Why did Shrub apologize for the exercise of 1st Amendment rights?

[sazemisery]

Why should the Resident-in-Chief Decider apologize to a foreign leader for someone exercising 1st Amendment rights? In our own country? When foreign dignitaries visit, they should not expect US Citizens to conform to the oppressive laws and policies of their own country. When in Rome......

I understand we have put ourselves in major debt to China but we must not restrict our laws and freedoms to appease leaders of foreign countries, especially when those leaders are on OUR soil.

[Flubadubya]

1. Hear, hear!

Good observation. :thumbsup:

[xultar]

2. Because you can exercise your 1st amendment rights just only

when, where and what they say you can say.

[abluelady]

3. Are You Talking About the Constitution?

Did you forget that Bush doesn't believe in that piece of paper?

[JPZenger]

4. They Felt Embarrased Because of the Day Pass

The Administration felt particularly embarrased because they had given this woman a day pass to be in the press pool. She represented a newspaper of the religious movement that is most persecuted in China. They should have expected her to speak up.

I don't have a problem with an apology for an interruption. I do have a problem with the US charging her with the Federal offense of "intimidating a foreign official." She is very sorry that her people's blood got all over the uniforms of the Chinese prison guards.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

5. it was based on his embarrassment that we still have one.

not to worry. They are working on that, too.

[YDogg]

6. I do not agree with his apology, per se, but ...

... there is such a thing as exercising decorum in formal settings, and some people view her behavior as at least a breach of good manners, let alone an embarrassment to the bush administration.

I agree with her general right to protest vigorously, however. And I'm not especially worried about embarrassments to the bush administration, given that most are his own doing.

[Virginia Dare]

7. One word...

hypocrisy.

[mdmc]

8. freedom of speech really means the white houses ability to control

their public events. That protester is allowed to speak her mind, but she is legally allowed to do so in a park, or college. Bush has every right to limit speech on the white house grounds. It is his residence.

I can hold a press conference at my house. This doesn't give the right to a protester to come and disrupt my press conference. I have the right to remove a protester from my property. The protester can hold a conference and state their opinion, but they have no right to trespass and speak at my event. Once I ask them to leave, their 1st amendment rights no longer protect them.

Bush apologized cause this was an embarrassment - he could not control the event.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

11. One point....the White House is NOT a private residence, IMHO....

...because it is paid for by the taxes ALL Americans pay. In fact, based on massive election fraud, he's not even legally entitled to live there. If Herr Busch was at his "ranch" in Texas, I might agree with your reasoning.

For Herr Busch to question China on human rights and freedom of speech, and then turn around and have a lady escorted out for questioning China's repression of a religious sect, is just about as hypocritical as you can get.

[Amonester]

12. Yeah. But the WH is not the Deceiver-in-Chief's property.

It's the taxpayer's (his Boss).

And that lying Deceiver 'employee' should do what 67% of the "Owners' Board" ASK him to do...

Otherwise, 67% of the "Owners' Board" have the right to tell him: "Here's your pink slip: you're fired."

That's the way it is. (Or should be.)

[flordehinojos]

9. with all the security in the white house, how did that woman get up there

right in front of their faces? could she have been a bush plant to make a point to the chinese guy?
and if so, why then the apology? bush is CRAZY. i think the woman was a plant. i think the apology is a hypocrisy to the chinese guy and as you well point an insult to our first ammendment rights.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

13. She had a press pass, and had attended events in the past....

...as far as being a plant, you may be on to something. Let's review the situation:

1. The NeoCons and China are at odds over a number of issues to include Iran's nuclear program, and how Taiwan is viewed by both parties;
2. China is rapidly becoming a major superpower on a number of levels;
3. Roughly half of our trade deficit is with China.

So, how is Hu treated on his official visit?

1. Hu was introduced as the president of the Republic of China (Taiwan), not as the president of the People's Republic of China (mainland China);
2. The comment was made yesterday that the anthem played yesterday was Taiwan's anthem, and not that of the People's Republic of China;
3. Hu was confronted by a protester...the NeoCons must have known about her beliefs long before yesterday;
4. Bush grabbed Hu by the arm when Hu started to go down the wrong steps...something Hu didn't appear to appreciate in the pics taken of the incident.

IMHO, it looks like Hu was deliberately subjected to a number of incidents designed to humiliate him and the People's Republic of China. That is the last person in the world that I would want to antagonize.

[flordehinojos]

15. the bushes are so darn slimmy and dirty ...

and then they use the event they have so (in my opinion from what you are saying) purposefully created, to show bush as a compassionate human being and report that he APOLOGIZED to the president of CHINA for the embarrassment created by the woman protester yesterday.

darn bastard bushes!

[mike6640]

10. My first thought on hearing this was

Where is the apology(s) that he owes us, the American people?

[originalpckelly]

14. Taxpayer Landlords: I have an idea, why don't we evict Bush?

Or convict him which ever comes first.