The trouble with diplomacy *eyeroll*
Jul. 7th, 2006 08:32 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
icarusBush strikes new levels of dumb.
'You know, the problem with diplomacy is it takes a while to get something done …'
Across the world, every diplomat and politician just dropped their collective jaws, thinking 'no shit, Sherlock' in thirty different languages.
Wow. I never knew how clueless he was. He's been doing this job for five and half years and doesn't even get the job description? I don't know about you but if I've been in a job for five years, no matter how little I know about it initially, I'd have figured out the basics by now.
That's like a financial analyst saying: "The problem with the stock market is that it goes up and down."
A backpacker: "The problem with backpacking is you have to carry everything with you."
A climber: "The problem with rock climbing is it's hard on the hands."
Driving: "The problem with driving a car is you have to pay attention."
The rest of Bush's quote reads that while "acting alone, you can move quickly."
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wildernessguru: "This is an administration that believes we can do anything with the barrel of a gun."
Yes. I saw a great bumper sticker about this yesterday. We're making enemies faster than we can kill them.
'You know, the problem with diplomacy is it takes a while to get something done …'
Across the world, every diplomat and politician just dropped their collective jaws, thinking 'no shit, Sherlock' in thirty different languages.
Wow. I never knew how clueless he was. He's been doing this job for five and half years and doesn't even get the job description? I don't know about you but if I've been in a job for five years, no matter how little I know about it initially, I'd have figured out the basics by now.
That's like a financial analyst saying: "The problem with the stock market is that it goes up and down."
A backpacker: "The problem with backpacking is you have to carry everything with you."
A climber: "The problem with rock climbing is it's hard on the hands."
Driving: "The problem with driving a car is you have to pay attention."
The rest of Bush's quote reads that while "acting alone, you can move quickly."
wildernessguru: "This is an administration that believes we can do anything with the barrel of a gun."Yes. I saw a great bumper sticker about this yesterday. We're making enemies faster than we can kill them.
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Date: 2006-07-07 04:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-07 04:55 pm (UTC)Icarus
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Date: 2006-07-07 05:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-07 04:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-07 04:56 pm (UTC)Icarus
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Date: 2006-07-07 05:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-07 05:56 pm (UTC)In the case of George I think it's because his speechifiers have to keep it really really simple or he'll screw up. As those who support him are not always the sharpest knives in the drawer, it has to be kept simple for them, too.
(I realise I'm a Brit making observations about US politics which might be considered cheeky. If you think I'm speaking outta turn, please delete me - I do not want to offend anyone looking - I only insult in the cause of my own national politics...) ;-)
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Date: 2006-07-07 06:18 pm (UTC)Alas, Bush has this tendency to go off script, to "ad lib." The very reason he's fired everyone who ever argued against invading Iraq, the very reason he's given Rumsfeld a blank check despite his obvious failures and the protests of the Pentagon, is the very reason Bush has to insert "personal touches" into his speeches or phrase things his way. The results are revealing gems like these.
You give him and his speechwriters too much credit.
Also, a lot of his support comes from the fact that he's not a Democrat and favors the wealthy. WG's father is a highly conservative economics professor who's made himself wealthy with intelligent investments, writes a column for a newspaper who is invited to give cruise-ship lectures on investing. He's a smart man, and he supports Bush. Most of the well-heeled people I worked for in finance were Bush-supporters.
Icarus
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Date: 2006-07-07 06:14 pm (UTC)I would say that he's made cluelessness into an art form at this point, but that would be an insult to art.
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Date: 2006-07-08 01:46 am (UTC)Icarus
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Date: 2006-07-07 07:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-08 01:47 am (UTC)Icarus
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Date: 2006-07-07 08:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-08 01:15 am (UTC)The DoD has claimed for years that they could fight two wars at a time, but what they've neglected to mention is that we don't have the manpower to do so with our all-volunteer military. At the moment all branches of the military are 46% short of their recruitment targets -- and that's just for Iraq. We're relying on Stop-Loss to keep our military personnel.
Also, our anti-balistic missile system doesn't work -- it's the modern pie-in-the-sky Star Wars program (if you recall the Reagan era).
The only thing that could contain N. Korea right now is China. They have the world's largest standing army, a rapidly modernizing navy, and okay, their aircraft are still out of date but even the U.S. couldn't fight China's air forces: it would be a turkey shoot, but we'd run out of missiles before they ran out planes.
Icarus
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Date: 2006-07-08 01:58 am (UTC)The huge economic boom in China has meant that their SONG-class nuclear submarine was in the water last year, about two years ahead of schedule. This exploits a weakness in U.S. naval defences. China's been mapping out the sea floor, crossing Japan's territorial waters at will (they say they're doing "oceanographic research" but their not asking Japan and coupled with their submarine program -- yeah, everyone's military is laughing at that excuse).
This really doesn't bode well for Taiwan.
Icarus
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Date: 2006-07-07 10:26 pm (UTC)Oh nice! I saw a companion one today: Jesus would slap the shit out of you
I think I need both now.
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Date: 2006-07-08 01:43 am (UTC)Icarus
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Date: 2006-07-08 12:46 am (UTC)"It's God's job to judge the terrorists. It's our job to hasten the meeting. U.S. Marines"
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Date: 2006-07-08 01:23 am (UTC)Sometimes I think we're over there just because it's easier (this is a relative term) and results are more measureable, as opposed to the kind of intelligence gathering and infiltration that solving the terrorist problem would take.
Icarus
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Date: 2006-07-08 05:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-08 07:40 am (UTC)I notice there aren't a lot terrorists attacking Canada though. Maybe that's the real solution: be Canada. Heh.
Icarus
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Date: 2006-07-08 04:06 pm (UTC)Yes, let's be Canada. *g* I'd like to sometimes. heh For some reason, my husband isn't really into that idea. *g*
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Date: 2006-07-08 08:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-09 01:15 am (UTC)Icarus
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Date: 2006-07-09 06:31 am (UTC)