Yesterday, Jeb Bush was asked a very simple question by Fox's Megyn Kelly,
"Knowing what we know now, would you have authorized the invasion?"
His answer was "I would have," an emphatic yes.
The reactions to that answer ranged from incredulity to utter disdain. Even Laura Ingram was taken aback, questioning his sanity,
You can't still think that going into Iraq, now, as a sane human being, was the right thing to do, * * * If you do, there has to be something wrong with you,
So today,
we get Jeb, through his aide Ana Navarro, trying to back out or more appropriately squirm out of that ridiculous statement. Navarro said she asked Bush whether he had misheard the question and he said "Yes, I misheard the question."
Upon hearing this lamest of lame excuses for Jeb saying exactly what he thought and making an utter fool of himself in the process, Paul Begala had the absolute best response possible. With tongue firmly in cheek Begala said
"I didn't know he had a hearing impairment and we pray for his swift recovery."
Update. One comment suggested that Jeb should be given the benefit of the doubt, that maybe he did not hear the question correctly. Putting aside the fact that given that the question was articulated very carefully with a pause in a one-on-one interview all of which makes it hard to believe the question was misheard, Jeb was articulating the neo-con company line.
Have no doubt, if that same question is asked of George W. Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, or any of the neo-cons responsible for the war their answer will be the same as Jeb's, and Cheney's answer is already on the record. And it will be the same for two reasons. First, they can never admit to a mistake. Second, they are not troubled by the results of that disastrous invasion of Iraq because it has embroiled the Middle East in conflict and they see that conflict as ultimately beneficial to the United States. Ever since the Soviet Union ceased to exist they have been flailing around for an enemy against whom all of their efforts can be devoted. Without an enemy it is impossible to generate fear. Fear, conflict, and the threat of conflict are unifying forces in their worldview. The current tragedy of the Mideast which was set loose by the invasion of Iraq presents nothing but opportunity for them.
They do not care about the costs in human lives, the mental and physical injuries suffered, or the treasure that has been spent. So they will always see the Iraq war as something that should have happened. They searched for an excuse to take the US to war because they wanted it to happen and they could not have cared less about the human suffering and wasted treasure that would result. And in some respects the outcome is even better than could have been hoped for. War and strife are not just the devil's playground.