In an attempt to shed his 'Bush-lite' image, Liberal leadership candidate Michael Ignatieff used a recent interview to call the U.S. president "a disaster," while saying he has no "remaining confidence" in the Americans' handling of Iraq.
"This president has been a disaster for the authority and the influence of the United States," Ignatieff told The Globe and Mail during a recent interview.
Ignatieff said Bush didn't capitalize on the post-9/11 conditions that could have paved the way for a unified Western front.
"A historic opportunity was missed by the Bush administration that Americans are now realizing was a catastrophe -- and a catastrophe not only against their values, but against their interests."
On Iraq, Ignatieff explained that his initial support of the war was marred by his failure to predict the incompetence of U.S. officials.
"(I take) full responsibility for not having anticipated how incompetent the Americans would be. I don't have remaining confidence in the Americans... The Bush operation in Iraq betrayed any hopes I had of Iraq transitioning to a stable political elite, and now all those hopes rest with my friends, the Iraqi political elite." More...
