Bush: Evil Dictator
An interesting article appeared in Tunisian magazine (I think) the Tunis Hebdo. Watching America (one of the best, most innovative and most interesting websites on the entire Net) translated it. I encourage all Americans to read it, not because I agree with it (although the author, Tahar Selmi makes some valid points), but because it gives you all (and other Westerners for that matter) an understanding of how the media in certain countries report about Bush.
Be forewarned: it’s not good.
Seldom in the history of the United States has a President seen his foreign policy as publicly criticized and contested by Americans as George Walker Bush. And as for as the frontal attack that Nancy Pelosi just assaulted him with, it’s quite simply without precedent. By ignoring the recriminations of the White House, which seeks to strangle Syria by tightening its isolation, the speaker of the House of Representatives broke a secular taboo in the country of Lincoln.
But no one has any illusions about the results of Pelosi’s visit. Even if the landlord of the Capitol is the third most powerful person in the U.S. State, democratically elected and lifted to that station by a hundred million American voters, she will not change the course of events in the region as long as “Number 43″ continues to occupy the Oval Office.
George Walker Bush, who claims to act only in the name of bringing democracy to the (“medieval”) Arabs and Muslims, in his own country fights this same democracy like a gladiator. Despite the repeated surges and great tides of people breaking in American cities, exhorting him to change course – particularly in Iraq – he persists in his stubbornness, sweeping away their demands with the back of his hand and threatening the use of his constitutional veto.
The worst totalitarian dictator couldn’t have done better; especially since the U.S. chief executive also bears, in abundance, such a dark past as a despotic President. Didn’t he trample under foot U.N. resolutions and international conventions, subject Americans to a ghetto of domestic spying in the name of the alleged war against terrorism and create an infinity of secret prisons where thousands of prisoners with no means of defense rot without trial? Definitely, the Bush democracy has more than a whiff of fascism. It resembles death.
Now, one of the things I find interesting about this OP-Ed is that, although it is highly critical of George W. Bush, the author does not imply that all, or even most, Americans agree with what Bush is doing. In other words, Selmi might be anti-Bush, he does not seem to be anti-American as such.
It is also interesting to see how Selmi describes Pelosi(‘s visit to the region): the “Iron lady of Congress” who really doesn’t get anything done and the clear opposition to Israel. Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad is just about glorified (“fighting as a lion”), while mr. Selmi doesn’t use one single positive word when referring to Israel which he strikingly describes as “the Hebrew state.” Note: not the zionist state, but the Hebrew state. That does not imply ‘mere’ anti-Zionism, but true anti-Semitism.
I also wonder about this:
The almost certain arrival of a Democrat in the White House in less than two years isn’t necessarily a sign of encouragement for the Middle East. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is still likely to have beautiful days in front of it, despite the Arab offer of peace that was first proposed in Beirut in 2002 and relaunched in Riyadh on March 28th of this year. Unless …
Beautiful days? Unless what?
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70 Responses to “Bush: Evil Dictator”
It’s obvious that Nobody didn’t bother to take the time to follow Michaels link to the Watching America website.
FWIW – When ‘Nobody’ is a noun, “Nobody didn’t bother” is NOT bad english.
Yeah, thats exactly how my afternoon went. But you forgot about our mid afternoon pledge of fealty to Hugo Chavez. But my favorite time is breakfast, when we all chant “ho Ho we can win, Ho Ho way to go Ho Chi Min!”
You guys really are a walking talking parody of yourselves.
And desperate.
You really need to increase your daily intake of babies blood, and spend some more time howling at the moon.
And the Republicans raised the minimum wage for anybody how many times?
Pretty weak.
But keep beating your head on the wall, I’m sure you will come up with something.
When it comes to pure Stalinism, nothing beats this administration.
I give you-gulags,secrecy,loyalty oaths,stolen elections, a press corp that makes Pravada look like pikers, and just for fun some nice torture and beating that would make Berra proud.
But do go on.
G. Weightman
Thanks for allowing me to pump my socialist creds, but how about the original blockquote of mine vis a vis the miserable prospects of the Republican party in regards to 08.
Thats some hard truth huh?
Must sting like hell
BTW, your icon, Ronnie Reagan, wanted peace through strength- not prolonged war without end out of a weakness to admit error. What would he say about Bush’s foreign policy today? Reagan was no neocon- he cut and ran from Lebanon after the terrorists blew up the barracks in the ’80′s. Why? He knew that many more lives would be lost with little gain. And he was 100% right on that issue. He never picked a battle he couldn’t win and so was able to restore America’s credibility in the world.
What a great website. Now, instead of reading Huffpo for anti-Bush diatribes, I can read translations from Arabic newspapers in Tunisia. Same talking points, but much better hyperbole.
“Bush democracy has more than a whiff of fascism. It resembles death.”
Tunisia is a republic with a strong presidential system dominated by a single political party. President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has been in office since 1987, the year he deposed Habib Bourguiba in a bloodless coup.
I believe its called “projecting.”
It’s a poor excuse for a police state that allows a Michael Moore to become a multi-millionaire by criticizing it. Just another example of the Bush administration’s incompetence, I guess.
Yeah, thats exactly how my afternoon went. But you forgot about our mid afternoon pledge of fealty to Hugo Chavez. But my favorite time is breakfast, when we all chant “ho Ho we can win, Ho Ho way to go Ho Chi Min!�
I know Snarky We were spying on you. How do you think I knew all that other stuff?.
Yes my whole point in another post is that Ronnie was a true Neoconservative and Bush took it and morphed it into something else. Were still trying to figure out what George Bush has created.
Nobody- How was Reagan a neoconservative? I see him as a virulent anticommunist, a Cold Warrior, who early on achieved his popularity by stating that the soviets were an Evil Empire. People loved the moral clarity of this, after years of detente. He went to visit the USSR, and found that many of his assumptions- for one that the Soviets were all atheists, were unfounded. He grew to understand the people and established a rapport with Gorbachev, which helped him to push for the end of communism. The arms buildup also helped along with the ten year war that the Soviets had embroiled themselves in in Afghanistan. That bit of history should have warned us not to go into Iraq, because we are being slowly drained spiritually, militarily and materially by that misadventure. OSB remembered the defeat of the Soviets, another superpower, and hoped this would happen when we attacked Afghanistan. Instead we fell into his trap in Iraq.
I’ll make it easy for ya.
He created a mess.
Snarky you are so intellectually compelling. Did you think of that all by yourself?
Kritter. How is ronnie a neoconservative and then you launch into all the wonderful Neoconservative things he accomplished.
Iraq is a quagmire I will give you that. Yet it is accomplishing exactly what it was intended to accomplish. The USA does not need to be patrolling streets now. Let the Iraqis do that.
I am willing to compromise. So would Ronald Reagan. Bush just needs to realize he needs to redeploy within Iraq and let them settle the old scores themselves why we cut our troop strength in half and put our boys to patrolling borders to prevent the “Freedom fighters” from infiltrating with new arms, weapons and soldiers to continue the mess there.
No its not Americans killing Iraqis its the Iraqis killing Iraqis and I will give you that point. But I will not concede that pulling out will accomplish anything except turn the Middle east into a tinderbox.
Reagan would have no delusions of redeploying. The barracks bombing in Lebanon and the next week the boys were on the way home. Bush on the other hand is still holding onto the polls that attributed to him that his greatest strength was in sticking to what he says he will do no matter what. Well someone forgot to tell him that no one believes thats a good thing right now.
Im not advocating pulling out of the war but I will agree 100 percent that a redirection and redeployment is in order.
The Minimum wage bill. This bill as passed by the House appears to have included an exemption for one other U.S. territory — American Samoa.
Oh Paahhlleeaasseee Snarky. The point of the post was ethics. Now your pulling a Bushie. Suffering from the Pelosi Derangement Syndrome. She passed the minimum wage. Never mind she succumbed to her own Political interests and pacified her own PACS in order to do so.
That is beyond weak. That is plain outright BDS. Only the names have changed to protect the innocent. Here we go. The Pelosi Derangement Syndrome has already started.
Hitch up your pants, tighten those belts. The rides about to get rough.
I give you-gulags,secrecy,loyalty oaths,stolen elections, a press corp that makes Pravada look like pikers, and just for fun some nice torture and beating that would make Berra proud.
Oh I missed this post Snarky.
Tell me. Aren’t you really Michael Moore posting under an alternate name??
And the Republicans raised the minimum wage for anybody how many times?
Pretty weak.
Snarky you are a treasure trove of rubuttals. So your saying the ENDS justify the MEANS?
I thought this is the very thing that you HATE Bush for?
Iraq is a quagmire I will give you that. Yet it is accomplishing exactly what it was intended to accomplish. The USA does not need to be patrolling streets now. Let the Iraqis do that.
It is? You mean its a stable democracy that will help to democratize the region, which will take the steam out of the terrorists’ cause for jihad? This is wonderful news!
I believe in the past I have posted that Democracy was an exit strategy. Not THE strategy for Iraq.
Last time I checked though it was a democratically elected government. Now despite the fact its not worth 2 cents does not mean that it was not democratically elected.
And glad to be a bearer of wonderful news for you kritter but yes by definition Iraq IS a democracy.
Technically it is a democratically elected government- but that does not make it a stable democracy. You are talking about what the definition of is is here, Nobody. A legal definition versus the reality.
Wutz rong wit youse leebrall nutz?
Haw der yu atak Rush Limbow?
He repreezents all thet is guud an fare in are wunderfull cuntry!!
Sew he’s got a drug prablem? Sew wat!! W snorted coke an wuz a drunk, an he iz the best dam prezident we ever haid!!
Layts set the rekord strayt on a few thangs:
1) Globull warmin is a lie
2) We ain’t dependunt on oil, we jest like it!
3) Our way of life is the best! Adopt it or perish!
4) Screw the rest of the wurld!!!
Now I gots to go kiss my seester…