Bush's Backing of Rumsfeld Shocks and Angers Arabs

[MrBadExample]

Story http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=578&e=3&u=/nm/20040510/ts_nm/iraq_abuse_rumsfeld_reaction_dc">here.

DUBAI (Reuters) - Arab commentators reacted with shock and disbelief on Monday over President Bush (news - web sites)'s robust backing of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld against calls for his resignation.

Critics had called for him to quit after the furor over the abuse of Iraqi prisoners but analysts, editors and ordinary Arabs were united in their condemnation of Bush who said the United States owed Rumsfeld a "debt of gratitude."

"After the torture and vile acts by the American army, President Bush goes out and congratulates Rumsfeld. It's just incredible. I am in total shock," said Omar Belhouchet, editor of the influential Algerian national daily El Watan.

"Bush's praise for Rumsfeld will discredit the United States...and further damage its reputation, which is already at a historic low in the Arab world," he added.

[Failure]

1. no shit. good post, thanks. nt

[Dudley_DUright]

2. Shock and Awe II - The sequel

I guess they still don't hate us enough yet.

[Just Me]

3. Clearly, Bush doesn't give a rat's crap,...

,...about how anyone but his "base" of extemists perceive him, right or wrong.

It's a damn shame. Well, it's worse than that,...it's much worse than merely shameful.

:argh:

[tom_paine]

4. I have no doubt it has shocked the World

It hasn't shocked us, though. We know how Nazis behave and we know that the Busheviks are "kinder and gentler" Nazis.

[Just Me]

25. These are the same "Busheviks" that nazified Vietnamese.

They are just more polished at trickery.

[tom_paine]

26. Yes, they have learned quite a lot through failed depradations

Watergate, October Surprise, Iran-Contra, etc.

Every time they learned more about how not to get caught, who to initimidate to insure it. Who they can kill without reprisal, how to saboitage and parasitize the media, and so much more.

Yes, all their past Treasons have prepared them for this, their Penultimate Maneuver.

May God Help the World if they are allowed to attempt their Final and Ultimate maneuver, whatever that might be.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

31. Crowning jewel.

Media.


The lesson learned this time: 70% isn't enough.

[Just Me]

36. Instead of regret in murdering millions of Vietnamese,...

,...they, in Hitler-style, have moved their target of destruction. What really blows my freakin mind is that, they actually use the Hitler horror to justify their own Hitler-like imperialism. It's f*cking appalling how these operators manipulate everything!!!

Which is why I hate them. I can't help myself. I just hate them.

[snippy]

39. Don't be hard on yourself. Anyone who loves their country hates Bush.

The most telling thing about this is that it is true no matter what country in the world someone is from. Americans who love America hate Bush. Swiss who love Switzerland hate Bush. Thais who love Thailand hate Bush. Peruvians who love Peru hate Bush. The country does not matter. It is a remarkable feat for Bush to have become the most hated man in human history.

[Bog Frog]

5. Not to mention other decent thoughtful people the world over.

What a bunch of assholes.

[Richardo]

6. Bush is in an untenable position...play to base; mollify Muslims

He can't do both and you know which one he'll pick every single time.

[BeyondGeography]

7. Tone deaf, like all of his supporters

The whole country will officially be judged tone deaf by the world if we re-elect this imposter.

[gate of the sun]

8. a big Fuck you

to the Arab world.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

9. It's just incredible. I am in total shock," said Omar

Omar, we know. It's been a long 4 years.

[crossroads]

46. We in the US are shocked too!!!

Is this a bad dream? Did the buck stop at the Pentagon or what?
:crazy:

[Bonhomme Richard]

10. I wish that dumb fuck would just................

keep his mouth shut. Every time he opens it he gives an Iraqi another reason to shoot at one of our soldiers.
He just doesn't give a shit.
God he pisses me off.

[gonefishing]

11. A cant believe the media is buying rummies story.

He saw the report in Jan but it wasn't until he saw the picture that he knew it was really bad. Can't this idiot read. When he read about woman and children being rapped I guess it didn't seem that bad. It was only after he saw naked men did he realize how bad it really was. Give me a F&^%ing break. Why does the public buy this shit?

[DoYouEverWonder]

20. Rummie toured Abu Ghraib in Sept. 2003

He didn't need friggin pictures to know what the hell was going on. I bet he even sat in for a few sessions, just for fun.

The Wolfman also visited Abu Ghraib around the same time.

Both of them had already recieved reports about the mistreatment of the Iraqi prisoners. Both knew and approved of the conditions there.

[cosmicone]

45. Excellent point

They MUST have known and were thinking it would all just go away.

[Tinoire]

12. Watch your money guys... Alot of money could be suddenly YANKED out

of the US stock market.

[tedzbear]

43. Or an oil embargo could be in the cards...

Saudi Arabia may have no choice but to satisfy their Sunni citizens by showing some spine.

Hello $5.00 a gallon gas.

:nuke:

[nadinbrzezinski]

13. When you are in a hole

get a backhoe...

Junior's school of diplomacy

[Westegg]

14. I gotta ask the obvious: Which Arab commentators liked Rumsfeld BEFORE

[yardwork]

17. BushCo has (had?) a lot of support in the Arab world.....

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt - you know, all the countries of origin for the terrorists who did 9/11. The dictators who run these countries were pleased as punch that BushCo took out Saddam. He was a danger to them.

Now we've gone too far, though. The dictators in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, etc. can't spin fast enough to explain these photos to the people on the street.

[ze_dscherman]

32. Please exempt Turkey

The Turks ELECTED their leaders. They strive hard for democracy, and actively opposed war. They even defeated their strong military and did not let the U.S. use Turkey for the "Northern Front".

[hatrack]

15. Gee, ya think?

Bush to 1.3 billion Muslims - FUCK YOU.

Now THAT'S diplomacy!!

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

16. That's exactly why I say keep rummy! eom

[DrWeird]

18. "Americans owe (Rumsfeld) a debt of gratitude"

- George W. Bush, 5/10/04

[PartyPooper]

21. Americans owe Rumsfeld a trip to the Hague!

[aquart]

35. I'm sure we'd all pitch in for the ticket.

And the leg irons.

[pinto]

19. The Admin's made a calculated decision. World opinion, especially

Arab states opinions, have no standing. Shit, they have operated with as much regard for the now 62% of their own country who oppose or disagree with their policies. It just does not matter to them...

[lagniappe]

22. As usual, you people don't see the big picture.

*begin freeper high pitched howl mode*

This is really an issue of jobs. Just think of how many jobs were created by Bush and Co.

1. Dog leash manufacturers. Because dog leashes are used in interrogations, that means a job for someone in the dog leash industry.

2. Medical supplies. When you beat the snot out of someone, who does the hospital turn to for supplies. That's right - American companies.

3. Transportation. When you need to get rid of a dead body, you need to a). acquire a truck b). fill it up with gas. Halliburton provides both of these services.

4. Digital Cameras. When you need to take pictures of a person in agony, that means jobs for people in the digital camera industry. Yes, most cameras are made in Japan, but they are allies in the war against arabs.

5. Laundry services. Got blood on your uniform. Well, someone needs to clean that.

Am I missing anything else.

Quit looking at the glass half empty.

*end freeper howl mode*

[Zhade]

29. Man, you even captured their typical bad grammar and lack of punctuation!

I wish I understood why freepers never end a question with a question mark. Is it just that they're uneducated, or is it that they're born stupid and they're uneducated?

[Just Me]

It's intentional: taking a rhetorical question and making it fact.

Almost all especially wiley criminals do that. It is a talent attached to the criminally-minded or insane.

[smallprint]

33. LOL!!! Don't forget the burlap industry

Somebody has got to make all those hoods.

[David__77]

23. It's a message to everyone in the world--prepare to get raped.

I imagine that people's illusions will fall away.

[JoFerret]

24. Bush regard for Arab sensibilites

[killbotfactory]

27. Did anyone expect anything less?

I didn't.

[Miss Authoritiva]

28. A pregnant three-legged hippopotamus dancing.

For this occasion, Bush needed to be Fred Astaire, in diplomatic terms. Instead, we got a pregnant, three-legged hippopotamus dancing. Thud.

[ze_dscherman]

30. Someone was quicker than me

JoFerret already posted the Steve Bell picture.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/cartoons/stevebell/0,7371,1210724,00.html

[Old and In the Way]

34. More proof that Bush is incapable of leading.

Who's in charge George? Cheney, Rumsfield?

If he had canned Rumsfield, I think he would have have scored a lot more points with the media and his base. This just amplifies the fact that there is no accountability in this administration. Istead, he looks weak and unable to take decisive action to rectify the criminal actions in the prison. He'll let a few low level soldiers take the fall while the architects get off scott free. Another example of the lack of leadership from the WH.

[DU GrovelBot]

37. ## Support Democratic Underground! ##

==================
GROVELBOT.EXE v2.0
==================
 
The time now is 8:00:28PM EDT, Monday, May 10, 2004.
 
There are exactly...
6 days,
3 hours,
59 minutes, and
32 seconds left in our fund drive.
 
This website could not survive without your generosity. Member donations 
pay for more than 84% of the Democratic Underground budget. Don't let
GrovelBot become the next victim of the Bush economy. Bzzzt.
 
Please take a moment to donate to DU right now. Thank you for your support.
 
- An automated message from the DU GrovelBot

Click here to donate.

[Just Me]

38. It may not be as much as I would contribute, if I could,...

,...but, my check will be in the mail tomorrow.

I LOVE DU!!!!!

:loveya:

[roguevalley]

40. it doesn't do me any good either. :(

[nonconformist]

41. There he goes, being a uniter again.... nt

[BeHereNow]

42. We are being set up.

-Release of the photos by a previously compliant media.
who refused to report ANYTHING.
-BLATANT mismanagement of the world response to those pictures.
-President goes on Television and basically spits at evryone today.
Gee, what could happen next?
Oh, how about another attack, maybe something even splashier
than the LIHOP?
They are trying their best to MIHOP now.
Outrage the Arab and Muslim world, stage another attack,
blame it on the people who hate our "freedoms,"
Blame it on the media for recklessly publishing the pictures,
"punish" the media and insist on TOTAL censorship in the
interest of national security- freeze the banks, cancel the
elections and voila! The PNAC Empire is irreversibly entrenched
forever and ever.
Just thinkin' out loud...cause something aint right here.
Can't put my finger on it, but something aint right-
They are trying a little too hard to escalate the situation
if you ask me, seems a little too deliberate.
VERY Ledeen, however.
BHN

[tedzbear]

44. Bush is just asking for it (on purpose).

He hopes if he incites the Arabs enough they will do another big terrorist attack on the U.S. and make him popular with his electorate again.

He is hoping for another pile of powdered concrete to climb to the top of with a bull horn. He knows it will make an excellent photo op.

:mad:

[BeHereNow]

It SURE looks that way, doesn't it?

We know they want to implement a dictatorship
here, they have all the legislation ready to go-
Patriot acts one and two- a design for total fascism
all ready to go.
All they need is another catastrophe, and if ever
there was a set up for one, it is the way they
are handling this situation.
BHN

[BeHereNow]

47. Dupe

nt

[Steven_S]

48. A thought I had just today...

I don't have many original thoughts, but this one came to mind:

"Damn, Smirk, you TRYING to get us attacked?"

[BeHereNow]

49. One could certainly wonder...

In my darker moments, I wonder if they already
know of a planned attack,( as they did on 911)
and rather than take the blame for their woeful inability or
inclination to protect us, they are setting the stage
for the media to take the fall.
As in, "SEE, SEE what the reckless release of these photos
has wrought on us? We must now censor ALL news!
We can't proceed with elections as planned, and the border
are closed and all assets freezed."
I put nothing past them.
Especailly after this morning-Bush basically said,
"Bring it on" again.
BHN

[cliss]

50. They're not the only ones who are shocked.

Count me among that group. My brain simply refused to register what I read on Yahoo news this morning. First the creep goes in and looks at the torture photos, and then he proceeds to praise Rumsfeld in front of the world.

I've got a brain freeze.