The Patriot Post® · Bush Takes the High Road, Doesn't 'Second Guess' Obama

During an interview with Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade, George W. Bush was essentially asked to criticize Barack Obama’s policies in Iraq. Bush didn’t take the bait. “The president has to make the choices he thinks are important,” Bush said. “I’m not going to second guess our president. I understand how tough the job is. To have a former president bloviating and second-guessing is, I don’t think, good for the presidency or the country.” He’s right about that, but he was also right about Iraq. In 2007, Bush’s warning was this: “I know some in Washington would like us to start leaving Iraq now. To begin withdrawing before our commanders tell us we’re ready would be dangerous for Iraq, for the region and for the United States. It would mean surrendering the future of Iraq to al-Qaida. It would mean that we’d be risking mass killings on a horrific scale. It would mean we allowed the terrorists to establish a safe haven in Iraq to replace the one they lost in Afghanistan. It would mean increasing the probability that American troops would have to return at some later date to confront an enemy that is even more dangerous.” How prescient was that? He doesn’t need to second guess in a TV interview. The record speaks for itself.