Marching to War
This repeat offense usually features Dubya trying to blame the poor economy on the summer of 2003, when he threatened to go to war with Iraq over an imaginary stockpile of weapons of mass destruction, and dubious connections with international terrorism. The best feature of this repeat offense is Dubya's ability to make it sound like he had nothing to do with it.

1. As the economy kind of got going again, the enemy attacked us. September the 11th had a significant impact on our economy. And then we discovered some of our corporate CEOs forgot to tell the truth, and that affected confidence. And then as you may remember, Tom, we had the steady drumbeat to war. As I mentioned in my press conference the other day, on our TV screens there was a — on some TV screens — there was a constant reminder for the American people, "march to war." War is not a very pleasant subject in people's minds, it's not conducive for the investment of capital. (Aug. 1, 2003)
2. We got attacked in 9/11. And then corporate scandals started to bubble up to the surface, which created a — a lack of confidence in the system. And then we had the drumbeat to war. Remember on our TV screens — I'm not suggesting which network did this — but it said, "March to War," every day from last summer until the spring — "March to War, March to War." That's not a very conducive environment for people to take risk, when they hear, "March to War" all the time. (Aug. 1, 2003)
3. And as the economy was beginning to recover, the enemy hit us on September the 11th, and that affected our economy in a big way. And then we had corporate scandals which we've dealt with. And then, of course, you remember the "march to war." I've reminded people — I think this isn't the first time I've said this — that some would put on their TV screens that we were "marching to war." As a matter of fact, it was a year ago that we began the "march to war." During the August vacation, as I recall, there was the march to war. It's hard to have an upbeat view of the world when you're "marching to war." War is not exactly a positive thought, particularly when it comes to people willing to take risks, and consumer confidence. (Aug. 13, 2003)
4. When we came into office, the country was in recession. And we started getting better, the economy was getting a little better, then the enemy hit us. And then we had some corporate scandals, we had some people in our society who forgot what it means to be a responsible citizen — they didn't tell the truth to their shareholders and their employees, and that affected the people's confidence. And then on your tv screens you saw the words "march to war," which is not a very conducive phrase for economic development. (Aug. 26, 2003)
5. In times of conflict, decision-makers are hesitant to make major purchases, businesses are hesitant to hire new people. The march to war is not conducive for hopeful investment. (Sep. 5, 2003)
6. Two-and-a-half years ago, we inherited an economy in recession. And then our country was attacked, and we began a march to war. And there were some corporate scandals, all of which affected the confidence of the American people. (Sep. 8, 2003)
7. Two-and-a-half years ago, we inherited an economy in recession. And then the attacks came on our country, and we had corporate scandals, and we began to march to war, which all affected the people's confidence. (Sep. 9, 2003)
8. Two-and-a-half years ago, we inherited an economy in recession. And then the attacks came upon our country, as well as corporate scandals, and the march to war — all of which affected the confidence of the American people. (Sep. 16, 2003)
9. Two-and-a-half years ago we inherited an economy in recession. And then our country was attacked; and we began a march to war; we found out some of our corporate citizens forgot to tell the truth — all of which affected the confidence of our country. (Sep. 30, 2003)
10. Two-and-a-half years ago, we inherited an economy in recession. And then we had the attacks on our country, coupled with the march to war, and corporate scandals. All of those events affected the confidence of the American people. (Oct. 3, 2003)
11. No, the attacks of September the 11th, and the march to war leading up to the Iraqi excursion, affected the psychology of the country. We had a recession, and we had the attacks, the national emergency, plus the march to war. But we're a strong country. We're a resilient country because the entrepreneurial spirit is strong and things seem to be okay. (Oct. 3, 2003)
12. And then we marched to war, war in Afghanistan and Iraq, all of which affected the people's confidence. That's a tough — tough hurdles to cross, when it came to our economy. (Oct. 7, 2003)
13. It began to get right, and all of a sudden we found out that some of the leaders in corporate America forgot what it means to be a responsible citizen. They didn't tell the truth. And that hurt us. It shook the confidence. And then we had the march to war, both in Afghanistan and Iraq. All of these provided great challenges to our economy. (Oct. 15, 2003)
14. Two-and-a-half years ago, we inherited an economy in recession. And then the attacks came on our country. And we had a march to war to defend ourselves. And we had scandals in corporate America. All of which affected the people's confidence. (Oct. 15, 2003)
15. And as we did so, it shook the confidence of the people. It's not a very — it doesn't inspire a lot of confidence when people turn on the TV and say, march to war. In other words, it creates uncertainty and doubt. (Oct. 30, 2003)
16. In other words, we came into office and dealt with a recession, then dealt with attacks, then dealt with corporate scandals, dealt with the march to war, all of which affected the confidence of the people. (Nov. 7, 2003)
17. I don't if you remember, on your TV screens, last summer it — a year ago, summer — it said, "march to war." You turn on the TV, and there it says, "march to war." That's not a very conducive environment in which people are willing to take risk. It's not a positive thought. It's a necessary, in my judgment, obviously, to make America secure. But it's not positive. I know it's not. (Nov. 10, 2003)
18. And then we had a march to war, and that all affected the people's confidence. (Dec. 1, 2003)
19. And then I obviously made the decision to go into Iraq. And by the way, a free and peaceful Iraq is in our nation's interest. It's in our security interest — that affected the economy. When you turned on your TV, it said, America is marching to war. That's not very conducive for — that's not a very positive statement. It doesn't build a lot of confidence — people, you know, marching to war, why would I want to invest in my home? Or why would I want to come to Home Depot if we're fixing to go to war? (Dec. 5, 2003)
20. Three years ago, the economy was in trouble and a recession was beginning. And then our country was attacked, and we had scandals in corporate America, and the march to war, all of which affected the people's confidence. (Jan. 5, 2004)
21. And then, we marched to war. We took gathering threats seriously and we dealt with them. The world was better off without Saddam Hussein and the Taliban. But all that — The march to war affected our psychology and confidence. It is hard to be optimistic about the future when you turn on your TV screens and say, America is marching to war. War is not positive. War is — it sends the signal that there will be uncertainty. We're not marching to peace. And — but we overcome a lot. And it's important for our citizens to remember that. (Jan. 21, 2004)
22. Then we marched to war. When you're marching to war to make our country more secure and the world more free, it is not conducive to capital investment. That's a negative thought. When you turn on your TV screens for a lot of last year, it said, "March To War." And that didn't instill a lot of confidence in the people, because there's a lot of uncertainty when "a march to war." We're now marching to peace, and we're changing the world in a better way. (Jan. 21, 2004)
23. But when you're marching to war, it's tough on the economy. For this reason, the message, march to war, is not conducive for optimistic investment. Marching to war is negative, not positive. It's hard to be optimistic about the future when you look on your TV screen and it says, America is marching to war. (Jan. 22, 2004)
24. And then, finally, we began a march to war for our security, and it's hard to be optimistic during a period when you're marching to war. March to war is not a positive thought. (Jan. 29, 2004)
25. The march to war affected the people's confidence. It's hard to make investment. See, if you're a small business owner or a large business owner and you're thinking about investing, you've got to be optimistic when you invest. Except when you're marching to war, it's not a very optimistic thought, is it? In other words, it's the opposite of optimistic when you're thinking you're going to war. War is not conducive to — for investment. (Feb. 9, 2004)
26. Laura reminded me that early in the summer of 2002 on our TV screens it started to say, "march to war," a prediction of war. It's not a good environment to invest capital when you see on your TV screens "march to war." It's hard to be optimistic about the future when you think you're marching to war. (Feb. 16, 2004)
27. The march to war affected our economy. When you turn on your TV screen in the summer of 2002 and it says, "America's March To War," that's not very conducive for investment. Marching for war doesn't instill a lot of confidence in the future. It creates uncertainty. (Feb. 19, 2004)
28. Laura reminded me, in July of 2002, on the television screens came to the notation, "America is Marching to War." (Feb. 26, 2004)
29. And therefore, in 2002 and early 2003, the television screens across America had banners saying, "March to war" — and, as business leaders, you understand that's not very conducive to investing capital. Marching to war is not a positive thought. (Mar. 10, 2004)
30. The march to war hurt the economy. Laura reminded me a while ago that remember what was on the TV screens — she calls me, "George W." — "George W." I call her, "First Lady." No, anyway — she said, we said, march to war on our TV screen. (Mar. 11, 2004)
31. I made a very difficult decision, but the right decision, to secure our country by holding Saddam Hussein to account. But nevertheless, we had the — if you remember, we had on our TV screens the phrase, "March to war." Any time a nation is marching to war, it's not conducive for confident thinking. Nobody wants to march to war. (Mar. 15, 2004)
32. We marched to war, which affected the economy. It's hard to be confident about the future when you look on your TV screens, and you see the banner, "March to War". (Mar. 16, 2004)
33. During the run up to the liberation of Iraq, on our TV screens you see, "March to War." That's hard to the business world. It's hard for job creators. It's not a very — it's not — you don't get a lot of confidence when you think your country is marching to war. War is negative. (Mar. 25, 2004)
34. The challenge we overcame was the fact that on your TV screens you saw the words "Marching to War." I don't know if you remember that or not. As we were trying to get Saddam to disarm peacefully through the United Nations, and the collective will of the world, you see "March to War," that's hard if you're a business person. It's hard to risk capital or expand your business when the country is marching to war. It's not a good thought. Or if you're a consumer, maybe thinking about buying a house, if you look on your TV screens that say "March to War," you're not so sure you want to buy the house then, because you're not sure what the consequences of marching to war will be. (Mar. 26, 2004)
35. I've talked about my decision to go into Iraq. But remember on your TV screens it said, "March to War," during that period of time. That's something the economy had to overcome because when you read about marching to war, it is — it is negative. People who are making capital decisions, or decisions to expand, take a look at that and say, gosh, I'm not sure I want to expand if we're marching to war. (May 7, 2004)
36. During a period of war, it's hard for the economy to grow because people don't feel confident. The concept of war is negative, not positive. I don't know if you remember, but we used to have on our TV screens, "March to War," and if you're a small business owner or a big business owner, when you're thinking you're marching to war, there's a sense of uncertainty with that. (Jul. 9, 2004)
37. When you hear on your TV screens, America is marching to war, it's difficult to make investment. (Jul. 14, 2004)