Bush's dangerous arrogance

[T_i_B]

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,6903,1194276,00.html

Somewhere in the mesmerising performance by Robert S. McNamara, the former US Defence Secretary, in the film The Fog of War, he says: 'America has no friends, only allies.'

It's a phrase that should be chiselled into the Cabinet table because each new Prime Minister believes that the special relationship, a phrase that is unrecognised in the States, entails special favours, access and status.

We hurried to war last year so that it wouldn't overlap with Bush's election campaign. We are about to hand over to a sovereign authority in Iraq, the nature of which is still unclear, so that he can distance himself from events there during the run-up to 4 November. Now, Bush dispatches the Palestinian problem to the distant rim of the agenda with this shoddy fix in a hotel room.

Tony Blair was wrong to suggest that some wish for failure. The world is too perilous for that; they just pray that the American and British governments understand the reasons for the failures so far. Opponents of the war may have given up worrying about the WMD, mostly because Blair and Bush no longer feel the need to answer for their mistake. But this doesn't allay their fears about the disastrous mishandling of the peace. The mistakes are ongoing and cumulative, chiefly because America is perceived as having a distinct bias against Arabs and Islam. Britain, though more balanced in its attitude, is dragged along in the slipstream and no one in Iraq is in the mood to make fine distinctions.

[Malva Zebrina]

1. sad part

Opponents of the war may have given up worrying about the WMD, mostly because Blair and Bush no longer feel the need to answer for their mistake

Just as they figured. Just what gave them the arrogance? How did they know this?

No one will call them on it, insist on it or even suggest that they are both warmongering, murderous, war criminals.

Humbleness , honesty, integrity , trustworthiness are characteristics the rich, the powerful, the 37 mil a year corporate head, think only applies to the little guy.

[Miss Authoritiva]

5. You're right: It was just as they figured.

To a certain degree, public response is fairly predictable and easily gauged -- especially if the mainstream media are in a "cooperative" mood. There's a certain built-in period when most people will just shrug and think, "No WMDs....but they meant well." Of course, this period only lasts until the rats start to smell.

[KoKo]

2. I assume this was written before the second Hamas leader was assassinated?

Did the Chimp alert Blair that he and Sharon had decided "a hit" would be put out and did Blair sign off on it?

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. Blair isn't important enough to get consulted on that

The UK government has condemned the attack, but so what?
In a move that immediately attracted widespread condemnation, including from Foreign Secretary Jack Straw who described the killing as illegal, Rantissi was killed with two aides as missiles slammed into his car.

'The British Government has made it repeatedly clear that so-called "targeted assassinations" of this kind are unlawful, unjustified and counter-productive,' Straw said last night.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1194569,00.html

In fact, Time magazine doesn't think any Western European leaders are that important:
The editor-at-large of Time, Michael Elliott, who oversaw the list, defended the decision to exclude Mr Blair.

"Gerhard Schröder and Jacques Chirac are not there either," Mr Elliott said. "This is a worldwide list. There are no Western European political leaders on it because they are not that powerful or influential at this time."
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/story.jsp?story=512515

But the Prime Minister of Mozambique, Luisa Diogo, does make the list (but not President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa - can anyone say why Diogo is held to be so influential?)

[Manix]

4. ...the whole world knows Bush is a liar, except slow learner Blair.

[Jack Rabbit]

6. This is typical Bush

Blair gave no hint of bitterness in the Rose Garden press conference on Friday, but considering the risks he has taken to support America since 9/11, it was astonishingly ungracious of Bush to keep him out of these negotiations. The 'Road Map' and the promise of multilateral action in Palestine and the West Bank were, after all, the only real concession that Blair won in exchange for British help in Iraq. Yet before he had even touched down in America, the deal was done. Bush's undertaking to his 'friend' had been chucked away like a motto in Christmas cracker.

Bush keeps people away when he knows they will tell him things that conflict with his world view. This goes for Blair's take on the I/P conflict, raw intelligence about Saddam's weapons arsenal (or lack thereof) and his terrorist associations (or lack thereof) or even scientific facts about global warming and industrial pollution.

Bush figures if the facts don't fit his theories, then the facts are wrong.