the White House denies President Bush made such remarks.
I don't know whether Bush made such remarks or not at that meeting. I wasn't there.
But I am not automatically going to take the Palestinian official's word over that from the White House. Let's just say that I remain skeptical.
kushibo ajushi, check this out.
ReplyDeletehttp://mintyclorets.blogspot.com/2005/10/another-drawing.html
You on holiday or something Kush?
ReplyDeleteThat's the problem, [], this particular incident really can't be substantiated by anyone except those who are there.
ReplyDeleteHowever, they do seem to match other public proclamations about his particular brand of faith that are clearly documented, so I tend to find them credible.
Such statements are practically taken from the fundamentalist-evangelist (a certain type of fundamentalism) playbook, so it's not as if these statements are completely out of character for someone who has made an issue out of how his fundamentalist faith plays a role in his governing decisions.