"He's an S.O.B., but he's our S.O.B."

[Boojatta]

The thing about that cold-war sound-bite is that a typical dictator client of the USSR was often implementing some soviet-style policies. Why should America give benefits to one-party states without any strings attached? Should the principle of self-determination of nation-states be taken to mean "the nation-state is the one and only legal political party"? That sounds like a minor variation of "the state is me", famously asserted by a French aristocrat.

Typically, if a government either is designated as meriting most favored nation status for trade, or receives a stream of money paid by American taxpayers, then can we be confident that it's a government that at least...

• doesn't abridge the freedom of speech of its citizens
  
• doesn't interfere with the right of the people peaceably to assemble
  
• and doesn't prevent or punish the petitioning by citizens to their government for a redress of grievances?
  

[Richardo]

1. Sort of a light shade of aquamarine...

Gonna kick this one every day for a week too?

[Boojatta]

4. No, this forum isn't as fast-moving as GD.

[EstimatedProphet]

7. Or a whiter shade of pale...

[Richardo]

8. Hey, thanks for the kick!

:patriot:

[EstimatedProphet]

9. Why, you're quite welcome!

[Boojatta]

10. Kick

It seems like yesterday, doesn't it?

[existentialist]

2. Louis XIV

edited for clarification

Louis XIV said "I am the state." ("Le Etat se moi.")

I think it was FDR who said "He's a son of a bitch, but he's our son of a bitch."

[Boojatta]

5. Thank you.

[Art_from_Ark]

6. "L'etat, c'est moi" is attributed to Louis XIV

but there is some doubt that he actually said it:

http://timescorrespondents.typepad.com/charles_bremner/2009/11/things-french-kings-never-said.html

[EstimatedProphet]

3. Kick