'Decision Points' cover
Photo: AP
Bush admits considered attack on Iran
Former US president reveals in his memoirs that military option was defined as 'my last resort.' And why did his mother refer to him as 'first Jewish president'?
After revealing
in his memoirs that Israel
bombed a Syrian nuclear reactor, former US President George W. Bush says he ordered the Pentagon to plan an attack on Iran's
nuclear facilities and considered a covert attack on Syria.
The former American president noted that "military action would always be on the table, but it would be my last resort," he said. According to the Guardian, Bush elaborates on the administration's discussions of the matter.
British newspaper Guardian reported Tuesday that in his new book "Decision Points", Bush wrote of Iran: "I directed the Pentagon to study what would be necessary for a strike. This would be to stop the bomb clock, at least temporarily."
Obama Administration
Secretary of Defense Gates turns down PM Netanyahu's request for a 'credible' military threat against Islamic Republic, says all options still on table. 'We are prepared to do what is necessary, but at this point we continue to believe in the political-economic approach'
Some of his advisers argued that destroying "the regime's prized project" – as he defines its nuclear facility – would help the Iranian opposition, while others worried it would stir up Iranian nationalism against the United States.
"Decision Point" will be published in the US on Tuesday, but copies have already been distributed to different media outlets across the world.
According to reports on Friday, Bush reveals in the book that Israel bombed a Syrian nuclear facility in 2007. He wrote that he considered attacking the suspicious Syrian site, but eventually rejected then-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's request to do so.
The former president revealed that the national security team discussed an air strike or a covert raid. "We studied the idea seriously, but the CIA and the military concluded it would be too risky to slip a team into and out of Syria." According to foreign publications, Israel eventually bombed the facility, although Syrian has firmly denied any plans to develop a nuclear weapon.
Barbara Bush. Disappointed? (Photo: AP)
Bush also reveals in the book that his mother, former First Lady Barbara Bush, referred to him as "the first Jewish president" following his landmark speech in 2002 in which he voiced his support for a Palestinian state.
“Shortly after the speech, Mother called,” he wrote. “‘How’s the first Jewish president doing?’ she asked. I had a funny feeling she disagreed with my policy. That meant Dad probably did as well.”
Throughout his eight years in office, the former president pledged unwavering support for Israel and had warm relationships with Prime Ministers Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert. His support for a Palestinian state may have surprised his mother.
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