Conyers Says Bush's Credibility Problem in Europe Continues

Washington, DC - Congressman John Conyers (D-MI) condemned today President Bush's insincerity with European leaders over his plans in Iran. The congressman accused the president of repeating the same mistakes he made two years ago, demonstrating "why, under President Bush's leadership, there still exists a credibility problem between the United States and our European allies." Conyers issued the following statement:

"As the president travels Europe on his 'fence-mending' mission, it remains clear that he is not planning to plant any fence posts. Despite his attempts to soften the fallout from his hard-nosed position and attempts at deception on Iraq, the president has refused once again to be straightforward with our European allies.

Tuesday, at a press conference in Brussels, the president called the speculation that the United States was preparing to attack Iran 'ridiculous' only to turn around and add, 'Having said that, all options are on the table.' The president, who announced that diplomacy had just begun with Iran, also shot down the diplomatic solutions presented by Euoprean leaders.

If President Bush plans to use diplomacy to resolve the issue, then why has he said all options, including military, are on the table? I certainly do not see how he expects to mend any fences with this type of double talk.

Even though President Bush has acknowledged that Iraq has been the divisive issue that has hindered relations with Europe, he apparently has forgotten that the Europeans particularly didn't appreciate being misled when they questioned him about his intentions regarding future military plans. In May 2002, while the White House was quietly preparing to begin making a case for military action of Iraq, the president explicitly told a German crowd the opposite, saying that he had 'no war plans on [his] desk.'

Now, the president prepares to repeat the same mistake, continuing the disrespectful weaving and bobbing around serious foreign policy issues. His ambiguous description of how the White House is examining the Iranian question goes right to the heart of why, under President Bush's leadership, there still exists a credibility problem between the United States and European allies."

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