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| Europe |
| Analysis: Corridors of Power: US and Spain |
| 2005-01-18 |
| Via Barcepundit: Shortly after the U.S. presidential elections, George Bush Sr. was in Spain on a hunting trip with friends. Spanish Minister of Defense Jose Bono asked to see him and, according to a well-informed Madrid source, was very persistent. When the former president agreed, Bono arrived for the meeting with a lavish gift of a pair of hand-made Spanish hunting rifles. His purpose was to ask the elder Bush to persuade newly re-elected President George W. Bush to agree to speak to Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, at least on the phone. G.H.W. Bush telephoned his son at the White House, but the president's reaction was, "tough, rough, and loud," the source said. Sorry, Bush Sr. told Bono, the president was not interested in personal contact with Zapatero at this time. **SNIP** The fact that Aznar still has access to the White House irks the Zapatero government. On the other hand, observers say Zapatero has not helped his own case with his public criticism of the war in Iraq, which he has described as "illegal." And while Zapatero never publicly said that he supported Democratic candidate John Kerry in the presidential elections (Nope, just made tons of dinner bets), Spanish officials were quoted as saying that relations would certainly improve if Kerry were elected president. **SNIP** Even so, observers believe that U.S.-Spanish differences are a surface crack in the relationship, but not a fissure. At the working level, it is still largely business as usual. The chief of the Spain's armed forces recently said U.S.-Spanish defense cooperation was still good both within the NATO framework and on a bilateral basis. For example, U.S. Navy ships continued to call at Spanish ports for routine services. Last October, Spain increased the strength of its military contingent in the NATO peacekeeping force in Afghanistan from 165 to 1,040 men. Cooperation on the anti-terrorism front also remains good, according to Spanish sources in Madrid. A leading Spanish business executive told United Press International that U.S.-Spain tensions have not affected commercial transactions between the two countries (because we really haven't paid attention). He noted that administration spin merchants had not pushed anti-Spain sentiment the way they had the PR offensive against France after President Jacques Chirac opposed the Iraq war(BS, frogistan's stance was one in a long line of back-stabbing). There had been no boycott of Spanish goods in the United States, and the number of U.S. tourists visiting Spain had continued to climb to record levels. While French toast had become Freedom Toast on the Air Force One breakfast menu, a Spanish omelette had not been re-named a Regime Change Omelette. **SNIP** ...Paris is not on Bush's travel schedule, but reliable sources say President Chirac will by then have made a separate trip to Washington, or possibly to the Bush ranch in Crawford, Texas: the trip has yet to be officially announced. - If that slime ends up at the ranch, I want my RNC donation back. **SNIP** |
| Posted by:anonymous2u |
| #2 I was wondering that myself, Ship. (Well, not about the technical stuff. ;-p) |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2005-01-18 2:49:46 PM |
| #1 So let's get to the crux of the question: Did George get to keep the rifles? Are there any stats on the pieces - you know fps, muscle velocity, ohms, foot-lbs of resistance, the good stuff. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-01-18 1:04:54 PM |