The US President has just given an interview to the BBC’s Matt Frei…..
…and we will be able to play you three minutes of what he has to say at the beginning of the programme (the interview is longer than that but there are lots of rules about what can be played when).
here’s a transcript of what he said about Darfur…
““I’m going to the Olympics. I view the Olympics as a sporting event. On the other hand, I have a little different platform than Stephen Spielberg so, I get to talk to President Hu Jintao. And I do remind him that he can do more to relieve the suffering in Darfur. There’s, there’s a lot of issues that I suspect people are gonna, you know, opine, about during the Olympics. I mean, you got the Dali Lama crowd. You’ve got global warming folks. You’ve got, you know, Darfur and I just, I am not gonna, you know, go and use the Olympics as an opportunity to express my opinions to the Chinese people in a public way because I do it all the time with the President. So, people are gonna be able to choose, pick and choose how they, how they view the Olympics.
We’re looking for two of you to come on the telephone, listen to what Mr Bush says and react to it. Any volunteers? Please reply to me with your phone number if you’re keen.
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BBC World Have Your Say 
NO!!!! I already go to extreme lengths to avoid having to listen to his voice.
it is amazing how the world media has demonized president bush. what has he done? getting rid of saddam. oh, the world media conveniently forgets the MILLIONS of people saddam murdered! katrina? the world media forgets that the DEMOCRATIC MAYOR and the DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR of LOUISIANA were the one’s who dropped the ball there. president bush offered federal help and the DEMOCRATS blew him off. kyoto? if the world’s largest polluter, CHINA, and INDIA do not sign up then american participation won’t mean squat. oh you have seen what happens when the US economy goes into the tank, so imposing economic restrictions will hurt the world as much, if not more, than the US economy. guananamo? how about we put these murderous terrorists in your back yard? or maybe we can just house them in your HOME? they are safe in guantanamo, so they are not murdering any more innocent women and children! did you know that president bush has spent more money on the poor and on social programs in the US than BILL CLINTON did? i could go on forever correcting all the media myths concerning president bush, but i have a life and have things to do. all you deluded haters…get a life!
HOW CAN WE LISTEN IF WE DON’T KNOW HOW AND WHEN ??? (usa)
This is funny, Ros. Was just on BBC News online and wrote a brief complaint that George Bush’s face keeps flashing at me on the advert for this Frei program. I refuse to listen to his voice, mute or silence TV and radio. Sorry, I do not want to be one of the two people. Good luck.
I came to the states to visit as he was being inaugurated in Jan 2001. I emigrated in Nov 2001 right after 9/11. I have heard Mr Bush numerous times. I gradually made up my mind that he was wrong for the country. My American wife is a staunch Bush supporter. Many in the South are. What Bush does for the Republican is it takes away any need to keep up with foreign policy. Many have no idea what or where it is all happening. My wife ‘bless her’ thought Dunkirk was in England when we recently watched ‘atonement’ the movie. She would vote for the religious right candidate if he had horns protuding I think. All too often Americans are too busy keeping up with work and home that they have nothing for the world at large. They merely trust their idols. The idols have to be cloned of course and answerable on many many like minded issues. If they comply with that mindset then they are God. No matter if they later turn out to be molesters. I have much to say to Mr Bush but Nick Robinson is my man for saying what American journalists are scared to. Tough questions make for democracy not damage it.
Bush is an idiot, arguing with an idiot will do nothing to change his mind or attitude. It is moot. It is already accepted that he does what he wants, somehow continues unabated, and has no regard for the American public, freedom, or democracy. We are just waiting for his time in office to expire. As it is sure he will not be removed, no matter what the American people want.
Let me guess as to what will be said on the program… A defense of US foreign policy, a slew of lies or manipulated truths, and something along the lines of ‘blah blah blah… war on turrur… blah blah blah….’.
The man is a liar and I care to hear none of it.
Brett ~ Richmond, Va.
PS. EKS321 please continue with the defense of president Bush. It is amusing to actually hear someone still stand behind him. I’d love to be out of work right now so I could spend hours writing an essay on what he has and hasn’t done that has ruined America, but I’m sure others will be able to chime in. If not, I’ll address it when I get home from the office this afternoon.
Wait! Its Valentines day, may have to wait till tomorrow to get into it!
You’re on your own there, Brett. You can’t argue with someone who’s already drank the Kool-Aid.
Today the White House announced the President would veto any law that bans water-boarding (torture).
I have to disagree with eks321 that any media has smeared our president or there are any Bush haters out there.
This administration has firmly established what it is, no one did that to them.
Pass on reactions to President Bush for me, thank you.
6 Brett:Donot get angry,when president Bush makes his speech.You cannot give your points of views either for or against him without listenning to what he has to say,whether right or wrong.There is time for everybody and when his time is ripe,he will disappear from the political arena,come what may.Where are our greatest African monsters who have shattered the lives of their people to day?There are few of them that remain and I promise you sooner or later,they too will go for good.
Happy valentine day to you and to the entire American
people.Not to the Bush administration.
The only thing I want to hear from Bush and Company is their resignation before the 2008 Elections.
eks321 go online and read Saddam’s charges it says he killed 400 civilian Kurds NOT “MILLIONS of people” as you said. Let’s see how many people died in Iraq and are still dying by the day? Should I assume like you and maybe say 10,000+ including Coalitions Forces & civilians. George Bush should be “demonized” by the media. He is another Adolf Hitler in our time.
Ros, President Bush is just making history and if I am mistaken he is the 2nd American in-office president to ever visit Africa. It is just history making. If we listen or don’t listen, what difference will it make? So I say “WHATEVER”
Yes,it will be nice to hear his voice talking about the greatest Hezbollah fighter,who was killed on Tuesday by a car bomb in Damascus,Syria.His visit to Africa in trying to persuade African leaders to let a US Army base(Africom)in their countries inorder to combat terrorism.But that will be at a heavy price for any African president to do so,because the US and terrorism are intertwine and if they allow any American soldier to have a tent in any of their territories,it will be obvious that they(African heads of states) are harbouring terrorism.Africa shouldnot be like prostitutes,whereby who ever has got money, will carry her away.
The French,has still influence in the African Francophone regions and Iam not sure many of these states will ignore their formal colonial masters,though Chine is steping its feets slowly to collect raw materials by all means possible.
Dearest Ros, I’d love to listen to Mr Bush speaking to the BBC on one condition : you guys should put the song ‘complicated’ on the background ! :). John in Salem and Brett, lots of love to both of you and to all the WHYS loyal listeners from Baghdad on the Valentine’s day ! Yours forever, Lubna !
Eh, I suppose your right John. Scary Kool-Aid!
Brett ~ Richmond, Va.
I would rather listen to 3 hours of my mother in law telling me how dissapointed she was that her daughter married me than 3 minutes of Bush on a roll.
Des Currie
HA! Now Bush wants to rely on the UN to enter Darfur and clean up the mess there. After all of the wild-west cowboy Iraq antics, and our other foreign ventures, ignoring the UN…. Now he speaks as if the UN should be in charge of foreign conflict issues.
That bit I just heard on the program was certainly contradictory of his past decisions.
“People at home not supporting the issue” HA! x 2
Brett ~ Richmond, Va.
14 February2008
China and America have a similar record at least in propping up the repressive government of Poor and backward Ethiopia. Congratulations!
Bethwel Jackson Kaino, Kenyan student in Bucharest, Romania. (email)
Kenyans have faith in the Kofi Annan team. The team is determined to get a lasting solution to the problems facing the country and the progress so far is impressing. The team has already covered a lot of ground, which is a positive development.
I am sure the move by President Bush to send Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to go to Kenya with a message to the leaders that there must be a full return to democracy would be a great boost to Annan’s team. This also shows how the United States and the world in General are concerned about what is happening in Kenya.
Denzel in BuffaloNy, (email)
Bush only cares about the oil and this tragedy could have stopped if his government had a vested interest, if whites and europeans where getting slautered we would have thousands of troops marching on Sudan.
I know I’m constantly entering late with this, however…….
I just hope one of your interviewers has the presence of mind to ask Bush if he recognizes Iran’s right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
I have got to figure out a way to lug my tube-driven Hallicrafters SW to the mall library!
–Regards, Louisville, Kentucky, USA.
Ros, there are only two words that the vast majority of American’s want to hear from George Bush. They are…
“I resign.”
George Bush has lost his credibility with the vast majority of American’s, not to mention the world, and to entertain for a moment that anything he has to say is worth listening to, let alone comment on, is a waste of our time.
To date, there are over 4,300 American’s killed in action and over 14,100 wounded Amercan’s. While George Bush talks a lot about nothing, my friends are doing a lot of dying. What the hell is he talking about in China, or Africa, or anywhere else that is more important than Afghanistan and Iraq?!?! If we are still at war with terrorism, what is so damm important elsewhere?!?!
The only thing that American’s are interested in is our loved ones in Afghanistan and Iraq!!! George Bush has failed America by losing sight of what he started. I’m so sick of news agencies giving him coverage that doesn’t impact our troops.
I listened to the whole interview. Bush has a half-smile most of the time.
That’s good that the U.S. gov’t is giving massive amounts of aid to HIV victims. I didn’t know that. It’s nice to know something positive is being done with taxpayers’ money, besides feeding it to the military-industrial complex, but it sure feels like a needle in a haystack.
I became irritated when Bush responded to Matt Frei’s question about the world equating the Bush administration with Iraq. Bush mentions liberating Afghanis and removing Saddam in Iraq, as if these altruistic reasons were why the U.S. invaded.
I became outright angry when Bush responded to Matt’s questions about waterboarding – Bush has threatened to veto the Senate’s attempt to outlaw waterboarding, i.e. torture. Bush doesn’t call waterboarding by its name even – he states “the president must give his professionals within the law the necessary tools to protect us.” The tools, eh? So change the law so the ‘professionals’ can legally torture somebody, right?
I started yelling at the screen when Bush says “We’re having a debate in America on whether or not we ought to be listening’ to terrorists making’ phone calls in the United States. And the answer is darn right we ought to be.” So everybody who has had phone calls listened to – who knows how many people – are now terrorists? Straight-up unconstitutional and flies in the face of presumption of innocence (innocent until proven guilty). Bush thinks the Bill of Rights exists for no reason – that it’s just some shield for criminals. It’s the other way around – those amendments are meant to protect people from the real criminal… from a gov’t gone mad in its paranoia…
Back to the interview: Bush then says, “Take Guantanamo. Look, I’d like it to be empty. On the other hand, there’s some people there that need to be tried [my interjection: um, some? only SOME? what about the rest of the prisoners?!!!]. And there will be a trial. And they’ll have their day in court. Unlike what they did to other people…. They’ll murder. But, you gotta understand, they’re getting rights.” No, Bush, they already have rights, and you’re stomping all over them. Before you call them terrorists, convict them. Before you convict them, charge them. Before you leave them in Guantanamo for 6 years, tell them and the world exactly what you think they’ve done. The burden of proof is on the gov’t, not them. Some of those people may very well be innocent, and now they’ve lost 6 years of their lives to American abuse. What about the people who have been released without charge? Just a by-product of the wide net of injustice Bush is casting over the world in the name of liberty?
My reaction, if y’all can’t tell: I’m disgusted. I don’t know how Matt interviewed that man without spitting in his face.
~SJ from Portland Oregon
Even after looking up “seminal decision” to make sure I understand each possible definition and use in 6 dictionaries on line-
I still cannot see how Bush applies “seminal decision” in his speach.
More or less it is understood internationally that sending peace troops to any crisis situation in country is the concern of UNO.
It’s to see what UNO considers on the present crisis situation in Darfur.
for bush not to send troops to sudan does not mean that, he is principaly againest that,but because he faced a harsh opposition from his people concerning ,his invasion to Iraq ,and Afgnistan,and the heavy losses inflicted on his troop in these tow countries.as for his allegations of genocide in Darfur,this has already been refuted by the veridict of the UN commission ,launched by the secretary General to investigate these allegation.Mr bush lied to his people ,when he sent his troops to Irak saying that he wants to rid the world from the weapons of mass destruction. it is apparantly clear that they did not find these weapons,I do not think his visit to Africa will bring mutch to Africa .
Can someone direct me to the podcast of this interview? I have been searching for quite some time now. Cheers.