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Saturday, September 22, 2007

Mad (Metaphor) George

posted by on September 22 at 7:24 AM

People, this is a serious situation:

In a speech defending his administration’s Iraq policy, Mr Bush said former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein’s brutality had made it impossible to find a leader who could unite the country.

“I heard somebody say, ‘Where’s Mandela?’,” he said.

“Well, Mandela’s dead because Saddam Hussein killed all the Mandelas.”

The president is not out of touch, he is out to lunch.

RSS icon Comments

1

who are the bird
and the bee?
i can win tickets
and boost
the economy
i pledge allegiance
to not discuss
the World Bank
or Wolfowitz's
new position.
who the bird
and the bee?
they are at the
Crocodile 2222
2nd ave soon.
out of
touch mind
lunch the place to
be ignorant - Gregory
Clark the War and the
World Bank - no
further questions

Posted by June Bee | September 22, 2007 8:18 AM
2

What happened to morning news on the weekend? How am I supposed to know what's going on?

Posted by poster girl | September 22, 2007 8:51 AM
3

This will likely be the first, last and only time I ever step up to the defense of our president, but mangled syntax aside, he's pretty clearly saying that Saddam managed to kill or successfully marginalize any possible opposition leaders while he was in power, and that therefore Saddam was in no danger of being toppled internally. This is, so far as I know, completely true and not particularly controversial.

Why he decided to express it like that is anyone's guess, although I personally suspect he's back on the sauce.

Posted by Doctor Memory | September 22, 2007 8:56 AM
4

I would really be interested to know the names of all the drugs he's on at present.

Posted by Jim Demetre | September 22, 2007 9:08 AM
5

It's the curse of King George III, the famous mad (as in crazy) king of England at the time of the American Revolution, being visited on the third President of these United States named George.

President George III. Stark raving mad.

Posted by Brooklyn Reader | September 22, 2007 9:10 AM
6

from Dr Memory's Blog (i dig it)

------------
And when love is gone
there's always justice.
And when justice is gone,
there's always force.
And when force is gone,
there's always mom.
(Hi, Mom!)

- Laurie Anderson

Have you seen her in concert? '89 multi-media show in pgh was brilliant!!! vid screens, voice modulators and just beautiful Laurie with her violin - no santa clause :(

Posted by June Bee | September 22, 2007 9:10 AM
7

is Jonah in today? i think I'd rather just call than email when I see the Food Bank people? Is talking to a journalist on his personal phone line legal in Seattle?

Posted by June Bee | September 22, 2007 9:24 AM
8

July 30, 2000
Web posted at: 6:22 p.m. EDT (2222 GMT)

From staff and wire reports

CHICAGO (CNN) -- President Clinton took aim Sunday at Republican vice presidential hopeful Dick Cheney, saying a controversial 1986 vote Cheney cast in the House of Representatives on former South African President Nelson Mandela -- while Mandela was still imprisoned in South Africa -- "takes your breath away."

The vote was on a House resolution calling for the release of Mandela from prison and for recognition of the African National Congress, which Mandela headed. Cheney voted against the resolution.

"Now all the big publicity is about in the last few days [is] an amazing vote cast by their nominee for vice president when he was in Congress against letting Nelson Mandela out of jail," Clinton said. "That takes your breath away."

Cheney defended the vote in an appearance on CNN's "Late Edition" earlier Sunday, saying the ANC "at the time was viewed as a terrorist organization and had a number of interests that were fundamentally inimical to the U.S." He said 180 House members voted against the non-binding resolution.

http://archives.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/07/30/clinton.cheney/index.html

Posted by Rain Monkey | September 22, 2007 9:35 AM
9

When I saw that speech, I was thinking "I can't believe they interrupted the Today Show for this."

Posted by thecandyqueen | September 22, 2007 9:47 AM
10

Does it need to be said that even if you accept his basic reasoning, it doesn't help Bush's case for his Iraq policy? For one thing, it implies that he should have known before he invaded that turning a dictatorship into a democracy from the outside was unrealistic, and further, if he's saying that Iraq has no real statesmen today, then it's hopeless isn't it?

Anyway, I only wanted to post so I could link to this.

Posted by elenchos | September 22, 2007 10:50 AM
11

It's also interesting that he would invoke the moral legacy of Mandela, considering Mandela was one of the most vocal early critics of the Iraq invasion and of the Bush administration in general, saying on September 10 2002 that "the attitude of the United States of America is a threat to world peace."

Posted by flamingbanjo | September 22, 2007 11:34 AM
12

it's just more of his simple-minded bs, the incomplete truth as gwb understands it. i find nothing exceptional about this quote.

Posted by ellarosa | September 22, 2007 11:36 AM
13

As someone else has wisely observed: "Who knows how many potential Iraqi Mandelas has Bush already terminated through the random lethal trashing of that sad, benighted country?" Blaming Saddam for killing all of the "Mandelas" is like blaming Bush for discouraging people for being intelligent.

Posted by KY. COL. of TRUTH | September 22, 2007 12:13 PM
14

Um, didn't his dad help prop up the aparteid regime?

Posted by The Baron | September 22, 2007 12:14 PM
15

Israel is the issue here folks. In preparing for an attack on Iran Israel is going to need the support of liberals in America. With Hillary Clinton strongly behind Israel, things look good.

Please stop whining about Iraq. Things are going swimmingly for Israel, and attacking Iran may be messy but twenty years from now when Israel leads the middle east, everyone will be glad we had the strength to stand strong.

Posted by Issur | September 22, 2007 12:16 PM
16

Actually the "Where's Waldo" question is the one Prez himself asked:"Where's the leader?".."Where's George Washington? Where's Thomas Jefferson? Where's John Adams, for crying out loud?" - from Bob Woodward's "State of Denial", referring to the new Iraqi government's dithering.

Apparently, sometimes Bush's "some people say" is just his self.

Posted by Ass of truth | September 22, 2007 12:45 PM
17

issur, for those of us who think israel is NOT the center of the universe, there are other issues. israel is giong to lead the middle east, huh? uh, hate to burst your bubble, but sheer population numbers make this an insane statement. i know, i'm feeding a troll here, but i just couldn't resist.

Posted by ellarosa | September 22, 2007 12:47 PM
18

@17

RESIST nonetheless! Slog is loopy enough without giving the resident draydel another spin.

Posted by misrule | September 22, 2007 1:58 PM
19

Oh Bush, thou art sick!
The invisible worm
That flies in the night,
in the howling storm

Has found out thy bed
Of christian joy.
And with his dark secret love,
does thy mind destroy.

Posted by kinaidos | September 22, 2007 6:14 PM
20

misrule @18: "resident draydel"--that's funny! ok, will do.

Posted by ellarosa | September 22, 2007 8:06 PM
21

ITMFA

oh, sorry....

it's too late.

Posted by old timer | September 22, 2007 9:31 PM
22

the Cheney quote @ 8 ("Cheney defended the vote in an appearance on CNN's "Late Edition" earlier Sunday, saying the ANC 'at the time was viewed as a terrorist organization and had a number of interests that were fundamentally inimical to the U.S.'"):

Yet another example of why we should distrust any/everything this administration says about terrorism/terrorists.

Hell, I'm at the point of wondering whether Al Qaeda even exists. And wouldn't be terribly surprised if Osama was still on the CIA payroll and living a life of luxury on the back 40 of a ranch in Crawford.

Posted by gnossos | September 23, 2007 1:06 AM
23

re the Cheney quote re the ANC @ 8 ("at the time [it] was viewed as a terrorist organization and had a number of interests that were fundamentally inimical to the U.S."):

Yet another example of of why any/everything this administration says about terrorism or terrorists should be distrusted.

At this point we should be questioning whether Al Qaeda even exists. I wouldn't be surprised if Osama was still on the CIA payroll and living a life of luxury on the back 40 of a ranch in Crawford.

Posted by gnossos | September 23, 2007 1:12 AM
24

sorry...

Posted by gnossos | September 23, 2007 1:14 AM
25

An interesting historical note - way back when - in the early years when the Freedom Day Commitee did Gay pride they managed to bring to the stage as a guest speaker an Official Minister of the ANC.

Yes, while Mandela was still in prison. Heavy security, very historic.From all accounts at the time it was the FIRST time the ANC had formally spoken before any gay/lesbian audience in America.

Really rad, and Dan couldn't complain about old hippie radicals as he was not yet in Seattle.

There was a very strong anti apartheid effort in Seattle, and active Gay/lesbian participation. Harvey Muggy, long dead of AIDS and one of the owners of the Off Ramp, did not miss a weekly action for months and months carrying the rainbow flag, a member of the steering committee and generous donor.

Research in the SGN history files at the U would find the details of the ANC speaker.

Free Nelson Madella ribbons were prolific that year at Pride.

Of course the conservatives, GSBA types, in the Gay community were freaked. ANC, the African National Congress is very far left. Old Red.

As we all appreciate now, the modern Constitution of South Africa enacted under Mandella's leadership and the ANC outlaws discrimination against GLBT folks.

Dick Cheney is a far right fanatic, the dark shadow who has ruined most of America.

Posted by rorry | September 23, 2007 5:00 PM

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