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U.S. Says Remarks on Olmert-Bush Call Inaccurate
WASHINGTON - The United States on Tuesday denied that a telephone call from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to President George W. Bush forced Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to abstain in a U.N. vote on the Gaza war.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice speaks during a news conference at the State Department in Washington, DC. Rice was left shame-faced after President George W. Bush ordered her to abstain in a key UN vote on the Gaza war. (AFP/Getty Images/File/Alex Wong) "There are inaccuracies," White House spokesman Tony Fratto said about Olmert's remarks Monday night in a speech broadcast on Israeli television and widely reported in the media.
Olmert said he had demanded to talk to Bush with only 10 minutes to spare before a U.N. Security Council vote Thursday on a resolution opposed by Israel calling for an immediate cease-fire.
"He gave an order to the secretary of state and she did not vote in favour of it -- a resolution she cooked up, phrased, organized and manoeuvred for. She was left pretty shamed and abstained on a resolution she arranged," Olmert said.
The White House did not elaborate on the inaccuracies.
But State Department spokesman Sean McCormack, who was with Rice at the United Nations last week during debate on the U.N. resolution, said the remarks were "just 100 percent, totally, completely untrue."
McCormack added that Washington had no plan at the moment to seek clarification from Israel.
In his remarks, Olmert described his call to Bush while the U.S. president was giving a speech in Philadelphia.
"I said, 'I don't care. I have to talk to him now,'" Olmert said, describing Bush, who leaves office on January 20, as "an unparalleled friend" of Israel.
"They got him off the podium, brought him to another room and I spoke to him. I told him, 'You can't vote in favour of this resolution.' He said, 'Listen, I don't know about it, I didn't see it, I'm not familiar with the phrasing.'"
Olmert said he then told Bush: "'I'm familiar with it. You can't vote in favour.'
Bush was in Philadelphia on Thursday morning and gave a 27-minute speech on education policy that ended at 11:46 a.m. and there was no interruption of the public event.
The U.N. Security Council voted on the Gaza resolution about 10 hours later, shortly before 9:30 p.m.
Arab ministers said after the U.N. vote Thursday that Rice had promised them the United States would support the resolution, but then made an about-face after talking to Bush.
A few minutes before the scheduled vote at the United Nations, Rice's staff told reporters she would make a few brief comments beforehand, but then abruptly cancelled her press appearance, saying she would instead speak to Bush by phone.
She then entered the U.N. Security Council chamber, huddled with Arab ministers who shook their heads as she spoke to them. Immediately after the vote, Rice left for Washington without talking to reporters.
Rice joined her French and British ministers in drawing up the resolution and the three Western powers haggled with Arab countries for three days over wording, which Rice told the U.N. Security Council she supported.
(Additional reporting Paul Eckert and Sue Pleming in Washington and Jeffrey Heller in Jerusalem; Editing by Doina Chiacu)
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45 Comments so far
Show AllSo Olmert is a liar?
"Never believe anything until it's been officially denied" - Claud Cockburn
Olmert was just bragging. It was in poor taste. He might have just misspoke or perhaps he was trying to distract from some of the scandals he's been embroiled in. But obviously there's no truth in what he's saying.
Doesn't it sound like they are both lying?
So now in the final hour Israel and Bush are accusing each other of lying.
Things are lookin up, folks.
Many of us who care about the growing hatred of Jews are beginning to see finally that they are getting no help from Israel.
It is time to take over the Jewish mob and kick the Nazis out!
Shalom
It was perfect timeing by Israel in it's attack on Gazza.Do it during the Christmas Holidays and when Bush leaving the White House and America is haveing a rough time with the economy. Condi Rice's last trip to Israel was in November; they sure kept her in the dark.It won't take much more to reduce Gazza to a mountain of rubble and one big graveyard.
Whether its true or not is irrelevant--it shows the lack of respect that Israel has for the US even though it gets $3 plus billion dollars annually.
Israel's hubris is so foolish. I guess when you think you are the chosen people of the One True God you dont have an inclination for common sense.
First an Iraqi reporter throws his shoes at Bush, now Israel does the same as he goes out the door.
Perfect.
"First an Iraqi reporter throws his shoes at Bush, now Israel does the same as he goes out the door. Perfect."
LMAO!
That money goes directly back into the pockets of the military industrialists for the weapons they are testing out for the u.s. In my opinion.
They are manchurian candidates. I just saw olmert video on democracy now. He is as brain dead as bush. He is such a moron! Why would he be dissing bush and rice? I mean, at least on a purely political level...Actually, i think he is even more of a fool than bush.
"George here. What's that Olmert? You want me to-- You said turn down the cease fire resolution, the one that Condi put together? She won't like it, she might even write a nasty book about me on this. Okay tho. No problem. Oh, just abstaining is okay? That'll do it for you? I'm going to have to say there were inaccuracies about this call. Well, haven't I always cooperated with you and AIPAC? I mean what's the priority here--Olmert? Are you still there? You didn't hang up on me did you? Oh, you're there. Okay, I'll do it. We'll abstain on the Gaza strip cease fire resolution and you can continue to bomb 'em back to the stone age. Probably till Obama takes over. That's what you want, isn't it? Yes, Yes, I understand. Will do. As usual."
Just what we knew already: AIPAC and Israel control the U.S. government, and that is why the Senate and House, with a few brave exceptions, were so eager to vote in favor of supporting the slaughter Israel is carrying out on Gaza.
Our media is controlled, too, which is why most of what we see is cheerleading for Israel. The Al Jazeera television network, which is highly respected throughout the world, has been pretty much kept off the U.S. airwaves, so we don't see what the rest of the world sees. But if you go to livestation.com, you can get a free download (for Mac users like me, too!) that lets you watch English Al Jazeera's live streaming on the internet.
Al Jazeera has reporters who are actually in Gaza, not just hanging out in Israel, and intelligent newscasters who actually know what they're talking about as they interview Israelis and Palestinians and others.
"Just what we knew already: AIPAC and Israel control the U.S. government, and that is why the Senate and House, with a few brave exceptions, were so eager to vote in favor of supporting the slaughter Israel is carrying out on Gaza."
That's it.
"All Nature's difference keeps all Nature's peace." Alexander Pope
There is no reason for Omert to have doubted that Bush would vote against the resolution. The Bush administration stands behind the genocide of Palestinians and is unquestioningly supportive of Israel, especially when it comes to killing as many Arabs as possible. Unfortunately I see little evidence that things will change under Obama.
The Jaded Prole
It's probably true since Olmert, monstrous as he is, still has more credibility than Bush.
What's worse is that the 9/11 attack on U.S. soil couldn't tear Bush's attention away from "My Pet Goat" but the Israeli prime minister says "Jump" and Bush says "How high?".
Oh BS. Folks this is damage control. Pure and simple.
The statement itself is probably true. Their are too many sources which confirm it. However both Israel and the US now realize how bone headed a statement it was. And how much damaged it did to US/Israel relations (as it has a lot of americans reconsidering their support of Israel). And the way the rest of the world looks at them (especially the Mideast). However despite the debunking I think the damage has been done.
Oh vey.
"Oh vey."
Translated into Yiddish: Oy vey!
"All Nature's difference keeps all Nature's peace." Alexander Pope
In a situation like this, it's more accurate to say "Oy gevalt".
Help reduce the National Debt - TAX CHURCHES!
Is it true that Bush is Olmert's glove puppet?
Is it true that the Bolivian President called for the Knesset to be charged with war crimes and genocide?
Is it true that the number of Palestinians killed is now over 1000 with around half of them women and children?
Is it true that only 7 Israeli soldiers have been killed so far?
Is it true that America is seeking other ways to deliver a shipment of missiles and bombs to Israel?
Is it true that the Israeli navy stopped a ship from Iran from delivering aid to the Palestinians?
Is it true that the governments of most nations in the world are complicit in the ongoing genocide?
IF IT IS, THE WHOLE WORLD SHOULD HANG ITS HEAD IN SHAME!
www.dangerouscreation.com
The wind blows from the West and the wind blows from the East
but never trust a wind that blows both hot and cold. July.
Bush is pretty much EVERYBODY's glove puppet: Cheney's, Olmert's, Big Guns', Big Oil's....
There is a name for being everybody's glove puppet--and the world's oldest profession goes right along with it.
Politics is the world's SECOND oldest profession--although it's normally difficult to discern any difference between the two.
The good people who partake in the worlds oldest profession provide pleasure at a price.
Politicians can certainly be had for a price, but there is far less of a guarantee that any implied contract will be honoured.
So I respectfully submit that the world's oldest profession is far more honest and takes advantage of far fewer people than the world's second oldest and is thus fairly easy to tell the difference.
Oh just a further aside. The insurance industry is also lower on the scale than the world's oldest profession because you obtain a service when you pay your money with the world's oldest profession. The mafia is also higher on the scale of moral business practices for the same reason.
"So I respectfully submit that the world's oldest profession is far more honest and takes advantage of far fewer people than the world's second oldest and is thus fairly easy to tell the difference."
How true. But you might have included that the world's second oldest profession gives the first oldest a bad name.
I'd much rather be called a prostitute than a politician. Politician is so, so....dirty.
No, Bush is not Olmert's glove puppet. There is a relationship between Israel and the United States. They are connected by a dog leash. Now we find out the Zionists are holding the leash.
Yes it should but not for long because things have to be put back to right. Let the belligerents separate, let the people be attended to immediately, Israel should get off the land that it has been illegally occupying for sixty years, Israel should start immediately making reparations to the Palestinians for all the grief that has been caused in the name of their state. Maybe what they need is a single country with two provinces.
Sophie Scholl-The Final Days
HuffPo says death toll just passed 1000. The US government has done nothing to stop or even suggest the Israeli government stop the attack on Gaza.
I fail to see how it would be in Olmert's interest to lie about this. Shooting off his big mouth was of course further proof of his arrogance, but I tend to believe his story. Sharon used to say the same sort of things. Nobody questioned him.
The US 'officials' have never called Olmert a liar.
They are spinning like tops to re-cast it.
They are probably trying to get Olmert to retract his statement...but with an election coming up I doubt he will.
Being able to claim that you can make the USA dance has got to be a serious vote-getter.
They are all lying. I found the transcript of the call:
Olmert: Get the moron on the phone!
pause
Bush: I ran as fast as I could sir. What can I do you for?
Olmert: You dummy, I heard that your SOS was about to vote for that G-D resolution calling for a cease-fire. Is that true?
Bush: They don't tell me nothing.
Olmert: I told you, idiot, that you can never approve anything like that. You really are dumber than a box of rocks like Sharon said.
Bush: Yes sir! I will stop it right away. But, sir, SOS said a lot of people are getting really upset and the US is losing support and respect.
Olmert: You G-D dummy! What do I care if the US is losing support and respect? Besides, you numbskull, you killed over a million in Iraq, on the other side of the world from you, to steal their oil. I killed a thousand next door to protect my population. Look in the mirror to see who cost you respect. And you better get your SOS on the phone before I even put mine down. Got that, you moron?
Bush: Yes sir! I won't let you down.
The sad thing about this goofy account is that it could be completely true.
After eight years, nothing Bush says or does should surprise us.
Is it possible I'll soon miss America's lame-brain lame duck?
Jim Swanson, Los Altos, CA
"The Bush League of Nations"
www.bushleagueofnations.com [for FREE download of entire book]
One thing you can be very sure about the Bush administration is that the more they deny it, the truer it is....The US govt is occupied by zionist terrorists.
Shame on the USA ,Israel/Jews and the World.
Silence = Collaboration = Blood on your hands !!!!!
This genocidal horror show in Gaza and elsewhere (Iraq, Afghanistan, etc.) is by design. It is engineered to inflame the world of Islam and create more pretexts for more wars and all engineered by Jewish neocons in Israel and the US.It is blatantly obvious that Israel's aim is to provoke Hesbolah and Iran as severely as possible and once again humiliate Islam.
Nearly one in five people in the world today claims the faith of Islam.Over fifty countries have Muslim-majority populations, while other groups of believers are clustered in minority communities on nearly every continent and every Muslim is watching their Islamic brothers and sisters ,fathers and mothers slaughtered at will by the 4th strongest military in the world which is Jewish. The US Administration and Israel must know and are happy that this will provoke a response and naturally bring on a backlash of anti Semitism and anti Americanism in the rest of the World.
Gaza is a rubble , a humanitarian destruction and a total crime against Humanity all because Israel refuses to return "STOLEN PROPERTY" !!!
Hamas home made rockets fired into Illegally Occupied Palestinian Lands in protest against being imprisoned by Israel in Gaza with little food ,water and electricity under a reign of terror 24/7 year after year and children reduced to eating grass to survive.
How can it be acceptable that 0.02% of the Worlds population can in this day and age kill and destroy and provoke 23% of the World's population and how can Israel the 4th strongest Military in the World bomb Democratic Lebanon back 50 years into the past and now Gaza back 200 years into the past ?.
Every American and Jews Worldwide have blood on their hands and silence is tantamount to collaboration.
Its time to look up the magic words--- Boycott Israel on Google and act ASAP.
Yes "Harvey", it is ALL americans and ALL Jews (like there isn't an intersection point).
I guess you fall in neither category, of course.
In case you haven't noticed, many americans and europeans and asians and yes, even jews in israel and in the u.s. and other lands have taken to the streets in the past three weeks.
Thanks, ready...you saved me some typing. I'm growing weary of clarifying this point. Kudos.
"All Nature's difference keeps all Nature's peace." Alexander Pope
No problem Ted!
I'm not going to condemn 'Harvey' for his excesses right away though.
It takes someone less than human to not react emotionally and with complete revulsion at what is going on in Gaza and the obvious enabling and apologist attitude of what passes for our government.
The real question is: What will he do next?
His response is completely predictable and this is why it is so dangerous to the Jews everywhere should people catch on--should the rage build.
I have to say this...I was raised in a progressive household. My father was a shrink and most of my parents friends were Jews. Most of my classmates were Jews...My brothers always had Jewish girlfriends, one whose family suffered terrible antisemitic attacks...but I find myself reading pro-Israel letters in the local paper--or see someone on the TV screen spouting Zionist talking points and lies...and I look at the name. Am I the only one?
Vern,
The question is: Do you paint all people of one religion or ethnicity with the same broad bush because some (or even the majority) of them share a belief or perpetrate crimes? It's easy to do, as all minorities know, but is it right? Is it progressive?
To answer your question: No, you are not the only one. That's why I admonish Jews everywhere to be careful - because there are those out there, like you, who look at the names...
"All Nature's difference keeps all Nature's peace." Alexander Pope
One problem is that people see polls indicating 90 percent of the Jewish voters in Israel support this attack on Gaza. They are certainly not all Zionists and so more people draw the conclusion this attack is by extension supported by all "Jews".
Very much the same happens with America. Bush the war criminal voted into power for a second term. Another President who advocates an expansion of the war on terror elected to office in the way of Barack Obama.
People then start to draw the conclusion that "Americans" support what their Government does in Iraq or Afghanistan.
The question asked is do we paint all people with the same brush because they belong to a group wherein a certain number of that group commits a wrong.
It is not so black and white. While we can not paint every individual as being a "Zionist" or in support of torture or the invasion of Iraq and so on and so forth those peoples DO BEAR some collective responsibility.
I as a Canadian abhor how we have treated our Aboriginals. I have never had a hand in any of these wrongs committed, yet I recognize that as a Citizen of Canada I bear a collective responsibility for those wrongs.
Wag the dog? Knowing how pompous Zionists can be, as they are the Chosen People, I have no doubt that Bush was dragged out of a public speech and told to toe the line. Bush, being as stupid as he is, agreed.
I believe I saw film footage of Olmert doing his boasting on http://www.democracynow.org/. I think it was, absolutely disgraceful what Canada did with her vote. I hang my head in shame.
But talk of the tail wagging the dog!
and unfortunately while that clusterfuck is going on more Palestinians are being killed.
Sophie Scholl-The Final Days
The cost of The Barack Obama Inauguration is said to be over 350 billion dollars. Most costly since George W. Bush's Inauguration.
I think the word for Olmert's comments is "overstepped." As in stepped over the line, got in front of the curtain. Puppet masters are not supposed to do that. Sometimes when the smoke and mirrors vanish, so do the willing ticket buyers, leaving a whole lot of disgruntled purchasers. If you will excuse the mixed metaphors, I hope you catch my drift.
Pan
On October 3, 2001, I.A.P. News reported that according to Israel Radio (in Hebrew) Kol Yisrael an acrimonious argument erupted during the Israeli cabinet weekly session last week between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his foreign Minister Shimon Peres. Peres warned Sharon that refusing to heed incessant American requests for a cease-fire with the Palestinians would endanger Israeli interests and "turn the US against us. "Sharon reportedly yelled at Peres, saying "don't worry about American pressure, we the Jewish people control America." Did I say it ? who said it ? Any truth to this . Still going on . Is this Anti Semetic to Quote these Guys?
joehope obviously? Yes Aljazeerah but not the english language reporting channel. Its like Human Rights Watch. The Natives abroad are looking at the Arabic channel Aljazeerah. That's where they are seeing their pictures. Look and cry.
This is not a war but Israel is indulging once again in War Crimes. No Peace, without Justice. It has been and is in its essence a repeat offender, terrorist rogue state that has the diplomatic, political, financial and military support and protection of subverted western democracies. Their hubris though and an overtly racist dominance of the MSM propoganda machinery has truely become an 'in your face' fascism. It is barbarism and deceit, lies and fiction unbridled. However, this time in spite of foreign reporters not being given access to Gaza (little about that discussed why?) they have miscalculated. Globalisation and the fact that cameras are in there already, have blown their cover. Their narrative, always all lies has been questioned. The entire world is sickened and shamed. This persistent and calculated defense of the indefensible (unless we find terrorist mass murder, torture, imprisonment racism and theft fine?) won't hold and the blowback will be enormous. So much distortion, lying and so much cruelty has awakened civilization to question more and more horrible association. The protection from infiltrated political elites and bribery from bankers cannot stem the tide of righteous anger in all countries populations. Israel is a pariah state and exists because our leaders have subverted civilized behaviour in the face of public informed opinion. How can the USA respond after its 'war on terror' has become a sick joke and the fear won't hold.
Fight terrorism politically ye'all as the Syrian President constructively suggests and place human rights in its rightful place for civilizations sake. Support International Law and require Justice and Peace wherever possible. With Western compliance the free democracies of this world have become complicit in a genocide and ethnic cleansing operation in Gaza to-day. Blowback will soon become an inevitable nuclear holocaust unless we repent of such criminal insanity. And Hamas have every right to resist their Occupation and their families have every right to help them. After all they are prisoners who somehow lasted through a long hot summer with such little water being 'put on a diet' by their jailers who live in their houses squatting in Sderot or Ashkelon. Israel effectively broke the cease fire and already had Hamas designated a terrorist organisation. Hamas are the elected representatives of the population in Gaza and indeed of the Palestinian people. Abbas and authorities will never be so lets stop pretense for starters. Were Israel forced to talk with the Palestinians they must talk to Hamas. Otherwise, there will be protracted war till The Pentagon Paper Boys try a mini nuke.
Well, we know SOMETHING happened. Otherwise, why would Rice spend her efforts helping draft a resolution, and then vote against it after a conversation with Bush? This is just a matter now of how it was done.
Does it ever occur to Americans that their country is in fact run by a bunch of Zionist thugs at home and abroad, but who all answer to what the French ambassador Daniel Bernard is reported to have called "that shitty little country Israel". Yet when the US is faced with a question of joining the International Criminal Court, or submitting to UN Control of Conventional Weapons Trade the government of the great and powerful USA answers, they cannot consider it because “it would compromise our sovereignty”.
So now a rogue state, committing acts of terrorism, genocide, and war crimes, fully armed in WMD not least 100 thermo nuclear weapons, in long term defiance of the UN, and again not only ignoring a ceasefire order of the UNSC but then bombing the UN HQ in Gaza….. they can phone up the US President to get the SOS to abstain on a UNSC resolution which she negotiated and approved in camera. And they told you Saddam was a problem?
What I find just gob dropping about all this is the absolute lack of outrage, the passive acceptance! What sovereignty do you really have? It is about as real as your democracy when you are run by a bunch of crooks and the new boy Obama is already surrounded by minders to make sure he does not get out of line. He’s certainly proved his mettle so far on Israel in his glowing promises to AIPAC and then on Gaza with a stony and cowardly silence! He might as well stand in front of that double Freemason pyramid = blue star of David with the two stripes instead of the stars and stripes on Tuesday.
What a bunch of complicit jerks! Special relation ya-sure, bend over, and by the way here’s a 9/11 to help convince your ovine populace, just keep them guessing, and don’t forget to get on and do that heavy lifting we need in Iraq. Remember we don’t have to call it a Greater Israel, as long as we run it. Well worry about Iran and Syria later. Keep up the good work boy.
Shish, these Goy are dumb!