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Quotes - International Dubya
(In case you were wondering, the damage doesn't stop at the border...)
 
2008 and after : 2007 : 2006 : 2005 : 2004 : 2003 : 2002 : 2001 and earlier
Al Qaeda is greatly weakened since 2001. As a matter of fact, they at one point declared the most central front in the war on terror in Iraq where they're doing very poorly. And they're not doing so well here, either. Now, they can hide in remote regions. They can hide, but we will stay on the hunt and we will keep the pressure on them, because it's in the people the peaceful people of Afghanistan's interest, just like it's in the interest of this country.
Dubya's last comment becomes confusing when you note that he was in Afghanistan at the time. Kabul, Afghanistan, Dec. 15, 2008

Right after the attacks I made it abundantly clear that we would bring people to justice for our own security. And made it abundantly clear that if a group of people harbored a terrorist, they were equally as guilty as a terrorist. And we gave the Taliban an opportunity to respond. They didn't. And American troops proudly liberated the people of Afghanistan. That's what life was like. And we could have replaced one power person with another. That would have been, I guess, the easy route, and then just left it behind, say we've done our duty and we've upheld the doctrine and said, okay, we're now going to take this group, replace them with this group and just got out of the way. But that's not that, one, didn't learn the lessons of the '80s and the '90s.
As is often the case, Dubya's explanation forgoes correct grammar. Kabul, Afghanistan, Dec. 15, 2008

We want to do the hard work now so our children and our grandchildren can grow up in a peaceful world. So we rallied good allies to our side, including every member of NATO. We've developed civilian experts in the form of Civilian Reconstruction Teams. And together with the determined people of Afghanistan, we are making hopeful gains.
They are actually called Provincial Reconstruction Teams, and they consist of military officers, diplomats, civilian police advisors and reconstruction experts. Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, Dec. 15, 2008

And it was here in Afghanistan that the terrorists planned the attacks of September the 11th, 2001. After that date, America gave the Taliban a choice: You can turn over the leaders of al Qaeda, or you can share in their fate. And when they refused, our just demands were enforced by the United States military. And thanks to you, the Taliban has gone from power, the al Qaeda training camps are closed, and 25 million Iraqis are free.
25 million Iraqis are free in Afghanistan? Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, Dec. 14, 2008

Let me talk about the guy throwing his shoe. It's one way to gain attention. It's like going to a political rally and having people yell at you. It's like driving down the street and having people not gesturing with all five fingers. I don't know what the guy's cause is.
Really? Dubya oversees a lengthy, bloody war in Iraq, and he's wondering what cause an Iraqi journalist might be representing in his shoe-throwing protest? Baghdad, Iraq, Dec. 14, 2008

There have been a lot of troops from around the world who have come to help this young democracy survive and thrive. And so I want to thank the citizens of those country and the troops who have served here before us.
A singular/plural disagreement so common with Dubya, I hesitate to add it. Baghdad, Iraq, Dec. 14, 2008

I hope that I can use my good relations with the Chinese leadership to convince them that the way forward is for there to be more civic participation, more citizen participation in the future of the country, and that the perfect way to do that is to explain to them how backward the government was when it came to the response for the natural disaster. Hopefully that will open up eyes. But no question there's a lot of diplomacy that needs to be done to convince others that people like Aung Suu San Kyi deserve to be free, and political prisoners ought to be free. ...Whether or not the Chinese will agree that somebody like Aung Suu San Kyi ought to be free and ought to be the center of foreign policy like it is for us, I don't know. We just have to work it hard.
I'm sure Dubya believes that Aung San Suu Kyi deserves to be free. He just doesn't know her name. Bangkok, Thailand, Aug. 7, 2008

Goodbye from the world's biggest polluter.
Dubya's attempt at a joke at the conclusion of the G8 conference in Japan. What made it fall flat (besides the person telling the joke) was its inherent truth. And the fist punch in the air and wide grin he followed it up with probably didn't help, either. Toyako, Japan, Jul. 9, 2008

Yo, Harper! The President of Nigeria.
In a flashback to a previous occasion, Dubya demonstrates his own way of getting Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's attention at the G8 conference to introduce him to Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua. Toyako, Japan, Jul. 7, 2008

Now, there are many doubters. I understand that, because there is some who say that perhaps freedom is not universal. Maybe it's only Western people that can self-govern. Maybe it's only, you know, white-guy Methodists who are capable of self government. I reject that notion.
I'm pretty sure that anyone would reject that "white-guy Methodist" notion, London, England, Jun. 16, 2008

Many, many families look at me trying to determine whether or not, one, I believed that it [the war in Iraq] was necessary, and two, whether or not I'm going to let their son or daughter kind of lie in an empty grave when it comes to the sacrifice they made.
Exactly what kinds of graves would Dubya propose those sons and daughters lie in? Occupied ones? Rome, Italy, Jun. 13, 2008

And in Iran, Shia groups funded by Iran tried to take on the government and the government is succeeding but it's going to take a while.
If you expect Dubya to go through a speech that discusses Iraq and Iran without mixing the two up, you're in for some disappointment. Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, May 18, 2008

Some seem to believe that we should negotiate with the terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along. We've heard this foolish delusion before. As Nazi tahnks tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: Lord, if I could only have talked to Hitler, all this might have been avoided. We have an obligation to call this what it is, the false comfort of appeasement.
Dubya makes a 100% transparent swipe against Democratic presidential front-runner Senator Barack Obama, in honor of the 60th anniversary of the State of Israel. Jerusalem, Israel, May 15, 2008

There's no doubt where he [Russian President Vladimir Putin] stands. That's why I like him. You don't have to guess. And he is concerned about it. Yet Russia appreciates the confidence-building and transparency measures that we have proposed, and declared that if agreed and implemented, such measures will be important and useful in ensuring Russia concerns.
The White House transcript claimed that the word Dubya meant to use was "assuaged" but that wouldn't make much sense unless it was "assuaging"... In any case, Dubya ends up completely changing the meaning of the statement. Sochi, Russia, Apr. 6, 2008

I understand that a citizen says, wait a minute, we're contributing soldiers in Iraq, and yet we're not necessarily treated like other nations in the European collective, or European Union. And those frustrations are clearly understandable. That's why I went to Congress and tried to get them to modernize the visa law. And all they although they changed the law, it still creates certain hurdles for nations like Romania. And I assured the President that we will work with him as best as we can to adhere to our law and to, at the same time, understands the contradictions. It's hopefully, the new law will and our cooperation will make it easier for Romanian citizens to come and visit their relatives.
Dubya claims he understands, but I have to say that given that twisted passage, it's pretty hard to understand Dubya. Neptun, Romania, Apr. 2, 2008

We've had seven years working together, a chance to have some pretty candid exchanges. And secondly and this is his [Russian President Putin's] last this will be our last face-to-face meeting as a presidency, and I'll thank him.
Putin and Dubya: Combined together, they form a presidency. Neptun, Romania, Apr. 2, 2008

The idea of trafficking human beings is abhorrent, and nobody in any civilized person who accepts that, you know, is just needs to have their head examined.
He couldn't stop at just calling it abhorrent, could he? Neptun, Romania, Apr. 2, 2008

These two nations inspired the world with their Rose and Orange Revolutions and now they're working to consolidate their democratic gains and cement their independence. Welcoming them into the MATO into the Membership Action Plan, would send a signal to their citizens that if they continue on the path to democracy and reform they will be welcomed into the institutions of Europe.
Dubya saves time distinguishing NATO members from applicants to NATO's Membership Action Plan (MAP) by simply combining them into a new acronym. Bucharest, Romania, Apr. 2, 2008

Afghanistan is the most daring and ambition mission in the history of NATO.
At least it rhymed with mission... Bucharest, Romania, Apr. 2, 2008

REPORTER: Thank you, Mr. President. Do you think that Russia is applying undue pressure and threats to accomplish its goals at NATO on missile defense and stopping the Membership Action Plans of Ukraine and Georgia?
DUBYA: Uhhh
REPORTER: And Mr. Pres and, uhh, President Yushchenko, what do you think of Moscow's tactics?
DUBYA: Heh heh heh. Just because there was a bunch of, you know, Soviet-era flags in the street yesterday doesn't you shouldn't read anything into that. I I, umm I, look, this is, umm, this is an interesting debate that's taking place, and it's – uhh, you know, it's every nation has told me, Russia will not have a veto over what happens in Bucharest, and I take their word for it. And that's the right policy to have.
Do you get the feeling that was a question that Dubya really didn't want to answer? Note the use of "interesting"... Kyiv, Ukraine, Apr. 1, 2008

I would say it's like as I explained to this fellow here that one of the lessons of the genocide in Rwanda was to take some of the early warnings signs seriously. Secondly, a clear lesson I learned in the museum was that outside forces that tend to divide people up inside their country are unbelievably counterproductive. In other words, people came from other countries I guess you'd call them colonialists and they pitted one group of people against another. And an early warning sign was and it's hard to have seen it, I readily admit, but I'm talking earlier than 1994, and earlier than the '90s was the fact that it become a habit to divide people based upon you know, in this case, whether they were Tutsi or Hutu, which eventually led to exploitation. Secondly, I would tell my successor that the United States can play a very constructive role.
In addition to doubling up on second points, Dubya makes an incredibly ironic statement, but I'm pretty sure he didn't notice. Kigali, Rwanda, Feb. 19, 2008

You know, women are now very active in the Kuwaiti parliament.
At the time of this statement, no woman had yet served in the Kuwaiti parliament. Women in Kuwait were granted the right to vote only in 2005, and have stood in elections once, in 2006. (All of them lost.) Kuwait City, Kuwait, Jan. 12, 2008

There is no doubt in my mind when history was written, the final page will say victory was achieved by the United States of America for the good of the world.
Dubya predicts the future in the past tense, Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, Jan. 12, 2008

I 'ppreciate what this, uhh, Third Army did in World War II. I hope you do too, as well. After all, you're members of Patton's own. Played a vital role in the destruction of the Nazi war machine. They helped liberate about 12,000 towns, at least that's according to the history of the Third Army. From their noble ranks came soldiers with some of our nation's highest directors, including 19 recipients of the Medal of Honor. You repre distinguished history, and you're makin' history yourselves.
A lot of slop to wade through here. Listen for the full effect. Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, Jan. 12, 2008

He's asking me about the checkpoints I drove through and my impression about what it was like to drive through checkpoints. I can understand why the Palestinians are frustrated driving through checkpoints. I can also understand that until confidence is gained on both sides, why the Israelis would want there to be a sense of security. In other words, they don't want a state on their border from which attacks would be launched. I can understand that. Any reasonable person can understand that.
What Dubya doesn't understand is that the checkpoints are not locations that every Palestinian can drive through. Travel is restricted. If all Palestinians were permitted to drive through the checkpoints, there probably wouldn't be the frustration that Dubya claims to understand. Ramallah, West Bank, Jan. 10, 2008

Mr. Prime Minister, thank you. I view this as an historic moment. It's a historic opportunity, Mr. Prime Minister, first of all, to work together to deal with the security of Israel and the Palestinian people matter of fact, the security of people who just simply want to live in peace. We're in conflict with radicals and extremists who are willing to murder innocent people to achieve a dark vision. And this is an historic opportunity for the world to fight that to fight those terrorists. It's an historic opportunity to spread freedom as a great alternative to their ideology, as a society based upon human rights and human dignity, a society in which every man, woman and child is free. And it's a historic opportunity to work for peace.
Dubya emphasizes the "historic" angle, Jerusalem, Israel, Jan. 9, 2008

2008 and after : 2007 : 2006 : 2005 : 2004 : 2003 : 2002 : 2001 and earlier

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