Maclean's Cover Featuring Bush as Saddam Causing Flap in U.S.

[Hissyspit]

Source: The Canadian Press

Maclean's cover featuring Bush dressed as Saddam causing flap in U.S.

WASHINGTON - The latest cover of Maclean's magazine featuring President George W. Bush dressed as Saddam Hussein is provoking a flap south of the border. ABC News, in a web article Friday, notes that bloggers on the left and right have been having a field day debating the merits of depicting Bush as Saddam, complete with a moustache, beret and military attire.

Newsbusters, a U.S.-based conservative blog, took aim at the article by writer Patrick Graham that says Bush is "reaching out to the late dictator's henchmen."

- snip -

Others were unimpressed with the cover, including Scotty Greenwood, executive director of the Canadian American Business Council. "I think it's distasteful and offensive," she said. "Even liberal Democrats will find it offensive," she predicted.

Suneel Khanna, communications director for Maclean's, told ABC the magazine hasn't had any complaints from its 10,000 American subscribers.

Read more: http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5gpBU7BEXTTOTIzp1V1IaBxdEgP5w

[aquart]

1. NOW can we call Bush the Butcher of Baghdad?

[ClayZ]

4. Yes!

[leftchick]

32. Bush the Butcher of Baghdad!!!!

no truer words

:)

[Igel]

68. I thought he was the "butcher of Washington".

At least that was the going epithet in early 2006.

[saigon68]

87. HE IS THE CHIMPANZEE OF Baghdad

[saigon68]

88. The Chimp and Puppet Betrayus

[grytpype]

41. I prefer the Botcher of Baghdad

[Lisa]

59. Perfect!

I'm going to start using that. Let's see how the Nicknamer likes it when people start assigning HIM unflattering titles.

[Phrogman]

61. The Beevis of Baghdad!

eom

[aquart]

62. Sanitized....but NICE.

Recalls "butcher" without ever saying it and brings up the monumental incompetence no one ever accused Saddam of.

I like it. Congress would never censure it though. Well, maybe.

Still, I could happily wear such a button.

[Canuckistanian]

45. Don't see why not

He's probably surpassed Saddam's record of killed Baghdadis.

[bluestateguy]

2. I wonder when the Senate Democrats will be expected to "condemn" this latest spectacle

Just before Pink Tutu Harry Reid can ready another resolution.

[Solly Mack]

6. Sadly..they probably will have another "sense" of the Senate

not much sense there though

[Honeycombe8]

83. Whenever the Repubs tell them to? nt

[ClayZ]

3. Bwhahahha! Let them have a fit and fall in it!

K and R

[Solly Mack]

5. Who cares what they think? Let'em whine.

[Crunchy Frog]

7. Well, I guess the Senate better pass another resolution.

:spray:

[Hissyspit]

8. Owl's are the devil's pet??

Is that some kind of Harry Potter protest?

LOL

[DeSwiss]

10. Actually it was before Harry, its Sumerian....

Gilgamesh Prologue With Lilith
Then the Zu-bird flew into the mountains
with its young,
while Lilith, petrified with fear,
tore down her house and fled into the wilderness

Then later the Israelites took her on:

Isaiah 34:14-15
14 The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest.
15 There shall the great owl make her nest, and lay, and hatch, and gather under her shadow: there shall the vultures also be gathered, every one with her mate.

Lillith. The succubus. The one Adam couldn't subdue.

[Hissyspit]

13. Ah, gotcha. Just needed a little context. n/t

[DeSwiss]

9. Hmmm....

"Others were unimpressed with the cover, including Scotty Greenwood, executive director of the Canadian American Business Council. "I think it's distasteful and offensive," she said. "Even liberal Democrats will find it offensive," she predicted."

Well, this liberal Democrat for one, finds it not so much "distasteful and offensive," as he does "accurate" and "dead-on."

- But that's just me.....

K&R

[Hissyspit]

11. "I will find Scotty Greenwood offensive," Hissyspit predicted.

[JBoy]

58. "Scotty Greenwood"

bio here: http://www.mckennalong.com/people-441.html

Former Chief of Staff of the US Embassy in Canada, appointed by Clinton.

Sadly, she appears to be a Democrat - former Executive Director of the Democratic Party of Georgia (appointed by Zell Miller, which maybe explains a lot). Interesting - both "Scotty" and Zell work at the same law firm, McKenna Long & Aldridge.

[Amonester]

60. No, that's not just you...

I find it accurate and dead-on too.



I find it so accurate and dead-on that I can't stop from spreading it around like it's true (even "modified" a little).

After all, Hussein's Republican Guards were only shooting civilians when they dared to look at his palaces... Bush's Blackwater Inc. mercenaries R shooting civilians whenever they feel like it, so what should Iraqi civilians do to make sure they won't be shot with Bush as their new butcher? They can't have even just a small indication about how to make sure they won't get shot at witn him.

[krkaufman]

73. Well, it's not that accurate or dead-on if the cover image is manipulated.

The cover, like the MoveOn.org ad, is a bold, controversial image intended to bring attention to a particular point, not to imply broad equivalence. It may be unfortunate for Macleans' that their choice of eye-catching imagery may, like with the MoveOn.org ad, take the focus away from the content of their article. (The discussion will be about the image, and not the article.)

[llmart]

65. Me too.

[Vidar]

12. Kudos to the folks at Maclean. The difference between Bush and

Saddam is that Saddam actually did a few things right, despite his many flaws & atrocities. Saddam was a strong, effective leader in a region where that it necessary. Bush is weak & ineffectual, substituting arrogance for strength, and sliding by because of of America's military & economic importance to the world. In any third world scenario, Bush would have defeated or assassinated long ago.

I know it's only fantasy, but I hope they have saved Saddam's gallows for that moment when Bush has finally been convicted and condemned for his crimes.

[soothsayer]

21. As I recall, they even wore the same shoes! (not kidding)

[Vidar]

55. I may be slow, but I don't understand. Please explain.

[martymar64]

23. At least under Saddam, they had electricity and clean water

AND NO CHOLERA EPIDEMIC OR DAILY CAR BOMBS AND MASSACRES!!!!

[MaineDem]

26. You're right

I can't get over the fact that big parts of a city like Baghdad still only have power a few hours a day. Blows my mind!

[krkaufman]

75. Heck, I'm not even sure they're getting more than an hour a day.

I'm surprised that there hasn't been a mass march on the Green Zone, protesting conditions. (Though that's where the insurgency and chaos is of benefit to the occupiers, as those willing to protest are less so when they fear being blown-up at any mass gathering.)

[Vidar]

54. You're right, of course. "Aside from all that what did the Romans ever do

for us?" -Monty Python's "Life of Brian"

[krkaufman]

74. It's debatable that "in a region where that is necessary" is an accurate qualification.

Which came first, the chaos or the interventionist policy?

[Submariner]

14. "Even liberal Democrats will find it offensive," she predicted.

She's out of her mind. I believe it is an accurate depiction of our AWOL coward-in-chief.

[rpannier]

16. OBviously she has no career in the psychic field

[TankLV]

63. Again - these idiots are WRONG - I LOVE the ad - it's very ACCURATE!

Just like the bullshit after 911 when these idiots all proclaimed that we all supported the WAR CRMINAL, etc, etc.

I was disgusted by bush* then and I support and LOVE this ad now...

[rpannier]

15. I do find it very offensive

I am soooooo offended you don't even know.

The picture sooooooo offended me beyond belief.

How dare they post that picture that thoroughly offended me.

I mean...Have some respect here. Sadaam is dead. Show some respect for the dead people.

[Crunchy Frog]

17. Well, I've got myself a new sig picture.

I find it so offensive, that I can't tear myself away from it. :(

[whirlygigspin]

18. forget the cover, read the article!

http://www.macleans.ca/

it's quite sobering, and gives you more information than the MSM ever will, quack quack.

[paritom]

19. Yes! The part about al-Qaeda in Iraq

Long but interesting article.
From page 4 (after the ad in the middle of the page):

America’s other main enemy is al-Qaeda in Iraq, which is to
Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda what a cheap watch is to a Swiss
timepiece—effective, easily reproduced, and disposable.
Al-Qaeda did not exist in Iraq before the invasion, but today
it, along with Iran, are the two strongest arguments the U.S.
makes for “staying the course.” Al-Qaeda in Iraq is
essentially a religious criminal gang that kills anyone who
threatens its power or differs from its Salafist views on
establishing a perverse form of an Islamic state. Its death
squads and enormously destructive truck bombs have killed
thousands of Shias, but Sunnis, too, have suffered al-Qaeda’s
violent nihilism. Car bombs, assassinations and “religious
punishments,” including decapitations and cutting off the
fingers of smokers, have put Sunni Iraq under a Mordor-like
shadow of terror and justified collective punishment from the
Shias. In his testimony to Congress, Gen. Petraeus pointed out
the lethal threat of al-Qaeda. But this should come as no
surprise to an American general—because the U.S. Army helped
create al-Qaeda in Iraq.

The American role in the promotion of the terrorist
organization is not some mad conspiracy theory, but a
well-documented attempt by the U.S. government to demonize the
insurgency and make it appear to be the central front in the
war on terror. This was as great a mistake as disbanding the
Iraqi army, which the U.S. did in May 2003, or perhaps even
greater, since it led to the sectarian downward spiral that
has destroyed the country.
When the insurgency started in the summer of 2003, it was made
up primarily of the same class of alienated Sunnis who are now
part of the tribal Anbar Awakening. The insurgents I spent
time with in 2003 and 2004 were, in essence, nationalists who
didn’t like the U.S. Army driving around their villages,
kicking down their doors and shooting their cousins at
checkpoints. They were also deeply suspicious of American
plans for democracy, because they feared it would lead to Iran
taking over the government. Some hated Saddam, some liked him,
but Saddam wasn’t the issue. For want of a better term, they
are the equivalent of rednecks who believe in God, their
country, and the right to bear arms.

[IntravenousDemilo]

47. Macleans is MSM. It's Canada's most prominent news magazine, our Time or Newsweek.

I'm surprised at the tone of the article, since for the last couple of years its editorial board have been rather right-wing in their support. They're big Harper boosters, especially the editor, who used to be at the National Post.

[krkaufman]

76. Thanks for the link!

direct link to article, here: http://www.macleans.ca/article.jsp?content=20070920_100442_7900

My concern is that, like w/ the MoveOn.org ad, the controversy over the image will overshadow the content of the message.

[rabies1]

40. Yeah, I think it's awesome too!

Remember, he's responsible for more lost lives than Saddam ever was.
I don't give a damn, the cover is fine.

[krkaufman]

78. W "responsible for more lost lives than Saddam" is debatable...

... depending on how you apportion responsibility and death. If strictly comparing W to Saddam, I would think that Saddam remains the winner owing to deaths related to the Iran/Iraq war of the 1980s. If you wish to expand the culpability comparison to US Right Wing vs Saddam/Baathist policies, I'd say the US should accept the larger share of responsibility.

[daleo]

81. The U.S. encouraged Saddam to attack Iran

That was Reagan's government, which included Poppy Bush. So Bush can claim a little second hand credit for that one. As I recall, Poppy Bush also was a dab hand at killing Iraqis during the 1991 war. Then there were the sanctions under Clinton...

Killing Iraqis is a American presidential tradition.

[Truthy Nessy]

20. My Jaw dropped when I saw the picture.

My son thought it was a joke! I am Canadian and am so proud that this article was printed. It is a long one but very thought provoking and informative. I am sure this article and its picture will be making its way to CNN next week. We know how slow the MSM is in getting out news. I hope Jack Cafferty has a question about it next week on his segment in CNN.

[Ian David]

22. Maybe the Republickers should vote to condemn it in Congress!

And did we ever REALLY settle that old issue about Murphy Brown?

Dan Quayle vs. Murphy Brown
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,975627,00.html

[baldguy]

24. One thing is obvious

We have to rely on the foreign press to learn the truth about our own country.

[no_hypocrisy]

25. Saddam lives.

* thought he could kill Saddam and all his problems would be solved.

But Saddam has had the last word on the matter. He understood power better than * and went to his death knowing that * would be cursed with his war fever and frenzy for dominationn of the Iraqis. * would simply take over where Saddam left off.

[rucky]

27. The Senate must convene! n/t

[MethuenProgressive]

28. The cover pic is amusing, but the text - the text is sobering.

The cover pic is amusing, but the text - the text is sobering.
Well done, Maclean's.

[Bigmack]

46. Yes, this is an EXCELLENT article

It's long, but well worth the time. Probably doesn't say much you don't already "know" but puts the pieces together in a convincing manner.

[rateyes]

29. Here's another pic:

Maybe someone could turn it into a DU Avatar.

[IntravenousDemilo]

48. What that picture needs is Dumbya's quote about dictatorship.

You know the one: "If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator."

Make a nice bumper sticker, eh?

[rateyes]

50. Yeah, it would. I might have to get on that little project. nt

[Oak2004]

71. You mean like this?

Feel free to help yourself to my new avatar :)

Give me a moment to upload it to my webserver and I'll stick it in the body of the post too if that will aid in the taking.

[lateo]

30. Is Congress going to censur them too?

Can't wait to find out.

[TheDoorbellRang]

31. This liberal democrat finds it offensive

that MacLean's magazine doesn't have wider distribution in the US of A. This liberal democrat finds it offensive that magazines here aren't drawing the obvious comparison between B*sh and Saddam. This liberal democrat finds it offensive that the Senseless of the Senate will waste yet another day wringing their useless hands over this one.

[tanyev]

37. What you said!

:applause:

[NewJeffCT]

33. I didn't see the picture - is it anywhere online?

thanks

[Delphinus]

34. I had to get to the original story ...

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/lynn-davidson/2007/09/21/canadas-macleans-bush-new-saddam

[Algorem]

35. Canada's looking better all the time

cept for the seal-killing losers

[Maq]

52. re: Algorem

IMG]

[Algorem]

72. damn ads work,i don't even remember seeing that

i'm only 15 miles from canadian waters,i'm getting me a dinghy

[PSPS]

36. DId Chaplin's "The Great Dictator" cause a "flap" in Germany in 1940?

It's on Turner Classic Movies today at 5 PM Pacific Time.

[Joanne98]

38. Send them emails thanking them for the cover!

[acmavm]

39. Apparently the truth is hurting some people's sensitive feelings.

:sarcasm:

[loves_dulcinea]

42. i think saddam killed less people

and was much more discerning in who he killed.

[Maq]

43. Pix and URL here, give MacLean's credit

How George Bush became the new Saddam
COVER STORY: Its strategies shattered, a desperate Washington is reaching out to the late dictator's henchmen.
FULL SOURCE: http://www.macleans.ca/article.jsp?content=20070920_100442_7900&source=srch&page=1

[Binka]

53. LOL Replete With US Flag Pin!!! I Love It! n/t

[Maq]

57. you have a good eye I see the FLAG

lmao

[scarface2004]

44. maclean's cover being hailed in u s!!!

is more like it! i want bush in the castro get up next! you know...the maximum leader for life costume!

[Auntie Bush]

49. It's time to have another senate vote on it's appropriateness.

[Emillereid]

51. This liberal democrat doesn't find it distasteful. I find it right on the money!

[AX10]

56. No suprise to see that conservatives are all stripes...

don't like this comparison. :nopity: I see no problem with it.

[Blue_Tires]

64. congress can now waste another week voting on a censure resolution!

[diane in sf]

66. I'm a liberal Democrat and I loved the bush as Saddam cover.

I find it tasteful and understated.

[libodem]

67. This was the best article

I've read in a very long time. Great cover. I'm not at all offended.

[JustAnotherGen]

69. I found it

extremely funny - in a sad way. Who'da thunk that an American *cough cough choke choke* President could ever be portrayed that way? He is just as bad as the Butcher of Lyon and had that cover coming to him.

[0007]

70. What a guy!

[IndianaGreen]

77. Saddam did not destroy Iraq and its society, but Bush certainly did!

Any comparison between Bush and Saddam will show that Bush's imperial armies have killed and tortured more Iraqis in 4 years than Saddam did in 20.

[NeoConsSuck]

79. Heads-up to Scotty Greenwood

I'm a liberal Democrat, and you don't speak for me. I find the article truthful, not offensive in any way.

[daleo]

80. Maclean's has take a pretty right-wing tack lately

So this surprises me.

But I have also heard that they are losing subscribers with their new rightish editorial philosophy. Perhaps the fear of going broke is forcing them to take on a more traditional Canadian perspective (criticism of Bush is not a minority position here, especially when it comes to Iraq).

[rabies1]

82. Like MoveOn.org, I bet they're growing in popularity.

The photo was great - eye catching!
Just the same kind of 'punch in the gut' tactics that's been used by the right wing nuts for a long time now. They UNDERSTAND this type of ad - they can relate.

[Javaman]

84. "Even liberal Democrats will find it offensive," she predicted.

somehow I doubt that.

[cyberpj]

90. Wrong. nt

agree with you.

[defendandprotect]

85. This cover doesn't even begin to deal with the reality of Bush's destructiveness -- !!!!

[defendandprotect]

86. I'm thrilled and our own press should start reflecting the true insanity of Bush and his war -- !!!

[Seabiscuit]

89. "OFFENSIVE"??? YOU WANT OFFENSIVE? JUST LOOK AT BUSH'S RECORD ON EVERYTHING.

[Vinca]

91. Is Maclean's sold anywhere in the U.S.? This issue is worthy

enough to purchase, frame and save for posterity.