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Home
-->
Rumors of War
--> Camel Lot
Camel Lot
Claim:
President George W. Bush said, "I'm not gonna fire a
$2 million
missile at a $10 empty tent and hit a camel in the butt."
Status:
True.
Origins:
This
phrase was documented by Howard Fineman,
Newsweek
's chief political correspondent, who reported in the
September 24
issue of that magazine that President Bush uttered this phrase in a
September 13
Oval Office meeting with senators Hillary Clinton and Charles Schumer of New York and senators John Warner and George Allen of Virginia, about getting aid for the devastation caused to their states by the
September 11
terrorist attacks. According to Fineman:
They all got more than they bargained for. The meeting didn’t last minutes, but half an hour. The president, relaxed and in control, drew Sen. Hillary Clinton into a warm, familial exchange. He treated Sen. Charles Schumer like a long-lost fraternity brother. As for their aid request, "I’m with ya," the president said eagerly — and it was approved by Congress the next day. The Virginians got promises of aid, too, and the warlike words all four senators yearned for. "When I take action," he said, "I’m not going to fire a
$2 million
missile at a
$10 empty
tent and hit a camel in the butt. It’s going to be decisive."
Last updated:
8 March 2008
Urban Legends Reference Pages © 1995-2013 by Barbara and David P. Mikkelson.
This material may not be reproduced without permission.
snopes and the snopes.com logo are registered service marks of snopes.com.
Sources:
Dowd, Maureen. "Liberties; Old Ruses, New Barbarians."
The New York Times.
19 September 2001 (p. A27).
Fineman, Howard. "A President Finds His True Voice."
Newsweek.
24 September 2001.