Apr. 11, 2008 - Full Transcript of ABCs Martha Raddatz Interview with President Bush
RADDATZ: All during that period -- April, May, June, July -- when things were really going downhill, people were talking about there being civil war.
BUSH: Yes.
RADDATZ: .You were saying, 'We're winning. We have a plan for victory. We are winning,' up through October.
BUSH: Well, there was -- I also recognized -- I think if you'd go through the -- kind of fully analyze my statements, I was also saying, "The fighting is very tough, it's -- you know, the extremism is unacceptable. The murder is unacceptable."
And you know, it's very important to be realistic.
RADDATZ: But the overall thing -- when you say, "We're winning," you know what the American people hear. You know how that will play.
BUSH: Well, yes. I think we -- and I wanted -- that's as much trying to bolster the spirits of the people in the field as well as -- look, you can't have the commander in chief say to a bunch of kids who are sacrificing either, "It's not worth it," or, "You're losing." I mean, what does that do for morale?
