"A brief reminder, Mr. Bush: You are not the United States of America" - Who should apologize who?

The words inside the quotation marks are those of Keith Olbermann, Anchor at NBC's "Countdown" as he used them on November 1's special comment, where he said Bush, not Kerry, should apologize to the troops. I find them appropriate as an attempt to get a person, spinned into a megalomania putting the whole world at stake, grounded when for reasons that surpass my mind, he is not impeached. None the less a reminder supporting my question.

I'm stunned by American politics, and in favour of Mr. Kerry I bring this.

transcript from Countdown
"Sen. Kerry, as you well know, spoke at a college in Southern California. With bitter humor he told the students that he had been in Texas the day before, that President Bush used to live in that state, but that now he lives in the state of denial.
[...]
The senator, in essence, called Mr. Bush stupid.

The context was unmistakable: Texas; the state of denial; stuck in Iraq. No interpretation required.

And Mr. Bush and his minions responded by appearing to be too stupid to realize that they had been called stupid.

They demanded Kerry apologize to the troops in Iraq.
And so he now has.

That phrase — 'appearing to be too stupid' — is used deliberately, Mr. Bush.
Because there are only three possibilities here.

One, sir, is that you are far more stupid than the worst of your critics have suggested; that you could not follow the construction of a simple sentence; that you could not recognize your own life story when it was deftly summarized; that you could not perceive it was the sad ledger of your presidency that was being recounted."[my emphasises]

To see/hear the two other possibility, goto Special comment: Bush should apologize, there's a videolink, you can watch it as well.

I'm one who don't share the gleeful feeling a lot (most?) of members show on this topic, participating in the spin of distorting Kerry's words. To me they seemed very clear and in consistence with fact.

Olbermann's interpretions brings them to a higher level. If it is the correct reading, it sure makes the hysteria they've coursed even more rediculous.
The interpretion is definitely one I can agree in.

All I know, Kerry never said the troops are stupid. When we now learn his words were said in a context with Texas, it makes it likely they were aimed at Dubaya himself. I can only applaud then.

And Kerry should not apologize anything. Bush should!

I'm not the only one of that opinion.
William Rivers Pitt wrote a column on it: Speaking of Apologies

"Right now, Iraq is expanding and improving facilities that were used for the production of biological weapons," said Bush to the UN General Assembly in September of 2002. This was a lie, and he should apologize.

"Iraq has stockpiled biological and chemical weapons, and is rebuilding the facilities used to make more of those weapons. We have sources that tell us that Saddam Hussein recently authorized Iraqi field commanders to use chemical weapons - the very weapons the dictator tells us he does not have," said Bush in October of 2002. This was a lie, and he should apologize.

"The Iraqi regime possesses and produces chemical and biological weapons. It is seeking nuclear weapons. We know that the regime has produced thousands of tons of chemical agents, including mustard gas, sarin nerve gas, VX nerve gas," said Bush in October of 2002. This was a lie, and he should apologize.

"The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa. Our intelligence sources tell us that he has attempted to purchase high-strength aluminum tubes suitable for nuclear weapons production," said Bush during his January 2003 State of the Union address. This was a lie, and he should apologize.

"Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised," said Bush in March of 2003. This was a lie, and he should apologize.

"But for those who say we haven't found the banned manufacturing devices or banned weapons, they're wrong, we found them," said Bush in May of 2003. This was an astonishing, bald-faced lie. He should apologize, and be ashamed of himself.[my emphasises]

And Dubaya... he keeps on lying and lying. The spin will take no end, before it ends in disaster. What he is doing - wrongdoing, I say - is not only a betrayal to the American people, to any god and religious believe, it is a catastrophe to the whole world and to countless future generations to come.

No, Mr. President, you are NOT the United States, but you pose the greatest threat She has ever been up to.

Ending Up Stuck In Pasadena

All these attempts to turn attention away from John Kerry's Maalox Moment only seem to make it look like it needs to be hidden.

"Botched joke" or not, the reason the remarks resonate so strongly has to do with Mr. Kerry's track record, which speaks for itself.

If this were the only time he had expressed open contempt and disdain for the U.S. military, his explanation might seem credible. Unfortunately for him, it's not.

His tactic of becoming defensive, rude and abusive when called on it, essentially claiming that people who took him literally are idiots and even resorting to the impossible hypocrisy of whining about personal attacks against him for what he openly claims was a personal attack against the President only reinforce the image of John Kerry as a man too small to fill his own shoes.

All he needed to make his "apology" complete was to squint menacingly and wag his finger at the camera Clinton-style while berating the American people for being too stupid to hear what he "meant to say" instead of what he actually said.

John Kerry has been hoisted on his own petard, and quite deservedly so.

He put the final nail in his own political coffin, and Hillary was more than happy to help drive it home.

I get the impression the very most sacred thing of USA is its military - and not the ideals of freedom and equality it initially was build on. The one depends on the other I'm aware, but excuse me... the glorifying and justifying of a force second to none, seems to a European - like I am - ah... a little pathetic ...if you'll allow me the expression.

Therefore the furore of the Kerry remark is hard for us to understand.

Before any of you arrive at a premature judgement let me explain why such an exalted view seems whimsy and odd to a Euro. It has definitely something to do with pacifism being a European phenomenon and that again has it roots in the endless row of wars Europe has been through, the latest two within living memory.

My American brothers and sisters have not had any "real" war an their soil for 140 years. With due respect to 9/11, you just don't know what suffering of war is about. You know the tales of your fathers and brothers, your uncles who fought in foreign wars and the grieve of loosing them fighting now, but to the effect on daily life you have no clue. Ask someone who have lived in Europe for more than 5 decades about it. He/she will know. That's why military might is seen for the worse and not appeals to a great deal of European folks.

Let me forestall any indignations over these observation by quickly adding, Europe is in endless debt and forever grateful to America for liberating it from the reign of the nazis. Why do you think we (some of us) went with you in Iraq? Guilt, more than ideology, is the answer.

I do dare say - as nothing more than my own hunch - that a majority of Europeans simply don't understand the special American concepts of honour and duty, patriotism and glory and all the delusions they derive. Many see them as questionable, some as pathetic.

To them this Kerry row is nothing but a storm in a teacup, laughable, but incomprehensible as the outcry in the media is.

For them it seem more like another diversion from the real issue, the deflation of the values America was build, causing the devaluation on all other values on which it depends.

To a Euro that is much more worrying than any dubious remark blown out of proportion by sly malicious politicians and their outlets.

Decency 101

Originally posted by khunmoon
I do dare say - as nothing more than my own hunch - that a majority of Europeans simply don't understand the special American concepts of honour and duty, patriotism and glory and all the delusions they derive. Many see them as questionable, some as pathetic.

I see it as expressing a modicum of courtesy toward those who put their lives on the line in one's defense, and those who lose their lives doing so.

I don't see any point in trying to rationalize or glorify what amounts to nothing more than vanity and ingratitude.

But if people want to, they're free to do so.

And I'm free to disagree with it.

Originally posted by Majic
I don't see any point in trying to rationalize or glorify what amounts to nothing more than vanity and ingratitude.

But if people want to, they're free to do so.

And I'm free to disagree with it.

So you are, and thanks for your opinion. I just don't know what to say.

Bob Dylan has put a lot of sacrosanct issues into words for me, so let me quote him.

For all of my brothers from Vietnam / And my uncles from World War II, / I'd like to say that it's countdown time now / And we're gonna do what the law should do

I always found Bob's lyrics feasibel to interpret on multiple planes, but whoes law should it be?

(to see the lyrics in full and get link to the source goto "It's Hell Time Man")

Majic,

Well done for making the same "mistake" with Kerry's comments and Olbermann claims Bush has done.

It just goes to show that Bush can fool some of the people all of the time.

As a European, it never ceases to amaze me the levels of forgiveness some in the US have for Bush.

All he has to do is promise to cut taxes to the rich and he is the second coming of the Lord.

If one looks at the litany of failures committed under the Bush Regime (2000-2008) it reads like a bad made for TV movie plot for a 3rd world dictator who gets overthrown by the plucky hero.

A great man once said "America is the land of dreamers, shame the rest of the world is awake".

My only annoyance is that even if the Dems win the Midterms in both houses they will not have the bottle to finally impeach Bush and Cheney in the same way Hussein has been in Iraq.

Cheers

S396

Olberman's personal attacks on the president are about as offensive as I can imagine. In fact, if Olberman got to within twenty feet of me I would knock his teeth out.

Olberman is stupid if he doesn't understand the context of Kerry's remarks that made them offensive to all veterans.

No wonder NBC is going down the tubes.

But it's okay for Bush to pretty much call the whole democratic political party "cowards" as in when he said "cut and run"?

He calls them cowards, they call him stupid? So what?

Seems to me they're "even" no apologies needed by either side.



[edit on 5-11-2006 by elaine]

Grady,

It just goes to show that one can spend many years on here and not learn a thing.

Points are no substute for education my friend

Cheers

S396