[Peace-discuss] god told bush to do it

[Ricky Baldwin]

The photo that goes with this story is priceless: the
President cupping one ear to hear better ;-)
-R

White House denies Bush claimed divine inspiration 
AFP, 10-7-05 

The White House has denied that US President George W.
Bush said God told him to invade Iraq and Afghanistan,
as a new BBC documentary is expected to reveal.
"That's absurd. He's never made such comments," White
House spokesman Scott McClellan said Thursday.

The documentary series set to be broadcast later this
month in Britain claims Bush made the claim when he
met Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas and then-foreign
minister Nabil Shaath in June 2003.

He also told them he had been ordered by God to create
a Palestinian state, the ministers said.

Shaath, now the Palestinian information minister,
said: "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'," said Shaath.

Abbas, who was also at the meeting in the Egyptian
resort of Sharm al-Sheikh, recalled how the president
told him: "'I have a moral and religious obligation'".
"'So I will get you a Palestinian state.'"

The three-part series, "Elusive Peace: Israel and the
Arabs", charts the attempts to bring peace to the
Middle East, from former US president Bill Clinton's
talks in 1999-2000 to Israel's withdrawal from the
Gaza strip.

The series is due to begin airing Monday.




		
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