In a possibly Freudian slip of the tongue, former US President George W Bush described the invasion of Iraq as “wholly unjustified and brutal” - then explaining that he had meant to say “Ukraine”.
Speaking at a function in Dallas, Texas, the 43rd President of the United States launched a fierce condemnation of the Russian political system before making the unfortunate slip of the tongue:
"The result is an absence of checks and balances in Russia,” Mr Bush complained.
“And the decision of one man to launch a wholly unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq - I mean, of Ukraine."
Speaking in Dallas this afternoon, former President George. W Bush made a significant verbal slip-up while discussing the war in Ukraine.
He tried referencing what he described as the “wholly unjustified and brutal invasion” — but said Iraq, instead of Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/tw0VNJzKmE— Michael Williams (@michaeldamianw) May 19, 2022
Mr Bush left office in 2009 with historically low approval ratings - with millions unemployed amid the worst recession since the Great Depression and many more tired of the years of war.
However, Texas is Mr Bush’s home state and he remains a popular figure among the staunch conservatives of the Lone Star state.
So when he blamed the mistake on his age, the audience burst into appreciative laughter.
A costly conflict
The invasion of Iraq began in 2003 after the Bush White House claimed that the country’s leader, Saddam Hussein, was in possession of weapons of mass destruction.
“Saddam Hussein is a serious threat,” Mr Bush said in the lead up to the invasion.
“He is a significant problem. And it’s something that this country must deal with.”
D16FCD US Soldiers wait to be picked up by helicopters March 22, 2009 south of Balad Ruz, Iraq.No weapons were ever found but Mr Bush and his allies have long maintained that the war was worth waging because it removed a brutal dictator from power.
US troops finally left the country in 2021 at which point Washington had spent nearly $2 trillion on the mission and thousands of Americans had lost their lives fighting there.
Main image: U.S. President George W. Bush speaks to U.S. troops from Al Faw Palace at Camp Victory in Baghdad, Iraq December 14, 2008. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (IRAQ)
