By DEB RIECHMANN
President Bush on Monday sought to dampen speculation about a U.S. military strike on Iran as the Islamic republic’s president softened his tone, too, and said he wanted dialogue rather than confrontation.
Bush, in an interview at the White House with C-SPAN, dismissed talk of a U.S. military strike on Iran as political chatter. He also said there is still a chance to resolve, through diplomacy, the standoff over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
Still, Bush called Tehran a “belligerent” regime with nuclear ambitions that will lead Iranians into isolation.
“The Iranian people are good, honest, decent people and they’ve got a government that is belligerent, loud, noisy, threatening  a government which is in defiance of the rest of the world and says, ‘We want a nuclear weapon,'” Bush said. “So our objective is to keep the pressure so rational folks will show up and say it’s not worth the isolation.”
The United States and Iran are at odds on two fronts: the standoff over nuclear weapons and U.S. accusations that Iran is meddling in Iraq.
The U.S. claims Iran has been arming Shiites in Iraq with sophisticated, armor-piercing roadside bombs, which have killed more than 170 troops from the U.S.-led coalition. Tehran denied it gave sophisticated weapons to militants to attack U.S. forces.
In recent weeks, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, known for his inflammatory anti-Western rhetoric, has taken a milder approach to diplomacy. He insisted on Monday that turmoil in Iraq is bad for his country and that dialogue  not force  was the solution to the region’s conflicts.
“We shy away from any kind of conflict, any kind of bloodshed,” Ahmadinejad told ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “As we have said repeatedly, we think that the world problems can be solved through dialogue, through the use of logic and a sense of friendship. There is no need for the use of force.”
The change in tone comes at a time when domestic criticism of the controversial leader has increased, with both reformers and fellow conservatives complaining that Ahmadinejad spends too much time criticizing the United States and Israel, and not enough on internal issues such as Iran’s struggling economy.
In a nearly half-hour interview on a range of subjects, Bush also was asked how he thinks Iraqi children will view the United States in 15 to 20 years.
“If we can help this government be able to create the conditions so that a mother can grow up  raise their child in peace, I think people will look back and say they’d be thankful of America,” Bush said. “If America leaves, however, before the job is done, I think there will be great resentment toward America.”
Copyright © 2007 The Associated Press
15 thoughts on “Bush changes tone on Iraq”
Bush and Cheney belong in Leavenworth as America’s two worst traitors.
Thanks Kent for bringing up another ugly story; i.e., supersonic torpedos which do not have to be launched via a submarine either. They could kick-start one right from the shore. The latest versions have the ability to track their target. There is no known countermeasure at this time other than re-incarnation…! 🙁
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VA-111_Shkval_torpedo
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Carl Nemo said: “There’s little to no defense against the water-skimming Silkworm missle, not even Aegis-Phoenix can defend against it, since it’s radar/laser tracking methods will have trouble tracking the Silkworms signature as it skims the waves.”
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Yeah. Not to mention the 200 mph rocket powered torpedos that Iran is said to possess. How ya gonna defend against them?
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Why are Bush and Cheney still in charge? Why hasn’t some general just physically stomped their asses?
I’m watching Chris Matthews on MSNBC at the moment. Matthews just said to Sen. Dodd “We don’t know what kind of mischief Iran may be guilty of in Iraq.” JAY ZEUS!!!! What SPIN!!! What a load of crap.
“well I will personally sleep better tonight knowing that georgie said it was all just “political chatter.â€Â
Susan, I respect your comment but not your complacency concerning the maunderings of King George. He’s a habitual liar so I’d sleep less well tonight myself and I’d advise others the same. We’ll wake up one morning soon to see that there’s been a pre-emptive strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities with the followup of how one or more of our carriers have been sent to the bottom by a “Silkworm” missle provided to Iran, courtesy of China, courtesy of WalMart…! In short order the Straights of Hormuz will be blocked for at least several years! There’s little to no defense against the water-skimming Silkworm missle, not even Aegis-Phoenix can defend against it, since it’s radar/laser tracking methods will have trouble tracking the Silkworms signature as it skims the waves. It’s also 30 years old and sorely outdated for such guerrilla sea-warfare style missiles. I also find it interesting that a Navy admiral was appointed as theater commander along with a beefing up of our battle groups in the area. Things don’t bode well and I think the Bushistas are going to try and “sucker-punch” Iran…big mistake! Get ready for 120+ barrel for oil, along with a crash in the American capital markets excepting defense stocks and the price of gold.
…damn….JerkFratBoyPrezSlime doesn’t seem to understand the phrase…”calling the kettle black”
Hey, SchmoeBoy…..where’s Osama ?
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