April 2004--Bush Admits Iraqis are Unhappy Being Occupied

Tweet Going unscripted has always been dangerous for Bush. Back in April 2004, he acknowledged that the US was occupying Iraq. Don't hear that much anymore do you? Everything is just fine and democratic now. They've had 3 elections after all. Uh-huh. L

"Perhaps most surprising was Bush's switch from a consistently upbeat view of the situation in Iraq to what he acknowledged was a "pretty somber assessment" on Tuesday of the difficulties there. He talked of "tough weeks" and "serious violence," acknowledging that recent developments have been hard on the military and their relatives, on the American public and even on his own administration.

"He also admitted, for the first time, that Iraqis are not entirely pleased with the situation created by the US-led war.

"They're not happy they're occupied. I wouldn't be happy if I were occupied either," Bush said.

"But he would only go so far, rejecting comparisons to the Viet Nam War -- which have come mostly from Democrats critical of Bush's Iraq policies -- and insisting that most Iraqis are glad that the United States freed their country from Saddam Hussein's rule and are remaining there to help provide security.