Bush: “I am a Dissident”
A fascinating article at the Washington Post by Peter Baker:
By the time he arrived in Prague in June for a democracy conference, President Bush was frustrated. He had committed his presidency to working toward the goal of “ending tyranny in our world,” yet the march of freedom seemed stalled. Just as aggravating was the sense that his own government was not committed to his vision.
As he sat down with opposition leaders from authoritarian societies around the world, he gave voice to his exasperation. “You’re not the only dissident,” Bush told Saad Eddin Ibrahim, a leader in the resistance to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. “I too am a dissident in Washington. Bureaucracy in the United States does not help change. It seems that Mubarak succeeded in brainwashing them.”
“I too am a dissident”? That might be a slight exaggeration. Most people believe that his middle east policies are disastrous, but that does not automatically make one a ‘dissident,’ at least not in the political sense of the word. In the end, Bush is the president (he holds all the power – he is the establishment). Besides, nobody is going to lock Bush up in jail because of his opinions (although sometimes some on the far left seem to be willing to go so far, I grant 43). In other words, if I were Saad Eddin Ibrahim I would have a difficult time controling myself at the moment Bush said that he too is a dissident.
One of the major problems with Bush’s foreign policy is that it is utopian. It is fantastic. It sounds nice and all, but realistically spoken, nobody is going to end tyranny. There will be no tyranny at the moment Jesus comes back, but as long as we mere humans rule the earth, dictators and injustice will continue to exist. Bush’s “ending tyranny in our world” philosophy sounds nice, but in practice it is simply not doable. We can help other nations, and we can try to improve the world, but we always have to realize that bad people will always exist and will always – somewhere, sometime – be able to grab power.
Please read more at The Gazette.
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10 Responses to “Bush: “I am a Dissident””
Bush: “I am a
DissidentIdiot†–there it’s fixed. Real dissidents are subject to torture, which he made as part of his administration unofficial policy. He is just a spoiled superficial rich kid who doesn’t even belong running a failed s/w company with his brother Neil.
I don’t think the left wants to lock Bush up for his ideas. His actions are what have been criminal.
“Bureaucracy in the United States does not help change. It seems that Mubarak succeeded in brainwashing them.â€
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What does this mean? Mubarak is to blame for our foreign policy by brainwashing Bush’s own subordiates or Congress?
Do I see another ally waving bye-bye?
domajot – The hilarious irony is that US military aid is used to attack and harass the Egyptian dissidents. This goes to W’s shallow intellect that he could say this to Saad Eddin Ibrahim. With friends like Mubarak and the Saudis family…
I can’t remember the name of the GDLS security vehicle, but this site mentions GDLS and it’s M1A1 tanks.
http://www.usrom.com/Countries/egypt.htm
Another instance of “You keep saying that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”
Be nice CaseyL – us “Liebruls are taking over the TMV. Did I notice you commenting at Begravia?
Rudi- LMAO!
How nice that Bush identifies with dissidents- maybe he can try to understand the dissidents in his own country who hate his policies.
I guess George W. Bush and Eddie Vedder have something in common afterall:
What is a tyrant but a dissident who has managed to acquire power?
How ironic that in the reach for power to fight tyranny he has become the very thing he fights against.