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Bush Regrets Language That Hurt U.S. Diplomacy by Reuters 
January 13, 2005 Bush Regrets Language That Hurt U.S. Diplomacy By REUTERS Filed at 7:53 p.m. ET WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush said he regretted sending the wrong impression of the United States when he used phrases like ``Bring 'em on'' and ``dead or alive'' in his first term and pledged to be more diplomatic. In an interview with ABC's Barbara Walters to be broadcast on Friday, Bush said some of his past remarks were too blunt. ``'Bring it on,' was a little blunt,'' the president said in a transcript of the interview released on Thursday. ``I remember when I talked about Osama bin Laden, I said we're going to get him dead or alive. I guess it's not the most diplomatic of language,'' Bush said. The president in July 2003 used the phrase ``Bring 'em on'' when speaking of insurgent attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq. The comment was widely interpreted as a challenge to the insurgents but Bush said his intent was to rally U.S. troops. Days after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Bush said he wanted to catch Osama bin Laden ``dead or alive,'' a phrase that reinforced the U.S. president's international image as a cowboy. Bush said his wife, Laura, disapproved and ``chewed me out right after that.'' ``So I do have to be cautious about, you know, conveying thoughts in a way maybe that doesn't send wrong impressions about our country,'' he said. Asked about bin Laden, who remains at large, Bush reiterated his vow to ``bring him to justice.'' Bush's expressions of regret over his use of language contrasted with his comments at a news conference in April 2004, when he struggled for an answer to a reporter who asked him to name his biggest mistake since the Sept. 11 attacks. In another mea culpa, the president said he felt his administration had done a poor job bolstering its image in the Muslim world. ``Our public diplomacy efforts aren't ... very robust, and aren't very good, compared to the public diplomacy efforts of those who would like to spread hatred and ... and vilify the United States,'' Bush said. But he said he thought U.S. efforts to aid victims of the Dec. 26 Indian Ocean tsunami would help improve Washington's image abroad. Turning to domestic politics, Bush played down expectations that his brother Jeb, who is governor of Florida, would someday run for president. ``I don't think he's interested in running,'' the president said. In a separate interview in USA Today, Bush said he was concerned about the Education Department's decision to pay conservative commentator Armstrong Williams to promote his ``No Child Left Behind'' law, which sets accountability standards for U.S. public schools. He said he wanted to prevent another such incident. ``There needs to be a clear distinction between journalism and advocacy,'' Bush said. ``All of us, the Cabinet, needs to take a good look and make sure this kind of thing doesn't happen again.'' |