‘Brutal invasion of Iraq’: Watch George W Bush’s ‘Freudian slip’ on Iraq war while slamming Russia
Former US President George W Bush recently made a gaffe as he sought to condemn Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. He slipped up and said that the “brutal invasion of Iraq by one man” “was unjustified” when he actually meant “invasion of Ukraine by Russian President Vladimir Putin”. Ironically, it was the Bush administration in power when a US-led coalition invaded Iraq in 2003.
Bush was speaking at an event on the importance of democracy and threat to democracy in the US and abroad.
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Alleging that democracy in Russia is a farce, George W Bush said: “Russian elections are rigged.” “Political opponents are imprisoned or otherwise eliminated from participating in the electoral process. The result is an absence of checks and balances in Russia and the decision of one man to launch a wholly unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq. I mean of Ukraine,” he said.
George W. Bush: “The decision of one man to launch a wholly unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq—I mean Ukraine—Iraq, too.”
Freudian slip if I ever saw one! He told the truth for once! pic.twitter.com/BavmfkWTyN
— Nina Turner (@ninaturner) May 19, 2022
He quickly muttered under his breath, “Iraq, too,” adding, “Anyway, 75,” referring to his age.
The United States led a coalition, comprising the United Kingdom, Australia, and Poland, and invaded Iraq in 2003. George W Bush and Tony Blair, who were the President and Prime Minister of the US and the UK respectively back then, had said that their aim was “to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, to end Saddam Hussein’s support for terrorism, and to free the Iraqi people”. However, an inspection team from the United Nations had found absolutely no such weapon before the start of the invasion.
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Many had slammed Bush for the invasion and wanted him to find a diplomatic solution. Some of the US’s allies, such as France, Canada, Germany, and New Zealand, had also opposed the Iraq war.
Bush’s gaffe gave his critics ammo to poke fun at the former US President. Nina Turner, a former Ohio state senator, said: “Freudian slip if I ever saw one! He told the truth for once!” “George W. Bush just admitted to being a war criminal of the likes of Vladimir Putin, then laughed. Sickening,” she tweeted.
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Former member of US Congress Justin Amash said: “If you were George W. Bush, you think you’d just steer clear of giving any speech about one man launching a wholly unjustified and brutal invasion.”
