speakingcorpse writes:

This is unbearable. I'm dying. These are my last words.

Dean's biggest gaffe--the only one that Democrats (Kerry) themselves have attacked him over--runs as follows:

"I've resisted pronouncing a sentence before guilt is found. I still have this old-fashioned notion that even with people like Osama, who is very likely to be found guilty, we should do our best not to, in positions of executive power, not to prejudge jury trials."

Now, Atrios points out Bush's "words" at his "press conference" of Dec. 15.

Here is Bush's relevant "statement," and a response to a follow-up question:

"We will work with the Iraqis to develop a way to try him that will stand international scrutiny, I guess is the best way to put it.

I shared my sentiments today with Prime Minister Martin of Canada. He asked me about Saddam Hussein and his trial. I said, "Look, the Iraqis need to be very much involved. They were the people that was brutalized by this man. He murdered them. He gassed them. He tortured them. He had rape rooms.

[Editorial note: Rape room. Dirty bomb. Mass grave. Rape room. Dirty bomb. Mass grave. Rape room...]

And they need to be very much involved in the process." And we'll work with the Iraqis to develop a process.

And, of course, we want it to be fair. And, of course, we want the world to say, "Well, listen, he got a fair trial." Because whatever justice is meted out needs to stand international scrutiny.

I've got my own personal views of how he ought to be treated, but I'm not an Iraqi citizen. It's going to be up to the Iraqis to make those decisions.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

Yes, I said I had my own personal views.

And this is a brutal dictator. He's a person who killed a lot of people.

But my personal views aren't important in this matter. What matters is the views of the Iraqi citizens.

And we need to work, of course, with them to develop a system that is fair, where he will be put on trial and will be brought to justice; the justice he didn't, by the way, afford any of his own fellow citizens."