Bush uses France against John Kerry (pathetic)

[JoFerret]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1521&ncid=696&e=9&u=/afp/20041002/pl_afp/us_vote_bush_france

<<Bush's campaign does not miss the opportunity to stress that Kerry speaks French and has family ties to France, and that the Massachusetts senator often refers to France when he talks about how the US has lost respect in the world since Bush became president in 2001.
...

"I don't have warm and fuzzy feelings for France right now. Few people are happy with France right now," said Jess Hall, adding "I am coming all the way from Alaska so I may not be totally aware of what other people think."


Actually, the anti-French sentiment in the United States appears to have eased since the days immediately before the US-led invasion of Iraq, when Paris threatened to use its veto in the UN Security Council to prevent Washington from getting the world body's approval for the move.>>

[bobthedrummer]

1. Sacre bleu! Fucking sacre bleu!

[da_chimperor]

69. Do you know how old that saying is?

Seriously, it predates the Franco-Prussian war. Cut it out! :P

[demoman123]

2. The Bush campaign is making a "negative" about Kerry's speaking French

From the article: "Bush's campaign does not miss the opportunity to stress that Kerry speaks French...."

Since when is the ability to speak French a vice? Since Freedom Fries?

Dubya is playing to his base. Why? Because they are deserting him.

[Kierkegaard]

6. I consider it hypocritical for someone of Bush's limited vocabulary

skills to speak ill of any multi-linguist.

How can he claim to protect us from nuclear proliferation when the dumb bastard can't even pronounce it?

[demoman123]

10. Bush does have a limited vocabulary, but he can pronounce "nuclear."

He just says "nucular" to sound folksy.

BTW, that transposition of sounds happened in Latin and ancient Greek, too. The Greek, "Heracles" became "Hercules" in Latin.

http://www.pantheon.org/articles/h/heracles.html

[Tuttle]

52. Good one! LOL n/t

Tut-tut

[Tight_rope]

67. I'll drink to that....The bastard fucks up the English language...

The only one he "Should Know"....But you know "It's Hard Work" speaking English.

[LiberalFighter]

22. Then shouldn't gw*s ability or claim to speak Spanish the same?

[demoman123]

28. Spanish is not the language of "Cheese eating surrender monkeys" :) n/t

[GRLMGC]

70. claim is more like it

God, I hate it when he tries to speak Spanish. He just ruins the language with that fake Texas accent of his.

[louis-t]

86. * speaking Spanish=

Peggy Hill.

Arbusto means "shrub".

[LiberalFighter]

23. Wasn't that a requirement for high school grads wanting to go to college?

[demoman123]

27. Two years of a foreign language. He probably took Spanish. n/t

[jdj]

64. or coke-bongics or something along that line.

[Arianrhod]

31. Neither * nor his base

has a clue that Thomas Jefferson also spoke French, among other languages. He was Ambassador to France for 5 years, being joined there for a time by Benjamin Franklin. He even acted as Minister to the French Court. I guess * would make fun of him, too.

The people * panders to are uneducated bigots. Wo/men of honor don't want anything to do with him.

[tblue37]

57. Remember how Bush petulantly sneered at

a reporter for daring to ask Chirac a question in French--in France, for God's sake!!

[Arianrhod]

83. Indeed.

Then again, I've never seen anyone in this administration do anything but petulantly sneer.

That's compassionate conservatism, hard at work.

[struggle4progress]

34. Next logical step for the "English as our official language" crowd ...

... is to demonize anybody who can speak a language other than English.

Then they'll go after people who can speak English ...

[Piperay]

41. That is so pathetic

anyone that speaks a second language should be commended, I wish that I spoke an other language besides English.

[July]

47. I believe Bush's father is also fluent in French.

IIRC, he tried to downplay that fact when he ran for president.

[Laughing Mirror]

53. No, Poppy is no more fluent in French than Junior is in Spanish

Which is to say, not at all. They might get out a few words then they slip back into English, which seems painful enough for them.

[July]

60. Can you fill me in?

I no longer remember where I read this, but I do recall reading that GHWB downplayed his ability to speak French when he was campaigning. I'll try to find out more. Do you have details?

[Laughing Mirror]

71. An interview in Oval office with French reporter during Gulf War

on French television. After a "Bonjour" from Mr. President to the reporter for the interview to begin, the reporter, surprised, said something like, Oh, you speak French, and started a question in French and Poppy hemmed and hawed, and said in English that his French was a little rusty, so the reporter shifted back into English for the simple questions he posed. Knowing how to say Merci or Bonjour does not make a person fluent in French.

Recently, I saw, again on French TV, a reporter questioning Kerry while on the campaign trail. Kerry spoke French without hesitation and correctly. Kerry is fluent in French.

[July]

73. Of course, a merci or bonjour doesn't make one fluent.

But I am almost certain I read that GHWB is fluent. Maybe he didn't want to be recorded speaking French? I'm still trying to figure out where I read this.

[Laughing Mirror]

75. I don't know what you read, but I know what I saw

Other than a couple of words, the GHWB being interviewed by a French reporter on topics that he had certainly addressed many times before, was a GHWB that did not speak or converse in French.

If he did indeed speak French, you would think that then would have been the time for him to at least make a stab at it.

Remember, this was during Gulf War when I saw that. There was no US anti-French sentiment at the time, at least none that I was aware of. France, in fact, was participating with US in that adventure. The dollar was down and unemployment was high. GHWB was regularly seen on French TV, not only on the news but in TV commercials touting the wonders of the US, I guess put out by the US Chamber of Commerce, the purpose to get French tourists and their dollars to come and spend then in US, much like the I Love New York spots that ran in the 70s (when New York City was not doing so well) starring the governor of NY and the Mayor Beame. The Bush-USA commercials were tacky, and sad for me to watch.

No doubt, Bush had learned some sort of scholarly French 50 years earlier at Andover. But he could not speak it when I saw him or he would have, like Kerry. Bush might be able to read a speech in French, or order a bottle of wine, but it is not speaking a language, you are not fluent in a language if you are not able to converse in it.

on edit: Bush's "Come spend your money in US" ads on French TV (and probably other rich European countries) were in English, with subtitles.

[July]

76. I don't think what you saw tells us if he does speak French or not.

Nor do I know the answer to that question, but I'll try to find out.

What I remember vaguely is that GHWB was PURPOSELY avoiding speaking French, so I guess I don't agree with the idea that he would have spoken it if he could have. IF I am remembering this correctly, Bush did not want to seem "elitist" by speaking French.

His excellent education very likely included French, but without seeing his school records I can't say for sure. I've tried a little googling to find out, but there is so much about his son, who went to the same high school, that I haven't had any luck.

I am sure you saw what you report here. But if my memory is correct (yet to be determined), we could both be right.

Keep you posted.

[Laughing Mirror]

77. Seem elitist by speaking French to the French?

It would certainly have been in his interest to speak the language of the people he was speaking to, were he able. It was obvious he wasn't.

Was this subterfuge? Possible. But I have also heard that Junior speaks fluent Spanish, but anybody who speaks Spanish knows this is false.

[July]

78. I don't think it's obvious from what you report.

And what I remember is that he was worried about what people here would think, not what the French would say.

You mentioned before that he said his French was rusty, a statement that implies he knows at least some French. How much is not revealed by that appearance.

You said this was on French television. Did the statement about his rusty French come in English or in French? If it was in English, how did French TV handle it?

At this point, I just don't know if what I remember is true or not, but I don't read your report as conclusive that it's false. As I've said, I'll try to find out. I'm not convinced by the statement that he would have spoken French if he could have; if you believe that, we'll have to agree to disagree.

I don't think this has anything to do with W. But I do speak Spanish, and I know you are correct that he is NOT fluent in Spanish.

[Laughing Mirror]

79. Said in English that his French was rusty

And so the reporter interviewed him in English. Except for two or three French words at the beginning, he and reporter spoke only English.

But, as you say, Poppy may in fact speak fluent French and was just slyly intent on keeping that fact from me and the French. Sure didn't look it, but if so, this must be some kind of first in the world of diplomacy!

[King Coal]

87. Bush speaks a little Pocho, but not Spanish.

[DuaneBidoux]

91. Actually I wouldn't be surprised if Poppy spoke at least some

French. Don't forget he was head of the CIA. And in any case, the modesty and ATTEMPT at speaking French, followed by an appropriately contrite apology is all the French actually do expect of you. I lived in France for two years, have a French wife, and speak French. Believe it or not (and I know this will be hard for people on DU to accept) the French, and most of Europe absolutely adored Bush Sr. But in Internatinal Relations and humble diplomacy the Apple fell one hell of a long way to the ground on Junior.

[Tight_rope]

66. At least Kerry can speak 2 languages...Bush* can't even speak 1!

We are so tired of the jibber jabber that Bush* speaks that we can't stand to hear him talk. But I know..."IT'S HARD WORK"!

[DuaneBidoux]

92. Kerry Speaks Four Languages

He speaks German and learned Vietnamese while there showing, I believe, an empathy (not to mention intelligence) that places him in another universe of capability over his rival for the White House.

[krkaufman]

3. I'd like to see Kerry find a way to point out...

... this is more of the same from Bush:

Alienation of longtime allies who are critical in the fight against global terrorism (and just about every other international issue) -- only a few days after facetiously reprimanding Kerry for criticizing our Iraqi "ally" Allawi.

[clydefrand]

8. And POLAND too, by golly!!

[MaineDem]

9. Good lord, we can't forget Poland!

It's a shame that Bush has made that country a joke. Well, Bush and John Stewart. :D

[krkaufman]

11. Ah, right, there *I* go forgetting about Poland, too...!! n/t

[JoFerret]

"There you go again" perhaps

.

[Liberal Veteran]

4. Condi Rice speaks French AND Russian!!!! She must be twice as bad!

:)

[kskiska]

20. Karen Hughes was BORN in Paris.

No one mentions that.

[rooboy]

35. Richard Perle LIVES in France... n/t

[July]

48. Kerry did on a television talk show.

Can't remember if it was The Daily Show or something else.

[clydefrand]

5. Sounds like Bush is giving France mexed missages!!

"French Finance Minister Nicholas Sarkozy, visiting Washington for a Group of Seven meeting, said he thinks the climate between the two countries has eased considerably."

Climate has eased??? It doesn't appear that way with our illustrious leader, does it?

[krkaufman]

14. That we may be playing nicer with France behind the scenes...

... doesn't mean that W won't leverage the hatred for France -- and general xenophobia -- that he and Rove have developed.

[gmoney]

7. It's not like he went and LEARNED French in 2001

Bush speaks Spanish, and the Spanish pulled out... connection? conspiracy? of course! it's so freakin' obvious!

[okasha]

26. Bush & Spanish

Ese pinche cabron no habla espanol.

Okasha

[citoyen]

12. Nothing more shameful than speaking the second official language

of the country that 1) shares the longest border with us, and 2) is our largest trading partner. And now they've relocated the French Montreal Expos to our nations capital as a fifth column!

[MaineDem]

16. Welcome to DU!

:hi:

Good to have you aboard.

[ilovenicepeople]

65. Damn You!! you had to remind me about MY Expos (boo hoo)

OH Yeah and Welcome to DU :hi: :cry: :hi: :cry: :hi:

[Nimrod]

13. Mind if I apologize again to any French members?

This asshat does NOT speak for me. On behalf of my stupid xenophobic nation, I offer my profound apologies.

[EricL]

42. There's no need to apologize

I take it for what it is : a lame campaign argument.

Cooperation is going on behind the scenes.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/articles/03/02/19_france.html

:hi:

[illuminaughty]

43. Bienvenue a D.U.

Je doit dire que je regrette que le gens des Etats Unis sont si ignorant et sans la curiosite pour apprendre un autre langue. Je m'excuse mais il y a vingt ans que j'ai parle francais parce que
there ain't a lot of people speaking French here in Kansas.

Thanks for the link. Yes, of course we are the arrogant ones et sans reconaissance, non? And you have to live in the middle of the mess we create. We really are #1 at one thing: being hypocrites!

[Rochambeau]

59. Salut Eric, bienvenue sur DU

Ca fait du bien de croiser un français ici et qui plus est, un français qui parle anglais correctement! En fait tu n'est pas le seul, Flagg et BonjourUSA parlent aussi très bien (enfin, il me semble). En fait pour tout dire je suis le seul qui ose me pointer ici avec un anglais de Brevet des Collèges et encore ! lol

@+ et au plaisir de te lire souvent.

:hi:

[4MoreYearsOfHell]

15. But Bush emulates the French

when he vacations the entire month of August...

[Rochambeau]

30. No problem Nimrod, as we say in France to be concidered as a

fool by an idiot is a kind of luxury. In a way, I would worry much more if the repukes would like us...

PS: ABB_04, good one ! ;)

[UrbScotty]

17. I'd like Bush to learn to speak ONE language clearly. (nt)

[doreme]

19. It's too late

to play the France card. Too many see now that the French were right and bush was wrong.

[pinto]

18. does Bush* want some whine with his slurs?

[Rose Siding]

21. Again he plays to the lowest common denominator

Bigot. Leaders don't *DO* that.

[LeinesRed]

24. once we figure out what language Smirk was speaking at the debate

perhaps we'll have to make fun of that too!

[jackieforthedems]

25. Bush Is

washed up!!!

[rfkrocks]

29. Time to give back the Statue of Liberty-she doesn't want to live here ...

anyway-This bashing the French is another destructive moronic mantra of the blooming idiots we call repugs-That assclown McCain has been doing this too-its great Shrub likes tio laugh at the French but the last time I looked at our pathetic foreign policy it wasn't fucking funny-our troops are dying over Shrubs cluster-the French were right about Iraq and we were wrong-but we are too stupid to realize it-I don't agree with everything France does or says but this crap is so childish its embarrassing-our country would not be here without France-it is a fellow democracy but old AWOL is closer to the KGB freak in Russia-what a president:grr:

[EricL]

56. Give back the Statue of Liberty ?

You mean like this : http://www.aawfrance.net/ ;)

No please keep her and make her shine on november 2nd.

We have a backup copy



:hi:

[jdj]

63. That is so cute, the lady and her luggage, packed and ready to go!

[trogdor]

74. I thought for a minute you meant mini-Liberty.

[karlrschneider]

94. Strange, I can't resolve that url...

http://www.aawfrance.net
????????

[Kimber Scott]

32. Bush: French are f'n p*ssies. Excuse me Jacques, will you forgive

Iraq's debt?

Get a clue, Bush Boy. You don't play the game right. You're out.
:think:

[Zan_of_Texas]

33. as it happens

Kerry spent some summers in France growing up, and his parents met in France.

So, that's a crime now? What, does that make him non patriotic, something like maybe Max Cleland who, if you listened to Republican ads, is sort of a combination of Osama and Saddam?

Is the Bush anti-French thing some sort of coded anti-Catholic thing?

Because me with my simple mind .... me cannot figure out why it be so bad awful bad to be conversant with other cultures and other languages.

[JohnKleeb]

36. The French are our allies not our enemy!

fine George, lets tie your family to Saudi Arabia, would you like that? of course not, your whiny bastard Ken Mehlman would be on TV crying that they're dissing the president.

[sffreeways]

37. Bush Fear # 50

Watch as Bush plays to yet another weird American phobia. Francophobia. Leave it to rightwing idiots to be afraid of French people or anything French.

Fear of the French is before

#71 Fear of Foreign Languages

and after

#69 Fear of Homosexuals

It wouldn't have worked with any other country right now. The hyper-masculine environment Bush has created has a perfect enemy in the bizzare perception by Americans that the French are effeminate. Would we be renaming Spanish Rice ?

You might think Bin Laden was French the way the neocons go on about the French. They spend more energy hating the French than the terrorists.

[lexicon089]

38. hey!

hey this is my first post and i liked your article.

[strizi64]

39. Shrub is nothing more than a childish whimp who

lost my last ounce of respect last week. He acts like a beaten
child, has no substance, looks and acts very weak and has
switched to the "only personal attacks"-style. What
an A***hole...

[xxqqqzme]

40. I'm waiting 4 these clowns

2 put up a website 'n start collecting money to dismantle the Statue of Liberty and send it BACK 2 France. Or do they even know it was a gift from France.

[theHandpuppet]

44. Attention W: the name "Cheney" is Old French!

So the only puppet of the French is George himself.

Cheney: (origin: Fr. Local) From Chene, an oak; Chenaie, a grove, a plantation of oaks.

BTW, my apologies to the French, who I'm sure would rather not claim Snarlin' Dick as a native son.

[0007]

45. This only goes to show how weak junior is indeed!

"When our country is in danger, the president's job is not to take an international poll. The president's job is to defend America," Bush said."

In other words junior is saying, when your in trouble forget about the democratic process and let the dictator take charge.

[Flammable Materials]

46. French is the international language of diplomacy, correct? n/t

[Mr E McSquare]

49. Switzerland is neutral

so what do we call swiss cheese?
also maybe dismantling the statue of liberty would be a good idea.
we could load it up on a truck and erect it crawford down the road from pecker-heads ranch where he'd have to look at it all the time.

[strizi64]

51. Normaly we are

but in these days we're not. 85 per-cent would vote for Kerry :D. Lovely country like America was under Clinton and will be again under Kerry. I'm still waiting for a new definition from Shrub and KKKarl for Switzerland... Maybe "multicultural european scumbags", doesn't bother me :shrug:

[llmart]

50. These attacks are a sign of desperation.....

Hey W - Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out. Oh, and also, don't remove the JFK keys off the computer keyboards.

[Toots]

54. I love the Jess Hall line about Alaska

"I am coming all the way from Alaska so I may not be totally aware of what other people think."

He is unaware of what people think yet has the audacity to say right before that statement "Few people are happy with France right now," No wonder Alaska is a right wing state.

[MADem]

55. You know, one thing weecowboy forgets

...is that a SHITLOAD of Americans have French ancestors. When you cross the border into New Hampshire, the sign says "Bienvenue au New Hampshire." Alll of the states bordering eastern Canada are loaded to the gills with "Frogs." And then, there's New Orleans.... When weecowboy insults the French, he insults our grandparents, in many cases.

Many of my friends with 'froggy' names, the LaPierres, the LaFittes, the Dumonts, the Dufresnes of our country, are quietly very pissed off at this slur to the French. If this president directed the same type of insults at the Irish, the Italians, or the Africans, there would be some serious outcry. That kind of language and attitude is racist in the extreme, and shameful. It is probably one of the lowest points in America's modern history in terms of discourse with other nations.

And it makes us look like ignorant assholes.

[sistersofmercy]

81. Haha! "weecowboy" that is funny

BTW he doesn't forget he just doesn't get it never did. never will. He's just a "dog and pony" show.

[cmd]

58. Freedom and French are the same thing.

There is NO difference between a French Fry and a Freedom Fry. So.....why does George Bush* hate Freedom?

[pvt joker]

61. They're just pissed that

the history major from Yale wasn't smart enough to do anything when Kerry used Charles de Gaulle, the man who pulled France out of NATO, to defend his position on national security.

To make things worse for Bush, it worked for Kerry!

[newyawker99]

89. Hi pvt joker!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[allalone]

62. it embarrasses me

that when reporters interview people in other countries they speak not only their own language, but English too. We just had a visitor from Belgium and she speaks three languages. I don't know about you guys, but in our high school Spanish was taught by a lady that seems bored and unmotivated. Any wonder it slipped right by us?

[agincourt]

68. When neo-cons or any conservative,

can't afford viagra, or the stiffy just don't work no more, bash the French. It makes them feel like a strong manly steer.

[Albertan]

72. Eh...

Ben, nous savons que Bush est crétin, il peut se Cheney.

[Beacho]

80. "cheese eating surrender monkeys"

I'm so fiucking tired of hearing that. 100, 000 frenchmen died defending France from the Nazi invasion. BTW, our stalwart allies, Britain, ran with their tales between their legs and bailed at Dunkirk(no real choice there). So does that make the brits 'banger eatin' surrender monkeys'?


I remember Lafayette and Rachambeau!(sp?)

[Rochambeau]

85. I post for the exact spelling of the name of that hero.

Rochambeau is the man wearing the red sash besides Washington during Yorktown siege.

[rinsd]

88. So you want to replace one misguided streotype with another?

"BTW, our stalwart allies, Britain, ran with their tales between their legs and bailed at Dunkirk(no real choice there)."

While defending France(their ancient enemy)...what a bunch of pussies....

:eyes:

The reason France unfortunately has to carry the moniker is the Vichy. They were also screwed by the Maginot Line being easily circumvented and that their armor was spread out and therefore ineffective against the Blitzkrieg.

[robbedvoter]

82. Fermez la Bush - my very popular button

[Name removed]

84. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[mwdem]

90. and this is news, because....?

eom

[DuaneBidoux]

93. The French Are Our Friends - But Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk

Really, it all comes down to one thing. The French were against this war because they knew EXACTLY how it would go. Why, they've done it over and over and over in their history. They have learned something. One of the things you will hear in the French media is "shock" that reporters in America say that noone saw this coming. The French saw it coming as plain as day.

[karlrschneider]

95. So did millions of people all over the world. But they were just a "focus

group" that Chimpy had no interest in listening to.
:grr: :puke: :grr: