Bush's European Tour
Rachael Vorberg-Rugh
As your Oregonian abroad, I've been a pretty lax commentator lately, but I'm trying to mend my ways. This week I got my motivation back, in the form of a European visit by the Idiot Monkey President.
Despite the fact that I moved to Europe to avoid the bastard, this week Bush made good on his "you can run, but you can't hide" threats by showing up on this continent. Fortunately for me, he's staying out of England...I'm guessing Tony Blair doesn't want any "lapdog" commentary this close to the General Election, expected later this spring.
While Bush isn't visiting Britain this time around, it hasn't stopped the local press from weighing in. Forthwith, a roundup of UK press opinion, for your reading pleasure:
- Times (center-right): Hyperbole and hypocrisy will be the only results of Bush's European jaunt
- Daily Telegraph (right-wing): What's US policy on Europe? No giggling
- Guardian (left-wing): Will it be the usual blather? and Three reasons why the US and Europe won't make up
- Independent (er, just like the name): President Bush wakes up to reality of Europe
- Financial Times (the Brit Wall Street Journal, but on pink newsprint): US must see Europe as entity
- Sun (right-wing tabloid): Bush Euro peace mission
- Daily Mirror (left-wing tabloid): Bush taped admitting he smoked pot
What major gaffes will Bush make on his European jaunt? Given the above headline, will he pop over to Amsterdam for a little stress reduction? Stay tuned for full coverage!
And if you can read French or German (unlike me), check out the coverage at Le Monde and Der Zeit.
 |
More Recent Posts | |
Albert Kaufman |
|
Guest Column |
|
Kari Chisholm |
|
Kari Chisholm |
Final pre-census estimate: Oregon's getting a sixth congressional seat |
Albert Kaufman |
Polluted by Money - How corporate cash corrupted one of the greenest states in America |
Guest Column |
|
Albert Kaufman |
Our Democrat Representatives in Action - What's on your wish list? |
Kari Chisholm |
|
Guest Column |
|
Kari Chisholm |
|
connect with blueoregon
8:08 a.m.
Feb 21, '05
Bush's visit to Europe didn't even make the front page of Monday's Oregonian. The newspaper that doesn't think we'd like to know Europe's reaction to his visit there. Great newspaper roundup!
Feb 21, '05
It's Die Ziet, not Der Zeit.
So ignorant, you Americans...
12:37 p.m.
Feb 21, '05
Always did mess that up in German class...oops.
Feb 21, '05
I'm kidding of course, Rachel. Without a couple of rounds of editing I wouldn't hold someone responsible for grammatical or orthographical errors in their native language, let alone a foreign one.
I did want to suggest that I think a lot of European criticism of the U.S. is about as worthwhile as the snarky nonsense I posted. (Let me add that I'm not referring to any of the articles listed here).
Worthwhile article on the topic here:
http://www.hudsonreview.com/BawerSp04.html
12:46 a.m.
Feb 22, '05
Continuing coverage, from the Monday papers:
Guardian:
"When a French reporter asked Mr Bush whether relations had improved to the point where the US president could invite Mr Chirac to his ranch in Texas, Mr Bush joked: 'I'm looking for a good cowboy.'"
Independent: "Tonight [Monday], President Bush gives a dinner in honour of President Chirac. This will take place in Brussels at what will be the end of the first working day of the US President's visit to Europe. Put this together with the fact that two weeks ago, when the new Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, swung through Europe, she chose Paris as the place where she would give her most important speech. It hardly appears, then, that France's opposition to the invasion of Iraq has earned her lasting American disapproval. For guest lists, timetables and itineraries are all part of the language of diplomacy. What the Americans are saying to France by these gestures is - we can talk to Jacques as well as to Tony."
Telegraph:
"Mr [Javier] Solana [EU Foreign Policy Chief]...disputed the American view that the Iraq elections vindicated the decision to invade.
'Is this a vindication when you count how many billions of dollars have been spent, how many people have been killed, how many soldiers have died? It is a little too early to say.'
He said that Mr Bush and Condoleezza Rice, his new secretary of state, had made some conciliatory remarks but he had yet to see whether they meant anything.
...Mr Solana expressed grave doubts that the transatlantic partnership would be able to resolve the standoff with Iran over its nuclear ambitions."
And for those keeping track of the upcoming British election, new polling out today suggests it will be a tighter race than many were assuming:
Guardian:
"Labour's lead over the Conservatives has fallen to just three points, according to a new opinion poll.
The survey, published in The Guardian, puts Labour on 37% - down three points since a similar poll in December - and the Tories on 34% - up three over the same period. Liberal Democrats remained steady on 21%."