Bush has a poopie mouth!

[StoneGold]

Babs needs to wash out someone's mouth with soap.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia - It wasn't meant to be overheard. Private luncheon conversations among world leaders, picked up by a microphone, provided a rare window into both banter and substance — including
President Bush cursing Hezbollah's attacks against
Israel.

Bush expressed his frustration with the
United Nations and his disgust with the militant Islamic group and its backers in
Syria as he talked to British Prime Minister
Tony Blair during the closing lunch at the Group of Eight summit.

"See the irony is that what they need to do is get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this s--- and it's over," Bush told Blair as he chewed on a buttered roll.

He told Blair he felt like telling U.N. Secretary-General
Kofi Annan, who visited the gathered leaders, to get on the phone with Syrian President Bashar Assad to "make something happen." He suggested Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice might visit the region soon.

The unscripted comments came during a photo opportunity at the lunch. The leaders clearly did not realize that a live microphone was picking up their discussion.

Asked about the microphone mishap during his final briefing of the summit, Blair quipped that it was "all about transparent government." He smiled and tapped the microphone in front of him.

Bush "sort of rolled his eyes and laughed" when told the comments had been audible and a copy had been made, said Press Secretary Tony Snow. "Actually his reaction first was, 'What did it say?' So we showed him the transcript, then he rolled his eyes and laughed."

Bush also spoke to other leaders, and his unscripted comments ranged from the serious topic of escalating violence in the Mideast to light banter about his preference for Diet Coke and a gift he received from another leader.

Blair, whose remarks were not as clearly heard, appeared to be pressing Bush about the importance of getting international peacekeepers into the region.

Bush expresses amazement that it will take some leaders as many as eight hours to fly home — about the same time it will take Air Force One with Bush aboard to return to Washington.

"You eight hours? Me, too. Russia's a big country and you're a big country," Bush said, at one point telling a waiter he wanted Diet Coke. "Takes him eight hours to fly home. Russia's big and so is China. Yeah Blair, what're you doing? Are you leaving."

Bush thanked Blair for the gift of a sweater and joked that he knew Blair had picked it out personally. "Absolutely," Blair responded, with a laugh.

A stickler for keeping to his schedule, Bush could also be heard telling Russian President
Vladimir Putin, "We've got to keep this thing moving. I have to leave at 2:15. They want me out of town so to free up your security forces."

Bush also remarked that some speakers at the meeting talk too long.

It was the second time in less than a month that remarks at a G-8 event in Russia ended up being heard over an audio system officials thought was off.

Last month, an inadvertent audio feed from a closed-door lunch in Moscow between Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov exposed their sometimes testy discussion about the security situation in
Iraq.

OK, really, this has nothing to do with anything, it's just funny. Well, I'm more worried about Bush's simplistic "Stratego-esque" look at world politics, but he said the s-word!

[Drew Van T.]

Yup, he's playing stratego, and as always he plays a losing game.

I'm sure that when Nixon first came to the presidency, he was always telling Kissinger to "get on the phone with Beijing to get the Vietcong to stop this shit in Vietnam". When, of course, the reality was that China had no such control.

[Charles RB]

I'm more interested in him recieving personal gifts from Tony Blair. Do their wives know what's going on?

[Dr. Hfuhruhurr]

Well, I know I learned something.

Russia's a big country. Who knew?

[Jack Zodiac]

A stickler for keeping to his schedule, Bush could also be heard telling Russian President
Vladimir Putin, "We've got to keep this thing moving. I have to leave at 2:15. They want me out of town so to free up your security forces."

Ah hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! :D

[Paul McEnery]

BTW, for some political humour, check in with last Tuesday's Huw Stevens show on Radio One, at 17:00 or so. (They set it up as a streaming thingum, so you can listen any time).

Oh, and here's the band's website.

[SOGG]

just in case some people haven't heard it. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/help/3681938.stm)

[Ray R.]

Well, I know I learned something.

Russia's a big country. Who knew?

Apparently, China is too.

Did you see all his comments about cutting up pigs while in Germany?

This guy treats foreign policy like he's sightseeing in his Winnebago.




Tickle Me Elmo for Secretary of State......"Elmo like Russia. Makes Elmo laugh!"

[Mike Smith]

Well, I know I learned something.

Russia's a big country. Who knew?

Apparently, China is too.

*edit* Dang it, Ray.

[BlairH]

Apparently, China is too.
Apparently, China is too.
Interesting...

[Ray R.]

Apparently, China is too.

*edit* Dang it, Ray.

Jinx! You owe me a coke!

[Jack Zodiac]

So. China. Big? Medium-sized? Gargantuan?

[Ray R.]

Interesting...

Great minds think alike.

[J. Robb]

Jinx! You owe me a coke!
No, Diet Coke. Diet Coke.

:)

[Spike-X]

So. China. Big? Medium-sized? Gargantuan?
Brobdinagian.

[Drew Van T.]

During the next round of talks, he plans to make insightful remarks about how Russian weather is colder than Texan weather, and express puzzlement at the fact that Iraq has only one McDonalds outlet.

Then he will do his impression of Arafat by placing his napkin on top of his head, while curling his lower lip. Tony Blair will be the only person at the table politely applauding.

[Jack Zodiac]

Brobdinagian.

Literary references for the win! That's how big China is, it has to be described with a made up word. :D

[Kevinroc]

And this is the man that ran on "restoring honor and integrity" to the White House.

Yeah.... right... :rolleyes:

[J. Robb]

We make jokes but Bush supporters eat this stuff up. The dumber the better. Some say it's appealing to the common man, but frankly I think that's pretty insulting to the common man.

[Jeff Brady]

Brobdinagian.

Is that one of those nonsensical Aussie words like "dirigible"?

[Ray R.]

Is that one of those nonsensical Aussie words like "dirigible"?

For reason I'm thinking a fracturing of one of the fantasy places of Gulliver's Travels (it's Brodnignabian, right?)......a place where the people are all giants, versus Lilliputia, the land of the vertically challenged, i.e., West Palm Beach.

[Grazzt]

Is that one of those nonsensical Aussie words like "dirigible"?

Gulliver's Travels?

http://www.evilsponge.com/tick/handyi.gif

READ A BOOK!

[Ray R.]

We make jokes but Bush supporters eat this stuff up. The dumber the better. Some say it's appealing to the common man, but frankly I think that's pretty insulting to the common man.

Depends of your definition of "common" man. I don't expect my president to be conversant in seven languages and impertinent about using the right salad fork, but, for god's sake, can you not sound like a guy at a summer barbecue at the local Elks Club when you meet with the leaders of other countries.

"Ernest Goes to Russia" should not be based on a true story....

[Jeff Brady]

Gulliver's Travels?

http://www.evilsponge.com/tick/handyi.gif

READ A BOOK!

Oooh! Handy!

Books? Pfft. I don't need no edjyoomacashun.

[atoningunifex]

A real man would have gone for the full calorie Coke.

Diet Coke is for pussies.

[Spike-X]

it's Brodnignabian, right?

According to dictionary.com it's "brobdignagian".

Boy, is my face red!

[Spike-X]

I don't expect my president to be conversant in seven languages...

Right now I think we'd settle for just the one.

[atoningunifex]

Right now I think we'd settle for just the one.

G Dub is quite fluent in the Stirring dialect of Jingolalia.

[Ray R.]

Right now I think we'd settle for just the one.

There's always "Hooked on Phonics"


"Let's try again, Mr. President. NU-CLEE-ER."

"NU-KU-LAR"

"No, sir. NU-CLEE-ER."

"NU-KU-LAR"

"I quit."

[jessecuster3]

I gotta tell you, I think Bush comes off as way more classy than I would have expected.

"See the irony is that what they need to do is get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this s--- and it's over," Bush told Blair as he chewed on a buttered roll.

When I heard this was all it was, I was surprised, I expeected so much worse, like for example "Why can't these fuckers get their shit together" or something like that.

[Mike Smith]

Jinx! You owe me a coke!


What type of coke would you like? Diet, Lime, Sprite, Dr. Pepper, Pepsi?

[Ray R.]

What type of coke would you like? Diet, Lime, Sprite, Dr. Pepper, Pepsi?

Hmmm.....vanilla cherry coke will do. Muchas gracias.....

[Michael P]

There's always "Hooked on Phonics"


"Let's try again, Mr. President. NU-CLEE-ER."

"NU-KU-LAR"

"No, sir. NU-CLEE-ER."

"NU-KU-LAR"

"I quit."
Great, now I have to write "My Fair Georgie."

[BlairH]

When I become the Prime Minister, I fully expect all of you guys to mock my Scottish accent and vernacular for no real reason.

[Spike-X]

When I become the Prime Minister, I fully expect all of you guys to mock my Scottish accent and vernacular for no real reason.
Deal!



10

[Michael P]

When I become the Prime Minister, I fully expect all of you guys to mock my Scottish accent and vernacular for no real reason.
That'll require little alteration of my habits.

[Dan Apodaca]

When I become the Prime Minister, I fully expect all of you guys to mock my Scottish accent and vernacular for no real reason.

No real reason? It makes him sound stupid. He's one of the most powerful men in the world, and he's mispronouncing words in his native language. If that isn't an invitation for mocking, I don't know what is.

[Solaris]

...

This guy treats foreign policy like he's sightseeing in his Winnebago.

...


THAT quote is a thing of beauty and a joy forever... and so true it makes me sick.

But it's damned funny. :)

[Ray R.]

When I become the Prime Minister, I fully expect all of you guys to mock my Scottish accent and vernacular for no real reason.

Why wait?

I'm pretty sure we're ready whenever you are. Who needs a reason?

[BlairH]

No real reason? It makes him sound stupid. He's one of the most powerful men in the world, and he's mispronouncing words in his native language. If that isn't an invitation for mocking, I don't know what is.

I also mispronounce certian words:
No=Naw
Yes=Aye
Right=Rite
Seven=Seevin
I (personal pronoun)=Ah
Hundreds=hunners
More=mare

An' there's hunners mare! I bet that I sound really stupid when I'm speaking. It's hopefully not an indicator of actual intelligence.

Contrary to popular belief there are many perfectly valid ways of speaking the English language, and I personally wouldn't change my style of doing so if I were elected to public office. I wouldn't expect Bush to either.

[Ray R.]

Great, now I have to write "My Fair Georgie."

"The rain in Spain falls mainly on my plane -- y'know Air Force One -- ya can't miss it, big old seal right on the front. So, when's lunch."

CHORUS: "My plane....My plane."

"I do believe he's got it."

[StoneGold]

When I become the Prime Minister, I fully expect all of you guys to mock my Scottish accent and vernacular for no real reason.
Even when you use expletives about rival nations on microphone? Deal.

[BlairH]

Even when you use expletives about rival nations on microphone? Deal.

Well, he didn't exactly know the microphone was there.

[Ray R.]

Contrary to popular belief there are many perfectly valid ways of speaking the English language, and I personally wouldn't change my style of doing so if I were elected to public office. I wouldn't expect Bush to either.

Contrary to popular belief, you actually have to be able to speak a language for it to be considered valid.

Again, Blair, we're not looking for the president of the debate club, just someone who doesn't sound like the village idiot searching for his lucky head of cabbage.

"I thought we were gonna talk about the pig." That's a DIRECT quote from his tour to Germany.

There's folksy charm and wit -- see Will Rogers for example, and then there's a man who nicknames his most trusted political advisor as "turdblossom."

But those who are "special" need people to stick up for them. Way to defend the man, Blair. Hugs for everyone.

[BlairH]

Again, Blair, we're not looking for the president of the debate club, just someone who doesn't sound like the village idiot searching for his lucky head of cabbage.
I've never heard him sound like a village idiot. Sure, he has quite a unique dialect, but what do you expect? He's from Texas.

"I thought we were gonna talk about the pig." That's a DIRECT quote from his tour to Germany.
Context?

There's folksy charm and wit -- see Will Rogers for example, and then there's a man who nicknames his most trusted political advisor as "turdblossom."
Never did I say that he had folksy charm or wit. I'm simply saying that this is how people from his area of the world talk. Becoming the President shouldn't be about getting rid of your vernacular, you're not exactly auditioning for a role on a TV show.

But those who are "special" need people to stick up for them. Way to defend the man, Blair. Hugs for everyone.
Sarcasm is to Scottish people as irony is to American people. I don't like/get it.

I don't see how anybody's accent or dialect has anything to do with their ability to fulfil their appointed functions. I'm sure Tony Blair has called the insurgents in Iraq "bloody wankers" from time to time.

[Ray R.]

I've never heard him sound like a village idiot. Sure, he has quite a unique dialect, but what do you expect? He's from Texas.

Context?

Never did I say that he had folksy charm or wit. I'm simply saying that this is how people from his area of the world talk. Becoming the President shouldn't be about getting rid of your vernacular, you're not exactly auditioning for a role on a TV show.

Sarcasm is to Scottish people as irony is to American people. I don't like/get it.

I don't see how anybody's accent or dialect has anything to do with their ability to fulfil their appointed functions. I'm sure Tony Blair has called the insurgents in Iraq "bloody wankers" from time to time.

Well, since you're being a prig and obtuse about it, let me elaborate, Blair.

The president of the United States represents the United States, and probably, with the exception of a couple of overpaid actors, and maybe Michael Jordan in his prime, the most recognizable face of the United States on the entire planet.

Now, if he just had a Texas accent, that'd be something. I assume you've never been a thousand miles near Texas. You'd be surprised how "unaccented" the majority of Texas really is. Yeah, there's a drawl or two, but when you consider that George W. Bush more or less grew up in Washington, D.C., was schooled in Connecticut, and attended Harvard Business School before taking on corporate positions for failing companies in Texas, well, I think you're putting MUCH, MUCH more Texas in George Bush than there really is.

Yeah, so we're picking on the guy who's honest enough to use his real voice when he gets to elected office. Sure.

The point is, that aside from the malaprops and the irritating smirk, cocaine addict swinging jaw, and dry drunk mannerisms, the fact is that George Bush is a terrible communicator. He does not present his case clearly, either to the American people or to the rest of the world. You want to blame it on an artificial Texas drawl, knock yourself out -- I see it a little differently. He's either deliberately keeping himself from too much information so as to keep a veneer of accountable deniability, and therefore comes off as scripted with just enough to keep his detractors at bay, or he's an idiot, plain and simple. I don't think he's an idiot, per se, though he's prone to idiotic public statements. Whether those idiotic statements are due to deliberate obfuscation or limited access to information, one can only speculate and conjecture. But the point remains, that as the human symbol of the United States to the entire world, particularly those who might be hostile to our foreign policy directives, his mealy-mouthed simplistic matter-of-fact colloquialisms come off badly and therefore the United States comes off badly.

He comes off as genuine to you, you're in the minority, and you're disregarding the first forty years of the man's life NOT SPENT IN TEXAS.

[Corrina]

Never did I say that he had folksy charm or wit. I'm simply saying that this is how people from his area of the world talk.

What, Yale? :)

I know a lot of people from Texas. Most of them are coherent unlike our President.

[Dan Apodaca]

He comes off as genuine to you, you're in the minority, and you're disregarding the first forty years of the man's life NOT SPENT IN TEXAS.

Exactly. This is not his natural way of talking. This is an appropriated slang that he has chosen.

I'll mock anyone who says Nucular, when they can easily say Nuclear. If you willfully mispronounce the word, I will suspect your intelligence.

No Libarry.
No Sangwich.
No Aks.

[Valmore]

Yeesh, he may not be the best speaker in the world, but cursing to foreign dignitaries is a new low. Plain talk does not mean vulgarity. Cripes, he's the President of our Country and supposedly the leader of the free world. Couldn't he brush up his vocabulary just a little?

[Michael P]

He comes off as genuine to you, you're in the minority, and you're disregarding the first forty years of the man's life NOT SPENT IN TEXAS.Um, that's wrong, Ray. While he was born in Connecticut, and spent his post-middle school education in Massachussetts, the Bush family moved to Texas when he was two, and he spent the next twelve years there.

The "raised in DC" bit is also inaccurate. George Sr. wasn't elected to Congress until Jr. was 21.

[Spike-X]

I've never heard him sound like a village idiot.

You need to get out more.

Do a Google search for 'tribal sovereignty'.

[Dan Apodaca]

Um, that's wrong, Ray. While he was born in Connecticut, and spent his post-middle school education in Massachussetts, the Bush family moved to Texas when he was two, and he spent the next twelve years there.

The "raised in DC" bit is also inaccurate. George Sr. wasn't elected to Congress until Jr. was 21.

Hmmm. Okay.

Even so, Nucular is not part of the accent. It's a mannerism that circulates among people who don't learn how to say it the right way. It's like ebonics.

Bush should be the spokesperson for ebonics.

[Michael P]

Hmmm. Okay.

Even so, Nucular is not part of the accent. It's a mannerism that circulates among people who don't learn how to say it the right way. It's like ebonics.

Bush should be the spokesperson for ebonics.
True. And for the record, I agree with Ray that much of Bush's "aw-shucks" persona is crafted. But, much as I wish it weren't so, he's got a legitimate claim to being a Texan.

[Ray R.]

Um, that's wrong, Ray. While he was born in Connecticut, and spent his post-middle school education in Massachussetts, the Bush family moved to Texas when he was two, and he spent the next twelve years there.

The "raised in DC" bit is also inaccurate. George Sr. wasn't elected to Congress until Jr. was 21.

Fair enough. Wonder how much time he spent with Prescott Bush, his grandfather, who was a Senator from Connecticut, during Bush's entire childhood. He's spent an awful long time in Washington, when Grampa was in Congress, and when dad was in Congress. I've lived here for sixteen years in D.C., and it's no secret the Bushes have been here in spades for generations.

So, I'm wondering how much time George W. spent in Washington and New England, and how much he spent clearing brush in the Texas panhandle.

The accent. It's an affectation, clear and simple.

[J. Robb]

It's not the accent. It's what he says and how he says it.

[BlairH]

It's not the accent. It's what he says and how he says it.

Agreed, but mocking the way he says "nuclear" is more than a bit silly.

[Valmore]

Agreed, but mocking the way he says "nuclear" is more than a bit silly.

You'd think that Yale Education would have helped him learn how to say nuclear properly.

[BlairH]

You'd think that Yale Education would have helped him learn how to say nuclear properly.

I still can't say "burglary", which was quite the hinderance when I was studying criminal law.

btw, Ray? I have been to Texas.

[J. Robb]

I still can't say "burglary", which was quite the hinderance when I was studying criminal law.
As long as you seem to know what you're talking about, no one's going to care about your accent.

I lived in Scotland for almost a year. The smart people sounded smart, the dumb people sounded dumb, even if they used the exact accent. I can't speak for the Glaswegians though, as I have no idea what they were saying. ;)

[Ray R.]

btw, Ray? I have been to Texas.

Congratulations. You must be very proud of yourself. Probably spent as much time there as George W. growing up. How's the drawl coming along?

And I've met quite a few Scots and for some reason they didn't all sound like Billy Connolly after a dozen pints. Go figure. They must have been faking it and not letting the true Scot come out.

[BlairH]

And I've met quite a few Scots and for some reason they didn't all sound like Billy Connolly after a dozen pints. Go figure. They must have been faking it and not letting the true Scot come out.
Billy Connolly doesn't really have a thick accent. Most of us (especially those of us living in the rural parts) sound a lot "worse". BC has quite a "formal" Scottish accent if you get my meaning.

I did a webcam thingy a wee while ago, and most people here couldn't make out a word I was saying, and I have a very loud, clear voice. Whenever I travel to the US, Spain, England, or even the more urban parts of Scotland, I have to make an effort to use the Queen's English.

Congratulations. You must be very proud of yourself. Probably spent as much time there as George W. growing up. How's the drawl coming along?
I can do a fairly decent impression.

[Merey]

Fair enough. Wonder how much time he spent with Prescott Bush, his grandfather, who was a Senator from Connecticut, during Bush's entire childhood. He's spent an awful long time in Washington, when Grampa was in Congress, and when dad was in Congress. I've lived here for sixteen years in D.C., and it's no secret the Bushes have been here in spades for generations.

So, I'm wondering how much time George W. spent in Washington and New England, and how much he spent clearing brush in the Texas panhandle.

The accent. It's an affectation, clear and simple.

Exactly. And although a lot of people disagree with me, I think the man is smarter than people (us left leaning moderates and liberals) believe. Yeah, the guy is essentially a figure head and his neocon cronies are running the show, but he's got the down home, Middle American role down to a T (fake, bizarre dialect and all). He knows exactly what he's doing. But he doesn't ever seem to exhibit any imagination or intellectual curiosity, and that, IMO, separates him from great leaders... or really, competent leaders. Oh that, and the fact that I think he's evil.

[Daniel Lewis]

Yup, he's playing stratego, and as always he plays a losing game.

I'm sure that when Nixon first came to the presidency, he was always telling Kissinger to "get on the phone with Beijing to get the Vietcong to stop this shit in Vietnam". When, of course, the reality was that China had no such control.

Ah. So are we to assume that the NVA pulled their weapons and equipment out of their collective asses?

The Vietcong and the North Vietnamese Army were only able to fight so long as they had the support of the USSR and the PRC. That's why they agreed to the U.S. ceasefire in 1972, because the U.S. put diplomatic pressure on the Soviets to stop sending arms to the North Vietnamese Communists. It wasn't until 1975, when relations between the USSR and the USA broke down because of the Arab-Israeli war, that the USSR started rearming the NVA.
And guess what? The NVA then broke the ceasefire.



Everyone but you is willing to admit that Hezbollah is funded by Iran and Syria. But hell, I guess some guy on the internet knows better.
I bow to your superior wisdom.

[Drew Van T.]

Ah. So are we to assume that the NVA pulled their weapons and equipment out of their collective asses?

The Vietcong and the North Vietnamese Army were only able to fight so long as they had the support of the USSR and the PRC. That's why they agreed to the U.S. ceasefire in 1972, because the U.S. put diplomatic pressure on the Soviets to stop sending arms to the North Vietnamese Communists. It wasn't until 1975, when relations between the USSR and the USA broke down because of the Arab-Israeli war, that the USSR started rearming the NVA.
And guess what? The NVA then broke the ceasefire.



Everyone but you is willing to admit that Hezbollah is funded by Iran and Syria. But hell, I guess some guy on the internet knows better.
I bow to your superior wisdom.

You jump to conclusions like the IDF jumps at the first given opportunity to bomb all of Lebanon into the stone age.

Of course the VC got weapons and support from China. But for a long time the Americans were overestimating the real degree of control China had over the Vietcong; that was one of the misconceptions made over the course of the long war and one of the reasons it developed the way it did.

Similarly, Bush seems to think that Bashar Assad only has to flick his fingers to make Hizbullah stop the shelling. This is absurd: even if Assad had such a degree of control (and he doesn't), even then it would take longer than a few days for Syrian pressure to have a real impact on Hizbullah. Considering the speed with which the crisis is unfolding and the unlikelihood for the shelling to last for much longer, Bush's tactical thinking is truly useless.

I saw a parallel to mistakes made by older American presidents. I wasn't implying that there aren't any ties between Hizbullah and Syria/Iran.

[Mike Smash!]

I've never heard him sound like a village idiot. Sure, he has quite a unique dialect, but what do you expect? He's from Texas.

So are Bill Hicks, Molly Ivins and Kinky Friedman and they don't sound like morons, though they all had accents.

Bush, on the other hand, seems to go out of his way to avoid sounding intelligent, perhaps because he think it'd make him sound like a nerd or something.

And it's embarrassing. He's our spokesman to the rest of the world.

[Paul McEnery]

Everyone but you is willing to admit that Hezbollah is funded by Iran and Syria. But hell, I guess some guy on the internet knows better.
I bow to your superior wisdom.
Daniel.

It seems obvious to me that Hizbollah is getting supplies from Iran and Syria. Even though we don't have clear documentation on it.

It is certainly true that Israel is getting swackloads of cash and supplies from the US.

What's your point?

[atoningunifex]

Bush, on the other hand, seems to go out of his way to avoid sounding intelligent, perhaps because he think it'd make him sound like a nerd or something.


He goes out of his way because that's the shtick that got him elected. He ran as the average-guy-just-like-you-maybe-not-so-smart-but-a-heckuva-guy (and don't pay no never mind to that money- it ain't my fault I'm rich). After eight years of someone with an actual IQ in the White House the mouth-breathing public was ready for someone down home and dumb as a box of hammers. And so, G Dub, our folksy moron President!

Not smart, but politically aware.

[Iangould]

Ah. So are we to assume that the NVA pulled their weapons and equipment out of their collective asses?

The Vietcong and the North Vietnamese Army were only able to fight so long as they had the support of the USSR and the PRC. That's why they agreed to the U.S. ceasefire in 1972, because the U.S. put diplomatic pressure on the Soviets to stop sending arms to the North Vietnamese Communists. It wasn't until 1975, when relations between the USSR and the USA broke down because of the Arab-Israeli war, that the USSR started rearming the NVA.
And guess what? The NVA then broke the ceasefire.



Everyone but you is willing to admit that Hezbollah is funded by Iran and Syria. But hell, I guess some guy on the internet knows better.
I bow to your superior wisdom.

During much of the period you're talking abouy the Russians and Chinese were on the verge of a shooting war.

The Russians supported the North Vietnamese. The Chinese gave minimal assistance but the two countries have a history of a couple of millenia of hostility and Mao and Ho loathed each other.

The state of Chinese infuence over North Vietnam can be judged by the course of post-war events when the the Vietnamese invaded Cambodia over Chinese objections and proceeded to fight a war with them over it.

[Iangould]

These were off-the-cuff informal comments to a friend at the end of several days of intensive negotiations.

It wasn't shtick or posturing because if he'd known the mike was on and was trying to impress his base he would have omitted the word "shit".

I also don't see anything particularly dumb about his comments - okay maybe "Russia is a big country, China is a big country" sounds a bit like a Sesame Street script.

[Dr. Hfuhruhurr]

Not only does he have a poopie mouth, he's creating a hostile work environment at the G8 Summit.

http://americablog.blogspot.com/2006/07/bush-gives-female-german-chancellor.html

I think he's finally lost what's left of his mind.

[Dr. Hfuhruhurr]

I've never heard him sound like a village idiot. Sure, he has quite a unique dialect, but what do you expect? He's from Texas.

1. "I am here to make an announcement that this Thursday, ticket counters and airplanes will fly out of Ronald Reagan Airport." —Washington, D.C., Oct. 3, 2001

2. "Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB-GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country." —Poplar Bluff, Mo., Sept. 6, 2004

3. "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." —Washington, D.C., Aug. 5, 2004

4. "There's no doubt in my mind that we should allow the world worst leaders to hold America hostage, to threaten our peace, to threaten our friends and allies with the world's worst weapons." —South Bend, Indiana, Sept. 5, 2002.

5. "There's an old...saying in Tennessee...I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee that says Fool me once...(3 second pause)... Shame on...(4 second pause)...Shame on you....(6 second pause)...Fool me...Can't get fooled again." —Nashville, Tennessee, Sept. 17, 2002.

6. "See, free nations are peaceful nations. Free nations don't attack each other. Free nations don't develop weapons of mass destruction." —Milwaukee, Wis., Oct. 3, 2003

7. "The ambassador and the general were briefing me on the -- the vast majority of Iraqis want to live in a peaceful, free world. And we will find these people and we will bring them to justice." —Washington, D.C., Oct. 27, 2003.

8 "I'm looking forward to a good night's sleep on the soil of a friend." —on visiting Denmark, Washington D.C., June 29, 2005

9. "Wow! Brazil is big." after being shown a map of Brazil by Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brasilia, Brazil, Nov. 6, 2005

10. A TIE BETWEEN:
"Rarely is the question asked, 'Is our children learning'?"
—Florence, S.C. Jan 11 2000
"The illiteracy level of our children are appalling." —Washington, D.C., Jan. 23, 20004

[Ray R.]

Not only does he have a poopie mouth, he's creating a hostile work environment at the G8 Summit.

http://americablog.blogspot.com/2006/07/bush-gives-female-german-chancellor.html

I think he's finally lost what's left of his mind.

Oh...my....god....

An inappropriate and unwanted neck massage to the leader of Germany....

Are you f---g kidding me?

[Drew Van T.]

An inappropriate and unwanted neck massage to the leader of Germany....

I cannot decide whether the fact that Merkel looks like a cornered hamster at the vet speaks well of her (for being somewhat appalled) or speaks badly of her (for not having more backbone and tell him to cut that out)...

[StoneGold]

Not only does he have a poopie mouth, he's creating a hostile work environment at the G8 Summit.

http://americablog.blogspot.com/2006/07/bush-gives-female-german-chancellor.html

I think he's finally lost what's left of his mind.
That's awesome. I think I finally get it. GW is like the boss on the Office. Either version.

[Ray R.]

I cannot decide whether the fact that Merkel looks like a cornered hamster at the vet speaks well of her (for being somewhat appalled) or speaks badly of her (for not having more backbone and tell him to cut that out)...

Well, in Bush's defense, I heard Winston Churchill gave a hell of a foot massage to Joseph Stalin at Yalta. Stalin complimented Churchill's small, soft, delicate hands, and how he really worked on the arches....

FDR was a bit jealous, but knew it would have been a bit of a spoiled effort, anyway.....

[Ray R.]

That's awesome. I think I finally get it. GW is like the boss on the Office. Either version.

You can only wonder what Condi's put up with for five years.....

How many ass slaps, elbows to the breasts, and lap sittings has she been through, I wonder....

[cactusmaac]

There's always "Hooked on Phonics"


"Let's try again, Mr. President. NU-CLEE-ER."

"NU-KU-LAR"

"No, sir. NU-CLEE-ER."

"NU-KU-LAR"

"I quit."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nucular

[Ray R.]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nucular

Hmm, interesting. Also telling, from the same article:


"Nucular" is also the pronunciation preferred by Homer Simpson, and his confident use of it in The Simpsons exemplifies a level of cultural information that is largely overheard at some distance, second-hand, rather than read.


That's our George!

Mmmmm.....humble pie.

[Dr. Hfuhruhurr]

You can only wonder what Condi's put up with for five years.....

How many ass slaps, elbows to the breasts, and lap sittings has she been through, I wonder....

I have a feeling Condi rather likes the attention from the Decider:

At a recent dinner party hosted by New York Times D.C. bureau chief Philip Taubman and his wife, Times reporter Felicity Barringer, and attended by Arthur Sulzberger Jr., Maureen Dowd, Steven Weisman, and Elisabeth Bumiller, Rice was reportedly overheard saying, “As I was telling my husb—” and then stopping herself abruptly, before saying, “As I was telling President Bush.”

[Sean Walsh]

I was more shocked to see the fact that you can actually print (but not say!) the word "shit" on television. CNN Headline News had it on their screens this morning.

[Dr. Hfuhruhurr]

And Tony Blair is taking more heat (http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-07-18T133554Z_01_L18338313_RTRUKOC_0_US-BRITAIN-USA.xml&pageNumber=0&imageid=&cap=&sz=13&WTModLoc=NewsArt-C1-ArticlePage2)from this exchange. I guess being "Bush's poodle" isn't all it's cracked up to be.

[Drew Van T.]

And Tony Blair is taking more heat (http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-07-18T133554Z_01_L18338313_RTRUKOC_0_US-BRITAIN-USA.xml&pageNumber=0&imageid=&cap=&sz=13&WTModLoc=NewsArt-C1-ArticlePage2)from this exchange. I guess being "Bush's poodle" isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Chances are that Bush will have to scout around in search of a new poodle soon.

http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/steve_bell/2006/07/14/bell512.jpg

This might also serve to explain the harrassment-bordering back rub he gave the German chancellor. He's thinking "these male dogs are too much trouble even when neutered. Try me a bitch for a change..."

[king mob]

I was more shocked to see the fact that you can actually print (but not say!) the word "shit" on television. CNN Headline News had it on their screens this morning.


We had him saying 'shit' in all his glory on Channel 4 news last night. It didn't make Blair look any better.