‘Really painful’: MSNBC’s Mika cringes over George W. Bush’s ‘Freudian slip’ on Iraq invasion

MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski cringed at George W. Bush's "Freudian slip" on Iraq.

The former president gave a speech Wednesday at the Bush Center at Southern Methodist University, where he compared Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to Winston Churchill, and he inadvertently condemned his own actions nearly 20 years ago that resulted in nearly 4,500 American troops killed and the deaths of countless Iraqis.

“The result is an absence of checks and balances in Russia, and the decision of one man to launch a wholly unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq,” Bush said. “I mean, of Ukraine.”

The audience paused in awkward silence, until breaking into laughter when the 75-year-old Bush blamed the mixup on his age, but the "Morning Joe" co-hosts were embarrassed when they teased an upcoming segment on the gaffe.

READ MORE: Russia demonstrates the 'absolute opposite' of competence in latest war effort: CNN military analyst

"Willie, you need to help me with this tease," Brzezinski said. "I'm cringing even talking about it. Well, George W. Bush in Dallas. I can't -- do you know what I'm talking about?"

"I do, I do," said co-host Willie Geist. "This is a tease, yes."

"I don't know, I might have to leave the room when we show it," Brzezinski said. "It is a serious issue, No. 1, but so -- I mean, I've never seen a gaffe like this, ever. How would you tease it, Willie? Help me out."

"It's a former president of the United States making a freudian slip," Geist said, "and a painful one, about the war in Iraq."

"Really painful," Brzezinski agreed.

When the producers finally rolled the clip a few minutes later, Brzezinski buried her face in her palm and appeared to be at a loss for words.

"I can't watch this, but here it is," she said. "Here he is talking about the war in Ukraine where he misspeaks, take a listen. Nobody wants to talk about it."

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