Mehdi debates ex-Iraq hawk on whether Bush should be arrested | The Mehdi Hasan Show

[@DaKingisDead]

I'm a veteran, but 20yrs ago I was working on an Air Force Base as a DOD civilian, and I remember how some people at work literally stopped speaking to me when I said ''we should NOT be invading Iraq under the circumstances laid out to justify this invasion.''

[@erikpeterson25]

Yup

[@PaulHo]

Where are they now?

[@bryanmack4054]

Tribalism and groupthink is a helluva thing

[@2303mitt]

Am sure they will agree with you right now

[@irfanyaqub9643]

you said it because you have human mindset alive in you. and you are a pure sole. May God Bless you.

[@peteryork3419]

War is war, illegal wars are illegal wars. Cooked up intellligence is cooked up intelligence.

[@HumanBeingsRThinkingBeings]

Mind Begs the Question: Hitler Falsely demonized Jews As part of Sinister Plot to Rule Guaranteed Evil Govts dont exist Plan False Flag attack,for Control over Resources?

[@thefamilydud2225]

But the professor wrote a book…

[@Mamali316]

I fully agree. Two wrongs don't make a right. Bush, too, should be arrested along with his false promoter Condalizza Rice. Yes, Putin is a monster that belongs 6' under. The commenter missed that US sold the WMD to then trusting partners. This trust has long further diminished after GOP garbage like our orange clown became the president

[@Mamali316]

​@@thefamilydud2225 this so calked professor is full of crap defending Bush, the war criminal

[@B_Bodziak]

@@thefamilydud2225 Yes, but he has come out publicly and said he was wrong for initially supporting the Iraq war. At least, he is willing to admit he was wrong. That is far more than anyone will hear Bush nor his cabinet admit publicly.

[@m3mn0nYT]

_”Our crimes are only crimes when other people do them.”_ - Tom Nichols.

[@teamuprgc]

Perfectly Stated!💯💯💯💯 Crime Pays / Generate The Most Services To Extract Tax Payers $$$ / Need For Security & Business = Services Around Products. COVID = Perfect Example😷😷😷😷😷😷

[@Justone372]

So what? America de-dictated Iraq from a mass murderer, good riddance. Do it again Mr Bush!

[@williamdavis9562]

Yup that is essentially this crazed man's talking point. The fact this man still has a job in mass media and is still allowed to poison the minds of people with this evil ideals says a lot more about our society than it does him.

[@petergreen5337]

HAHAHA brilliant well said and well OBSERVED.

[@IamGodSon]

😢😮😅😅😅😂😂

[@lucashondros3418]

Tom’s logic: if two or more agree to do a crime, it is no longer a crime.

[@mhs3963]

Plus the US didnt have de the agreement of UN to Invade Irak. They presented false proofs no country beleived in their version.

[@emiliospowerballer1441]

Except that the 2 who agree are UN founding members, who determine justice.

[@geoycs]

Gee, then anything goes as long as those 2 agree! It’s a double standard. How many thousands of died as a result of the invasion?

[@cryptozodd2328]

@@emiliospowerballer1441 nobody cares about UN though. Not even the founding members 😂

[@gngnome]

​@@emiliospowerballer1441 Founding members don't get to unilaterally decide what justice is & when it's permissible for war crimes to be selectively committed.

[@angelaasadi9283]

Thank you Mehdi for holding their feet to the fire. We need more news journalists like you.

[@Steve-xw6qg]

Yeah I bet you love that. Putting fire on people's feet. We're going to take our country back!

[@mi-tsan-son]

​@@Steve-xw6qg mad respect to Mehdi for shinning the truth. For every action is a reaction. Crimes shall never be gone without consequences.

[@roshnishah980]

I really miss Julian Assange 😢

[@PerspectiveNarrative]

@@Steve-xw6qg What back!!! Your whole system "NWO" is at it's final Stage 1945-202#, it is the Time hold each and every western Warlord accountable on a Shining Table!!!

[@joellee6142]

mehdis speaks of fellujah, yet he left out that in 2004, 4 americans were burned and left hanging off a bridge while a group chanted around them??? tsk tsk... many of civilians were evacuated...IN mehdis terms every war is a crime.. everyone is guilty in that case...

[@mycocoaone]

Bush needs to be arrested.

[@Silence_Duder_Gooder]

Under the same criteria, so should Obama.

[@steamintrumpstains]

water boarding IS A WAR CRIME FACTS

[@tab5470]

How far back do you go??? All ex-presidents who involved in wars that are still alive??

[@tomsenft7434]

@@tab5470 yes

[@radjuju]

I'm surprised Mehdi never brought up the fact that Bush, Cheney and the late Rumsfeld are wanted for war crimes in four different countries.

[@2906justblaze]

This guy's defense of Bush is like saying, hold the hit man accountable but not the person who hired the hit man.

[@itsifeanyi]

I couldn’t watch the whole thing as his comments made my ears quite itchy. The much I heard were just incredible

[@not-even-german4892]

​@@itsifeanyi poor Iraqis😢😢😢

[@johnshite4656]

@@itsifeanyi Yeah I literally cringed a few times. His arguments were terrible. It's like listening to Kellyanne defend her orange jesus.

[@shabirvalli8604]

Awesome!!! You are amazing in your conclusion! Love it! Thanks.

[@joellee6142]

there is a HUGE difference from ukraine today and sdams regime in iraq when he was in power.. 1 ukraine gave up their nukes decades ago, sdams iraq persuied it.. 2 ukraine didnt invade a country and take over it and make it part of their country.. sdam regime did when they took kuwait.. 3 ukraine didnt send hundreads of rockets to any country trying to pull them in to a war with them.. sdams regime did to israel trying to pull them in to war when they were being kicked out of kuwait 4 sdam would eliminate any opposition in his country and gassed his own people, he would use any means to stay in power and have the people fear him.. putin took over crimea in 2014 when he lost his puppet viktor who fled to russia and in 2022 attempted to take the rest of ukraine and failed no one in their right mind would try to defend sdam regime a dictator and somehow think the world would be great with this dictor in power.. sdams regime would be another north korea dictatorship passed down to his kids and allie of putin during this time..

[@meandu219]

Thank you to Medhi for bringing these questions to the public and why we need to make all these clowns accountable

[@AM-vc4tt]

Thank you Mehdi for showing us American Exceptionalism. "It's okay if we do, but not you"

[@Juan-yq3fb]

Sad.

[@ca8111]

well said

[@andanandan6061]

Thats why China dan Russia are trying to bring an end to this hyprocricy of US and majority of western countries.

[@petergreen5337]

Well said and well REASONED. Absolutely CORRECT and true.

[@sunset2.00]

Arrogance is the key to failure.

[@antoniopapi]

Mehdi, a journalistic gem in the current news arena...

[@ringbearer1420]

By being a right wing religious nut?

[@hfur7758]

24 Carats Mehdi.🍒

[@bb5979]

He is not a gem lol

[@TheAIInvestor2024]

Some people have to intentionally keep lying to themselves, because they don't want to face the reality.

[@charleyu5506]

It's the american thing to do, I voted for biden but it's insansity watching all of these liberals ignore what's happening in palestine currently

[@PacoSmith]

The audio clip of Bush is, indeed, the classic freudian slip. The guy, Tom, who is debating the host is a facilitator of the US's imperialistic orientation. The look on his face, when Mehdi pointed-out Tom's lack of legal expertise was also a classic moment. This is a great example of journalism speaking truth to power. Mehdi is, indeed, a gem.

[@christinaulibarri4777]

No one is above the law not even an ex-president.

[@frankcrozier2592]

Depends on who you are.

[@edmonddantes935]

Word

[@aminealioualla]

Dig me out of my grave when a former president goes to jail

[@patriziacasagrande3833]

ideally , and isn't nice to think so. the law like taxes is for the little people. fact 1: 80% to 90% of the lawyers work for 10 to 20% of the people. why? lawyers are for those how can afford to pay their exorbitant prices. such is the law and why many innocent are in jail.

[@preasail]

@@frankcrozier2592 Dirty Donny was a crook as pre-prezidunce, prezidunce, and will remain one, as post-prezidunce.

[@matthewschiffer4649]

Mehdi is a beast. That is gold he offered his debating techniques in text form. Well done, m8

[@joellee6142]

mehdis speaks of fellujah, yet he left out that in 2004, 4 americans were burned and left hanging off a bridge while a group chanted around them... many of civilians were evacuated...IN mehdis terms every war is a crime.. everyone is guilty in that case...

[@Dangreenwatson]

@@joellee6142 and why did that happen? They were the occupier.

[@joellee6142]

@@Dangreenwatson iraqi forces were with the us as well... they did that because they were part of the dictatorship that gassed its own people and invaded kuwait and sent 1000s or rokets to israel when sddam forces were being removed from kuwait..

[@ringbearer1420]

Mehdi is the lefts Donald Trump.

[@ibraplanetlife07]

Crimes against humanity in Iraq is a great crimes against humanity that the world should never forgotten .

[@habibcisse9809]

You’re correct but remember that Putin is killing European who violated Minsk agreement but Bush killed non European. Every European leader who kills non Europeans aren’t considère war criminal.

[@deepdiver849]

Apparently a section of iraqis themselves have decided to forget

[@joellee6142]

there is a HUGE difference from ukraine today and sdams regime in iraq when he was in power.. 1 ukraine gave up their nukes decades ago, sdams iraq persuied it.. 2 ukraine didnt invade a country and take over it and make it part of their country.. sdam regime did when they took kuwait.. 3 ukraine didnt send hundreads of rockets to any country trying to pull them in to a war with them.. sdams regime did to israel trying to pull them in to war when they were being kicked out of kuwait 4 sdam would eliminate any opposition in his country and gassed his own people, he would use any means to stay in power and have the people fear him.. putin took over crimea in 2014 when he lost his puppet viktor who fled to russia and in 2022 attempted to take the rest of ukraine and failed no one in their right mind would try to defend sdam regime a dictator and somehow think the world would be great with this dictor in power.. sdams regime would be another north korea dictatorship passed down to his kids and ally of putin during this time..

[@joellee6142]

who gets to bring saddam to justice for his crimes??

[@amberlight5830]

​@@joellee6142 two wrong doesn't make one right. Saddam was a usa puppet from start.

[@hameezahamed2719]

"It's okay if we did, but not okay if you did" This is the defence America has.

[@seans9149]

US media and the US population should give Medhi Hassan awards for his research and brain. I wish we had more of Mehdi Hassan in other news media in the US. Thank You, Medhi

[@pjpredhomme7699]

He is the only mainstream that I can think of that has the courage to go against the prevailing dogma

[@tuulo-cw9bn]

A lost form of jaurnalism. Thank you Mehdi, we need more of you.

[@askyalumumba3573]

Agree.

[@rahamankhan2895]

I concur with u

[@ca8111]

your response lowered my iq..... just by reading it,,.

[@trur0mant1c]

I met Mehdi at one of his talks in Bradford......he was amazing.....I have his book and I will study it hard .....I'm thankful for you Mehdi. You filled a big space. Thankyou. May you continue to smash it and hold people accountable

[@iammofrank]

15 minutes of my life that I will always remember I learned something very worthy during these times of misleading and propaganda and biased information from Western media. Awesome job, Mehd.

[@maddogbasil]

Exactly I never thought I'd see someone in the 2020's defending the invasion of Iraq. It was literally the worst war crime commited in the 21st century up until the war in Ukraine

[@forbeginnersandbeyond6089]

You’re criticizing “Western media” wholesale. A convenient excuse. But Mehdi, who you agree with, IS Western media. Western media is not a monolith. You are spouting propaganda by authoritarian countries.

[@redlion7578]

Fantastic interview Medi. What we missed was how Bush father started much of this when they used a girl named Nayirah who was the daughter of the Kuwaiti Ambassador to lie in front of congress and say that babies were thrown out of their incubators by Iraqi soldiers as a way to convince the U.S. to attack Iraq.There are a lot of players who need to be prosecuted and jailed for their role in these war crimes.

[@robertlgordonjr4050]

Medhi is definitely one of the best at debating and he no what he's talking about.

[@SohelBahjat]

He is a stupid Islamist!

[@themasterofinfinity]

Ehhh

[@miac.4806]

He's amazing

[@SohelBahjat]

@@miac.4806 You are wrong my lady!

[@vvmustaffa2078]

Absolutely...watch his debate at Oxford Union

[@lovelyday6500]

Mehdi you are a true champion of what journalism should look like. An example for your contemporaries within journalism.

[@clemalford9768]

I know he is a bit irrational when it comes to Islam but his political stance is commendable.

[@subwaymirdif]

​@@clemalford9768 I don't think he is irrational about Islam. He presents the facts whether they're inline with your views or not.

[@bb5979]

Your standards of journalism are so poor its disgusting

[@mr.aaronalexander6621]

This is where MSNBC f'd up..😮

[@sebastienboisvert]

Now this is what you call respect - good and insightful discussion. Well done, and thank you.

[@geraldkohar]

Well done Mehdi, you totally roasted Tom Nichols

[@syleiswiley4037]

There's nothing sexier than and intelligent man, except and intelligent, compassionate man. Great job, Mehdi 👏🏾

[@jameshoeve4466]

That's how a healthy debate is done .

[@foortibalok]

Even when I think for Iraqi people I can't control my tears in eyes 😢😢😢

[@GrootsieTheDog]

What a beautiful thing to witness - two people having a debate without either losing their sh*t. A lost art form.

[@Silence_Duder_Gooder]

This "debate" was flawed from the onset, though.

[@adrien5834]

@@Silence_Duder_Gooder Yes? How so?

[@Silence_Duder_Gooder]

@@adrien5834, Mehdi needs to go back to 1992 - 1994 (Wolfowitz Doctrine) to see where this Ukraine-Russia thing started. Then discuss the 2014 coup, followed by the Maidan Massacre, where Asov killed 83 protesters, then to Donbas and eight years of shelling ethnic Russians, which was and still is a war crime. Only then can this story be told accurately. "Imperialism"? Really?! That's _our thing_ baby! That's called "projection." And Ukraine is _hardly_ a "democratic government." And the other guy's revisionist version of Iraq is _puke worthy._

[@steamintrumpstains]

HOW IS WATER BOARDING A DEBATE? SKIPPY

[@knowme4iam326]

​@@Silence_Duder_Gooder why?...What is flawed

[@alialtuma6106]

Thank you Mehdi. You are not alone in that thinking. The overwhelming majority of Iraqis (and I would dare say also people in the Global South) think of the 2003 invasion when the Ukraine invasion is mentioned.

[@markaxworthy2508]

Nonsense. Big Difference. Russia is intent on the permanent occupation of Ukraine and the genocidal extinction of the Ukrainian culture and language. The USA was intent on none of those things in Iraq. There is at least one order of magnitude difference between what the USA was accused of in Iraq and what Russia is currently accused of doing in Ukraine. It is an entirely false

[@7hilladelphia]

That clip of Bush - WoW!!! 😮

[@Watcher6868]

Yeah. His conscience speaks English.

[@pjpredhomme7699]

Yeah like he didn't know -

[@chrisnichols9014]

And Americans think Trump is bad. lmfao

[@karlad4082]

It’s sad to watch an educator showing his bias towards Americans’ war crimes abroad. As usual Hassan , great interview. 👍

[@smogtv4515]

Mehdi is a real and fact based journalist. Top class!

[@Silence_Duder_Gooder]

If the guy was "real and fact based" he would have pushed back on the opening statement plus that obviously revisionist tweet about the Iraq war. This network and others like it don't actually engage in journalism. This has been obvious for _at least_ 20 years now.

[@MrKjee-fc8ee]

And a pig as well

[@bonniescharf2931]

I love the way you are willing to debate with facts….brilliant

[@AR15231]

The facts are Bush was a stain in America's underwear.

[@reaceness]

DOWN WITH FACTS! 😂

[@lilywalatahersweet21]

only one of them is using facts, the other is twisting himself into a pretzel with half truths to defend a war criminal

[@Silence_Duder_Gooder]

Facts? Right off the bat those two guys misrepresented (at least) the facts. One with his words and the other with his tweet. Why didn't the "journalist" push back on it?

[@steamintrumpstains]

FACTS DUSTY DEVOS BROTHER PRINCE COMMITED MANY WAR CRIMES IN IRAQ

[@MohammadJafar-vz6lv]

Mahdi you're one of the best journalist i've seen so far and your guest just lost his case in my court 😊

[@joellee6142]

mehdis speaks of fellujah, yet he left out that in 2004, 4 americans were burned and left hanging off a bridge while a group chanted around them??? tsk tsk... many of civilians were evacuated...IN mehdis terms every war is a crime.. everyone is guilty in that case...

[@jamig.7254]

Mahdi is a sensationalist. Without this, he would be reporting the news- not making it up!

[@MrKjee-fc8ee]

Best pig I have ever seen 😂😂

[@aamirrehman9687]

​@@MrKjee-fc8ee he's talking about mahdi not about you

[@sali2998]

​@@aamirrehman9687 great response 😂😂

[@TheTradeuser]

Lol, cant stop laughing over the bush slip of tonque

[@nomorejunkmalemateuk2009]

the war criminal exposed himself

[@paulmorais476]

The lack of justification for George Bush's decision to go to war in Iraq is a painful reminder of the consequences of unchecked power and the importance of holding leaders accountable. May we never forget the lives lost and the devastation caused by this unjustified war.

[@floydsemlow8253]

TRUTH ❤😢 R.I.P

[@markallen6433]

The justification was Iraqis, who were exiles, refugees from Saddam, who told the US that Saddam had WMDs and had a plan to install a democracy in Iraq after Saddam was deposed. Sure, I mean our bad, turns out guy was maybe kinda a snake, and a bit lacking in both connection to his homeland and also morality, but it's not like we didn't do it for Iraqis. It just looked like a slam dunk to Bush, because he couldn't wrap is head around the idea that Iraqis didn't want to be in a free country with democracy.

[@ElvinaDumoulin]

They destroyed that country without reasonable justification which in itself is a very serious offense.

[@heyskipj]

A “war crime” or an “ill-advised war”? Did Nichols also coin the phrase “enhanced interrogation?” 🤣

[@keithhigh7773]

Yes, along with Tony Blair. A verdict (guilty or innocent) at the ICC will put an end to speculation.

[@bidenharrismadmagazinesper574]

Along with all members of Congress at the time who voted for the invasion. That includes Hillary and Biden. And Chuck Schumer. And Adam Schiff.

[@MXiRSi-kf8ww]

You spoke the truth mate

[@NixonThr336ix]

@@MXiRSi-kf8ww I wonder why hey left Obama out the question

[@beckyhenkel7917]

​@@NixonThr336ix No problem, just lay out what Obama did and we will pick it up from there.

[@andrehunter1295]

No, it's wrong you heard. More people who are behind a crime, less serious the crime are for responsible. New war law 2023 😂😂 Just unbelievable 🤣

[@sikkimese268]

The rebuttal by mehdi to tom’s argument was flawless

[@christopherbanda9788]

Mehdi you are so professional and i have just subscribed to your channel after watching this great interview

[@MrKjee-fc8ee]

Professional pig

[@elibeckham7711]

My jaw just dropped from his mistake lol talk about a Freudian slip

[@waryaawariiri1812]

In Somali language, we have a proverb that says: *Waxa calooshaada ku jiro afkaaga ayaa kaa xado.* It roughly translates to, 'Your mouth instinctively steals what is in your guts.'

[@steamintrumpstains]

WHO KILLED KEN LAY???? COVER UP

[@ihs51]

The lesser bush can't runaway from his conscience (if he has one)

[@rafaelmarchante5019]

@@ihs51 wishful thinking

[@johannesramokgadi6243]

Most US journalists believe in the empire. They seriously defend the empire at all times.

[@scottbuchanan3461]

Remember the U>S> reclassified all journalists. Your education does not according to thier criminal mind of course allow legal representation. However if you just apply and publish the press briefing with no vhanges, anyone and everyone is a legal journalist according to this present regiment of criminals.!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@charleyu5506]

I always knew this but watching mainstream liberal media lie for Israel's war crimes and push their far right propaganda currently was mind blowing. They sunk to levels I didn't think they would sink to.

[@HawthorneHillNaturePreserve]

Bush and Cheney should be charged with war crimes! NO DOUBT. I’ve always believed this.

[@ryankearney4315]

Rumsfeld as well

[@Not_in_it]

Thank you for taking the time to bring facts to the forefront.

[@steamintrumpstains]

DUST DEVOS BROTHER PRINCE COMMITTED MANY WAR CRIMES IN IRAQ WITH HIS CORP AND NOTHING WAS DONE FACTS

[@markaxworthy2508]

Not all the facts. Big Difference. Russia is intent on the permanent occupation of Ukraine and the genocidal extinction of the Ukrainian culture and language. The USA was intent on none of those things in Iraq. There is at least one order of magnitude difference between what the USA was accused of in Iraq and what Russia is currently accused of doing in Ukraine. It is an entirely false

[@winfriedbanzhaf1067]

Mehdi Hasan won this debate once again.

[@joellee6142]

mehdis speaks of fellujah, yet he left out that in 2004, 4 americans were burned and left hanging off a bridge while a group chanted around them??? tsk tsk... many of civilians were evacuated...IN mehdis terms every war is a crime.. everyone is guilty in that case...

[@echoe4806]

And what is it gonna change?

[@absyibrahim5571]

Wow Mehdi Hassan bravo! Now this is what I call pure journalism and a brilliant journalist unlike all those weirdos at CNN... Well done Mehdi may God bless and protect you always from lunatic people.

[@betogomes7577]

When they say the russian invasion of ukraine is different to the USA unvasion of iraq, they mean that the european citizins are more human than others around the world. They mean that you can invade any in the world, but not the european one

[@williamplayfair364]

No USA always planned to leave Iraq, Russia is trying to absorb countries into its empire through fear of massacres. Different. Still illegal.

[@idawatcher]

This indeed is exactly what they mean when they say it's "different".

[@elbjapon6519]

Such a great debate ! Thanks for sending tough questions and thanks for having the guts to answer them, and recognize past errors as well.

[@steamintrumpstains]

HOW IS WATER BOARDING A DEBATE?

[@skp8748]

It wasn't an error... literally millions of people protested across Europe... Saudi pleaded with US to not to invade because of Iran... Experts and politicians across the world were debunking the false pretenses... UN literally declared US excuses to be void... It wasn't a mistake. London had over 1.5 MILLION protesters in the largest protest in British history.... Didn't matter to British parliament.... and with the release of Chilqot Inquiry we know it was THE BIGGEST CONSPIRACY OF OUR LIFETIME

[@frndlystrangr]

Actually, Bush is now no different than Putin and Trump. Both committed crimes, and with Trump now indicted for at least one of his, Bush should also be. After all, it's no longer unprecedented for an ex-president to be indicted for a crime they committed. Just think of how many lives would have been spared had Bush not lied about the Iraq war. His Freudian slip proves his guilt.

[@FirehorseCreative]

Putin and Trump know full well what they are doing- whereas GWBush was a more of an arrogant and naive patsy (along with Colin Powell who should have known better) who went along with whatever Cheney, Rove, Rumsfeld, Pearle, Wolfovitz, Kissinger, Rice and many other evildoers wanted. But he is still culpable as you cite- it's just that the other players I have mentioned are 100X more culpable than Bush. Let's not forget Tony Blair either- he may have been bullied into the venture but the UK abstaining may have stopped the invasion.

[@baldogtondo7017]

reply above.

[@hussar6347]

Obama then is in the same category...droned more civilians in Agahanistan than any other President. Libya has his fingerprints too, and Clinton's.

[@hussar6347]

Trump and Bush are equivalent to Pol Pot and Mother Theresa. How does Trump's 'alleged' financial misdealings ( if any are ever proved in court) even begin to compare with Bush's murder of thousands of Iraqi civilians and 500,000 CHILDREN ,PLUS the tearing apart of iRAQ? Wow, that takes the cake sir !

[@Silence_Duder_Gooder]

You forgot to add Obama and Biden, as they were both worse than Trump where international crimes were concerned. In fact, Cheney-Bush's, Obama-Biden's crimes are _way worse_ than Trump's indictment shows us. WAY WORSE! 😝

[@FirehorseCreative]

Not one mention of Abu Ghraib? Hunh. This was an impressive debate and I have no doubt that despite his civilized composure, Tom Nichols knows that his reasoning, analysis, premise and certainly conclusions, were all skewered by Mehdi. The UN Res 1441 was a TRUE nail in the coffin! Bravo Mehdi! Clear, concise, irrefutable! The fact that at the end, Nichols was forced to pull out Donald Rumsfeld's old cobwebbed mainstay of *"We were really relying upon the Clinton administration intelligence"* evidences what a route this was. Iraq was actually DISarmed after the Gulf War in 1990 during Clinton's administration and even dogs knew that- which is why WMD were acknowledged nonsense at the time and certainly now. Mehdi gets an A+. Nichols gets an F-. The sad thing is that I really believe that George W Bush is full of regret and wants to confess- but doing so would leave so many people like Nichols out of a job. The obstacle to such a confession is decades of American imperialism via the MIC and petro dollar abuse. Bush should confess anyway- that would begin the healing process for the entire world and what is a better legacy than that?

[@nkb3101]

Bush is not full of regrets. "He'd do it again", he and J Bolton have re-affirmed their position...These criminals know they're getting away with it. But to see the US government and the population be duped into a war to the tune of 3-5 $T by the Zionist lobby (Bib Netanyahu..."there is absolutely no doubt Saddam has WMDs"...is laughable for America had it not been tragic !

[@AR21]

Amazing thought point. Thank you

[@MrSammah]

Agreed

[@johnbrattan9341]

It's a fact that W Bush was during his 2000 presidential campaign already PREPARING war plans for an invasion of Iraq. That alone blows Nichols' argument completely out of the water. I'm surprised Mehdi failed to mention this.

[@Henchman.24]

He won't, not because he doesn't want to, but because he has a family, friends and many social connections that could probably be leveraged very effectively against him. It bears remembering whilst we're talking about war crimes that equally evil deeds are committed against sovereign citizens in the vague name of esoteric "national security". Poor George is their scapegoat, and will probably be condemned once he's dead and it is politically profitable to do so.

[@v-22]

That is a journalist. It's been a while since I've seen a real on in action. Congrats on the interview, Mehdi.

[@nynurse29]

I remember these years as my husband went active duty feb 2001 we just had our first child, then years followed with constant deployments ti Iraq. I worked as a nurse on base with young Americans service men and women signing up in the miltary because they were fed lies by Bush. Then work with them years and years later to see the war take a toll on their mental and emotional health, tear families apart. I will never forget how this county used its citizens like this disgusting. Learning of all those innocent civilians In Iraq killed

[@erinmcdonald7781]

Truth! Many good people sacrificed and lives damaged for Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld's lies. 💔

[@mohamudyussuf9249]

God will make accountability on u that disgusting crime!!

[@nynurse29]

@@erinmcdonald7781 they used post 911 emotions to get these young ppl to sign up they really thought they were being patriotic

[@Sohailali1]

My god. I'm in awe of what medhi brings to the table.

[@bertnijhof5413]

I'm Dutch thus from the Netherlands. We did not define Iraq as a war crime, because we don't want US troops attack and invade the Hague. Remember the US Congress approving the "The Hague Invasion Act". A law to free any American held captive by the ICC in the Hague with military force. The Hague, where the government of your Dutch alley resides, an alley since and during the US Independence War. Our Staten Generaal (parliament) existing since 1589, is not as arrogant, rude and and full of contempt for international law as the US Congress. According the the famous UK Medical Journal "The Lancet", hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed by your war in Iraq and afterwards the victims were dehumanized as "Collateral Damage" by your generals.

[@juresichj]

Well said. As an American, I find it horrendous that we think we are above international law, and have made laws, and parts of the UN charter, to keep us from being held accountable. I think we might be the biggest bully on the planet.

[@jdocean1]

Millions of Americans acknowledge your statement. In regards to Abu Ghirab, those soldiers who were responsible for that were brought to justice and held responsible. Maybe Bush will be too one day.

[@southasianstreetshitter458]

Americans like to shame Russia but the truth is that Americans themselves are far worse and love shedding blood for literally no reason.

[@laluba3603]

But you know, "punishment is not worth the effort", as someone wrote in a comment above.

[@olivergrumitt2601]

Well done to these 2 gentlemen in this video who conducted their debate in an excellent fashion, without degenerating it into a shouting match and argument. I wish all debates could be like this. These gentlemen showed they could respect each other’s views while vehemently disagreeing with them.

[@coachafella]

You give us Putin and we give you Bush? Deal, in a nanosecond.

[@aworldwithoutsin6384]

Best comment I've seen.

[@Silence_Duder_Gooder]

You forgot about Obama and Biden. 😆

[@adrien5834]

@@Silence_Duder_Gooder Hello, Junior. How they hanging?

[@AahFukIt]

Should both Russia and The US join the ICC first?

[@coachafella]

@@AahFukIt The ICC has already issued an arrest warrant for Putin, so Russia not being a signatory must not be a requirement. Bush should have been indicted long ago.

[@Jeremynano]

One of the best, if not the best well spoken, debaters I've ever seen my whole. Much respect to you mehdi

[@inertiaforce7846]

"International law? Let me call my lawyer." -George W. Bush

[@bwasimable]

Another master class from Mr Hassan Bravo 👏 I really need to find time to read your book keep fighting to good fight ❤

[@siji3750]

the idea an ill-advised war is not a war crime is bizarre

[@itsifeanyi]

Exactly. It’s not as though he proceeded under duress, with a gun to his head. It was a decision he made even when some were advising him, with valid reasons, not to go forward. There are no excuses here

[@martavdz4972]

A war crime is torturing people, bombing civilians, attacking a country without declaration of war - stuff like that. Not all stupid wars include war crimes. But in this particular case, Bush really did commit war crimes.

[@martavdz4972]

@@itsifeanyi Deciding to start a war in itself doesn´t constitute a war crime. Had he declared war on Iraq and fought their army and did nothing else, it wouldn´t have been a war crime. My country is close to Ukraine, so I know all too well what a war crime is. It´s attacking a country without declaration of war, bombing civilians and civilian infrastructure, raping and torturing people. Bush did some of that, and THOSE were war crimes.

[@joellee6142]

mehdis speaks of fellujah, yet he left out that in 2004, 4 americans were burned and left hanging off a bridge while a group chanted around them??? tsk tsk... many of civilians were evacuated...IN mehdis terms every war is a crime.. everyone is guilty in that case...

[@rasja19]

Bush and his administration convinced themselves of their lies therefore it isn't a lie, whaaaaat. Tom Nichols just embarrassing himself on live TV😂😂. Bush is a war criminal there's no two ways about it.

[@joellee6142]

If you have good or bad or a mixed imformation , your decision will be based on them.. it was credible to believe there was a link at the time and some still do believe that or no longer believe that..

[@cassandraclark5499]

He’s closer to the grave and even closer to judgment

[@the-practical-photographer]

This statement made me lose all credibility of the guy. You lie so much that you believe the lie is the truth so it's not a lie. Completely illogical, nonsensical talk.

[@joellee6142]

@@the-practical-photographer was saddam a war criminal and criminal for those the lifes he destroyed from his own regime? and the iraqis he gassed?

[@caboh]

Respect for both Mehdi and Tom Nichols. Brilliant, fact and argument focused segment. Substance. More of this please.

[@xoxou5388]

Respect for Tom Nichols? Please give me a break! How did a lying fool like Tom Nichols become a professor?

[@amariblue4907]

F Tom Nichols

[@spiritualcleanse7115]

Why would you respect a warmonger, complicit in atrocities against humanity?

[@dayegilharno4988]

13:48 "I think that Bush and his advisors genuinely convinced themselves, that they were gonna find..." - What is this - the "cult leader defence"?!

[@Mr.Monta77]

@@spiritualcleanse7115 No we do not respect Putin, and that’s why we support the fight against him.

[@jacekmarczyk4436]

A million dead in Iraq .... on humanitarian grounds.

[@praveenliverpool]

Mehdi,your debates are priceless. Keep it coming 👍

[@azad149]

Ty Medhi! For doing a good job!!

[@iqbalmohamed5128]

Just because you're a powerful bully who has lackeys who are scared to go against you, doesn't mean you're right.

[@alankelly3162]

That was a great interview/ interrogation 😂 this guy brings his passion for the truth to everybody he interviews and gives them no hiding place I hope he encourages more journalists to stop hiding behind their salaries…

[@reimmukhtarmohamedahmedalh8329]

I start watching MSnb because of Mahdi Hassan mashallah makes all Muslim proud over the world

[@kaistony]

Leave religions out of it.

[@saajiddaya2152]

@@kaistony reason he's mentioning muslims is cuz Mahdi Hassan is muslim. Its a bias thing, not an argumentative thing.

[@mostafaeldeh1064]

​@@kaistony you are weird

[@reimmukhtarmohamedahmedalh8329]

@@kaistony what is your problem !!! we as Muslim proud of Mahdi Hassan because he is unique journalist, honest and always straight to the point and back up anything he say with evidence.

[@justinkosuk3458]

I remember a time when you couldn't say you were against the Iraq war without being suspected a terrorist sympathizer. Time to remind those pro Iraq war who the actual clowns are.

[@bidenharrismadmagazinesper574]

Nothing has changed. America is still a war-happy nation and derides anyone who doesn't agree with it

[@HumanBeingsRThinkingBeings]

Mind Begs the Question: If a Govt and Truth stand on opposite ends Must stand with - Govt,Truth?

[@udayasooriyaarachchi7299]

Mehdi , it is great argument about the Iraq War. The Americans always think that, they are world police man and what they do is correct. They have double standard of human rights.

[@latonyaford3043]

The reason he wrote the book on how to win a debate. Lol. Love Medhi

[@ringbearer1420]

It belongs on a shelf right next to Trump “Art of the Deal” 🤣🤣🤣

[@nayemkabir6606]

Mahdi - thank you so much for speaking truth to power. I am amazed that Tom remained stubborn in his view despite all the evidence you put forward - from dismantling his argument that Bush’ war was not illegal to ignoring war crimes common among both Russia & US illegal wars.

[@hassanalwi389]

Only arabs support arabs..why?..cos they think the same..and not muslims from other races

[@jax6277]

Not an easy thing to convince the blind, deaf and dumb on anything.😮

[@victoriasolovieva5930]

Similarly, Ukraine has violated the Minsk agreement 1 week before the invasion, on February 18, by resuming the bombardment of Donbass, its eastern, predominantly Russian speaking region (does that qualify as genocide?)

[@nayemkabir6606]

@@victoriasolovieva5930 I don’t think Ukraine is innocent of war crimes either, although to a much lesser extent.

[@suskky]

Bravo bravo caro Mehdi------ keep up with your fine work ..always a pleasure watching your programs.

[@abdullahiadowmusa1206]

Mehdi is an exceptional journalists who blast the hypocrites and the western blood thirty political leader with pure truth . Thank you so much Mehdi Hassan

[@johnbrown1851]

Thanks for bringing up this topic

[@amalal-jubouri3613]

Bush and all officials who were involved in invasion of my country and participated in torturing Iraqi and using forbidden weapons in Fallouja more than the unclear weapons used in Japan , all those criminals have to held accountable It’s a shame for anyone who defends wars , killing civilians and torturing We will never forget and never forgive

[@IntellectOnly]

They all will die and the true judge will judge them

[@johnnyboo8243]

That was a brilliant debate. The hawk guy sounded emotional to me at the end. a bit choked even. Medhi is awesome

[@Sh-iz2mw]

Was rendered clueless and answerless, hence the unmistakable emotions

[@owusu-yeboahfrimpong5022]

Wickedness in heart Tom

[@askyalumumba3573]

😅 😂( painting and sharing coughdrops with Michelle Obama) You have got to love Mahdi !

[@TheIceCream1]

So what makes a crime not a crime is having allies. Good to know Tom. Group crime has just been legalized.

[@pjpredhomme7699]

Yeah good one - a bully with friends - I guess makes you not a bully in Tom's world . He completely obfuscates all the allies that were asked and refuse to join along because they said it was unjust and should not be conducted .

[@mspiekkola]

I agree with Mehdi, absolutely. 13:28

[@dietmarstahl8888]

The Ukraine attacked the Russian speaking Donbas people for 8 years and they ask Russia to help. Its very different from the illegal invasion of Irak.

[@yanenn2151]

Its the separatists that were attacking the ukrainians. They were the ones escalating the conflict

[@shahriartanvir977]

The conversation... -Here is the evidence. -I wrote a book.

[@daviddanaee3724]

This guy is definitely a war hawk.

[@timsin2978]

you are more likely to see a unicorn in your backyard than Putin being arrested by the ICC

[@George-2115]

That's exactly what they said when Milosevic was charged. Four years later his own former allies turned him in when he was seen as a liability. He spent his last few years in custody. So, it might take even longer in Putin's case, but one day he's going to lose power, after that, anything can happen. In the meantime, he won't be travelling much, and others may be forced to think twice before collaborating.

[@Ganiscol]

If nothing else, this arrest warrant will severely restrict putin's travels outside russia for the rest of his hopefully short but ever so miserable life. You missed that valuable point.

[@nathanwilliams2152]

@@George-2115- you make a good point. However, things were a bit different in Serbia. Kosovo had been demanding independence for years in a way that no ethnic state in Russia (Chechnya, Dagestan, Tatarstan, Dagestan, Yakutia for example) are currently doing. The youth of Serbia rose up in a way that they can’t do in Russia today, as the Serb police werent strong enough to contain them, and many Serb police were on their side anyway. The US also had a big role to play in uniting the Serb opposition parties, they pumped $30m into helping their campaign- which was quite active, but disorganised - Russia’s opposition doesn’t have that. The documentary “The Fall of Milosevic” is really good if you haven’t watched it. As long as Putin is president of Russia, he has no risk of ending up in The Hague.

[@charleslum2438]

George Santos has unicorns in his yard.

[@nycatlady2314]

@@charleslum2438 off the rail statement made me 😂😂😂

[@nosuchthing8]

The joker at 441 was quite amusing. He doesnt even understand the point.

[@raulmoya8631]

People want to see more stuff like this .

[@salahali2710]

Genuinely convinced them selfs 😂😂😂😂😂😂 that’s classic he saying basically bush and tony Blair believed their own lies there for they’re not laying 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@alisedighi7833]

Right on. If a criminal said that he killed someone because he thought the victim was possessed by a demon, the murderer would still be found guilty, or sent to a mental ward.

[@ikku4321]

So basically 'I'm ignorant and I should be excused from my actions.' Is what I'm hearing here.

[@steamintrumpstains]

cheney WAS ON THE texas oil commisION HELPING ken lay enron sham CALIFORNIA ENERGY FACTS

[@umaymaahmed8285]

Shame on him for still having the guts to defend bush while his guilt is haunting his own tongue "bush" n now exact same crime on gaza

[@musajallow5710]

ma shaa Allah! mehdi hassan did well spoke the truth!

[@bmjpdx9222]

How refreshing to have an intelligent discourse, citing actual facts. without either side making ad hominem arracks, or threatening the other. It's very sad that this is the exception rather than the norm.

[@haskalah]

"Convinced themselves" 😂😂😂😂😂 A bank robber "convinces himselves" that the money inside the bank is his!

[@KINGMANJARO_343]

This was hard hitting coverage nicely done just like you were in Aljazeera's Upfront.

[@Learner5555]

I thought he still worked for al Jazeera.

[@scotchbarrel4429]

Tom is a smart man, and humble, we need people like this who can be confronted with the truth, have their biases challenged with affects, and are able to articulate where they went wrong and adjust accordingly, something alien to the current MAGAt party.

[@90klh]

O fox would never allow this kind of debate on their airwaves they're all about giving the people what they want, not uncomfortable facts and ***gasp!!!*** America falling off it's pedistal!

[@skp8748]

He's denying that they were completely aware that the case was fraudulent

[@hills863]

Thank you for the interview. I'm not an Iraqi nor us citizen, even I shaking after watching this interview. I'm sure hear the shake in tom's voice also. Every people who support this war have bloods in their hands

[@alisonqadir5703]

Completely nailed it! Legendary thrashing by Mehdi

[@saga1476]

Love you Mehdi..

[@InvinciblePepe]

Go duck his sick

[@anneeq008]

2:33 that really was classic 😂😂😂😂😂😂. You really couldn't script that 😂😂😂😂😂

[@alphabeta4028]

🤣😂🤣

[@leoncioco3305]

I am not a fan of Medhi, but in this debate Tom have no legs to stand on. His wheels is spinning but going no where. Kudos to Medhi.

[@joellee6142]

if saddam was still here who would make him accountable for his atrocities? is mehdi going to hold saddam accountable?? its easy to talk about all these things after we have a more clear picture... the US got the job done.. there is a HUGE difference from ukraine and sdams regime in iraq when he was in power.. 1 ukraine gave up their nukes decades ago, sdams iraq persuied it.. 2 ukraine didnt invade a country and take over it and make it part of their country.. sdam regime did when they took kuwait.. 3 ukraine didnt send hundreads of rockets to any country trying to pull them in to a war with them.. sdams regime did to israel trying to pull them in to war when they were being kicked out of kuwait 4 sdam would eliminate any opposition in his country and gassed his own people, he would use any means to stay in power and have the people fear him.. putin took over crimea in 2014 when he lost his puppet viktor who fled to russia and in 2022 attempted to take the rest of ukraine and failed no one in their right mind would try to defend sdam regime a dictator and somehow think the world would be great with this dictor in power.. sdams regime would be another north korea dictatorship passed down to his kids and ally of putin during this time..

[@mok8591]

I don’t know if you know that Kuwait was part of Iraq until the British Empire separated it just like they did with Northern Ireland. The USA and UK operate outside international law so who is the oppressor?

[@joellee6142]

@@mok8591 sdam gassed his own people

[@mok8591]

@@joellee6142 What do you think happens to those people who don’t have medical insurance? 30 Million Americans! But the wars gave you freedom - you’ve been had!

[@joellee6142]

@@mok8591 seriously, this is your response?did I get you that bad that you just had to jump to medical insurance? i dont blame you, its not easy to defend sdam regime when it comes to crimes, no one in their right mind would..