Re: RE: Bush's racial slur

On Sat, 12 Jan 2002, Matt Gushee wrote:

> shadowman writes:
[snip]
>  > conclude?  simply put, Bush is not a very tactful man.

Let me just say that I think far worse of him. See my pre-election rant
about Bush's *mocking* IN PUBLIC a person he executed.

> Not to be overly harsh, but isn't that obvious? 

It is obvious...and loads of people deny it

> What do you suggest
> Bush should have done, 

Apologize. Given his rep as a stumbletongue, it would be plausible and not
embarassing. Saying that he "respects Pakistan, Pakistanis, etc." (not a
*spokeperson* said this) is not at all the same as him simple apologizing.

As for the diplomatic issue, a spokeperson for the Pakistan embassy tried
to shrug it off as a simple verbal blunder (which it may be!). But, then
again, they'd pretty much have to. We've got the guns, so *we* don't need
to apologize and others must apologize for us.

I'm hoping it won't get picked up by hugely unstabilizing Pakastani groups
(thought the current gov't SUCKS, a coup is likely to be much worse
overall, as the US and India move in).

It would nice to have a transcript of the session. If it was a scripted
remark, Bush should fire the writers.

> or that Americans should do in response to his
> gaffe?

There's not much to do. You could write the White House. You could write
the Pakistan Embassey.

It's very interesting that these sort of gaffes go almost completely
unmentioned in the press. Considering Gore's very much more minor mishaps,
this is telling.

Alas, Bush is riding so high (even from before 9/11, I don't think he can
conceive of any other mode) that none of this matters until or unless he
makes a blunder so large everyone turns against him. It's hard to see him
doing that, since at least part of the strategy is to blunder
relentlessly.

Enron, for example, couldn't have come at a better time.

Cheers,
Bijan Parsia.