Opinion: Bartlett’s quotations

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Dan Bartlett, a George W. Bush loyalist who first hooked his star to the future president more than a decade ago in Texas, put in his last hours Tuesday as a White House aide. But before he cleared out his desk --- and in the best tradition of political insiders becoming less tight-lipped as they head to the sidelines --- Bartlett provided some parting insights to this month’s edition of GQ.

It’s short but intriguing, especially as Bartlett reflects on the seemingly triumphant moment that the administration now doesn’t much care being reminded of: Bush’s ‘Mission Accomplished’ speech on Iraq five years ago aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln as the ship headed toward San Diego.

The iconic scene ‘set the wrong tone for what became a protracted, difficult mission,’ Bartlett says.

And here’s the payoff quote: ‘If there ever was a do-over, that would be it.’

Bartlett, who announced his resignation from Team Bush about a month ago, goes on to insist that the White House, in planning the speech on the aircraft carrier’s deck, really hadn’t intended to gloat quite that much. But we don’t seem to recall such caveats at the time. And we checked the clips, and there’s no getting around Bush’s confidence when he told cheering sailors that ‘the United States and our allies have prevailed’ in Iraq.

Bartlett also directs a zinger at former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld that makes us doubt they’ll be sharing a table whenever administration alums gather for a reunion.

On the subject of past Bush words, several anti-war groups spotlighted this past Monday as the fourth anniversary of his widely publicized ‘Bring ‘em on’ utterance about Iraqi insurgents.

-- Don Frederick

Photo: Dan Bartlett; Credit: Ron Edmonds/AP