Blah Blah Flowers

I'm interested in this report from the New York Times that Conservative parents in Houston don't want President Obama to give a speech at their children's school, not so much for that , I tend to think these kind of nuts have always existed and that, possibly goosed by Karl Rove during the Shrubya years, mainstream media will quite happily give vastly disproportionate mention to Conservative craziness to fill column space (have the Birthers gone away yet?). But what caught my eye was this:

"The thing that concerned me most about it was it seemed like a direct channel from the president of the United States into the classroom, to my child," said Brett Curtiss, an engineer from Pearland, Tex., who said he would keep his three children home.

"I don’t want our schools turned over to some socialist movement."

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't this fear of infection a purely right-wing thing? Left-wingers will barrack or ignore or walk out on someone they disagree with, I can see opponents of Shrubya pulling their kids because they don't want them used in a poster moment for the war, or because they don't believe Shrubya won the election in 2000 or so on, but I don't think we've ever heard them say "Little Britney went to hear George W. Bush and now she believes that God is telling her to invade next door to liberate their puppy and toys".

So is this exactly the same impulse which one's political culture educates them to react in a specific way? I'm not saying that everyone who is a Conservative reacts like this and all left-wingers behave the opposite, I'm talking about what might just be small groups on either side and I'm probably trying to speak of groups too small to really statistically matter.

Labels: Barack Obama, Conservatives, George 'Shrubya' Bush, lefties, United States

HE MADE IT.

The pictures on the telly this morning are amazing, street parties in Washington, Jesse Jackson with tears in his eyes, the new First Family standing on stage.

Cynicism glands are already starting to do their stuff so I've probably got about another thirty minutes before I remember how fucked the United States is and how Barack Obama is probably going to be spending the bulk if not all of his Presidency sorting out the absolute mess that the Republicans have made of the country in the last fifteen years.

One of the most striking differences between the United Statesian and British modes of politics is that when failure encourages a party to head out to it's extreme that impulse doesn't tend to achieve much in Britain whereas it reaps dividends in America. William Hague, Iain Duncan-Smith and Michael Howard all proposed going further and further to the Right after the Tories were ejected from power in '97 and it didn't do them much good, David Cameron has swung left and it's working, though it's equally that people are sick of the party in charge. But in the United States, ALL the Republicans who were standing to be their candidates were various degrees of batshit insane.

What has been depressing over the last week is that people have been even talking about Sarah Palin standing in 2012. Really? It's the Religious thing that I don't think secular people can understand, but the misadventures of Shrubya in office I would have hoped would have taught the Religious Right that God doesn't help you make up for an incuriosity about the world around you and an ignorance of how things work. If the Republicans had any sense they'd try to find a member of their party who actually knows what a conservative is and has conservative values rather than looking for a holy fool so devout they have stigmata. Leave them for the Catholics.

But yeah, good news last night. The United States can finally stop being embarrassed on the world stage (think of that Simpsons episode where Bart and Lisa strain their neck muscles because they've never had to hold their heads high before with respect for their father) and rededicate itself to actually trying to help make the world a better place again.

Labels: American Presidency, Barack Obama, Fundamentalists- Christian, George 'Shrubya' Bush

A huge Pentagon study finds no link between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda. Despite the fact the American military have trashed the place, Saddam is dead and the report's existence wasn't exactly going to be sung from the rooftops, Shrubya is stopping it from being generally released, presumably in the hope that if it isn't published, it isn't true. Send an SAE to the Pentagon and they'll send you the report on a CD.

Labels: George 'Shrubya' Bush, Iraq, The War Against Terror, United States

A cynic might suggest that The Bush Tragedy: The Unmaking of a President by Jacob Weisberg is a book designed to appeal to me the most. An attack on George W. Bush from the left, it uses the two common views of him, as an empty cypher for the villanous policies of Cheney, Rove et al, or are the bloodiest mass-murderer in American history. Anyone following the Great British pantomime at the Royal Courts of Justice will be aware that it seems increasingly difficult in the modern age to define objective facts about people any more and, given that the Bush family obviously didn't help with the book and are not given to public introspection anyway, it would be fair to point out that all of Weisberg's suppositions are based on his reading of history. That said, it's a thrilling reading of the story, casting Shrubya as a largely empty vessel who has defined his adult life by trying to surpass his father by doing the same as him in the hopes of doing better, hence his laughable business career followed by the transition to politics. Weisberg points to mistakes in his father's era in the Presidency that could be argued to inform how the son became Texas Governor and then President.

Weisberg reserves most ire for Cheney and Rove, the former a Machiavelli who knows exactly how to push Bush's buttons to get him to do what Cheney wants while the latter worships Bush to such an extent that he's willing to dismantle the American Constitution on his behalf.

I did enjoy zipping through The Bush Tragedy but I expect that one's appreciation of the book will depend on how strongly one believes the central premise about the key players before they even pick the thing up.

Labels: American Presidency, books, George 'Shrubya' Bush, The War Against Terror, United States

After Shrubya's latest crass attempt to justify torture by invoking the 7th July London bombings one of the people caught up in that,
Rachel from north London responds.

Labels: George 'Shrubya' Bush, terrorism, The War Against Terror, torture

Bush's Last Day. Although, seeing some of the candidates up for the Republican nomination this time round this might turn into a mourning rather than celebratory experience.

Labels: American Presidency, George 'Shrubya' Bush

Bush More Emphatic In Backing Musharraf. He Says Leader 'Believes in Democracy'.

Well, Bush and Musharraf have things in common, they've both stolen elections for example, but only Musharraf has been in the military.

I do love the way the Post reports it though.

President Bush yesterday offered his strongest support of embattled Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, saying the general "hasn't crossed the line" and "truly is somebody who believes in democracy." Bush spoke nearly three weeks after Musharraf declared emergency rule, sacked members of the Supreme Court and began a roundup of journalists, lawyers and human rights activists.

Labels: George 'Shrubya' Bush, Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, United States

Ten years ago, Shrubya thought invading Iraq was a terrible idea. Even a stopped clock tells the right time twice a day. [via The Huffington Post]

Labels: George 'Shrubya' Bush, Iraq, The War Against Terror

From the 'parodying something we were talking about ten minutes ago' desk, after this we, somewhat inevitably, have this:

Labels: George 'Shrubya' Bush, humour, Iraq, The War Against Terror, United States, YouTube

One of those things that Patrick will dismiss...

Labels: 11/09/01, climate change, George 'Shrubya' Bush, Iraq, journalists, The War Against Terror, United States, YouTube

In a move that supporters say shows sensitivity and compassion, President Bush today commuted the sentence of the planet Pluto, which was demoted to a "dwarf planet" by the International Astronomical Union in August of 2006.
[via Science Blogs]

Labels: George 'Shrubya' Bush, humour, planets, science, space

I can persuade George Bush on climate change says Blair. Yes, because Shrubya obviously holds you in high regard and is amenable to persuasion. If Bush has changed his mind it'll be because he wants to do it, not because of you 'Yo' Blair.

PC brigade ban pin-ups on RAF jets - in case they offend women and Muslims. Cue usual catcalls of 'it's political correctness gone mad', 'how do I apply to leave this country', 'I'm a woman and I don't find this offensive therefore my opinion can be taken to count for all women and Muslims in the UK' and so on. Sadly my suggestion that these pictures get banned not because they are offensive but because they are tacky and have we suddenly started employing fourteen year olds to fly planes who feel a desperate need to plaster the softest of soft-core pron over their aircraft has not made it past the Daily Mail censors. Not that, surely, is political incorrectness gone maaaaaad?

Labels: climate change, Daily Mail, George 'Shrubya' Bush, The War Against Terror, Tony Blair

Labels: comedians, George 'Shrubya' Bush, humour, iPods, Iran, Iraq, YouTube

Tony Blair continues to insist that the US-UK 'special relationship' exists and is a two-way street. No-one is found to agree with him. Until this year the special relationship has always been that we are nice to the Americans because we owe them money for helping our economy survive after the Second World War. We've always had to act nice in case they call in the remaining money of the loans in one go. If you think you have a special relationship with the bank manager, just try defaulting on paying him and see how far it goes.

But now that's done with. If Blair had any sense he'd make an announcement on how we've finished paying back the money so now more money can be spent on hospitals, schools, ASBOs, muzzles for dangerous children. They don't seem to want that though. So where is the money going? The lawyers fees for the Cash for Peerages row?

Labels: George 'Shrubya' Bush, Government, Tony Blair, United States

Talking Points Memo seem inclined to believe that Bush is going to Wag The Dog -esque lengths to improve his standing at home by opening a third front in The War Against Terror and is ready to invade Iran. If the United States government won't support an unpopular war that Bush hastily reported as over a few years ago, will they rush back to support him in another war that has the advantage of being new? After fucking it up the first two times I suppose Shrubya is desperately hoping the third time is the charm.

War!

Labels: George 'Shrubya' Bush, Iran, The War Against Terror

Although the UK abolished the death penalty ages ago we said nothing when Saddam Hussein was hung because it was an internal matter of the country that we occupy and shoot the inhabitants of daily. Now we stop international attempts to encourage countries to abolish the death penalty for fear it will annoy the Hang 'em High President of the United States. Like I'm sure Bush would really be upset if Libya abolished the death penalty or worries about what the European Union's opinion on the matter is.

Labels: death penalty, George 'Shrubya' Bush, Iraq, United States

It's a depressing morning for news... The Anglicans join the Catholics in defending their right to prejudice over possible gay adoptions, it's nice to know that queers can enable the various wings of Christendom come together (though it's all that Cherie Blair's fault), it's supervillain team-up week in Tehran as North Korea is supposedly helping Iran develop nuclear weapons, there's a good article in the Guardian from Zoe Williams on the return of the idea of female chastity while the Daily Mail prefers to ask why can't we go back to the days when we blamed women for everything, as though we'd left them behind. And Shrubya tries to find things to feel good about in the United States. And then I look out the window...


(though of course, this means the tube trains will be messed up because with only over a century of operating experience they won't be prepared for what to do in cold weather...)

Labels: adoption, Christianity, gay, gay adoption, George 'Shrubya' Bush, Iran, lesbian, North Korea, snow, United States, weather, women

I was going to talk about my bowels but sadly I don't have time right now. We shall return to this at some point in the future. I'm sure you're keen for that.

Now Shrubya seems to be all confused that things aren't going his way. Firstly the media isn't playing along with his game any more (and I know Patrick will pop up and claim that the American media always hated Shrubya and has always tried to screw up his devious plans for eeeeevil but I'm going to ignore that, he doesn't know how supine the American media is compared to the UK media) and is calling a spade a civil war, and now Congress isn't allowing him to have someone who doesn't believe in the right of the UN to exist as the US ambassador to the UN. And he really doesn't know what to do. People are disagreeing with him and now have the power to do something about it! Oh noooooooes! He clearly doesn't know what to do, "I am deeply disappointed that a handful of United States Senators prevented Ambassador Bolton from receiving the up or down vote he deserved in the Senate,". Of course, he's not had to worry about people having differing opinions to him over the last six years. Welcome back to reality Mr President!

Labels: George 'Shrubya' Bush, United Nations

A picture paints a thousand words. All of them reading "Rumsfeld is more gone than Vader". No-one is actually passing this information on to the Duke of Denial of course. I believe for the rest of Shrubya's term the defense portfolio will be handled by Pestilence as he's been seriously underperforming turning Chicken Flu into a global pandemic. Shrubya will be none the wiser as he understands nothing unless it comes through the medium of sock-puppets.

Labels: George 'Shrubya' Bush, The War Against Terror, United States

Any Republicans reading may be reassured that Death of a President is neither sensational nor, frankly, that good. Filmed in the documentary style, it's a story set a few years down the line, George W. Bush is shot and killed, Dick Cheney becomes President and the FBI try to find who did it, a task slightly hampered by the fact that during the day had been one of the biggest anti-war/anti-Bush demonstrations in years.

The biggest problem is that the focus of the 'documentary' is all wrong. If someone like an American President is killed that's going to have a transformative effect on American society and the way it interacts with the outside world. For someone like Bush, who has done so much to drag down the outside world's opinion of his country whilst simultaneously pumping up the US's feelings of injured aggrievance, that's going to be multiplied. Therefore, a fake history story needs to look at the wider scale, not at a bunch of fictional people talking about the FBI investigating. DoaP mentions in an off-hand manner how President Cheney brings in the Patriot Act III to further restrict the freedoms of Americans and allow the authorities to further invade their privacy, we get no discussion of this and instead it proves to be useful to the FBI to help them find the guy they decide to convict with the killing. Similarly, a Muslim character fairly early on says something along the lines of "When I heard this has happened my first thought was: 'I hope it's not a Muslim that did this'." No mention is made on how Bush's death impacts on 'the War on Terror'. Does it allow the US to blame and invade another Islamic country? Does it allow President Cheney to withdraw from the conflicts the US is currently fighting? We don't find out.

The most satisfying part of the film is the pre-assassination sequence. The first fifteen/twenty minutes have people talking about a Presidential visit to Chicago, anti-war demonstrations that surprise the police with their ferocity, Bush's speechwriter and bodyguard sharing their perspectives of the day. After the bang (and here the drama departs from reality as, if it were really a Channel 4 documentary we'd get endless replays of the moment with a computer-enhanced view of the bullet burying itself in Bush's gut), which is not clearly shown on screen anyway, and the actors start trying to fight down their tears it all becomes a bit like pantomime.

Graphically the program looks good. There have been a few sniffs here and there about the quality of the audio and visual insertions but, apart from altering Cheney's address at Ronald Reagan's funeral to now be about George W. Bush, any others didn't stand out to me as obviously fake. The key scene where Bush is shot and the scene descends in to chaos, I couldn't be sure what exactly was real and what was faked. Despite what I said above the actors all play their parts well, such as they are. There is a certain naturalism to this, trying to act how we think real people would act, not how people in drama react.

In the end this is a fairly pedestrian piece that shouldn't be judged on Channel 4's pre-presentation hyperbole. It certainly shouldn't give any problems except to those who have difficulty distinguishing between fiction and reality. I suppose that's why conservatives have been complaining about it.

Labels: Channel 4, George 'Shrubya' Bush, Television, United States