Google is quick to remind of the huge outcry, especially from the Left, over an open mic incident when Bush had the cowboy audacity to utter, "Yo, Blair, how are you doing?" ... "The ironic thing is what they need to do is to get Syria, to get Hezbollah to stop doing this shit, and it's over."
To many on the Left it was another example of why Bush was unfit to command.
Now, contrast that with this Clinton White House moment buried in an interesting article on Rahm Emmanuel when the Clinton Senior Advisor and behind the scenes political hack met Blair for the first time with Clinton present.
Even within the White House, few were safe from his (Emanuel's) instinct for showstopping vulgarity. He once marched up to the newly elected Tony Blair in the Oval Office, where he and Clinton were preparing to go out for their first joint appearance. "This is important," Emanuel said to the British prime minister. "Don't [foul] it up."
"Blair looked pretty shocked before he started laughing," says Begala, who was there. "They are a little more formal in Britain than they are in Chicago."
Not that I'm shocked or surprised, but if such a thing had happened in the Bush White House, no doubt he'd be blamed by the Left and the media for having an aid try to start a new war with Britain.
I bet this kind of talk happens more often than not. Nancy Pelosi's daughter did a documentary of Bush on his first presidential campaign and had access to him on his plane along with the other reporters. There is a hilarious scene where Bush calls someone an 'asshole'. It just made me like him all the more for being 'human' - as cussing is kind of 'earthy'....
Posted by: Phoenix | Sunday, October 22, 2006 at 06:27 PM
There was no outcry. And if there was, it was the one going on in your head, and I recommend you go back on your meds. (just look at your own link to google - it's all by-the-numbers reporting. Hell, even RawStory didn't make a fuss about it)
Posted by: jpe | Sunday, October 22, 2006 at 09:17 PM
I started calling for the downfall of Syria the moment the organization they jointly backed, the Iranian Foreign Legion called Hezbollah, attacked Neutral shipping ( http://ajacksonian.blogspot.com/2006/07/president-bush-and-golden-opportunity.html ). My preference would be to get the Nation involved, Egypt, into an Afghanistan scenario with the US providing air cover and logistics support and Egypt providing the light ground forces with US Special Forces and USAF ground spotters along to get rid of the hardware of Syria.
Without Syria Hezbollah in Lebanon is isolated and can be neutralized, Iran is isolate and can be more heavily pressured and Egypt can be helped to get a brother Arab Nation out of the clutches of despots looking to spread fanaticism and threatening Egyptian shipping.
With Syria gone, so goes Ba'athist support in Iraq and the supply lines to some of the western insurgents in Iraq, especially in Anbar province. Let the Kurds step in to administer Eastern and Northern portions of Syria and end those ethnic tensions. That would give Turkey conniption fits, but they deserve it. The Kurds are trustworthy and have *proven* it.
Want to start clearing up the insurgents for good and all in Iraq?
Bring down Syria with Arab forces.
War is neither my first nor last choice, but once in it you fight to win and those that aid and encourage our enemies get targeted.
Posted by: ajacksonian | Sunday, October 22, 2006 at 09:38 PM
Am I in the Twilight Zone? This post is about cussing.
It's not Dan who has no sense of humor - it's the commenters. Sheeesh. ... or shit.... whatever.....
Not that ajacksonian's idea isn't a good one...... damnit. :)
Posted by: Phoenix | Sunday, October 22, 2006 at 11:35 PM