Former US President George W. Bush made a remark in Dallas, Texas, that was dubbed the “Freudian slip of the century” due to its widespread attention. It happened as Bush was discussing Russia.
“The lack of a system of checks and balances resulted in one person’s decision to start a cruel and unlawful invasion of Iraq… in Ukraine,” he remarked, before adding, to the laughter of the audience, “to Iraq too.”
Remember that in 2003, Bush justified his invasion of Iraq by claiming that Saddam Hussein’s regime was building nuclear weapons. However, it was not discovered after Iraq was captured, giving rise to claims that the invasion was illegal.
Andrew Strohlein, communications secretary for Human Rights Watch’s European division, coined the phrase “the Freudian clause of the century.” Others, however, have pointed out that Bush has now admitted the criminality of his nearly two-decade-old choice.