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The Weblog at The View from the Core - Sun. 02/15/04 02:32:38 PM
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Soros Bashes Bush in Chicago Democrats in Self-Destruct Mode CLXXXV A report in the Chicago Sun-Times, Feb. 12. + + + + + Forget the economy next fall's presidential election will hinge on what voters think of President Bush's foreign policy, wealthy businessman and author George Soros said Wednesday. Speaking at the Graduate School of Business at the University of Chicago, the liberal billionaire investor said he would do whatever he could to oust Bush from office but declined to say which Democratic candidate he supported or reveal how much he might donate to the effort. About 600 students heard Soros speak. He spent little time discussing financial issues but instead discussed why he opposes the administration's international policies, especially the policy of preemption. "I regard the next election as a referendum on the Bush doctrine and on Iraq,'' said Soros, who was also promoting his book, The Bubble of American Supremacy: Correcting the Misuse of American Power. Soros said Bush took advantage of the fear brought on by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. "Fear hits you in the stomach,'' he said. "President Bush has exploited that fear.'' Bush used false pretenses by saying Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and implying a connection with al-Qaida to get the country to go to war, he said. "The invasion in Iraq has been a dismal failure,'' he said. Contrary to the assertion that other rogue rulers might now fear the United States, he said he believes America is in a weaker position than before the invasion. The world knows "we are not going to spend another $160 billion and sacrifice 500 lives to remove another heinous dictator,'' he said. America needs to act as the leader of the free world to promote democracy, not simply as the world's only superpower. "You can't be the godfather of the world,'' he said. Speaking to reporters after his talk, Soros said he would support "whoever wins'' the Democratic primary and called front-runner John Kerry "a very strong candidate'' who is "uniting the Democratic Party behind him.'' He said he plans to donate more than the $12.5 million he already has given to groups opposing Bush. "I may make further contributions because there is such an imbalance,'' he said. Asked how much, he said: "I have no idea.'' U. of C. law student Marcos Ribeiro, 26, said he agreed with Soros' remarks: "It's important for people with his visibility to express their deep concerns about the external policies of the Bush administration.'' + + + + + The Blog from the Core asserts Fair Use for non-commercial, non-profit educational purposes. (Thanks, Tom.) Lane Core Jr. CIW P Sun. 02/15/04 02:32:38 PM |
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