I was just perusing CNN to see if they had coverage of Bush’s speech in my new home state. They had coverage of his speech in Missouri. Since I’m sure it was his standard stump speech, I started to read the bullet points. All I can say is that this guy is making my blood boil. I’d like to get the actual text, just to confirm the reporter’s take, but this guy is flat out lying to the American people.
“We gave tax relief to every American who pays taxes. We didn’t play favorites with the tax code,”
I’m sure all you know what I’m going to say now…and it is still true. While everyone got some money back, proportionally, the rich did way better. And, contrary to what President Bush will say, it did hurt poor people. Many in lower socioeconomic levels got some money back, but simultaneously lost more in services. I’m not talking welfare here, I’m talking working poor who get things like childcare and transportation vouchers…the services that make it possible for them to go out and work.
You know what. Maybe I won’t call this a lie. It is a gross deception, but it is probably technically accurate.
Success in building military alliances…
Oh give me a break. With who? Britain? Yeah, so strong that Tony Blair might not get re-elected. You know what, maybe he isn’t lying…Bulgaria. I forgot about Bulgaria. They are right there in Iraq with us. Yeah! Freaking Bulgaria! Those 480 troops are really freeing up our boys to come home. Oops, I forgot about El Salvador….380 troops there. Really successful alliances.
Let us face reality here. Some nations are giving us token support but we have managed to fragment the diplomacy between NATO nations. Bush is lying here and even staunch Republicans should realize it. Frankly, I have no problem telling France and the UN to fuck off. Do we need France as an ally? That is another question. But I don’t appreciate this kind of garbage coming from his mouth…unless of course, he really is that deluded.
July 30th, 2004 at 9:37 PM
Bram, honey, I hate to be the one to tell you this but, there’s no tooth fairy and politicians lie… a lot.
I’m the first to admit Bush’s speech was crap, but at the same time I can’t help thinking the Bulgaria and El Salvador as a trade for France in the military alliance department may be a good move. As General Patton said during WWII: “I’d rather have a German division in front of me than a French division behind me.”
July 30th, 2004 at 10:06 PM
How could having more cannon fodder in front be worse than having less?
Seriously, though, something tells me that El Salvador couldn’t put up as many troops as France, nor will they have the same quality of weapons as the French. Of course, French weapons are also all over various countries in the Middle East (though I don’t think Iraq or Iran were customers… I have to go check that one).
July 30th, 2004 at 10:50 PM
Iraq was definitely a customer. The radar defense net that they set up for them (that we removed during Gulf War I) was called KARI - IRAQ spelled backward.
I suspect that the major reason the French wouldn’t support us during this war is that Iraq owed them large amounts of money and with a regime change, the French wouldn’t see a dime.
July 30th, 2004 at 11:33 PM
ah, forgot about that….
I think that’s definitely the reason why they didn’t support us… it would’ve been useful, diplomatically, to figure out a solution to that before the war.
I don’t think we would’ve done anything differently if roles were reversed, to be honest, especially if we felt that their case was as weak as the French claimed our case was.
I don’t remember my history here, but what was the U.S. stance on Iraq at the the time France was still selling the weapons? Were they still ‘good Iraq’ or the post-Soviet ‘bad Iraq?’
July 31st, 2004 at 1:56 AM
Wow, reading this post makes me really hungry for some home made Papusas (staple Salvadorian stuffed tortilla thing)… pork and loroco flower cheese..mmmmmmm…I gotta go!!!
August 12th, 2004 at 2:03 AM
its pupusas not papusas
you want to insult somebody?