Bush
Ya need a “Speak & Spell” with that?
Notwithstanding my recent rant about the qualities I think a good president should have, this gem I ran into today was good for a laugh:
A quickly remedied glitch momentarily gave visitors to the UN website a version of Bush’s UN General Assembly speech that included phonetic spellings for world leaders, a former Soviet satellite, and at least one capital.
OK, now I do know that teleprompters are a common appearance at public speeches but the text contained in this particular teleprompter elicited a little chuckle from yours truly:
French President Nicolas Sarkozy is “sar-KO-zee.” Mauritania should be said “moor-EH-tain-ee-a.” Kyrgyzstan sounds like “KEYR-geez-stan.” And the capital of Zimbabwe President Robert “moo-GAH-bee” Mugabe is Harare “hah-RAR-ray.”
This makes me wonder if he just flat out ignores the teleprompter whenever he is supposed to say “nuclear”. I even found the response from the White house spokeswoman, when asked about the presidents elocutive “difficulties”, hilarious:
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said such phonetic guidance is common but curtly rebuffed a questioner who wanted to know whether Bush has a hard time with certain names: “I think that’s a offensive question. I’m going to just decline to comment on it.” – [Yahoo/AFP]
Oh, come now Ms. Perino. Exactly how is that question offensive? Is it offensive because he has difficulties or because he doesn’t? I mean, I could see how asking that question of a mentally challenged person could be construed as offensive or insensitive, but our president isn’t mentally challenged is he…? Wait… Err… Mercy…
Speak ‘Bush’ in one easy lesson – [Yahoo/AFP]
Hey it’s a Bank Robber! BOMB THE BANK!!!
Our esteemed President has taken up the bull horn, yet again, to warn us of the dangers that Iraq poses to the security of the mighty U.S. of A.:
“The merger between al-Qaida and its Iraqi affiliate is an alliance of killers and that is why the finest military in the world is on their trail,” Bush said. …
… “That’s like watching a man walk into a bank with a mask and a gun and saying, ‘He’s probably just there to cash a check,’” Bush told troops at Charleston Air Force Base. – [Yahoo/AP]
Even if we were in the position of seeing “a man walk into a bank with a mask and a gun” which I still have am not convinced were were, I would point out that our current actions are more akin to blowing up the bank in an attempt to thwart a possible robbery. It’s a no win. At the very least, I can take some small solace in the fact that a good many rational American people have realized the illogical nature of our current predicament. Might does not make right.
That is not to say that we should be doormats. I am by no means a pacifist. Strength and power is a tool, much like any other. And I mean no disrespect or slight to those who have suffered as a result of terrorist attacks, but I believe strength should be used to defend innocence. Not as a tool of retribution, or even control.
Contrary to what many seem to believe, terrorists do not spawn in a vacuum. Nor are they simple lunatics. They are generally themselves recipients of terrorist acts, that have learned to respond in kind. But responding in anger only fuels more anger, and violence only breeds more violence. And right now we are wreaking untold levels of violence upon both the innocent as well as the guilty, and breeding anger like freakin’ rabbits, where there was none.
We are performing the mythological equivalent of attacking a hydra by cutting off each of it’s heads, one by one. And as each head falls, two more grow in it’s place. And even if we eventually kill the beast, and eliminate all of the true terrorists, the survivors of the innocents shall remain, bearing us so much hatred that, much like Heracles, if we don’t wise up, the blood of the hydra will eventually poison us to death…
Bush warns anew of al-Qaida threat – [Yahoo/AP]
Presidential Shenanigans…
“I’m finding a lot of things funny lately. But I don’t think they are.” – Ellen Ripley (From the movie “Alien: Resurrection”)
Was reading a “funny” article earlier today about the White House response to the Clintons’ criticism of President Bushs’ commutation of Lewis “Scooter” Libby’s sentence (wow that was a mouthful!!):
Scott Stanzel, a White House deputy press secretary, said that, “When you think about the previous administration and the 11th-hour, fire-sale pardons … it’s really startling that they have the gall to criticize what we believe is a very considered, a very deliberate approach to a very unique case.” – [Yahoo/AP]
The article goes on to describe how White House officials compared the commutation of “Scooter” Libbys’ sentence to the 140 or so odd pardons granted by former president Bill Clinton just before he left the office.
OK. Now I’m neither a politician or a lawyer, So I’m not going to even attempt to navigate the minefield that is the relationship between the White House and Mr. “Scooter” Libby, but I can certainly see a big difference between a pardon granted to a “fugitive financier”, and that of a government agent who’s position was such that any irresponsible actions could very well compromise national security, and in so doing, the safety and well being of the American people.
Not to mention that, according to the article, there is apparently no legal language that allows a person that has served no time to be given a probationary sentence. Maybe I’m just be being sensationalist. Or splitting hairs. But something smells fishy. And it’s overpowering the salmon I had for dinner. I’m calling shenanigans. How ’bout you…?
White House reacts to Clintons’ comments – [Yahoo/AP]
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