Bush stands on our values and calls for sacrifice

“You know, look. It's important for people to know what --that I've got a future, that I believe in a future that's peaceful based upon liberty. And I remember my predecessor who's life we mourn, Ronald Reagan, they felt the same way about him.

“Tom, that doesn't mean a fella like me should change my beliefs. I'm not going to. I'm not trying to be popular. What I'm trying to do is what I think is right. And what is right is to fight terror.

“And what is right is to spread freedom. And what is right, to stand on the -- is to stand on the values that my country and our country upholds. And I will continue to do so. In the meantime, I work hard to build alliances. And you know, we've got good relations with countries in Europe. And the countries in Europe like Britain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Italy, have been strong supporters of our mutual policies.”

Perhaps he meant to say, "step on our values."

And the troops overseas must be thrilled to hear that the American people are conducting acts of sacrifice by spending more money to jazz up the economy so that we can...afford to keep those same troops overseas longer.

Brokaw: “And there's been a marked deterioration in the support for the war in Iraq. Also in your recent speeches, you have talked about World War II in terms of the sacrifices that the American people have made.

“Many people believe that you ought to be asking more of the American people at home to sacrifice more so that they feel more connected to what's going on the—“

Bush: “What does that mean, sacrifice more?”

Brokaw: “Well, like in World War II for example, they rationed gasoline. They gave up their meat supplies. You don't have to go that far. But there's a great sense, I think, that there's a disconnect between what American military people are doing overseas and what Americans are doing at home.”

Bush: “Yeah. I, you know, I—“

Brokaw: “You not agree with that?”

Bush: “I-- no, I don't. I am-- and first of all, Americans have been sacrificing. Our economy hadn't been as strong as it should be. And there's people that hadn't been working. Fortunately, our economy is now strong and it's getting stronger. Job report has been very robust recently, which is positive news. In other words, people are getting back to work. The country is going to be strong economically, which means we're more able to be able to afford keeping our troops overseas. I think that what's really important for the American people is to understand that the long-term consequences of a free Iraq will be very important for the peace of the world and security of America. And that is my main responsibility, is to explain to people why soldiers are sacrificing in Iraq. And my judgment is that the American people understand that.

“Now, it's easy to say things aren't going so well when you're seeing pictures of, you know, a horrible humiliation of Iraqi prisoners on TV. But as a free Iraq begins to emerge and the people begin to see leadership say, ‘We appreciate America, thank you for your sacrifices, we will be a free country,’ I think you'll see the American people begin to connect the sacrifice there in the theater to the long-term objectives of this government.”

I do fervently hope that the American people begin to connect the sacrifice by the trooper "in the theater" to the long-term objectives of this government.

And Newsisfree takes exception to Bush's ad libbing at the end of the interview. He thinks Bush screwed up. I dunno. Seemed pretty calculating -- typical Bush chest puffed, I-am-my-own-man machismo, even at the expense of a still-warm ex-president to whom Bush II owes all of his political (and, for that matter, business) success.