Naughty Naughty

[John Geraghty]

Mr.Bush was caught on tape saying "The irony is, what they really need to do is to get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this xxxx, and it's over "

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/5187276.stm

On the web CNN and CBS covered it. The Washington Post, NY Times and Fox News did not.

I await the onslaught.

John

[Brendan Slattery]

Plain speaking about terrorist-sponsoring tyrants? Expect his approval ratings to skyrocket.

[John Geraghty]

Plain speaking about terrorist-sponsoring tyrants? Expect his approval ratings to skyrocket.

True, he is such an eloquent communicator on foreign policy issues. I will sleep easy tonight.

John

[Ron Ecker]

"Plain speaking"? I wish Blair had replied, "What is the 'irony' and who are 'they'?"

[Robert Charles-Dunne]

Plain speaking about terrorist-sponsoring tyrants?

Actually, you mustn't credit Bush, for as he himself has been at pains to point out, whatever he utters is actually scripted by a Higher Power:

"I trust God speaks through me. Without that, I couldn't do my job."

But Bush isn't merely God's mouthpiece; he is also the Lord's main foreign policy instrument, as Bush also conceded:

"God told me to strike at al Qaeda and I struck them, and then he instructed me to strike at Saddam, which I did, and now I am determined to solve the problem in the Middle East."

Expect his approval ratings to skyrocket.

You may be right, though "skyrocket" may be overstating the case somewhat. After all, when approval ratings have plummeted as much as is statistically possible, the only place left to go is up. And speaking of approval ratings, Forum member Gary Buell posted the following interesting piece of reportage on Bush's approval ratings on his Covert History blog recently:

President Bush appears to be losing support among a key group of voters who had hitherto stood firmly with the president even as his poll numbers among other groups fell dramatically.

A new Gallup poll shows that, for the first time, Bush's approval rating has fallen below 50% among total f*#king morons, and now stands at 44%. This represents a dramatic drop compared to a poll taken just last December, when 62% of total f*#king morons expressed support for the president and his policies.

[Bruce Cormier]

"Plain speaking"? I wish Blair had replied, "What is the 'irony' and who are 'they'?"

Undoubtedly much to the chagrin of our British cousins, lap dogs like Blair do not pose challenging questions.

[Bruce Cormier]

"Plain speaking"? I wish Blair had replied, "What is the 'irony' and who are 'they'?"

Undoubtedly much to the chagrin of our British cousins, lap dogs like Blair do not pose challenging questions.

[/quote

The Brits' chagrin is now manifest. Lap dog, poodle, close enough:

By Adrian Croft

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair was roundly mocked as a U.S. poodle on Tuesday after an off-the-cuff chat with President George W. Bush was accidentally broadcast.

Bush and Blair enjoyed a gossip over lunch at the Group of Eight summit in St. Petersburg on Monday, unaware that a microphone in front of them was switched on and their words would be relayed around the world.

Breaking with diplomatic formalities, Bush hailed Blair, his closest European ally, with the words "Yo, Blair". His solution to the Middle East crisis was that Syria should press Hizbollah to "stop doing this xxxx".

The British media pored over the text of the conversation, saying it cast Blair in a subservient role and showed the unequal nature of Britain's much-vaunted "special relationship" with the United States.

"Yo, Bush! Start treating our prime minister with respect," the popular tabloid Daily Mirror said, joining others in seeing the U.S. president's greeting as disrespectful.

The broadcast chat "reinforces the damaging public image of Blair as the U.S. president's poodle", it said.

But most damaging to Blair was what commentators saw as his plea -- rebuffed by Bush -- to be allowed to visit the Middle East to try to stop fighting between Israel and Hizbollah guerrillas...

[John Simkin]

Undoubtedly much to the chagrin of our British cousins, lap dogs like Blair do not pose challenging questions.

This story is playing very badly with the UK media. Once again Blair is seen as Bush’s poodle. Political commentators have argued that the words of Blair in this recorded meeting suggests he is head of a client rather than a sovereign state.

[Bruce Cormier]

Undoubtedly much to the chagrin of our British cousins, lap dogs like Blair do not pose challenging questions.

This story is playing very badly with the UK media. Once again Blair is seen as Bush’s poodle. Political commentators have argued that the words of Blair in this recorded meeting suggests he is head of a client rather than a sovereign state.

I've wondered from time to time about the course of history if two individuals, Colin Powell and Tony Blair, had demonstrated more fortitude regarding the Iraq War -- i.e., if the former had resigned on principle and the latter had sided with France and Germany