Bush praises "Austrian" troops at "OPEC" summit

Kingswood • Sep 6, 2007 11:40 pm
US President George W. Bush today thanked "Austrian" Prime Minister John Howard, in front of a summit of business leaders, for being a kind "OPEC" host.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22378059-29277,00.html
DucksNuts • Sep 6, 2007 11:53 pm
Oh he is such a lovable wally isnt he
Aliantha • Sep 7, 2007 12:38 am
Bush also said that Howard is a lot like him.

That's a shame.
xoxoxoBruce • Sep 7, 2007 5:55 am
But aides say his folksy style has helped endear him to Middle America.
Endear... in the headlights.
Griff • Sep 7, 2007 7:18 am
I think he's back on the bottle. The slurred speech is getting more pronounced.
Clodfobble • Sep 7, 2007 11:23 am
There was a video around here somewhere making the case that Bush has Alzheimers or some other degenerative mental disease, that we'll only find out about decades later like with Reagan. It compared his speaking and conversation skills with video from his many successful years as governor of Texas, and even with the beginning of the Presidency versus now. I was pretty convinced--at the very least he's gotten a lot slower with age.
Flint • Sep 7, 2007 11:26 am
I saw Bush go head-to-head with Ann Richards in a debate, and he was sharp, on-the-ball, to-the-point; everything he isn't, now. My theory, and I've posted on this before, is that he is pretending to be dumb in order to appear more likable. If that is the case, his plan appears to have worked.
piercehawkeye45 • Sep 7, 2007 12:10 pm
I hear the security there was insane.....something about stolen rocket launchers.
Griff • Sep 7, 2007 12:17 pm
Flint;383018 wrote:
I saw Bush go head-to-head with Ann Richards in a debate, and he was sharp, on-the-ball, to-the-point; everything he isn't, now. My theory, and I've posted on this before, is that he is pretending to be dumb in order to appear more likable. If that is the case, his plan appears to have worked.


Hell of a method actor.
tw • Sep 7, 2007 1:03 pm
Aliantha;382890 wrote:
Bush also said that Howard is a lot like him.
Well George Jr wants to destroy the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. The treaty bans nuclear material exports to nations that did not sign the treaty and who do not open their facilities to international inspections.

India has a massive shortage of nuclear material for nuclear power plants because it has diverted so much nuclear production into bomb making. So George Jr said America will provide India - who has not signed the treaty - with nuclear material for their nuclear reactors. Therefore India can now divert more material production into making bombs. This all but destroys another international treaty.

Australia produces 40% of the world’s uranium. Howard has just announced last week that Australia will join the US in destroying the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty - will sell nuclear material to India.

Yes they both do think very much alike. Short term political agendas without any consideration for the long term consequences.

Robert Drager(?) has just published a book on George Jr. In interviews, he notes that George Jr is concerned with his legacy. He wants his legacy to promote freedom. That would be freedom without responsibility. George Jr still is mystified that Iraq did not happen as three Iraqi dissidents said would happen. They told him with freedom, then a democratic and stable Iraq would spring forth. What George Jr did not understands - for that to happen, first the people must also have a reason to be responsible. Instead freedom resulted in full scale looting - as those who understand freedom really understood.

Would Howard have understood the need for responsibility? Just another compare and contrast between these two leaders. Well maybe reality is starting to set in. Drager does note how this president view things in black and white. How he refuses to acknowledge his mistakes believing that nothing would be gained by mulling over the past. Maybe his past is starting to eat at him much like Lyndon Johnson's mistakes so ate at Johnson's spirit.
wolf • Sep 7, 2007 2:23 pm
This is way better than that time that Frank Rizzo, Philadelphia's late Mayor, welcomed honored guests from Niggeria to the City of Brotherly Love.
Flint • Sep 7, 2007 2:27 pm
wolf;383111 wrote:
This is way better than that time that Frank Rizzo, Philadelphia's late Mayor, welcomed honored guests from Niggeria to the City of Brotherly Love.
Griff • Sep 7, 2007 2:28 pm
wolf;383111 wrote:
This is way better than that time that Frank Rizzo, Philadelphia's late Mayor, welcomed honored guests from Niggeria to the City of Brotherly Love.


Good times!

This all reminds me of a nice quote by Mencken- Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.
Aliantha • Sep 7, 2007 7:35 pm
Well Howard is also going to sell Uranium to Russia, who is likely to onsell it to Iran.

It'll be ironic when we get blown up by our own uranium.

Anyway, Howards days are very numbered. I doubt the Russians will be getting too much Uranium from us come the new year.
queequeger • Sep 7, 2007 8:09 pm
Oh, you'll get used to it. We've been getting shot at with our guns by guys that we trained for decades now. We like it so much we're giving away guns to people that would just as soon see us dead, at this very instant! And then in a few months, will give away some planes and bombs to people that might shoot at us in a few more decades. You've got to plan ahead to keep the irony train a-rolling.
DanaC • Sep 8, 2007 9:40 am
You've got to plan ahead to keep the irony train a-rolling.


That gave me a chuckle :P