The day after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the headline in Paris’ Le Monde newspaper read “We are all Americans”. Liane Hansen speaks with Jean-Marie Colombani, who wrote the article that ran beneath that headline about his reflections on that time.
How sad to look back on the last 6 years and see how the Bush Regime has exchanged that sense of unity for fear mongering, war profiteering and failed execution in the war with radical Islam. Those that died in the towers & the planes, those that died at the Pentagon, those that have given their lives in Bush’s war of choice in Iraq – they all deserve much, much more.
The culprit behind those attacks OBL seems to sit safely in the area between Pakistan & Afghanistan, beyond our reach & those of our “allies” like Pakistan & the Saudis. All of the Bush Regime’s swaggering and chest thumping make this reality look all the more pathetic to a world that once said “we are all americans” and now often says “we all worry about the american government”.
Anyone but Bush, right Bob?
not, br. michael
Anyone would not include Thompson (he lobbied for Libya), Guiliani (Manhattan’s Mussilini), the Mitt who is running for Pres (I actually like the Mitt who was gov of MASS), Duncan Hunter (the definition of a wingnut), Mike Gravel (the other wingnut), the Yard Gnome, Joe Biden (his hair weave scares me) or Nader.
One thing about George Bush that amazes me, is his ability, without being particularly articulate himself, to reduce so many of his enemies to unhinged, incoherent spasms of rage, as in comment #1.
[i] Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad. [/i] -Euripides
Wilfred, I am actually curious – what part of what I wrotes do you see as:
unhinged, incoherent spasms of rage ?
I think & feel a lot about the country I am proud of and the former neighbor of mine (GWB) who is now the most powerful leader in world politics. None of those are wrath, frenzy, ire or madness.
Holding our political leaders accountable is something we Americans have held dearly for more than 200 years – be it Jefferson or Barry Goldwater or Henry Hyde or Thurgood Marshall.
Surely there is something between unblinking ardor and rage – a spectrum of POVs ?
Bob:
Could you elaborate on the President being your former neighbor? Was it in Midland? And do you still know him well enough to tell him face to face what you think? Better yet, did you do it when he was your neighbor and/or have you contacted him since he moved on to bigger things? I know a couple of folks who had tangential relationships with GWB and the Bush family and it is amazing how those old relations have stayed in contact with them. Is that the case with you? Just curious.
Bob,
These parts:
“regime” instead of administration.
“fear mongering” Huh? His rhetoric & assessments have been measured & sober.
“war profiteering” A mindless leftist slogan; assumes Mr Bush risked his presidency to make money off this somehow.
“failed execution” Last time I looked, Saddam was still out-of-power.
“sit safely” You get partial credit for this one, but didn’t al Qaeda announce that Osama Dyes-His-Beard had a narrow escape last week? And shouldn’t you give Mr Bush partial credit for the bad guys we have gotten?
“swaggering” & “chest thumping” Oh, come now.
“a world that once said ‘we are all americans’ and now often says ‘we all worry about the american government’. Just because it was in some French newspaper, The World never said, nor thought, this. And I want some governments to be scared of us. Colonel Qadaffy comes to mind.
Bob seems to assume that none of us have any criticisms of the war. Wrong, of course. But what fascinates me about the criticsm by Bob and his allies is that not once in four years have I heard any critic articulate, even with the benefit of hindsight, ANY alternative that would not have left a butcher in power, killing an average of 100k folks per year in some of the most sadistic manners possible. As much as I deplored the war, I could not come up with any alternative that would not have left SH in power; so I reluctantly supported it as a moral necessity.
BTW, Bob, please ask your fellow critics to stop the lie that we did not find WMDs. Silkworm missles with sarin warheads (500+) are WMDs.
I was in France on 9/11, and I can confirm that in the immediate aftermath, many French were very sympathetic. People who heard us talking in restaurants came over to tell us how sorry they were. One lady came to say that their priest had offered prayers for our dead at Mass that morning. I cried.
I am overseas now, and have had to endure arrogant and ugly remarks from several Europeans, particularly Germans, for some reason, in spite of their government’s and large industries’ involvement in the Oil for Food scam, an obvious reason for their objection to the Iraq action. When I read, here, the newspapers which draw on the NY Times, Reuters, the BBC, and on the TV, CNN International, I don’t recognize my country. bobcarlton is going to sneer at this, but it is simply true that the reporting of events in general has been so biased that this really diseased hatred of Bush has been spread worldwide. It is a sickness. A more objective historical review, using documentation of what actually occurred rather than opinion columns, is going to refute much of this.
wilfred,
regime: a government in power
fear mongering: measured & sober ? measured & sober ? oh yes – measured & sober.
war profiteering – please look at the last 6 years of financial statements for mr. bush & mr cheney’s former employers – it’s a wonder they can make the rangers win
failed execution – the boxing phrase is “winning the first round, no plan for the second”
“swaggering†& “chest thumping†– how would you describe “wanted dead or aiive” or “we’re kicking ass”
and finally, from that wacky liberal blog the NRO’s The Corner:
Several prominent lobbyists, including Tommy Boggs, turned down overtures to work for Libya on the case, despite offers of a reported $1.5 million retainer. Vicki Reggie Kennedy, wife of Ted, actually resigned a partnership in her law firm over its decision to represent Libya, even though—as far as I can tell—she was never asked to do any work on the case.
But not good ol’ Fred. . . .
In a political era in which the cost of a man’s haircut can be treated as though it were a window into his soul, you’d think people would be a little more curious what it says about Fred Thompson that he’d do work—even just 3.3 hours of it—for indicted terrorists.
Bob, don’t pretend your sneering use of “Bush Regime” is anything other than it is: continued lack of comprehension that Kerry lost, or continued inability to understand that the Electoral College exists and there isn’t direct election of Presidents. I’ve never seen you talk about the Clinton Regime, or the Kennedy Regime, or the Carter Regime. Sauce for the goose, Bob.
Also, the change can also be called “reverting to the mean.” In December 1999 I was spat upon in Athens for being an American, I believe in relation to the bombing of the Serbs. Three days later in the Cyclades I was given a great bear hug after confirming that I was, indeed, an American. We will be loved and hated, depending upon whom you ask. And there has never yet been a hegemon in all of history who wasn’t more hated than loved. People still hate Britian for being the hegemon in the 19th century (I saw a book about just that topic this weekend at Barnes & Noble). It’s a fact of life. We should be foolish to expect a temporary surge of sympathy to be anything but just that, temporary.
Bob, I am glad you are reading NRO, but I really don’t understand what George Bush has to do with Fred Thompson’s alleged decision to work for the Libyans.
That’s the trouble with getting mad. It affects our reasoning ability.
#9 Katherine Two thumbs up for your eloquent remarks. I can remember a Mr Chamberlaine who was so gushy about peace in our time way back when. This was after he negotiated a piece of Czheckoslovokia and gave it to Germany. Didn’t do a bit of good. Later on Hitler’s Pansers rolled in that nation. Someone who saw this happen said the German madman was quaking in his boots when he did this fearing that some might join in. When he realized no one was going to try and stop him that really made him very happy and stronger.