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‘State of Our Union Is Strong’…

on 1 February 2006 , 8:20 am 23 | 0 views

PRESIDENT Bush has just given the State of the Union address. What did you think?

  • The minions repeated thunderous applause of the King made me sick.

  • Harry Flashman

    Nothing much new but nonetheless a good clear, coherent statement of policy; the interests of the United States and the world are best served by giving freedom to the peoples of the world. Bush has made it clear that the old days are over and no longer will the US support tyranny, he demands freedom for the peoples of Iran, North Korea, Zimbabwe etc (I thought he could have mentioned China too, but no odds).

    Such a declaration of the rights of universal freedom would once have been a clarion call to so-called progressives around the world. It’s curious however that today the “progressives” turn into purple faced, foam flecked, hair tearing, tongue swallowing lunatics when the idea is presented to them by the President of the United States of America – or Chimpy McHitlerburton to give him his technical name.

    Now folks before you respond remember to have a dry cloth handy to wipe the spittle off your computer monitors.

  • Belfast Gonzo

    I suppose it’s a question of interpretation. I thought it was ironic that in one breath Bush was bringing freedom to the world, and in the next he was talking about further removing telephone privacy in the next. SO he’s actually taking a diminished US ‘freedom’ to the Middle East. Just a thought.

    Was it a vote-winner State-side?

  • Harry Flashman

    Gonzo what he said was that if you’re in America and you’re on the phone to terrorists elsewhere in the world then the US government would not unreasonably like to know why.

    That perfectly rational position will not lose him votes anywhere in the US but if the Democrats keep banging on about it they can kiss what remains of their base bye bye in the November elections.

    Hysterical Bush bashing helps Michael Moore sell books it doesn’t win elections for the Democrats.

  • Crataegus

    State of the Union is always a pile of platitudes. More interesting is the level of personal borrowing and the likely impact on long term interest rates and the economy.

  • wild turkey

    ‘Now folks before you respond remember to have a dry cloth handy to wipe the spittle off your computer monitors. ‘

    Below the belt, speaking from experience? Or maybe both.?

    ‘Bringing freedom to Iran, North Korea. ‘

    Lets see now, is that the same freedom brought to iraq by the occupation forces, particularly the freedom to check into an all expenses holiday at Abu Ghraib , or the freedom to be disenfranchised experienced by many voters, mostly black, in florida during the 2000 presidential coup, sorry election, the freedom to obtain numerous draft deferments due to ‘other priorities’?

    Following the 2003 SoU speech which featured the entertaining claim about uranium in Niger, subsequently demonstrated to be a patented lie, (which by the way is an impeachable offence),can we, uh, postpone judgement until it is clear what similar gems emerge may from the 2006?

    In the meantime folks, you may wish to check out Gore Vidal’s recent article, President Jonah, at

    http://www.truthdig.com

    For those who wish to put the current administration in perspective, try reading the bill of rights and the federalist papers.

  • foreign correspondent

    All I can say is with liberators like Bush, who needs tyrants, eh?

    ´´Greed is a bottomless pit,
    and our freedom´s a joke,
    we´re just taking the piss.
    And the whole world must watch this sorry display.
    If you´re still free start running away.
    Because we´re coming for you…´´

    (from ´Landlocked Blues´ by Bright Eyes)

  • BogExile

    ‘What did you think?’

    That the free world is being run by a perversely cunning mental defective who will encourage an Israeli first strike to do his dirty work to destroy Iran’s nuclear capability.

  • The man emphasized the word “Freedom” repeatedly. He said it 17 times in a 53-minute speech. I didn’t agree with everything he said, but it was probably the best State of the Union Address he has given in the six times he’s done it.

  • felix quigley

    What about Hamas in the speech.
    An interesting take by Daled Amos over on Israpundit:

    “There was a time, when Arafat was in charge, that it was frowned upon for leaders of countries dependent on Western aid to come right out in public and say that their goal was to destroy Israel. Arafat’s technique was to say one thing in public in English for international consumption and something else in Arabic for his Moslem audience. The West was so eager to believe in Oslo that even when Arafat’s words in Arabic were translated into English, you could hear the creaking sound as people bent over backwards to justify and explain what Arafat really meant.

    But today you don’t even have to go to the trouble. Take Hamas for example. If you phrase things just right, then like looking at a Rorshach ink blog, the listener can hear what he wants to hear.

    For instance, The Jerusalem Post quotes a Hamas spokesman and even does us the favor of explaining what he’s supposedly saying:

    Sheikh Adnan Asfour, one of the political leaders of Hamas in the West Bank, said Hamas did not want to destroy Israel or remove it from the map.
    “Hamas recognizes Israel as a fact on the ground,” he said. “But we don’t recognize the legitimacy of its occupation.”

    But Asfour didn’t say that Hamas did not want to destroy Israel. All he said is that Israel’s existence is a fact, but does not think its occupation of Palestinian land is legitimate. Does this imply that he–or Hamas–is ready to live with Israel or have given up on the idea of destroying it?”

    The US and the EU will deal with the terrorists and Jew haters, YES!

    They do know how to lie!

  • felix quigley

    Left leaning MarkBlum.com had this assessment which gives some clarity on the US double game internationally:

    “President Bush is a BIG FAT LIAR

    In a story completely ignored by the American press, the President of the United States has been lying to the American public.

    Specifically, both he and his Secretary of State have made loud and public hostile declarations of NO SUPPORT FOR HAMAS until Hamas renounces its declaration for the destruction of the State of Israel. The President stamped his feet and hesitated not a moment to make clear his adamant insistence in starving the regime into submission.

    But …

    “The United States is urging Arab states to continue funding a Hamas-led Palestinian Authority, even though Washington is threatening to cut its own aid. Western diplomats said on Monday that President George Bush’s administration has already contacted Arab governments that give the Palestinian Authority support and requested them to continue their funding.

    The US position behind the scenes contrasts with its public stance, in which Bush has said he will cut aid to the Palestinian Authority unless Hamas renounces violence and stops demanding the destruction of Israel.

    (Click ‘Read More’ for link and full story)”

    The Bush speech and the US position!
    Remember Yugoslavia in the 90s!

  • I don’t douby it Felix.

  • felix quigley

    In case there is any doubt about what the US and the EU will do in relation to the desire of Hamas (and Fatah because their constitution is the same) to wipe out Israel, I would add to the above:

    Blum is quite correct in calling Bush a liar, but it has always been a consistent part of the US and the EU ruling elites to lie to their people!

    There are always two messages and maybe many messages, but always two main ones.

    One for the American public to keep them onside in whatever is happening. The other and hidden is the real message of truth.

    Here the real message is that Fatah and Hamas are the baby of the US and the EU.

    There would be no PLO today at all if the US had not stepped in and rescued them in Beirut in 1982. What the role of Sharon was in this exit of Palestinians from the Lebanon to Tunisia I am not exactly clear on! But Sharon and the IDF had fought the PLO terrorists and had them well and truly defeated! A safe passage for the terrorists should not have been given! The PLO terrorists had launched that war from Southern Lebanon onto Northern Israel!

    But what is very clear is the role of the US and the EU in having the PLO brought back again under OSLO into the very heart of historic Israel from where Arafat launched his bloody Intifadas (The Intifada Pogroms)

    And then on a different plane of events altogether, but connected, there is the US and EU role and their continuing lying on the goings-on in Yugoslavia through the 90s and leading up to today (see http://www.tenc.net for most comprehensive coverage)

    Then there was the Abbas meeting with Bush in the Rose Garden a year ago, Bush embracing the Holocaust denier and telling the world This is our Man.

    Then the direct pressure to surrender Gaza to Hamas, and of course with Hamas taking the credit, this resultant election!

    So there is a lot of background to this sppech yesterday by Bush!

  • Biffo

    Felix

    You are a paranoid, islamophobic judeofascist.

    Where did you pick up your bitter and extremist opinions?

  • felix quigley

    Now Biffo. try to control yourself!

  • Jo

    “One for the American public to keep them onside in whatever is happening.

    The other…is the… truth.”

    Indeed, Felix, indeed.

  • Biffo

    Felix

    “Now Biffo. try to control yourself!”

    I don’t need to, I’m calm and rational. What happened to you?

    I can see that people who have been born into the brutal conflict in Israel/Palestine could become filled with hatred.

    You don’t live there, you’re not involved – so what is your excuse? How did you get so bitter and twisted?

  • SlugFest

    Bush = freedom? I think not. Right before his speech began, Cindy Sheehan, mother of a US soldier killed in Iraq and INVITED GUEST, was handcuffed and arrested because of a T-Shirt she was wearing. The T-Shirt said “2,245 Dead. How many more?”. Not sure if this link will work, but here goes:

    http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/01/31/sheehan.arrest/index.html

  • SlugFest,
    She knew from the moment that she put that T-shirt on, that she would not be allowed to stay. It’s all about publicity. I know that she is trying to make people realise the huge loss for being in Iraq, but I think she could go about it another way, but that’s just my opinion. I’m not advocating the Iraq War, just stating the facts. Iraq is a horriffic mess, there’s no doubting that fact.

  • SlugFest

    Jefferson Davis,

    Yes, of course she knew that she wouldn’t be allowed to stay … but handcuffed and arrested? That certainly wasn’t necessary. And the fact that they took it so far can only add cause to her fight.

    ps — took a quick glance at your blog. looks interesting. will have to read more when i have some downtime.

  • felix quigley

    Biffo

    If you look back the way I answered your ad hominem attack in a little lighthearted manner, asking you to control yourself. I was short of time and leaving the internet.

    Now when I look back at the posts here you have come in at no 14, a lot of ideas have been raised by then, you do not agree or disagree on anything, you just lay into me.

    And this is what you said:

    “Felix

    You are a paranoid, islamophobic judeofascist.

    Where did you pick up your bitter and extremist opinions?

    Posted by Biffo on Feb 01, 2006 @ 12:53 PM ”

    You see what I am getting at. You use three words to describe me but this kind of attack has added nothing to the discussion.

    Now you may be right in all three, or again you may be totally wrong. You see they are political words but you do not back them up with any political analysis of what are my politics.

    With that kind of method the discussion would be pulled into the gutter in no time.

    In your second post you say that I am “bitter and twisted”, and again you do not give any clue as to what you are referring to.

    It may be something to do with my opposition to the Palestinian movement, the movement now with Hamas at its head.

    A lot of people including I would say certainly a great number of Arab women who are continually in greater than ever (with Sharia looming) danger of Islamofascist FEMICIDE would agree with me on this.

    Biffo, I do not know personally a single person on this site. I only know people from what they write.

    I do not know you so if you attack me like that, well that is fair enough, but if you are a man, a real man, and not a schoolboy you will try to argue your point with substance.

    By the way Biffo, I plead not guilty on the three counts! And I have not taken any offense, I do not get upset by such attacks but still I do not think they add to the discussion.

  • Biffo

    Felix

    You obviously love “attacks”.

    I have challenged you on a couple of previous occasions on slugger with thoughtful points and questions specific to your comments. I once even went and bid a bit of extra research in response to one of your postings.

    You never bothered answering me – you don’t like genuine discussion.

    Now I know all I had to do was “attack” you (poor guy).

    My objective assessment above is based entirely on your comments on this site over time, and it’s completely justifiable.

    Here’s a Negev Bedouin curse – “May the fleas of a thousand camels infest your armpits”.

  • felix quigley

    Biffo

    Look! I do not know you personally. I will not attack you personally. I only go on what you SAY and on this thread you have said nothing.

    Look at how you start this last piece

    “You obviously love “attacks”.”

    Why is that obvious? How do you know that? Why make that assertion?

    You are really ridiculous, as I said not a MAN but a schoolboy.

    You carry on like this, a regular on Slugger (I am not by the way) at a time when the leader of Iran is threatening to wipe Israel off the map at the same time that he is going all out to create a nuclear bomb.

    Grow up!

    I just do not want to waste my valuable time with people like you. If necessary I will just develop my own site in Ireland and work at contributing to Israpundit on an international basis.