Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Mr. Superbad · 03-10-2003, 04:08 PM

Quote:

THE first President Bush has told his son that hopes of peace in the Middle East would be ruined if a war with Iraq were not backed by international unity.
Drawing on his own experiences before and after the 1991 Gulf War, Mr Bush Sr said that the brief flowering of hope for Arab-Israeli relations a decade ago would never have happened if America had ignored the will of the United Nations.

He also urged the President to resist his tendency to bear grudges, advising his son to bridge the rift between the United States, France and Germany.

�You�ve got to reach out to the other person. You�ve got to convince them that long-term friendship should trump short-term adversity,� he said.

...

In an ominous warning for his son, Mr Bush Sr said that he would have been able to achieve nothing if he had jeopardised future relations by ignoring the UN. �The Madrid conference would never have happened if the international coalition that fought together in Desert Storm had exceeded the UN mandate and gone on its own into Baghdad after Saddam and his forces.�

Is G.W. Bush really such a fool as to hold childish grudges against those who oppose him? Is it really driving foreign policy?

TollHouse · 03-10-2003, 04:31 PM

You mean even his Dad is telling him to take his head out of his ass? This can't really be true, can it?

Godbert · 03-10-2003, 04:38 PM

Well, who better to assess that than his daddy.
I remember for a while he was not returning calls from the german chancellor. The whole government behaves like twelve year olds internationally - which might explain why most of the world has mixed feelings about them being so heavily armed - especially since they behave like vengeful, religiously fanatic, stupid twelve year olds.

John Hancock · 03-10-2003, 04:44 PM

Sure someone needs to tell him what to do after all He's just Karl Rove's dildo.

Martin Buber

Zar · 03-10-2003, 05:01 PM

[sarcasm]

Oh, c'mon! G. Bush Sr. is just a liberal pinko commie who lives in a fantasy land like most liberals do. I always knew that guy Bush was a crypto socialist red-faced trotskyist democrat-loving anti-American. I'll bet he eats a lot of Freedom Fries!!

[/sarcasm]

It should be noted that, whlie he was in office, G. Bush Sr. was accosted by the same neocons that have G. W. in their grasp today, and he swatted them away on his watch. So, I'm sure he has some of the same concerns now, and probably wants to tread lightly, given that this is not daddy's presidency anymore... But for him to not be able to hold back anymore and sound another note of caution is, to me, a truly astounding thing indeed.

Jolimont · 03-10-2003, 05:20 PM

Glad to see Bush Sr is more reasonable than W. Is it even possible for W to back down at this point? I dunno....

Mr. Superbad · 03-10-2003, 07:01 PM

I can't believe that someone in such an important world position would act like such a child. He's always come off to me as having a kind of spoiled prince mentality, but thought it might be an act. I guess it wasn't. How depressing.

ex-idaho · 03-10-2003, 07:11 PM

I cannot help but wonder if Bush will be challenged by someone in his own party come 2004. If Bush's own father is willing to challenge him then perhaps Powell or some other prominent Republican will step forward.

Zar · 03-10-2003, 07:30 PM

From the article:

Quote:

Although not addressed to his son in person, the message, in a speech at Tufts University in Massachusetts, was unmistakeable. Mr Bush Sr even came close to conceding that opponents of his son�s case against President Saddam Hussein, who he himself is on record as loathing, have legitimate cause for concern.

Like I said, this is extraordinary, and I really think Bush Sr. may have some real problems with the plans of the neocons as he did before. Admittedly, I am reading between the lines here. But Bush Sr. seems to be only a paleoconservative after all.

This is, to me, the biggest danger of all: that paleoconservatives (traditional fiscal conservatives and social conservatives) mistake neoconservatism (this warlike American Likudnik Imperium crowd) as being of the same stamp as they are. They are not. Neoconservatism makes old-line conservatives look very mild by comparison, IMHO. To me, neocons are to traditional conservatives what Joseph Stalin is to traditional liberals and democrats. They ought to be anathema.

Jolimont · 03-10-2003, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ex-idaho
I cannot help but wonder if Bush will be challenged by someone in his own party come 2004. If Bush's own father is willing to challenge him then perhaps Powell or some other prominent Republican will step forward.

I might have voted Powell in 2000 BECAUSE he's black and I'd love to see a black man or a woman become president, but I couldn't now. Whatever his reasons for not challenging Bush and not resigning, I think much less of him now.

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03-10-2003, 04:31 PM	#2
TollHouse Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 8,745	You mean even his Dad is telling him to take his head out of his ass? This can't really be true, can it?

03-10-2003, 04:38 PM	#3
Godbert Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: southern california Posts: 779	Well, who better to assess that than his daddy. I remember for a while he was not returning calls from the german chancellor. The whole government behaves like twelve year olds internationally - which might explain why most of the world has mixed feelings about them being so heavily armed - especially since they behave like vengeful, religiously fanatic, stupid twelve year olds.

03-10-2003, 04:44 PM	#4
John Hancock Banned Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mars Posts: 2,231	Sure someone needs to tell him what to do after all He's just Karl Rove's dildo. Martin Buber

03-10-2003, 05:01 PM	#5
Zar Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Chicago, IL USA Posts: 3,477	[sarcasm] Oh, c'mon! G. Bush Sr. is just a liberal pinko commie who lives in a fantasy land like most liberals do. I always knew that guy Bush was a crypto socialist red-faced trotskyist democrat-loving anti-American. I'll bet he eats a lot of Freedom Fries!! [/sarcasm] It should be noted that, whlie he was in office, G. Bush Sr. was accosted by the same neocons that have G. W. in their grasp today, and he swatted them away on his watch. So, I'm sure he has some of the same concerns now, and probably wants to tread lightly, given that this is not daddy's presidency anymore... But for him to not be able to hold back anymore and sound another note of caution is, to me, a truly astounding thing indeed.

03-10-2003, 05:20 PM	#6
Jolimont Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: USA expat, now living in France Posts: 1,153	Glad to see Bush Sr is more reasonable than W. Is it even possible for W to back down at this point? I dunno....

03-10-2003, 07:01 PM	#7
Mr. Superbad Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Well fortified mountain bunker Posts: 3,567	I can't believe that someone in such an important world position would act like such a child. He's always come off to me as having a kind of spoiled prince mentality, but thought it might be an act. I guess it wasn't. How depressing.

03-10-2003, 07:11 PM	#8
ex-idaho Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Spudtopia, ID Posts: 5,315	I cannot help but wonder if Bush will be challenged by someone in his own party come 2004. If Bush's own father is willing to challenge him then perhaps Powell or some other prominent Republican will step forward.

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