The Burning Bush
Oct. 7th, 2005 09:00 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
waitingmanDon't we lock up people who hear voices?? From this morning's The Age
God told me to invade, says Bush
US PRESIDENT George Bush has said that he was instructed by God to invade Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a new BBC series.
The claim comes from the first meeting between the US leader, the Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas (also known as Abu Mazen), and his then foreign minister in June 2003.
The ministers say that Mr Bush also revealed to them that he had been told by God to create a Palestinian state.
Former Palestinian foreign minister Nabil Shaath, now the Information Minister, describes the meeting with the US leader, in the BBC2 program, Elusive Peace: Israel and the Arabs.
He says: "President Bush said to all of us: 'I'm driven with a mission 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."
Mr Abbas, who was also at the meeting in the Egyptian resort of Sharm al-Sheikh, recounts how the President told him: "I have a moral and religious obligation.
"So I will get you a Palestinian state."
A BBC spokesman said the content of the program had been put to the White House but it had refused to comment on a private conversation.
The three-part series charts the attempts to bring peace to the Middle East, from former president Bill Clinton's peace talks in 1999-2000 to Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
The BBC program speaks to presidents and prime ministers, their generals and ministers, about what happened behind closed doors as the peace talks failed and the intifada exploded
So, did god tell him to cripple his own country economically & socially while he was at it? And if god's so chatty, surely he would have mentioned something about the 9/11 attacks some time beforehand... given that George is such a faithful servant & all, y'all...
And from today's Sydney Morning Herald...
Howard denies he's looking for new job
Prime Minister John Howard denies he is looking for a new job in the private sector.
Mr Howard, Australia's second-longest serving prime minister, has consistently refused to set a date for his retirement.
The Bulletin magazine has reported that Mr Howard has asked his advisers to sound out people in private enterprise about potential positions.
But Mr Howard says the report is wrong.
"That particular claim is not right," Mr Howard told Southern Cross broadcasting.
"I haven't had any different discussions with my staff over the last few weeks or months about their futures or my future than I've previously had.
"The question of whether individual members of my staff stay with me is a matter for them."
Mr Howard said he was happy being prime minister.
"I'm certainly not looking for any job in private enterprise," he said.
"I've got too much on my plate at the present time.
"This is a wonderful job, it's a terrific experience, it's a great challenge and every day's a bit different."
He said he had been lucky to have loyal, dedicated staff for the past nine-and-a-half years as prime minister.
"Like any other person or people, they have a right to think about their futures but nothing in relation to their futures is any different from what it was six months ago, 12 months ago," he said.
Mr Howard refused to say if he had given his staff a guarantee he would still be around in six months' time.
"But can I tell you this - they still come in every morning full of ideas, full of energy and thinking about the future," he said.
"So I don't get the sense that any of them are sort of slipping into cruise control."
Can't wait to see him go through a 6 week long, 4 interview process to get a job...
God told me to invade, says Bush
US PRESIDENT George Bush has said that he was instructed by God to invade Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a new BBC series.
The claim comes from the first meeting between the US leader, the Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas (also known as Abu Mazen), and his then foreign minister in June 2003.
The ministers say that Mr Bush also revealed to them that he had been told by God to create a Palestinian state.
Former Palestinian foreign minister Nabil Shaath, now the Information Minister, describes the meeting with the US leader, in the BBC2 program, Elusive Peace: Israel and the Arabs.
He says: "President Bush said to all of us: 'I'm driven with a mission 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."
Mr Abbas, who was also at the meeting in the Egyptian resort of Sharm al-Sheikh, recounts how the President told him: "I have a moral and religious obligation.
"So I will get you a Palestinian state."
A BBC spokesman said the content of the program had been put to the White House but it had refused to comment on a private conversation.
The three-part series charts the attempts to bring peace to the Middle East, from former president Bill Clinton's peace talks in 1999-2000 to Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
The BBC program speaks to presidents and prime ministers, their generals and ministers, about what happened behind closed doors as the peace talks failed and the intifada exploded
So, did god tell him to cripple his own country economically & socially while he was at it? And if god's so chatty, surely he would have mentioned something about the 9/11 attacks some time beforehand... given that George is such a faithful servant & all, y'all...
And from today's Sydney Morning Herald...
Howard denies he's looking for new job
Prime Minister John Howard denies he is looking for a new job in the private sector.
Mr Howard, Australia's second-longest serving prime minister, has consistently refused to set a date for his retirement.
The Bulletin magazine has reported that Mr Howard has asked his advisers to sound out people in private enterprise about potential positions.
But Mr Howard says the report is wrong.
"That particular claim is not right," Mr Howard told Southern Cross broadcasting.
"I haven't had any different discussions with my staff over the last few weeks or months about their futures or my future than I've previously had.
"The question of whether individual members of my staff stay with me is a matter for them."
Mr Howard said he was happy being prime minister.
"I'm certainly not looking for any job in private enterprise," he said.
"I've got too much on my plate at the present time.
"This is a wonderful job, it's a terrific experience, it's a great challenge and every day's a bit different."
He said he had been lucky to have loyal, dedicated staff for the past nine-and-a-half years as prime minister.
"Like any other person or people, they have a right to think about their futures but nothing in relation to their futures is any different from what it was six months ago, 12 months ago," he said.
Mr Howard refused to say if he had given his staff a guarantee he would still be around in six months' time.
"But can I tell you this - they still come in every morning full of ideas, full of energy and thinking about the future," he said.
"So I don't get the sense that any of them are sort of slipping into cruise control."
Can't wait to see him go through a 6 week long, 4 interview process to get a job...
