More For The Close-Minded To Peruse 
wheelslip
21 y
1,028
By Molly Ivins
Creators Syndicate
See if this doesn't make you wince: The Washington Post reported recently on how the Bush
administration's attempts to bully Turkey had backfired.
Courtesy of Josh Marshall's www.TalkingPointsMemo.com, I found this paragraph: "But one
senior U.S. official acknowledged that U.S. pressure in recent months has backfired, saying
that at one point Pentagon officials insinuated to Turkish politicians that they could get the
Turkish military to back the request for U.S. troop deployments in Turkey. 'It was stupid
stuff. These are proud people,' he said. 'Speaking loudly and carrying a big stick wins you
tactical victories from time to time, but not a strategic victory.'"
Marshall explains: "The backdrop here is that the military pushed out an Islamist
government only a few years back. Going over the civilians' heads to the Turkish General
Staff would inevitably raise the specter of a repeat of those events."
Think about it. We're supposedly fighting a war to bring democracy to Iraq, and we threaten
one of our strongest democratic allies with a potential military coup? Is this nuts, or what?
A decent respect for the opinions of mankind seems to have escaped many of us lately. A
pop-eyed reporter on Fox News, assigned to watch the war on Arab television, said: "They
are reporting it completely differently. They are reporting this as an unprovoked war of
aggression to gain control of the Iraqi oilfields and dominate the Middle East."
Just like when Iraq invaded Kuwait, and we headed a worldwide coalition to repeal that
invasion.
Gee, I wonder where people in that region could have gotten the impression that we don't
give a rat's behind about democracy?
Marshall also reports the head of the Turkish General Staff (a pro-American outfit), Gen.
Hilmi Ozkok, saying: "I have difficulty understanding those who claim there is a threat to
them across the ocean. And when Turkey says the same threat exists on the other side of our
border, this is found to be unbelievable."
From reading newspapers in French and Spanish, as well as round-ups of opinion from other
countries, I would have to say that we are not winning the battle for hearts and minds around
the world, and we'd better be prepared to deal with that when this is over.
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- Ummm... John Cullison
21 y
992
This is a reply to # 451,466the hallmark of the closed-minded is that they won't peruse, they won't follow-up, they won't explore. They simply reject.
Just post for those of us who aren't closed-minded, and you'll probably gain more satisfaction from your acts. I appreciate all the cross-posting here.
=-John-=
- Re: Ummm... stofurz
21 y
1,135
This is a reply to # 451,470Advertisement
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”This program is probably one of the best on the market, especially for the price.”
From Dennis Miller's appearance on the April 3rd Tonight Show:
-- Pride in conduct of the war:
"I cannot tell you how proud watching that war coverage makes me. I know a lot of people are saying that they think that it's, that you know what we're doing is imperialistic. I watch the way we handle ourselves over there and I've never felt more patriotic in my life."
-- Denouncing anti-war protesters, Miller described how he puts them into four categories, the second one made up of those who call everyone but Hussein a Hitler:
"The second type you have at these parades seems to be the people who want to mislabel Hitler. Everybody in the world is Hitler. Bush is Hitler, Ashcroft is Hitler, Rumsfeld is Hitler. The only guy who isn't Hitler is the foreign guy with a mustache dropping people who disagree with him into the wood chipper. He's not Hitler."
-- On the Dixie Chicks:
"Surprisingly, making fun of the President on foreign land in a time of war doesn't seem to play with the NASCAR crowd!"
-- On Peter Arnett:
"How am I supposed to trust the honesty of a reporter that has that bad of a comb-over on top of his head? He's got four hairs left and he's swirling them around...This guy is dangerously close to pulling hair over from another guy's head. Hey guess what Pete? We know you're bald, okay? The outside of your skull is as empty as the inside."
-- On Michael Moore:
"Michael Moore simultaneously represents everything I detest in a human being and everything I feel obligated to defend in an American. Quite simply, it is that stupid moron's right to be that utterly, completely wrong."
-- On justification for the war:
"It is stupid for anybody in the world to say they're for war. But I am for this war because, you know, we've got to protect ourselves now. And we've got to remind the world that there is a point that we will not be pushed past before the [bleep]hammer comes down..."
"The simple fact is, you've got to view this war like we've been on a long family car ride. Bush is the father and he's been screaming [gestures with arm as if a driver scolding kids in back seat] 'don't make me come back there!' for around 200 miles now and it just reached the point where we had to pull the car over and the bad kid is going to get the spanking of his life."
-- Praising the troops:
"God knows that we've got things we've got to perfect in this country. But there's enough people downplaying it right now. I want to go so far against that. I want to thank the President. I want to thank the troops and say God bless you for doing the tough job which allows us to sit here and do the easy jobs, like be on the Tonight Show."
Source: MRC CyberAlert
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- Re: Ummm... wheelslip
21 y
1,042
This is a reply to # 451,490Dennis Miller... For Gods' sake. Wasn't he the jerk who couldn't
keep the snot-nosed knuckle draggers watching the NFL? He had to
find employment somewhere, so he started backing the countrys'
biggest looser, publicly. It's obvious you're not well-read, but
Dennis Miller....???- Re: Ummm... Lapis
21 y
1,117
This is a reply to # 451,500If your prez had a brain I would love to - kinda - believe you. But he doesn't, so...
BUSH QUOTES
10) "I think if you know what you believe, it makes it a lot easier to answer questions. I can't answer your question."
October 4, 2000, George W. Bush
(Now that's honesty!.)
9) "The most important job is not to be governor, or first lady in my case."
January 30, 2000, George W. Bush
(George W. obviously has plans he is not telling us!)
8) "They want the federal government controlling Social Security like it's some kind of federal program."
November 2, 2000, George W. Bush
7) "Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?"
January 11, 2000, George W. Bush
(Most people's grammar is simply too good to ask that question.)
6) "The legislature's job is to write law. It's the executive branch's job to interpret law."
November 22, 2000, George W. Bush
(Talk about an efficient government, George W. has eliminated the duties of the appellate court in a single speech.)
5) "The government is not the surplus's money."
November 5, 2000, George W. Bush
(Obviously, English is not the president's language.)
4) "I am a person who recognizes the fallacy of humans."
September 19, 2000, George W. Bush
(And, just when I thought I was real.)
3) "I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family."
January 27, 2000, George W. Bush
(Specially, when they won't stand still...)
2) "Our priorities is our faith."
October 10, 2000, George W. Bush
(Obviously, grammar is not.)
1) "I mean, there needs to be a wholesale effort against racial profiling, which is illiterate children."
October 11, 2000, George W. Bush
(George W. is the first president to recognize the connection between racial profiling and the ability to read)
P.S. - Bush in 2004 will be in jail. With all his junta.
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”This program is probably one of the best on the market, especially for the price.”
- Re: Ummm... Lapis
21 y
1,117
- Re: Ummm... wheelslip
21 y
1,042
- Re: Ummm... stofurz
21 y
1,135
- Ummm... John Cullison
21 y
992
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