The Tape

[elSicomoro]

Admittedly though, the world does not seem as enamored with this president as with presidents past. And maybe it's because the world has changed so much in the 2 years he's been president, he comes across as unintelligent at times...who really knows for certain? Maybe it's more fear than dislike.

Anytime I watch interviews involving Arabs (like if they're doing street interviews), the "response" (be it coerced or real) is almost always the same thing--we like America, we like American people, we do not like George W. Bush. The extremists seem to be a minority, though they apparently have grown over the years. And I could see a war in Iraq adding to those numbers (much like the Gulf War supposedly inflamed Osama).

UT, true, but you have the Saudis who are supposedly raising money in that same vein...and we're trying to get them to play War Games with us again.

[tw]

Originally posted by wolf
That's kind of like saying that the Eagles' only problem was Andy Reid.

Andy Reid has nothing to do with how the world perceives Oakland Raiders or Pittsburg Steelers. America is not George Jr. American government foreign policy is George Jr. But much of the world loves some or all of American music, American movies, American concepts of fun, blue jeans, internet, how Americans advance mankind, American concepts of business, concepts of tolerance and human rights, American people (and how they tip), etc. None of these above America is George Jr. The part about America that the Arab world hates is George Jr. George Jr even let Israelis use American weapons on Palestinians. No other president ever let Israel do that!

The world did not have the same negative opinion of Clinton - a man that most of the world liked - as demonstrated by a five minute standing ovation in the UN General Assembly. Clinton was not America. Clinton was a part of America that the world respected if not loved. Clinton was an honest man who kept his word and clearly both listened and understood their problems.

Clinton was especially popular among all of Europe, the significant powers in Africa, and with every American Islamic ally. Clinton was able to find common ground with Russia without forcing the Russians into something they did not want to do. Clinton was a hard act for George Jr to follow.

George Jr is what has changed dramatically. It was bluntly obvious when George Jr immediately began undermining the Oslo Accords and the Norwegian Foreign Minister gave a scalding public opinion of George Jr - in the first months. Then George Jr all but snubbed the German Chancellor - George Jr's first international leader to visit. No wonder George Jr now has such poor support from one of America's strongest allies - Germany. He all but insulted the German Chancellor in the first months. George Jr has continued to adversely affect every American friend. No wonder so many Americans are bad mouthing some of America's historically strongest allies. George Jr has inspired hate even towards America's closest friends.

None of this reflects the many other parts of America that remain so popular to the world. What the world does not like about America is George Jr and his militant policies expressed in religious righteous tones. But then George Jr threatened war with China, undermined the Oslo Accords, terminated the anti-ballistic missile treaty, bad mouths the UN and anyone who does not agree with him, mocks the Kyoto Accords, and lectures other world leaders, often in religious tones, as if George Jr has so much more experience and knowledge.

George Jr is the part of America that the world dislikes. Even America's closest allies - Canada, Mexico, Germany, Turkey, Egypt, Japan, S Korea, S Africa - have serious problems with George Jr. Problems that did not exist two years ago. But then George Jr promotes hate and fear while expressing everything in a religious 'born again' temperment of extremes - black and white. To the world's experienced leaders, this is an indication of low intelligence. Just another thing about George Jr that clearly does not inspire confidence.

[Undertoad]

Since this is the thread where we discussed Mugabe, here's an interesting note. Mugabe's in Paris today. The EU has in fact banished Mugabe from visiting Europe. But the French went ahead and invited him anyway. "Unilaterally."

And when people protested, they had the police break it up.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/zimbabwe/a...899182,00.html

Police moved quickly to break up the demonstrations by force, in some cases dragging protesters away by their ankles, and the French government defended its invitation to Mr Mugabe, which had infuriated Britain and other EU countries.

...The French president, Jacques Chirac, on a diplomatic roll, plainly hopes the conference will cement his reputation as a key player across Africa and not just in France's former, mainly west African, colonies."

See, France has no problem whatsoever with evil tinpot dictators -- as long as they are good for France.

[elSicomoro]

Of course, France is still hiding Mobutu Sese Seko (the former dictator of Zaire...surprisingly, that was a Belgian colony, not French). And isn't Baby Doc Duvalier still over there?

Let's poke fun at Chirac some more.

[tw]

Originally posted by sycamore
Of course, France is still hiding Mobutu Sese Seko (the former dictator of Zaire...surprisingly, that was a Belgian colony, not French). And isn't Baby Doc Duvalier still over there?

That's right. Blame the French for anything because they repeatedly show how stupid this American president is. Of course we don't need the French for that. We still have the attack at the end of the Hajj and all that duct tape to prove his leadership. At least Johnson had the decency to first make up an excuse for his war. This president cannot even invent an excuse that is believeable. Maybe we should bring back testimony of all those dying babies and stolen incubators.

For George Jr incompetence, one would blame the French? Lets face it. Undertoad and Sycamore so love anything this mental midget president says that they will attack anyone who might disagree with America's worst president since WWII.

Lets see. Hans Blix encourages war because the facts make this administration into liars. Anti-war demonstrators throughout the world encourage war. The French and Germans encourage war. Turkey would encourage war because they want more money to oppose their own people. Italy who now question their own government's support of George Jr must now be anti-American. The Swiss are clearly anti-American for denying US access to their airspace. My gosh. We have Nixon's enemy list all over again and almost everyone is on it!

[Uryoces]

That's right. Blame the French for anything because they repeatedly show how stupid this American president is.

No, Chirac can incriminate himself quite well. He's alienated most every Eastern European nation by his elitist attitude, and is ironically going to find himself overruled by the EU. Then there's that 75 billion Euro deal with the Iraquis ...

"All right, Monsieur Chirac. Perhaps we are poor. Perhaps we were not raised properly. We do not know about fine wine and the various directions of avant-garde art. But we do not repay those who have helped us and who continue to help us with ingratitude."
Neatkariga Rita Avize

You start that "back-room dealing, oil-grabbing, imperialist/extremist leader" crap once more, I'm going to have to ask you "Which one?!"

THE POT IS BLACK. THE KETTLE IS BLACK. Together we learn to read and write.

While we're on the subject of Hans Blix:

As director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from 1981 to 1997, he was in charge of overseeing inspections of the country's nuclear programme.

During that time, the Iraqis managed to hide an advanced nuclear weapons development programme from the IAEA. It was only discovered after the Gulf War in 1991.

Mr Blix has been keen to be seen as independent from Washington
Last year, the Pentagon ordered a CIA investigation into how the IAEA could have erred.

Mr Blix says the experience taught him something. "It's correct to say that the IAEA was fooled by the Iraqis," he said recently.

"He has a history of not being terribly aggressive," said Gary Milhollin, of the Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control. "The Iraqis were given stars for good behavior, when in fact they were making bombs in the rooms next door to the ones the inspectors were going into."

My short googling has shown he's semi-competent at best.

I asked this after my first posting in this long, drawn out ragged thread, but what is your vision for the future? How would improve this world so that these things don't become an issue?

[wolf]

You guys do what you want ... I'm getting on the Boycott the French Bandwagon ...

No longer will I purchase their stinky or runny cheeses, their overrated wine, or their overpriced water. Not that I was ever in any danger of buying one of their effete little cars, but I won't be buying one of them either.

(come on, this makes one hell of a lot more sense in terms of a show of umbrage than back when Greenpeace boycotted the Burger King fish sandwich because it was called "The Whaler".)

[elSicomoro]

The French are easy to pick on...their former colonies are among the poorest in the world (Chad, Burkina Faso), they got their ass handed to them in WW2, and they outrank us in voter apathy (witness the last election).

I'm not in favor of an invasion of Iraq, but even I can concede that the French are making a bad situation worse (Chirac's recent comments, the situation with NATO).

The only mental midget around here is you, tw.

[richlevy]

Originally posted by sycamore
The minute Saddam threw out inspectors 4 years ago, there should have been a massive invasion of Allied forces, with lots of bombing and killing of innocent civilians. Admittedly, Clinton was weak on the military end (and probably gunshy after Somalia).
[/opinion]

I pretty much agree with everything except Clinton being weak on the military. The action in Kosovo resolved the situation without making us look like war-mongering idiots and the pressure and support we gave Serbia helped depose Milosovic without an invasion.

BTW, Clinton's actions in Kosovo were loudly criticized by Republicans as being too agressive as well as not providing clear enough proof of it being necessary. How soon they forget!

Sorry, I finally decided to check out Democrats.org. It is very biased but I believe if you look at the Republicans criticism of the Democrats and the Democrats criticisms of the Republicans, you can get an idea of the problems in government, since both sides are happy to point out the flaws in their opponents but not those of their friends.