Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder Calls George W. Bush A Liar

by Hillary Busis | 10:14 am, November 29th, 2010

» 21 comments

Looks like there are still a few interesting news nuggets to be mined from Decision Points, George W. Bush‘s bestselling memoir. In the book, the former president claims that then-Chancellor of Germany Gerhard Schroeder told Bush that his country would be behind an invasion of Iraq, then reneged on his promise. Schroeder, though, sees things differently—and tells The Telegraph that Bush is “not telling the truth” about what happened between the two world leaders.

According to Bush, after he told Schroeder in 2002 that he might invade Iraq, this is how Schroeder responded: “What is true of Afghanistan is true of Iraq. Nations that sponsor terror must face consequences. If you make it fast and make it decisive, I will be with you.” Later, he writes that Schroeder’s backpedaling was a betrayal: “Once that trust was violated, it was hard to have a constructive relationship again.”

Schroeder acknowledges that he did initially tell Bush he would “stand reliably on the side of the U.S.” if the Americans could prove that Saddam Hussein was harboring terrorists responsible for September 11. But the former chancellor also says that he did not break his word because of disloyalty:

“But this link [between Iraq and the Sept. 11 terrorists], as it became clear during 2002, was false and contrived. This goes for reasons [for the invasion] given by Bush and [then vice-president Dick] Cheney too.

“As we know today, the Bush administration’s reasons for the Iraq war were based on lies.”

Schroeder’s top foreign policy official, Dieter Kastrup, also supports his former boss, saying that Schroeder “in no way” declared “anything that could be understood by Bush as a charter to start a war against Iraq with German assistance.”

And Uwe-Karsten Haye, Schroeder’s spokesman in 2002, had even more devastating words for President Bush at the time. “We noticed that the intellectual reach of the president of the most important nation at the time was exceptionally low,” he said. “For this reason it was difficult to communicate with him. He had no idea what was happening in the world. He was so fixated on being a Texan. I think he knew every longhorn in Texas.”

Low blow, Uwe. Low blow. Read the story in its entirety at The Telegraph.

Decision Points, George W. Bush, Gerhard Schroeder, Germany, Iraq War, President George W. Bush

beamangrow

Why again is this a suprise?
Atticus Draco

beamangrow said:
Why again is this a suprise?

lol,, i know,, it kinda proves GW right,,
“i aint trustin’ that S.o.B!”

You know,, this comment right here,,
“He was so fixated on being a Texan. I think he knew every longhorn in Texas”
Like he knows what a Texan is,,lol
That was said for media consumption and media consumption,, (and in lieu,, the left),,mainly
Playin’ the populist politics much Uwe?
Big Eddie

Herr Gerhard Fritzi Schroeder hat bei mindestens sieben “r ” s in seine namen , die zeigt ein lugner .
http://www.karlspensen.blogspot.com Karl Spensen

Oh like I’m going to listen to some schnitzel-eating JERK instead of America’s Greatest President?!?!111 FAT CHANCE!!!!111

And BTW, they don’t come any more TEXAN than George W. Bush!!!!!111 Growing up on his family’s ESTATE in Connecticut they had BBQ every Sunday!!!!111 AND he had his own HORSE!!!!111 I’m pretty sure that QUALIFIES him!!!!!111
DaTruth

And we’re to believe someone from a country that actually invented the art of state-propaganda in WWII? Please…
More Liberty

I don’t trust a word that is coming out of either of their soup coolers.
skyfet

Offcourse it’s a Liar with a capital ‘L’. If anyone still think he’s n ot, then they need to take their head not out of the sand but out of their ass and smell the coffee. Capiche!
skyfet

offcourse he is a Liar with a capital ‘L’. If anyone still think he’s n ot, then they need to take their head not out of the sand but out of their ass and smell the coffee. Capiche!
stoogedudes

If one didn’t know any better, a person could say that Bush and Schroeder are singing “Stop in the Name of Love” based on the picture above.
BlackWidow

Like this person is telling us something we didn’t already know.

By the way KARL I love your post.
Eric

Doesn’t get much worse than that!
Vietnameravet

Ah yes yet another person who must be lying…another person to be added to the endless list of conservative enemies, liars and evil dooers! Any day now they are going to find those WMDs that the libs are hiding! Any day they are going to become a thriving democracy. grateful to the US. And any day the world will realize what a courageous genius Bush was and how “misunderestimated” he has been!
ganymede

When oh when are you rightwingers going to shed the massive denial you have about the Bush regime. You still think Bush and Cheney will be ‘rehabilitated’. If anything more and more of their lies and shenanigans will come to the surface to the point where they will be prosecuted. Bush and Cheney destroyed a country and are responsible for thousands of innocent civilians being killed along with our soldiers who have given their lives for the whim of a moron. Gerhard Schroeder is one of the most respected political leaders in Europe and, yes, he’s a Social Democrat who led Germany from 1998-2005 and helped enormously in the continuing rehabilitation of Germany. If Bush were a black Democrat you would have wanted him to be hanged for treason. And you wonder why all progressive, civilized people everywhere hold these characters in such contempt. I know that most of you will ascribe my commentary to the ranting of yet another ‘hater’. It’s a shame for all American that you are so dense and uncaring.
Scott_in_MI

ganymede said:
Gerhard Schroeder is one of the most respected political leaders in Europe and, yes, he’s a Social Democrat who led Germany from 1998-2005 and helped enormously in the continuing rehabilitation of Germany.

Ganymede, It wasn’t Schroeder who rehabilitated Germany, it was Merkle. Germany is about the only country in Europe thats growing. Wanna guess how she did it? TAX CUTS. They work everytime they’re tried (including after 9/11.)

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5740031,00.html
Nachi

He is simply reiterating what the world already knows about BushDrunk.
J Baustian

What did Gerhard Schroeder actually have to do, to qualify for his Oil-for-Food kickbacks from Saddam?

Saddam is dead, so is there some other reason why Schroeder is required to keep his side of the bargain? Is there a statute of limitations out there, and someone is holding evidence over his head?
bundesheer

Atticus Draco said:
lol,, i know,, it kinda proves GW right,,
“i aint trustin’ that S.o.B!”

You know,, this comment right here,,
“He was so fixated on being a Texan. I think he knew every longhorn in Texas”
Like he knows what a Texan is,,lol
That was said for media consumption and media consumption,, (and in lieu,, the left),,mainly
Playin’ the populist politics much Uwe?

I hate to inform you, but people around the world aren’t as ignorant of their surroundings or stupid as conservative americans. I’m from NZ and I know what a texan is. I’m not sure if you’ve seen any GW interviews, but if you think he is as smart as you are, that would explain a lot.
TfT

So, Hillary buys what Schroeder says as truth? Why doesn’t that surprise me?

Bwahahahaha

Hillary will always take the opposite side of any story where Bush/Palin/Anyconservative is involved.
DFW

Calling George W. Bush a liar is about as new and shocking as telling us that there is salt water in the ocean. We didn’t need some memo from Schröder to let us in on that little piece of news. Bush’s first WMD speech was enough to point that one out.
BatBoy

The real story of the day…..

251,000 State Department documents, many of them secret embassy reports from around the world, show how the US seeks to safeguard its influence around the world. It is nothing short of a political meltdown for US foreign policy.

George Bush is at fault you know….If it wasn’t for him…BO and Hill wouldn’t be in this situation ….right….???? Oh wait, what am I thinking….George Bush is not in the oval office anymore is he?
Nachi

You are correct, Madame; BushDrunk’s “intellectual reach” was/is lower than “low.” What kind of halfwit mind purchases a book written by a Bush??? Duhh.