Bush’s empty talk on Middle East freedom.
Bush’s empty talk on Middle East freedom.
One day after delivering an address in the United Arab Emirates about the need for the Middle East to live in “free and democratic” societies, President Bush traveled to Saudi Arabia to spend a day with King Abdullah at his ranch. Newsweek’s Michael Hirsh notes:
What could not be found on Bush’s schedule was one Saudi dissident or political activist, much less a democrat. Just a day after his speech in Abu Dhabi–and two years after declaring in his second inaugural address that “it is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture”–the president made time for a tour of Saudi Arabia’s National History Museum but not for a meeting with Fouad al-Farhan. Farhan, Saudi Arabia’s most popular blogger, was arrested in Jidda last month for daring to defend a group of Saudis who wanted to form a civil rights group.
Hirsh writes, “Don’t plan a major democracy speech when you know you’re not going to act on it, with not even a symbolic move of any kind to accompany it. There’s a word for this kind of thing. It’s called hypocrisy.”
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Spose there's no frikkin chance the chymp will take time out from handholding and kissing for a little sword mishandling, .... nah...
January 15th, 2008 at 3:20 pmClinton hedges on the definiton of what 'is' is and he's blasted and reviled for eternity.
Bush hedges on the definition of 'democracy', and he's a hero....
January 15th, 2008 at 3:21 pmHow did we end up with this puke as our president? Oh yeah, I remember now. Time to get gone, GWB, waaayyyy past time...
January 15th, 2008 at 3:22 pmHe doesn't give a huck about our freedom and democracy, why should he give a huck about the Saudi's?
January 15th, 2008 at 3:23 pmThe only sword he is handling is the prince's...Jeff Gannon is going to be jealous!
January 15th, 2008 at 3:24 pmAs empty as Chimp's head is we might see that guys tongue come out his right ear.
January 15th, 2008 at 3:25 pmGood Afternoon RUCerious, just passing through, good take on the sword. Moving to the pic to the top right,.."I now pronounce you man and wife", lower left " is your tea warm enough sweetie", lower right.." I can't wait till we get back to the motel"....Miserable, air sucking dirt bag bush and one of his handler's in a photo op...Blessings
January 15th, 2008 at 3:25 pmThat's ok.
History will regard his presidency as being more racist that Jackson's, more incompetent than Grant's, more corrupt that Reagan's, and more out of touch than Hoover's.
January 15th, 2008 at 3:26 pmBush went to the Middle East to broker a billion dollar weapons deal with the Saudis...
Barack, Hillary and John offer a "Healthcare Plan" that'll help the insurance companies sell billions in new policies...
Aluminum Siding anybody?
January 15th, 2008 at 3:29 pmbarfly; you did not mention that his presidency has also abused more power than Nixon.
January 15th, 2008 at 3:31 pmBush's approval ratings in S.A. are under 10%, but, just like the King he worships, approval ratings don't matter much when you're in a country that has no personal freedoms unless you're Royalty.
January 15th, 2008 at 3:45 pmAnd all of the empty talks and promises won't help the Panhandler-in-chief. His sales pitches are now a joke and full of hot air among the Middle Eastern leaders and countries.
January 15th, 2008 at 3:47 pmThe actual purpose of the Bush administration's foreign policy in the Middle East is to create and prepetuate instability. This leads to higher oil prices, more weapon sales and profits for the war machine, and accumulated power by those who have been trying to destroy democracy in this country since the assassination of JFK.
January 15th, 2008 at 3:52 pmShameless... the POTUS taking a trip to the Middle East all just to beg OPEC to let us have one of our balls back from their jar on the shelf.
On the other hand, though, the fact that Bush won't meet with a blogger in Jidda is... well... not a story. There are more democratic gestures that are less likely to result in his assassination, anyway.
"Mr. President! Stop sucking the Ambassador's dik!"
January 15th, 2008 at 3:54 pm~ Dave Chappelle
“Don’t plan a major democracy speech when you know you’re not going to act on it [...] It’s called hypocrisy.â€
yea, but... michael hirsh wrote a piece last week that had me very confused... i commented here and at C&L about this:
Sorry, Barack, You’ve lost Iraq.
Bush’s efforts to negotiate a long-term U.S-Iraq pact may remove troops as an ‘08 election issue for Obama, Clinton
(newsweek, michael hirsch) http://www.newsweek.com/id/91651
it’s like he’s saying, “ha ha ha, dems… boosh is gonna get the troops out before you can… nya nya nyaâ€
but it sounds like another political ruse… the troops won’t REALLY be out of there…
so, is this michael hirsh a shill? a jerk? both/all?
so, is he?
January 15th, 2008 at 3:56 pmComment by justasking — January 15, 2008 @ 3:52 pm
Pathetic.
January 15th, 2008 at 3:56 pmthose who have been trying to destroy democracy in this country since the assassination of JFK.
Comment by impeachcheneythenbush — January 15, 2008
Um... Maybe this is nitpicking, but JFK wasn't exactly a great democrat. No one in the US favored the Bay of Pigs invasion, nor did they support the assassination of the S. Vietnamese PM that he caused just because he was playing ball with China.
JFK was awful for American Democracy, its just that no one knew it because everyone wanted to bone him.
January 15th, 2008 at 4:00 pmJFK was awful for American Democracy, its just that no one knew it because everyone wanted to bone him.
Comment by imorgan82
wow.....off your meds?
January 15th, 2008 at 4:02 pm19 I don't care who does it or how. Someone can make health care affordable for Americans. That is the whole point. If it were affordable we wouldn't be having this discussion.
There must be more than one way to do it and I'm sure none of them will be perfect but we have to have some relief soon.
We all deserve Cheney Care sponsored by the calif nurses assoc.
January 15th, 2008 at 4:06 pmso, is he?
Comment by katy —
No, read it.
Hirsh is saying that if we make this suicide pact with Iraq to protect it for x# years, we're stuck there and can't talk about how we'll bring everyone home in a year. It's like the Warsaw Pact or something.
So he's not talking about troop strength (Bush wants to keep it at pre-surge 130000), he's talking about the fact that we will then be stuck with Iraq being the newest member in our long list of established hegemons.
January 15th, 2008 at 4:06 pmwow…..off your meds?
Comment by Fred —
Just because people liked a president doesn't mean what they did was good for Democracy.
Read "Overthrow" by Stephen Kinzer (not a kook, wrote "All the Shah's Men") and then try to argue, ideologue.
January 15th, 2008 at 4:10 pmOT,
MSNBC has banned Dennis Kucinich from the debate again, but have
allowed his wife to stand in. Chris Matthews is livid, stating that women have no place in debates.
January 15th, 2008 at 4:11 pm/snark
I still think Obama follows a liberal philospy on health care:
Comment by justasking — January 15, 2008 @ 4:02 pm
That's a long answer. Let me help you simplify. Single-Payer, Not-for-Profit Healthcare. Cut out ALL the middlemen which amounts to approx. 30 cents on every healthcare dollar. Just like they do it in every major industrialized country in the world. If you're an Obama supporter I urge you to send him this message. I and many others REFUSE to vote for him for this reason and many others.
January 15th, 2008 at 4:14 pmJust because people liked a president doesn’t mean what they did was good for Democracy.
Read “Overthrow†by Stephen Kinzer (not a kook, wrote “All the Shah’s Menâ€) and then try to argue, ideologue.
Comment by imorgan82
sorry but I just can't understand why you would be saying things like this today....with bush in power....I mean if you want to criticize someone for their undemocratic behavior......well you know.
I lived in JFK era. One of the most progressive era's in American history. Ok he wasn't perfect but I think your just trying to piss me off with this bs.
January 15th, 2008 at 4:17 pmOT, MSNBC has banned Dennis Kucinich from the debate again, but have allowed his wife to stand in. Chris Matthews is livid, stating that women have no place in debates.
Comment by Zimzone — January 15, 2008 @ 4:11 pm
I think there should be VERY strict rules on who can particpate in tonight's Democratic debate. If you voted for the Patriot Act or Bankruptcy Bill or Authorized the War or Funded the War or offer a corporate-based program for healthcare reform you are obviously NOT a Democrat and should not be allowed on the stage.
January 15th, 2008 at 4:19 pmJust like they do it in every major industrialized country in the world. If you’re an Obama supporter I urge you to send him this message. I and many others REFUSE to vote for him for this reason and many others.
Comment by 2MillionLightYearsToAndromeda
I agree with you but I would take any kind of relief at this point. If they would just make it affordable. You know I remember a time in the 50's and 60's when health care did not break you just because of one sickness or injury. It can be done.
I would not chance a repub getting elected just because I wouldn't vote for obama for this reason......
January 15th, 2008 at 4:21 pmIn Riyadh today, the president danced a traditional sword dance with one of the princes of the royal family. It was a public -- and a little awkward -- display of affection...
"I'm sure people view me as a war monger ..."
That may be an historical comment - the first CORRECT assessment he has ever made as president.
January 15th, 2008 at 4:39 pmScenes from Borat come to mind when I look at these two...you know which ones too...
January 15th, 2008 at 4:46 pmI would not chance a repub getting elected just because I wouldn’t vote for obama for this reason……
Comment by Fred — January 15, 2008 @ 4:21 pm
I understand and appreciate your need for relief. My fear is that under Hillary or Barack's plan the insurance policy you're forced to buy will be worthless. You'll have a policy but the insurance co's will fight you over coverage for every procedure. Now add 50 million more people to the equation. The insurance co's are only going to get nastier and fight claims even harder. To me, its obvious Hillary and Barack's plan is doomed to failure.
January 15th, 2008 at 4:47 pmthe top left picture is precious! how appropriate!
caption contest, anyone?
January 15th, 2008 at 4:49 pmI lived in JFK era. One of the most progressive era’s in American history. Ok he wasn’t perfect but I think your just trying to piss me off with this bs.
Comment by Fred
This site is called ThinkProgress, not ThinkDem or ThinkHypocrisy.
If you are pissed when someone (including myself) trashes some Dem Presidents because of their awful foreign policies that have caused death and pain across the world, then you can't call yourself a Progressive, which means going forward. You are doing the exact same thing than Republican trolls do here, justify, by any means tha doings of their President, just because he is not from "the other side".
That speaks volumes of your moral integrity.
January 15th, 2008 at 4:55 pmSo, tell me again why so many homophobes object to having to see gays showing affection, in public? I've spent time in San Francisco and other places with large gay communities; and never saw so much hand holding and smooching as georgejr & the King Abdullah have been flaunting for the cameras, in the past few days.
For me, it's not that 2 men are engaged in public affection - it's having to watch them "screw" each other I object to.
January 15th, 2008 at 4:55 pmRight bottom picture caption:
Yes, I still have sand within my trousers.
January 15th, 2008 at 4:57 pmBush Presses Saudi Arabia Over Oil Prices
Link.
President Bush urged OPEC nations on Tuesday to put more oil on the world market and warned that soaring prices could cause an economic slowdown in the United States.
(What was it that Bush previously said about letting the market control prices??)
“High energy prices can damage consuming economies,†the president told a small group of reporters traveling with him in the Mideast.
O. Bigfoot told me the other day not to worry.
January 15th, 2008 at 5:00 pmtop left picture caption:
"you guys are so lucky! beheading is so much more fun than lethal injections!"
January 15th, 2008 at 5:04 pmThat speaks volumes of your moral integrity.
Comment by Juan C
You judge all you want. I'm still going to say what I think and I don't think digging up shit on Kennedy or Clinton and slinging it around will justify any defense of the current administration.
I said I believed that the Kennedy era was more progressive than the bush era. I still believe that. Were they perfect. No. I have already admitted that. You do not hold the authority to judge JFK by yourself....you may have your opinion too but I will have mine.
January 15th, 2008 at 5:05 pmYou do not hold the authority to judge JFK by yourself….
Comment by Fred
No, I don't. I lost it when I threw napalm over Vietnamese children.
January 15th, 2008 at 5:09 pmNo, I don’t. I lost it when I threw napalm over Vietnamese children.
Comment by Juan C
Look Juan, I was in Nam and I was a veteran protestor.....we started the anit-war movement that finally ended that nightmare. We protested what democrats were doing and we protested what Nixon was doing. I said they weren't perfect but they are far better than what we have now.
FYI it wasn't Kennedy that escalated the war to the point of 350 of our fine soldiers dieing each week, it was Johnson and Nixon.
January 15th, 2008 at 5:16 pmFred, I will be more respectful, then.
January 15th, 2008 at 5:18 pmIt is totally unfair to judge JFK by today"s standards. In the early 60's, schools. lunchcounters. and drinking fountains in the Deepsouth were Racially Segregated...that's American Apartheid.
Marriage between Blacks and Whites, such as Obama's parents., was ILLEGAL in some states.
JFK was hated by many in the south for his racial policies. He was hated by many others for his alleged "appeasement of Communism", after the Bay of Pigs. Google "operation northwoods" to get a flavor of the times.
He Did prevent World War III, by handling the Cuban missle crisis with skill and intelligence. His martyrdom did allow the passage of civil rights legislation.
January 15th, 2008 at 5:21 pmThe Chimperor and his Evil Minions don't even try to put on a good show anymore. Fascism is on the march...
January 15th, 2008 at 5:35 pmNo, read it.
[...]
Comment by imorgan82 — January 15, 2008 @ 4:06 pm
i'm not sure i agree with that synopsis... but it's plausible...
i also thought it sounded like the contractors will be busier there too...
but, i thought i detected a subversive attitude the first time i read it...
now i think hirsh is sounding an alarm... maybe...
until i read this part:
The upshot is that the next president, Democrat or Republican, is likely to be handed a fait accompli that could well render moot his or her own elaborate withdrawal plans...
why is that an "upshot"?
January 15th, 2008 at 6:02 pmah well... i just wondered at that time if hirsh was a shill...
thanks for your feedback...
Bush is more comfortable with hereditary monarchs because he sees himself as a king.
January 15th, 2008 at 6:04 pmHe sucks up to the Saudis, who provided the lion's share of the 9/11 hijackers and whose people danced in the streets that day, while rattling a saber at Iran, who provided none of the 9/11 hijackers and whose people mourned for the victims on 9/11.
Bushworld, the wonderland on the other side of the mirror, where fantasy is fact.
Bush is The King of Hypocrites.
How dare he give a speech about Freedom from the United Arab Emirates, a country where no one can vote!
January 15th, 2008 at 7:55 pm...and How can they possibly think the US has any international credibility? They war criminal in chief talks about freedom and democracy... ask how the people of DIEGO GARCIA thinks of USA/UK's democracy... freeedom... Fahlujah is another example, freedom and democracy for them feels and tates like white phosforo, made in USA!
January 15th, 2008 at 7:58 pmDemocracy USA style to me means 25 of military dictatorship, with torture and people disapearing from their homes and universities. General after Genaral selling out our resources to US's corporations... Ford, Philip Moris, Dysney, amongst many... Bush is in the Middle East, running like a chiken from the evidences of cover up (torture tapes), treason (valerie plame), war crimes (Iraq/Afeganistan), crimes against humanity (DIEGO GARCIA). If the US is serious about regaining its credibility, it must hold these war criminals accountable... otherwise they will have to make lots of movies, tv series, musicals proclaiming their noble deeds for centuries and centuries to come... INDICT ; IMPEACH; IMPRISON BUSH/CHENNEY AND THEIR JUNTA.
January 15th, 2008 at 8:06 pmHey you two, geta room! Those photos are embarrassing!
January 15th, 2008 at 9:55 pmI read somewhere that you must be a member of the royal family to get one of the top 2,000 positions in Saudi Arabia. Not my idea of democracy. Guess it's what W is used to, though.
January 15th, 2008 at 9:57 pm