President Bush promises 'justice' for Iranians interfering in Iraq in Fox interview Michael Roston

Published: Wednesday August 8, 2007





Print This Email This In a Fox News interview Tuesday afternoon, President George W. Bush promised 'justice' for Iranians who are caught interfering in in the Iraq War. "There will be a consequence when your people are caught going into Iraq," Bush said when asked if the US should really be talking to Iran about Iraq's stability in spite of allegations that they are supplying some Iraqis with weapons. When Neil Cavuto, host of Fox News' Your World asked if the President included a military attack on Iran among the 'consequences,' Bush gave a cryptic answer. "They will be brought to justice," he said. Bush takes an indirect shot at GOP candidate Tancredo During the interview, President Bush also took a shot at Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO), the Republican presidential candidate who has most built his campaign around a drive to stop illegal immigration. Asked by Cavuto if he sensed that 2008 candidates were 'piling on,' Bush said, "I didn't see any pile on." He then added, "There may be some candidates who probably won't be the nominee of the party, for instance, using the immigration issue." When Cavuto went on to ask if he was concerned with the tone taken by Democratic candidates for President in 2008, Bush was not surprised. "I'm an easy target," he said. But he warned the Democrats that their bashing of his presidency would not help them win the election. "You can't win an election if you say you're against somebody," the President argued. "The candidate who will be the nominee will have articulated a plan to keep America safe and keep America prosperous." He added that he was not concerned with name-calling. "I've been around long enough in order to understand how it works," he said. "Nobody likes to be called names, but we've got a bigger enemy than name callers, and that's Al Qaida, or people losing jobs." Cavuto later claimed that he had invited Democratic presidential candidates and other party leaders to rebut the President's statements, but none agreed to appear on his show. Bush opposes bailout for 'sub-prime mortgage' lenders Cavuto engaged the President in a lengthy exchange on so-called sub-prime mortgages and the growing rate of default among American homeowners. The President said he opposed further federal intervention. "Let me put it more bluntly: No, I'm not for a federal bail out," he told Cavuto. He had initially remarked that he was in favor of, "letting the market work." "My biggest concern when it comes to mortgage industry is the lendee, not the lender....we ought to crack down on predatory lending," the President said, calling for improving the enforcement of existing laws. But when Cavuto pressed him on whether he agreed with Senator Hillary Clinton on the need to provide a bail out for homeowners, as opposed to the banks that gave them risky loans, the President gave a more measured answer. "There is a place for people to refinance, and that's at the [Federal Housing Authority]," he said. But the President also acknowledged that the FHA needed to be reformed. Fox host challenges Bush on Barry Bonds and steroids Cavuto then turned the interview to Barry Bonds and his 756th home run. "He is a great hitter, he broke the record of another great hitter, Hank Aaron," the President said, noting that he had just got off the phone with the San Francisco Giants' slugger. But Bush offered a no opinion on whether an 'asterisk' should be attached to his record due to allegations of steroid use by Bonds. "My only advice for people is, just let history be the judge, let's find out the facts, and then everybody's opinion one way or the other will be verified or not verified," the President said, echoing a line Bush's defenders have often used about his administration. "In the meantime, it's appropriate to recognize this man can hit the baseball." He went on to generally condemn the use of steroids. "I love the sport, and I'm dead set against steroids being used in baseball," he said. "I was the one who put it in the State of the Union address....how we behave as adults will influence how children behave." The following video clip is taken from Cavuto's interview with Bush. #



