Trump Dumps On Dubya, Praises Saddam, Excoriates Rivals, Threatens to Go Third Party

The Donald on Saddam Hussein: "One thing about him, he killed terrorists."

By Al Perrotta Published on February 15, 2016

Donald Trump found time Monday away from attacking Ted Cruz, threatening George W. Bush and complaining about the RNC to send some post-Valentine’s love Saddam Hussein’s way.

During a press conference Monday in Hanahan, South Carolina, Trump said of the mass murdering, Kuwait-invading, prisoner-torturing former dictator of Iraq: “You know, Saddam Hussein was a terrible guy but one thing about him, he killed terrorists.”

The comment came amid a riff on Iraq. Trump criticized Obama’s abandoning Iraq a “disaster, but he laid the start of the trouble squarely President George W. Bush’s lap. “The whole thing starts with the war in Iraq,” he said, adding that “if the president (Bush) had gone to the beach, we would have been better off, believe me. Saddam killed terrorists, Trump explained, but “now Iraq is Harvard for terrorism. You want to become a terrorist you go to Iraq. Saddam Hussein understood and he killed terrorists.”

As a quick reminder of who we are talking about, here’s an overview from a 2005 Council on Foreign Relations report:

Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship provided headquarters, operating bases, training camps and other support to terrorist groups fighting the governments of neighboring Turkey and Iran, as well as to hard-line Palestinian groups. During the 1991 Gulf War, Saddam commissioned several failed terrorist attacks on U.S. facilities. Prior to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the State Department listed Iraq as a state sponsor of terrorism.

Thus, according to report, Saddam Hussein hired terrorists, harbored terrorists, rewarded terrorists. Saddam Hussein was a terrorist.

Bush Bash, Continued

George W. Bush was in South Carolina Monday supporting his brother Jeb. Trump had more advice for Dubya: Don’t get involved in the 2016 race.  Trump declared that it “would be better for him if he stayed out.” Trump’s warning/threat was nonspecific.

Trump also threatened again to take Ted Cruz to court over his eligibility to serve as president unless Cruz takes down what Trump described as “false ads” and retracts what Trump calls “his lies.” The billionaire has also taken to calling his chief rival “the most dishonest guy I think I’ve ever met in politics.” (This from a man who partied with the Clintons) Trump also called Cruz “nuts.”

Trump Suggests His Pledge to Not Run as an Independent No Longer Valid

The Republican National Committee also found itself facing the Trump wrath. Trump accused the RNC of violating its pledge to stay neutral in the race. Supposedly, they did this by packing the site of last Saturday’s debate with “donors” and “special interests” eager to boo him. The RNC says out of the 1600 tickets, the candidates got an equal 100 each, as did debate partners CBS, Google and Peace Center. South Carolina GOP officials got 550, and the RNC grabbed 337 for itself.

“I signed a pledge, but it’s a double-edged pledge.”

According to Trump, “college kids” sold their debate tickets “to the special interests.” Trump didn’t make clear how this example of free enterprise at work violated the RNC’s pledge to stay neutral. He did, however, suggest that he now had the freedom to walk away from his pledge not to run as an Independent. “I signed a pledge,” he said, “but it’s a double-edged pledge. As far as I’m concerned, they’re in default of their pledge.”

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