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Zarth

zarth

Seattle, WA
December 2004

JAN 13, 2008 09:59 AM

In a "nuanced" speech at the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research in Abu Dhabi today, President Bush described Iran as "the world's leading state sponsor of terror" and warned Tehran that the United States is "rallying friends around the world to confront this danger before it is too late."

Meanwhile the UN's atomic watchdog said Iran had agreed to clear up questions about its past nuclear activities.

The statement by the IAEA said Tehran would provide details in the next four weeks.


But while the Iranian government, among its numerous other crimes, "seeks to intimidate its neighbors with ballistic missiles and bellicose rhetoric," Bush comforted the assembled dignitaries by reassuring them that "our nations have a weapon more powerful than bombs or bullets. It is the desire for freedom and justice written into our hearts by Almighty God."

Now, it's one thing to hear this kind of rhetoric from, say, a civil rights leader engaged in a difficult struggle against apartheid. But when hearing it from self-described "war president," a lily-white plutocrat who has claimed a divine inspiration for his presidency, the words take on another tone - less about justice and more about imperial arrogance and smug self-righteousness. Perhaps even apocalyptic fanaticism.

As he told James Robinson,

'I feel like God wants me to run for President. I can't explain it, but I sense my country is going to need me. Something is going to happen... I know it won't be easy on me or my family, but God wants me to do it.'


The American people might have done well to consult with Annie Lennox's mother before going into their voting booths in November of 2000, but I suppose it's too late now.

Nor did our apparently divinely-guided leader elect to forgo the amenities in order to issue his clarion call to liberty.

Bush spoke at the Emirates Palace, at an opulent, gold-trimmed hotel where a suite goes for $2,450 a night. Built at a cost of $3 billion, the hotel is a kilometer long from end to end and has a 1.3 kilometer white sand beach -- every grain of it imported from Algeria, according to Steven Pike, a spokesman at the U.S. Embassy here.

Half the audience was dressed in western attire and the other half in Arabic clothes -- white robes and headdresses for men and black abayas, many with jeweled edges, for women.
. . .
Yet he was speaking about democracy in a deeply undemocratic country, the Emirates, where an elite of royal rulers makes virtually all the decisions. Large numbers of foreign resident workers have few legal or human rights, including no right to citizenship and no right to protest working conditions.

Some human rights groups have accused the Emirates of tolerating virtual indentured servitude, where workers from poor countries like Sri Lanka are forced to work to pay off debts to employers, and have their passports seized so they can't leave.


Apparently human rights violations by our friends are not an issue. Tehran might want to take note of that. Oh, wait - it seems they've just forgotten which side to be on. Oh, well.

Perhaps God will sort it all out. Or perhaps that's been the problem.

phrogg

phrogg

Greenville, SC
August 2005

JAN 13, 2008 10:05 AM

George Bush used the word "bellicose"?? Three cheers for Readers' Digest!

Bastardo

Bastardo

Boston, MA
January 2005

JAN 13, 2008 10:11 AM

phrogg said:
George Bush used the word "bellicose"?? Three cheers for Readers' Digest!



I'm amazed he wasn't struck down by a bolt of irony.


OT: More heads of state should talk like Frank Sinatra.

Zarth

zarth

Seattle, WA
December 2004

JAN 13, 2008 10:14 AM

Bastardo said:

phrogg said:
George Bush used the word "bellicose"?? Three cheers for Readers' Digest!


I'm amazed he wasn't struck down by a bolt of irony.


OT: More heads of state should talk like Frank Sinatra.


I probably should have hat-tipped The Onion for that headline.

And yeah, it didn't strike me before, but "bellicose" isn't really the sort of word you'd expect Ol' Dubya to produce. More like three cheers for unacknowledged speech-writers.

Bastardo

Bastardo

Boston, MA
January 2005

JAN 13, 2008 10:19 AM

Zarth said:

Bastardo said:

phrogg said:
George Bush used the word "bellicose"?? Three cheers for Readers' Digest!


I'm amazed he wasn't struck down by a bolt of irony.


OT: More heads of state should talk like Frank Sinatra.


I probably should have hat-tipped The Onion for that headline.

And yeah, it didn't strike me before, but "bellicose" isn't really the sort of word you'd expect Ol' Dubya to produce. More like three cheers for unacknowledged speech-writers.



I just naturally assume that if he says anything half-way intelligible ever its being read off a teleprompter or fed to him in an ear mike.

wildswan

wildswan

I'm lost
June 2006

JAN 13, 2008 10:20 AM



"rallying friends around the world to confront this danger before it is too late."



This is rich, too.

as_seen_on_tv

as_seen_on_tv

Salt Lake City, UT
February 2006

JAN 13, 2008 10:58 AM

Friends? We have friends around the world?

DhD_No_Pants

DhD_No_Pants

Katy, TX
May 2006

JAN 13, 2008 11:06 AM

as_seen_on_tv said:
Friends? We have friends around the world?



Imaginary ones, I suspect.

Much like the one in his head that claims to be the Almighty God that tells him war iz good

Bastardo

Bastardo

Boston, MA
January 2005

JAN 13, 2008 11:07 AM

as_seen_on_tv said:
Friends? We have friends around the world?



Dude, the Republic of Tonga has got our back son.

scylis

scylis

USA
November 2004

JAN 13, 2008 11:27 AM

Bastardo said:

as_seen_on_tv said:
Friends? We have friends around the world?



Dude, the Republic of Tonga has got our back son.



sweet. those dudes are fucking huge! now we can crush them in American rules football!

Zarth

zarth

Seattle, WA
December 2004

JAN 13, 2008 11:40 AM

scylis said:

Bastardo said:

as_seen_on_tv said:
Friends? We have friends around the world?


Dude, the Republic of Tonga has got our back son.


sweet. those dudes are fucking huge! now we can crush them in American rules football!


If they're so big, then how come they drive those tiny trucks?

DhD_No_Pants

DhD_No_Pants

Katy, TX
May 2006

JAN 13, 2008 11:41 AM

Zarth said:

scylis said:

Bastardo said:

as_seen_on_tv said:
Friends? We have friends around the world?


Dude, the Republic of Tonga has got our back son.


sweet. those dudes are fucking huge! now we can crush them in American rules football!


If they're so big, then how come they drive those tiny trucks?



Fuel efficiency.

Zarth

zarth

Seattle, WA
December 2004

JAN 13, 2008 11:45 AM

DhD_No_Pants said:

Zarth said:

scylis said:

Bastardo said:

as_seen_on_tv said:
Friends? We have friends around the world?


Dude, the Republic of Tonga has got our back son.


sweet. those dudes are fucking huge! now we can crush them in American rules football!


If they're so big, then how come they drive those tiny trucks?


Fuel efficiency.


That's un-American! Sounds like somebody needs some democracy!

scylis

scylis

USA
November 2004

JAN 13, 2008 11:50 AM

Zarth said:

DhD_No_Pants said:

Zarth said:

scylis said:

Bastardo said:

as_seen_on_tv said:
Friends? We have friends around the world?


Dude, the Republic of Tonga has got our back son.


sweet. those dudes are fucking huge! now we can crush them in American rules football!


If they're so big, then how come they drive those tiny trucks?


Fuel efficiency.


That's un-American! Sounds like somebody needs some democracy!



humor. you know, like clown cars.

PantherNesmith

PantherNesmith

Gloucester, VA
June 2006

JAN 13, 2008 07:24 PM

Might be time to break out the bomb shelters again.

*headthunk*

punk

punk

Phoenix, AZ
January 2004

JAN 13, 2008 09:00 PM

It astounds me (almost) that there are people around the world that still fall for the Bush equivalent of a Mr. Mackey "Drugs are bad, mmm-kay?" speech. And he doesn't even add a little song and dance.

scylis

scylis

USA
November 2004

JAN 13, 2008 09:22 PM

punk said:
It astounds me (almost) that there are people around the world that still fall for the Bush equivalent of a Mr. Mackey "Drugs are bad, mmm-kay?" speech. And he doesn't even add a little song and dance.



everybody knows that the world is full of stupid people

Metaverse

Metaverse

USA
March 2005

JAN 13, 2008 11:07 PM

Thank god for Tonga.

emotedcreations

emotedcreations

Germany
July 2006

JAN 13, 2008 11:14 PM

"Apparently human rights violations by our friends are not an issue."

Ding, ding, ding...

Eveyelle

Eveyelle

I'm lost
November 2007

JAN 14, 2008 05:16 AM

Not when you sell them the arms package they've been wanting. That's the deal he made in Saudi Arabia today for their backup against Iran.

MrCrisp

MrCrisp

I'm lost
August 2004

JAN 14, 2008 06:04 AM

Zarth said:

Bush comforted the assembled dignitaries by reassuring them that "our nations have a weapon more powerful than bombs or bullets. It is the desire for freedom and justice written into our hearts by Almighty God."



so this separates us from "islamofascists" how?

DhD_No_Pants

DhD_No_Pants

Katy, TX
May 2006

JAN 14, 2008 11:53 PM

Don't worry, we'll just give the Saudis the capability of knocking Iran's dick in the dirt, instead.



Analysts suggest that Congress will back the arms sale because it would bolster the Saudis in the face of Iran.



edit: I see eveyelle said this already.

scylis

scylis

USA
November 2004

JAN 15, 2008 12:27 AM

MrCrisp said:

Zarth said:

Bush comforted the assembled dignitaries by reassuring them that "our nations have a weapon more powerful than bombs or bullets. It is the desire for freedom and justice written into our hearts by Almighty God."



so this separates us from "islamofascists" how?



our god can beat up their god.

huh? what's that?

they're the same god?

oh fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck...

IDGAS

IDGAS

Boston, MA
March 2004

JAN 15, 2008 10:11 AM

From Reuters yesterday Analysis - Gulf Arabs chart delicate course between Iran, U.S. Please take note of

"The royal families in the Gulf are looking at the Bush visit with slightly weary resignation and perhaps a vain hope of making a case that they absolutely need the Palestinian-Israeli peace process to work ... and on the Iran issue," said Gerd Nonneman, Professor of Arab Gulf Studies at Exeter University

"On the one hand they want a joint diplomatic strategy to avoid a nuclear-armed Iran but also they are saying we think we can engage Iran more effectively. We think we can take the sting out of this by engaging with Iran."

Emphasis added

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited Saudi King Abdullah for the first time in March. He became the first Iranian president to be officially invited to the Muslim haj pilgrimage...

Earlier that month, Qatar invited Ahmadinejad to a summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). He was the first Iranian leader to attend the Sunni Arab-dominated body, though his comments did not put minds at ease. He also visited Bahrain.



"GCC states will push for reassurance of a continued firm stance on Iran... but reassurance is also needed that there will not be an overreaction, like with this incident," said Neil Partrick, Senior Analyst for the International Crisis Group.



FYI if you register the International Crisis Group has great papers available

Toku666

Toku666

Columbus, OH
May 2004

JAN 15, 2008 01:04 PM

scylis said:

MrCrisp said:

Zarth said:

Bush comforted the assembled dignitaries by reassuring them that "our nations have a weapon more powerful than bombs or bullets. It is the desire for freedom and justice written into our hearts by Almighty God."



so this separates us from "islamofascists" how?



our god can beat up their god.

huh? what's that?

they're the same god?

oh fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck...



It's like Tyler Durden: The Deity!

Not that this topic is the only one that applies, but I feel like we're in for a shitty decade... In three years. mad

More on-topic: Has anybody seen the AP reports about the "Filipino Monkey?" Apparently men stationed in the Gulf have said that the purported threatening message could have come from a prankster on an unencrypted frequency. The global "code name" for this among US military is apparently "Filipino Monkey," and some pranksters actually use that handle when they are sending messages to boats around the world.

This is in line with my initial thought, which was: what if the message in question came from a third party that would very much like to see Iranian speedboats and US warships engage? I leave the identification of parties who may feel thusly as an exercise for the reader.

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