[Dialogue] Arabs' Questions Throw Elder Bush on Defensive

[Harry Wainwright]

Published on Wednesday, November 22, 2006 by the Associated
<http://www.ap.org>  Press 

Arabs' Questions Throw Elder Bush on Defensive 

by Jim Krane

 

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates - Former President George H.W. Bush took on
Arab critics of his son Tuesday during a testy exchange at a leadership
conference in the capital of this U.S. ally.

"My son is an honest man," Bush told members of the audience who harshly
criticized the current U.S. leader's foreign policy.

The oil-rich Persian Gulf used to be safe territory for former President
Bush, who brought Arab leaders together in a coalition that drove Saddam
Hussein's troops from Kuwait in 1991. But gratitude for the elder Bush, who
served as president from 1989 to 1993, was overshadowed at the conference by
hostility toward his son, whose invasion of Iraq and support for Israel are
deeply unpopular in the region.

"We do not respect your son. We do not respect what he's doing all over the
world," a woman in the audience bluntly told Bush after his speech.

Bush, 82, appeared stunned as others in the audience whooped and whistled in
approval.

A college student told Bush his belief that U.S. wars are aimed at opening
markets for American companies and said globalization was contrived for
America's benefit at the expense of the rest of the world. Bush was having
none of it.

"I think that's weird and it's nuts," Bush said. "To suggest that everything
we do is because we're hungry for money, I think that's crazy. I think you
need to go back to school."

The hostile comments came during a question-and-answer session after Bush
finished a folksy address on leadership. He told the audience how deeply
hurt he feels when his presidential son is criticized.

"This son is not going to back away," Bush said, his voice quivering. "He's
not going to change his view because some poll says this or some poll says
that, or some heartfelt comments from the lady who feels deeply in her heart
about something. You can't be president of the United States and conduct
yourself if you're going to cut and run. This is going to work out in Iraq."

One audience member asked the former president what advice he gives his son
on Iraq.

Bush said the presence of reporters in the audience prevented him from
revealing his advice. He also declined to comment on his expectations for
the findings of the Iraq Study Group, an advisory commission led by Bush
family friend and former Secretary of State James Baker and Lee Hamilton, a
former congressman.

"I have strong opinions on a lot of these things. But the reason I can't
voice them is, if I did what you ask me to do--tell you what advice I give
my son--that would then be flashed all over the world," Bush said.

Bush said he was surprised by the audience's criticism of his son.

"He is working hard for peace. It takes a lot of guts to get up and tell a
father about his son in those terms when I just told you the thing that
matters in my heart is my family," he said. "How come everybody wants to
come to the United States if the United States is so bad?" 

Copyright C 2006 Associated Press 

###

 

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