NATO Allies Rebuff Bush On Expansion, ‘Looking Forward Now To The Next President’
NATO Allies Rebuff Bush On Expansion, ‘Looking Forward Now To The Next President’
President Bush attended his final NATO summit this week in Bucharest, Romania against the backdrop of what many have regarded as an arrogant and unilateralist foreign policy that has been “frayed by the Iraq war.” But one senior administration official said Bush wanted to “lay down a marker” for his “freedom agenda” legacy by promoting full NATO membership for Ukraine and Georgia.
Even though Bush was putting “his personal prestige on the line” in supporting membership for the former Soviet Republics, he was forced to check his legacy at the door. NATO rebuffed, a “remarkable rejection of American policy in an alliance normally dominated by Washington.” In fact, some allies even criticized Bush’s “annoying” views on Ukrainian and Georgian membership:
– German and British officials [...] criticized the Bush administration for not coming to grips soon enough with the Ukraine and Georgia problem.
– Bush’s comments added some extra interest while annoying German and French officials, who had said they would block the invitation to Ukraine and Georgia.
– “The debate was mostly among Europeans,” the senior administration official said, acknowledging that several allies had balked at Bush’s stance.
Perhaps Bush was bored of his NATO friends as well. Earlier this week, he tried to end a joint press conference with Romania’s president Traian Basescu, even though “as a matter of courtesy and protocol, the host decides when such an event is over.” And yesterday, Bush “abruptly got up and left the last formal session” of NATO meetings.
Indeed, “many [European leaders] are looking forward now to the next president,” Julianne Smith, Europe analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, recently noted. “There seems to be a great deal of enthusiasm…on the other side of the Atlantic, that there’s going to be some revitalization of the trans-Atlantic partnership and we start with a clean slate and a new chapter.”
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That picture is a classic example of how the world views Bush, and how Bush views himself.
IMPEACH BUSH/CHENEY
April 4th, 2008 at 3:37 pmHague Trials ‘09
“Lookee me, Ma — I’m a world leader!”
April 4th, 2008 at 3:40 pmAnd the bottomline is that many European leaders have tuned out the Hot Air-in-chief once and for all and looking forward to Janary 20, 2009. Amd I bet they have that date circled on their calendars.
April 4th, 2008 at 3:41 pmLook, if we’d wanted a president with a respect for courtesy, we wouldn’t have elected Bush.
Oh, wait — we didn’t.
April 4th, 2008 at 3:42 pmYou can see the hazy cloud of ignorance surrounding bush in that picture. No one else wants to get it on their clothes.
April 4th, 2008 at 3:43 pmIs anyone keeping count of the names for the troll who can’t spell?
How many is he up to now? How many does he have left?
Dang, he must have nothing worthwhile going on in his life.
April 4th, 2008 at 3:44 pmWhat “personal prestige” does this clown have left?
April 4th, 2008 at 3:45 pmBut you know all the riechwing supporters are just gonna say
April 4th, 2008 at 3:48 pm“So?, the UN is full of Leftwing nutjobs.”
Pathetic.
It doesn’t look like anyone is interested in hearing his attempts at 8th grade humor.
April 4th, 2008 at 3:49 pmDang, he must have nothing worthwhile going on in his life.
Of course, if you think Bush is worthwhile, it is relatively easy to understand how you might think bad spelling, bad grammar, illogical “debate”, and poorly constructed sarcasm would be worthwile as well.
April 4th, 2008 at 3:49 pmBush’s “personal prestige”? ROFL!!!
For someone who mysteriosly avoided officer training but became an officer anyway and who couldn’t show up for flight duty half the time and never completed his full service in the ANG, he sure like to pretend he’s a general.
I wouldn’t be surprized if he got a special presidential version of Call Of Duty 4 with unlimited cheats switched on and STILL plays at ‘Rookie’ level.
April 4th, 2008 at 3:49 pmLook at him standing there, like the pusillanimous d*ckhead he is, while the whole world confers around him. In spite of him. Without regard to him.
What Dubbie? Lookin’ around in that crowd for your Mommy to wave to you?? Thinkin’ pickles is out there? Wishing you’d bever been born into a corrupt dynasty of bootlickers and spooks?
[And who is the hapless gimp that keeps making up "progress"-related handles so they can demonstrate to the world what kind of mouthbreathing windowlicker they really are?]
April 4th, 2008 at 3:49 pmLOOKS LIKE THE PENTAGRAM HAS TAKEN A PAGE OUT OF Ahmadinejad’S PLAYBOOK:
Ahmadinejad: “We Don’t Have Homosexuals Like In Your Country”
April 4th, 2008 at 3:50 pmWhat company would keep a CEO on with this terrible track record, even Country Wide paid their looser to leave. Latest poll for job approval bush 28% and cheney 22% , yep that is about right for oil and Iraq contractors reaping the gold.
April 4th, 2008 at 3:51 pmBush has the “personal prestige” of a crack ho, only with less dignity. Therefore he impresses the hell out of a lot of righty numbskulls.
April 4th, 2008 at 3:53 pmEveryone is tired of him. The only one that ever liked bush was the English poodle blair. He mistakenly though bush was a guy and wanted to play locker room games with the boys who he thought were the stars……heh, turns out they are the losing team.
April 4th, 2008 at 3:53 pmCaption – “Hope that’s a fart coming on, uuugghhh, oops, nope, gotta clean the undies again.”
April 4th, 2008 at 3:55 pm“many [European leaders] are looking forward now to the next president”
Like John McLane said in Die Hard, “Welcome to the party, pal.”
The picture is priceless – Pootie Poot is showing W his back so W doesn’t look into his eyes “and see his soul.”
April 4th, 2008 at 3:58 pm“And yesterday, Bush “abruptly got up and left the last formal session” of NATO meetings.”
Oh come on, TP!
April 4th, 2008 at 4:00 pmDon’t blame the president! It was his aides who forgot to pack his crayons and coloring book! Do you really expect him to sit through a meeting like that without something for entertainment?
Geesh!
If I were asked to describe the pic , I’d definitely say they’re playing “monkey in the middle”………
April 4th, 2008 at 4:00 pmCaption – Bush pretending to be relevant.
April 4th, 2008 at 4:03 pm“When’s the BBQ start? I’m looking forward to some good ribs, maybe a steak. Hope they got my favorite non-alcoholic beer (wink), too.”
Seriously, what a waste of 7+ years in office. He’s learned nothing and now he’s obviously bored with trying to play pResident. So much misplaced hubris. Small consolation that no amount of revisionism will change the fact that he is the worst pResident ever.
April 4th, 2008 at 4:05 pmprogressitsgood Says:
he look like a monkey!!
You have the grammar skills of a monkey, manwhocan’tspell.
April 4th, 2008 at 4:06 pm22 – Actually, he just looks like an ordinary guy standing someplace he has no business being.
(it is downright “Gumpian”, come to think of it)
April 4th, 2008 at 4:14 pmDear world,
So are we. SO ARE WE, sniff sniff wahhhhhhhhhh!
I’m OK, I’m OK. It just gets to me sometimes.
April 4th, 2008 at 4:21 pm.
Surrounded by so many, yet so alone…
Bush: “Why me?”
.
April 4th, 2008 at 4:23 pmNow THAT’s A GREAT PHOTO! This is what the Amish call SHUNNING.
April 4th, 2008 at 4:26 pmHuh. I’ll bet most of those guys wished they could have just told Bush to go Cheney himself.
April 4th, 2008 at 4:36 pmLooks to me like the other NATO folks think he is invisible at NATO.
Yet, according to the WH defense of Bush being invisible on the domestic economic troubles, http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/04/20080403-7.html
President Bush is overseas on an important mission to advance critical issues at the NATO Summit, such as missile defense, increased troop presence in Afghanistan, and enlarging NATO’s membership to include new democracies in Europe.
April 4th, 2008 at 4:38 pm“Paging Mr. Irrelevant. Mr. Irrelevant, please pick up the white courtesy phone for an important message…”
Could the rest of NATO be shunning Dumbya any more than they are in this photo? This has to be one of the best photos I’ve ever seen. Problem is, because of Bush/Cheney/Rummy/Rice/Gonzo, this is how the rest of the world views us as well.
How many more days until we’re free of this pox on our house? Oh yeah — 291 (so says my “Bushisms” calendar…).
April 4th, 2008 at 4:38 pmHeheheh!
TIME FOR WAPNER!!!!! ;O)
April 4th, 2008 at 4:38 pmL. Hussein Annie Says:
April 4th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
Huh. I’ll bet most of those guys wished they could have just told Bush to go Cheney himself.
Looks to me like that’s exactly what they’re doing in the photo, Annie…
April 4th, 2008 at 4:39 pmlarge gatherings of men all dressed the same always worry me
April 4th, 2008 at 4:48 pmNeocons? Really, If you want the full picture of the supression watch http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com . It’s time for the truth to be told.
April 4th, 2008 at 4:51 pmHow unhappy will those world leaders be if we hand them 4 years of the same in John McCain. And by that I mean let the rethugs steal another election.
April 4th, 2008 at 4:52 pmOh poor little georgie, nobody wants to play cowboys and indians with him anymore.
April 4th, 2008 at 5:00 pmThats the same dumbass expression he’s gonna be wearing when he sees the worlds people pouring out into the street to celebrate the end of his pathetic term.
YOUR FIRED !
we’ll forward your shit to texas….. no need to stick around and hand over the keys, we’ll be changing the locks just to make sure.
Chimpy gets a shunning.
-GSD
No wonder he flew away in a snit.
April 4th, 2008 at 5:02 pmoh my gawd… look at that picture…
maybe a split second, maybe many… but, what a picture.
April 4th, 2008 at 5:03 pm.
his “freedom agenda” legacy by promoting full NATO membership for Ukraine and Georgia.
daily show had a funny about what ukraine and georgia get from US in return…
you know – they get to help fight our “war”!
April 4th, 2008 at 5:07 pmBush walked out of the afternoon meeting yesterday without explanation or apology. Has anyone seen any news on his attendance at the evening dinner?
April 4th, 2008 at 5:07 pmAs Bush did more often early in his presidency, he expressed his views candidly despite warnings from allies that he was complicating efforts to find diplomatic solutions to common problems.
It’s known as the open mouth insert foot syndrome.
Normally, summit meetings are pre-scripted, but Bush’s comments added some extra interest while annoying German and French officials, who had said they would block the invitation to Ukraine and Georgia. Officials from those nations had said they believed that since neither Ukraine nor Georgia is stable enough to enter the program now, a membership plan would be an unnecessary offense to Russia.
There he goes again offending more countries. He needs to stop, look, and listen before opening his mouth and saying the first thing that comes into his head.
April 4th, 2008 at 5:09 pmNATO is a disgrace, the European armed hand of the US in the region. It is just a bunch of superpower countries scared of the big Russian wolf. Pathetic.
April 4th, 2008 at 5:11 pmCaption:
“The Nazi Chimp doesn’t play well with others”
April 4th, 2008 at 5:17 pmI’m sure he was getting ready to wave to the camera, which is what he does best.
April 4th, 2008 at 5:21 pmHe seems to be waiting for the “begin the tap dance” signal.
April 4th, 2008 at 5:39 pmEven though Bush was putting “his personal prestige on the line”
Personal prestige?
What prestige could Bush possibly have?
Being the first US president to officially condone torture?
Seriously, this one sounds like a bad joke…
April 4th, 2008 at 5:53 pmEvery comment is totally, utterly and completely missing the point. In this particular case the interests of Russia and the NATO allies in Europe were the same. And that’s why the expansion of NATO with the Ukraine – as proposed by the US – was blocked !!! It’s NOT Bush who has suffered a defeat but the US.
April 4th, 2008 at 7:21 pmGreat Picture !!! This shoul be on the front page of every newspaper and headline every news broadcast. Caption…America stands alone. Bush Total Failure
April 4th, 2008 at 7:32 pmDid you look at that photograph, Bush looks like a 7 year old child, after NOT being picked at a sand-lot base-ball game. Bush will leave a lot on the table for the next President. This election is so important to regain our standing in the world, and away from our gun-boat diplomacy. The next President has to take a world view when forming policy. I’m a Obama supporter, and I pray he’s up for the major challenges that lie ahead.
April 4th, 2008 at 8:00 pmralph the wonder llama Says:
April 4th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
Is anyone keeping count of the names for the troll who can’t spell?
How many is he up to now? How many does he have left?
Dang, he must have nothing worthwhile going on in his life.
Have you ever read a comment by a troll who COULD spell?
Have you ever heard of a troll who had a life (mom’s basement doesn’t count)?
April 4th, 2008 at 8:40 pmJesus, he looks lost in that picture. No one even looking in his direction. What a loser and what a tragedy for the country. Be proud, thirty-percenters.
April 4th, 2008 at 9:40 pmPathetic little pinhead.
April 4th, 2008 at 10:16 pmI really take exception to the spelling thing, I LOVE spell check. Just because I can’t spell doesn’t mean I like W. Really. So you can talk shit about people for their politics, but I am getting a complex about the spelling. Ok – now re: the great picture of ‘No one wants to be friends with W’ 1 picture = 1000 words – great job, he looks pretty pathetic.(maybe he needs a tissue.)
April 4th, 2008 at 10:59 pmbut aren’t we trying to promote free states? like Ukraine and Georgia, or is this about NATO/world military power stuff, where we want to be able to nuke people but no one else can? ok, maybe I am a troll?
We can really hope it’s his final NATO summit. He has no understanding of the world we live in–not political, cultural, or natural. May he rot.
April 4th, 2008 at 11:44 pmThe cheese stands alone.
April 4th, 2008 at 11:50 pmThe USA is alone with Israel in the World. They are standing alone!!!!!!
April 5th, 2008 at 4:40 am#50….The sandlot baseball metaphor was the first thing that popped into my head too.
“Daddy…the other boys are being mean. Will you buy me my very own baseball team?”
April 5th, 2008 at 11:59 amIs this image photoshopped?
I laughed at the symbolism of it, and emailed it to a lot of friends. But then I read your previous post:
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/04/03/bush-abruptly-leaves-nato-meeting/
…that says Bush didn’t stay for the official photograph of the leaders (which is what this looks like).
April 6th, 2008 at 12:34 amwhile the whole world confers around him. In spite of him. Without regard to him.
What Dubbie? Lookin’ around in that crowd for your Mommy to wave to you?? Thinkin’ pickles is out there? Wishing you’d bever been born into a corrupt dynasty of bootlickers and spooks?
[And who is the hapless gimp that keeps making up “progress”-related handles so acer aspire 4710 battery,acer aspire 4920 battery they can demonstrate to the world what kind of mouthbreathing windowlicker they really are?
October 15th, 2008 at 8:05 am