When President George W. Bush makes his final tour of European capitals next week, he can expect a less-than-fond farewell on a continent where leaders are already looking past him to his successor.
Behind the smiles and handshakes, there will be quiet relief among his European hosts who see an end to the Bush era as a chance for the next president to repair a U.S. image abroad that has been damaged by the Iraq war and other policies…
“Bush will travel in a little bubble from palace to palace,” said Joseph Cirincione, a Washington foreign policy analyst. “He’ll have welcoming ceremonies, photo ops, even some praise — and then he’ll be quickly forgotten…”
Mindful that Bush is even more unpopular across much of Europe than he is at home, the White House itself has no lofty hopes for Bush’s trip, which is expected to draw large protests in countries where anti-Bush sentiment runs highest.
No one wants a t-shirt to remember this final tour.
The phrase “The devil you know” comes to mind. Neither of his replacements impress me that much. Europe shouldn’t get too excited.
OP said “No one wants a t-shirt to remember this final tour.”
The hell you say. I’d wear one as I appreciate the ironicalityishness of such a t-shirt.
I wish Bush’s bubble cart gets stopped in some small town for an arrest for crimes against humanity.
Naturally, he would order a world-wide military alert and threaten a retaliatory response to carpet bomb the city with B52’s and survivors executed with a flame thrower.
It would still be cool.
I’m not sure why the trip is even going to occur but most likely they will sign off on a few things that don’t make big headlines but matter anyway.
It is to be hoped that who ever replaces Bush understands the usefulness of being tactful and building up a base of support. Being bombastic tends to offend everyone not marching in lock step with you. It pays to be seen as being reasonible.
One “service” Bush Jr. provided was to finally give Europeans a stereotype of Americans they could hang on to.
Dumb. Uncouth. Seemingly nice. Evil underneath. With too much power.
J’ai voulu écrire un grand texte à l’égard du Président Américain et les nombreux faux pas qu’il à fait.
Mais finallement, ce sujet ne m’inspire pas à écrire.
Peut être un confrère va bien vouloir écrire sur ce sujet. Moi, je ne suis que désappointé à son égard.
They should get the Dixie Chicks to open for them. Perhaps they will sell more t-shirts.
Mindful that Bush is even more unpopular across much of Europe than he is at home.
No worries, the Americans are getting there.
Photoshopped
Why should I care about Europe’s opinion of America? Those guys won’t put up a fight beyond holding protest rallies and speeches at the UN. When Islamics come, they surrender. I’m more interested in whether the Islamic fighters fear America.
Love that picture. Did you make it yourself, Eideard?
10-
Your continued lack of insight and your xenophobia are always present in your posts, did you know that?
Why should you care about Europe’s opinion? Uhm, perhaps if your president didn’t share your Americancentric view of the world, and actually listened to our allies there, we wouldn’t have lost (and continue to lose) thousands of American lies over a lie in Iraq, you asshat.
What do mean by allies, England? They were for the war. If you mean France and Russia, well their stance was purely economical. Both countries were in bed with Saddam, with million dollar trading deals with Iraq. That’s why they were against the war. You could have had a picture of Saddam standing in front of a Neutron Bomb holding a canister of VX gas and France and Russia would still have been against the war. So who is the asshat??
>>So who is the asshat??
I think you are, gquaglia. If you don’t get it by now, you’re NEVER going to get it.
#14 You’re going to have to do better then that if you think that insults me. Especially coming from the likes of you.
Bush may of not been the best however imagine if the “hanging shards” in Florida had not occured and we had the other guy – Mr. travel around the world in my gas guzzling corporate jet Al Gore
>.imagine if the “hanging shards” in Florida
>>had not occured
I believe those are “chads”, Monsieur le Hotelier. Not “shards”. And if all the votes that were cast had been counted, we’d all be proud to be Americans. Instead of making excuses for our Chimperor-in-Chief.
>>I’m more interested in whether the
>>Islamic fighters fear America.
Well, Lyin Mike, I guess you’ve been disappointed for the past 7 years. With a bunch of blowhard chickenhawks at the wheel, they’re laughing, rather than shaking in their boots.
Unlike Cher or the Rolling Stones, Bush can’t combe back every year with a brand new farewell tour. Once he is gone, he is gone for good.
Most are still proud. And Bush did win both elections despite how much you don’t want it to be so.
>>Most are still proud.
Uh, no they’re not. They may be proud of the amber waves of grain, but I don’t know a single soul who’s actually “proud” of Bush.
Are you? Be honest now.
>>And Bush did win both elections despite how
>>much you don’t want it to be so.
Naw, he only won ’04, because of the smear campaign carried out by hatchet men like President Rove, President Cheney, and the Swift Boat Liars.
In ’00, he lost, fair and square. If it hadn’t been for Daddy’s friends on the Supreme Court quashing an accurate counting of the Florida votes, he’d have been back buying 8-balls and clearing brush seven years ago.
This would be a good time to point out that the majority of European governments are moving towards the right. They may not think highly of Dubya, but don’t expect any nose thumbing.
>>They may not think highly of Dubya
That’s the understatement of the year, Jimbo. Is there ANYONE, ANYWHERE who thinks highly of that imbecile? He’s done more to destroy America than all of the Saudis he’s kissed put together could ever DREAM about.
If I were a European head of state, I’d probably walk up to Bush and ask him either:
“Hey, George, how’s retirement?”
or
“You’re still president?! I thought Obama won!”
#3: didn’t France or some country actually issue arrest warrants for Rumsfeld while he was within their borders, and they had to sneak him out of the country PDQ before the police found him?
Son of a bitch. I was right… it was Rumsfeld in France!
http://tinyurl.com/3jcnnk
>>Photoshopped
Check out the big brain on Jess Hurchist. You’re a smart motherfucker, Jess Hurchist!
Do you also know why they call a Quarter Pounder a “Royale with cheese” in France?
Let’s ignore Europe’s opinions even more and pull troops out of Bosnia and Kosovo. Then let’s get out of Germany. Then let’s really make them wail and shut down NATO.
>>Let’s ignore Europe’s opinions even more and
>>pull troops out of Bosnia and Kosovo. Then
>>let’s get out of Germany. Then let’s really
>>make them wail and shut down NATO.
Why? Because the Chimperor-in-Chief fucked up big-time in Iraq?
Christ, Lyin’ Mike, would you recommend disbanding the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines as well?
How long must we pay for Dumbya’s botched “presidency”? How long?
Why would I want to disband our military? I just want them to be put to better use. Why have them serving the interests of other countries? And of course Europe doesn’t approve of our military being used in other countries right?
>>Why would I want to disband our military?
To “make them wail”, I guess.
>>I just want them to be put to better use. Why
>>have them serving the interests of other
>>countries?
I don’t know. Why not ask the Chimperor-in-Chief. He’s the one who sends them off to fight and die for obscure reasons. Or do you think that fighting and dying for Cheney’s Secret Energy Cabal’s right to reap in billions at taxpayer expense is “better use” of our military?
#29, Mustard,
I agree with you. Unfortunately, you are having a battle of wits with an unarmed enemy. This is too ugly to watch. So before you get overly upset, look at the witless wonder you are sparring with and try to ignore him. You are way too much the better person then he.
The same can be said about that other raving “logical wonder”, so far absent today.