Trickle down racism

[CHIMO]

Nations are supposed to get the governments they deserve. I am not sure that any country deserves George Bush; the Americans didn't elect him president, and the Iraqis, over whom he is attempting to rule, obviously don't want him.


Mr Bush at the moment, is in the grip of his latest and most severe crisis, although in typical fashion, he appears not to understand this fact. Speaking about the torture of Iraqis by US servicemen he has stated a few elementary truths, which we must accept: "Their treatment does not reflect the nature of the American people. That's not the way we do things in America. I didn't like it one bit." He was unable to say he was sorry when he tried to explain his position on two Arabic language television networks. It was only the next day, in a meeting with the King of Jordan that he told the King - obviously in reply to a direct question - that he was sorry for what had happened. King Abdullah, one expects, will dutifully carry this message back to the Arab and Muslim worlds.


Watching the Senate Armed Forces Committee interviewing Mr Rumsfeld and his aides, one got the impression that not all members really wanted to get at the facts. Among those who did were Lindsey Graham, John McCain, Ted Kennedy and Carl Levin. Some others, including two of the women, senators Dole and Collins, were convinced that this was a local difficulty, an outrage obviously, but perpetrated by one or two (or maybe a dozen or two) bad apples.


http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/columns/html/20040508T230000-0500_59577_OBS_TRICKLE_DOWN_RACISM.asp