President George W. Bush gave his insight on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and briefly mixed up Ukraine with a country the United States went to war with during his tenure.
During his comments from Dallas, Bush cited his age for mixing up Iraq for Ukraine.
"Russian elections are rigged. Political opponents are imprisoned or otherwise eliminated from participating in the electoral process,” Bush said. “The result is an absence of checks and balances in Russia and the decision of one man to launch a wholly unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq, I mean of Ukraine. Iraq, too. Anyway, 75.”
Former President George W. Bush: “The decision of one man to launch a wholly unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq. I mean of Ukraine.” pic.twitter.com/UMwNMwMnmX
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) May 19, 2022
Bush’s comment comes as he has long faced criticism for leading the U.S. to invade Iraq in 2003. Among those who levied criticism was then UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who said the invasion did not meet the body’s charter.
Bush has defended the invasion, citing the removal and execution of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
“Despite the intelligence failures and other mistakes he has acknowledged previously, President Bush continues to believe the whole world is better off without Saddam Hussein in power,” a Bush spokesperson said in 2016, following the release of a report that indicated the U.S. had not exhausted its pre-war options.
