Archived material Access restricted Article
Rantburg

Today's Front Page   View All of Wed 12/22/2004 View Tue 12/21/2004 View Mon 12/20/2004 View Sun 12/19/2004 View Sat 12/18/2004 View Fri 12/17/2004 View Thu 12/16/2004
1
2004-12-22 Home Front: WoT
World Feels Bullied by Washington
Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.
Posted by Fred 2004-12-22 10:25:23 PM|| || Front Page|| [5 views since 2007-05-07]  Top

#1 Article: But Schroeder, like many Europeans who resent having lost their voice in world affairs, insists he should be able to criticize U.S. policy without automatically being branded as anti-American.

And Americans should be able to criticize European policy without automatically being branded anti-Europe.
Posted by Zhang Fei  2004-12-22 12:23:58 AM|| [http://timurileng.blogspot.com]  2004-12-22 12:23:58 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 And Americans should be able to criticize European policy

But that's called American hegemony, doncha know?
Posted by Rafael 2004-12-22 12:55:54 AM||   2004-12-22 12:55:54 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 Bush will visit Germany in February, I'll have more details on that later.
Posted by True German Ally 2004-12-22 1:21:44 AM||   2004-12-22 1:21:44 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 Feeeeelingsssss...Nothing more than feeeeelingsss...Trying to forget my...Feelings of total indifference to "enlightened" European opinion...

Posted by Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) 2004-12-22 2:02:04 AM||   2004-12-22 2:02:04 AM|| Front Page Top

#5 Given the French's pathological sense of self importance, it must send them into an impotent fury to realise that we don't give a good goddamn what they think of us.
Posted by Weird Al 2004-12-22 8:19:16 AM||   2004-12-22 8:19:16 AM|| Front Page Top

#6 World feels bullied by Washington? Too damned bad. That's the nature of a superpower. Quit your pathetic blah, blah, blah whining and get out in the world and do something. Russia: stop selling nuclear hardware and start selling generators and water pumps. South Korea: beef up your defense so our troops can be reduced further. China: Taiwan is independent -- get over it. France: just STFU.
Posted by Tom 2004-12-22 8:35:23 AM||   2004-12-22 8:35:23 AM|| Front Page Top

#7 how are those wine sales coming?
Posted by 2b 2004-12-22 8:38:49 AM||   2004-12-22 8:38:49 AM|| Front Page Top

#8 I'm feeling that much of the world wants to oppress me. The only solution is to pick a target and bomb them to hell. To do otherwise would be "a wrong signal."
Posted by ed 2004-12-22 8:50:00 AM||   2004-12-22 8:50:00 AM|| Front Page Top

#9 And Americans should be able to criticize European policy without automatically being branded anti-Europe.

But I am anti-Europe. ;) Old, Leftist Europe, that is. Poland and the rest of "New" Europe I like just fine.
Posted by Laurence of the Rats  2004-12-22 9:00:30 AM|| [http://www.punictreachery.com/]  2004-12-22 9:00:30 AM|| Front Page Top

#10 Nice rant Fred.
Posted by ed 2004-12-22 9:17:04 AM||   2004-12-22 9:17:04 AM|| Front Page Top

#11 Stop whinning and give me your lunch money euroBoy.
Posted by Washington 2004-12-22 9:39:38 AM||   2004-12-22 9:39:38 AM|| Front Page Top

#12 we don't need their steenking money
Posted by Frank G  2004-12-22 9:44:52 AM||   2004-12-22 9:44:52 AM|| Front Page Top

#13 
World Feels
Stop right there!

Anything that comes after "feels" isn't worth my time.

Let me know when you start actually thinking and doing, World. (And whining doesn't count as doing.)

I don't give a rat's ass in Hades how you feel. Take it up with Oprah.
Posted by Barbara Skolaut  2004-12-22 11:14:08 AM||   2004-12-22 11:14:08 AM|| Front Page Top

#14 FEELINGS= an emotion subject to outside influences such as: other stronger folks, money in large denominations, girly man angst,etc.

BELIEF= the bedrock of action as a consistent roadmap to a specific location or goal.

Or, something like that!
Posted by Spager Claising8914 2004-12-22 11:27:00 AM||   2004-12-22 11:27:00 AM|| Front Page Top

#15 Bush has promised to visit Europe soon after his Jan. 19 inauguration. The French and Germans will be watching closely to see whether he merely jets off to Britain to huddle with Prime Minister Tony Blair, his biggest ally in the war on terror, or takes the initiative to mend relations with stops in Paris and Berlin.

Huh? GWB has to be the one to "take the initiative" to mend relations? Puuuhleeeeease.

What happened in Iraq is something that shouldn't have been allowed to carry on as long as it did, no thanks to the machinations of the despicable French and the rest of their partners.

To do otherwise would be "a wrong signal," said Eberhard Sandschneider, a German foreign policy analyst.

Ohhhh....my...

"I hope they realize that one can win wars alone, but not peace," Schroeder said recently. "And that the conclusion will be drawn that they should consult more carefully than ever with the partners who have to be there afterward."

WTF is this asshole talking about???? The Germans aren't in Iraq NOW doing the damned dirty work, and he finds reason to COMPLAIN??? Un-phuquing-believable....
Posted by Bomb-a-rama 2004-12-22 12:02:30 PM||   2004-12-22 12:02:30 PM|| Front Page Top

#16 BAR-Amen. They are going to contribute nothing, other than a hand held out for contract rights. OK-I'm pissing everyone off today, so might as well stick with it-he should blow off Germany and France. They are spoilt rotten-throw em in their rooms, leave em crying until they are ready to get off their political soapboxes and come out with some positive moves towards US.
Posted by Jules 187 2004-12-22 12:14:32 PM||   2004-12-22 12:14:32 PM|| Front Page Top

#17 Bush should inform them we are the one that are put upon by them. They need to apoligze to us. So they can like Master Shake says, bite me.
Posted by Sock Puppet of Doom 2004-12-22 2:44:52 PM|| [http://www.slhess.com]  2004-12-22 2:44:52 PM|| Front Page Top

#18 TGA, is the German visit on the heels of his meeting with Putin in Slovakia? Wonder whether Bush will also visit Poland. It's got more clout in Ukraine.

This is the French nightmare realized: the center of gravity in Europe has shifted irrevocably to the east. When Turkey joins the EU, it will shift still further east.
Posted by lex 2004-12-22 2:51:30 PM||   2004-12-22 2:51:30 PM|| Front Page Top

#19 Memo to France, and German leaders who are acting French:

1) Whatever debt we owed Lafayette for helping us out has been repaid....twice. We are not coming over there a third time to clean up your mess.
2) Stop ignoring good opportunities to shut up.
3) Don't even think you are in any position to give us military advice. The last general you had who could actually win battles lived about 200 years ago, and he was Corsican.
4) The guy living in the White House is not a "guest", he is a president. You may call him "sir". When we elect a female president, you may call her "ma'am".
Posted by Desert Blondie 2004-12-22 3:09:55 PM||   2004-12-22 3:09:55 PM|| Front Page Top

#20 Ah yes, the axis of history once again runs from Berlin to Moscow (and on to Beijing and Tokyo).

http://poxonboth.blogspot.com/
Posted by lex 2004-12-22 3:14:46 PM||   2004-12-22 3:14:46 PM|| Front Page Top

#21 Bush will be in Brussels on February 22nd to meet with NATO and EU officials and visit Germany the day after. The location is still kept secret which will give all those demonstrators a headache.

One Rantburg poster is likely to meet him. He can say no more.
Posted by True German Ally 2004-12-22 3:22:33 PM||   2004-12-22 3:22:33 PM|| Front Page Top

#22 Might be a good time to visit the Baltics and Denmark while in the area. Make it a northeastern Europe tour. Build alliances where there is a snowball's chance in hel* of actually finding allies.
Posted by Jules 187 2004-12-22 3:26:17 PM||   2004-12-22 3:26:17 PM|| Front Page Top

#23 "One Rantburg poster is likely to meet him."

I have this image of a cluster of dour-looking officials with one guy in the middle jumping up and down and waving an American flag.

You Da Man, TGA.
Posted by Matt 2004-12-22 3:49:55 PM||   2004-12-22 3:49:55 PM|| Front Page Top

#24 Nah, no American flag, Matt. Just a little twinkle in his eye, a hint of a smile curving the mouth *just so*, and a firm handshake with a scrap of paper that reads "www.rantburg.com. Meet me in the O-Club at 9:30."
Posted by Seafarious  2004-12-22 4:11:32 PM||   2004-12-22 4:11:32 PM|| Front Page Top

#25 Is there a secret Rantburg handshake or other acknowledgement?
Posted by lex 2004-12-22 5:08:14 PM||   2004-12-22 5:08:14 PM|| Front Page Top

#26 Dang, Seafarious-- you beat me to it.
Posted by AutoBartender 2004-12-22 5:10:04 PM||   2004-12-22 5:10:04 PM|| Front Page Top

#27 Hey Yurrup. Want more Trans-Atlantic cooperation?
Start cooperating then.

...a man who says what he's going to do and then does it.

This is exactly what drives them nuts, Fred. The whole concept of saying what you are going to do and then doing exactly that is utterly foreign to 'sophisticated' people.
Posted by Parabellum 2004-12-22 5:21:07 PM|| [http://www.angelfire.com/moon/yoelnatan/koranwarpassages.htm]  2004-12-22 5:21:07 PM|| Front Page Top

#28 The visit of President Bush will happen after the Iraqi elections and shortly after the International Security Conference in Munich. Schroeder and Condi Rice will attend, Rummy will probably show up as well. We are likely to see a more significant German contribution to Iraq as a result.
Posted by True German Ally 2004-12-22 5:27:31 PM||   2004-12-22 5:27:31 PM|| Front Page Top

#29 Germany is contributing, though it's not well advertised. They are funding and overseeing the production of a 30-minute daily election coverage TV show for broadcast in Iraq. I think that's very significant.
Posted by Seafarious  2004-12-22 5:31:26 PM||   2004-12-22 5:31:26 PM|| Front Page Top

#30 It's indeed not much advertised. Also German defense minister Struck has announced that more Iraqi troops and officers will be trained in Germany and in the Emirates.
I also expect some significant developments in the Iran crisis
Posted by True German Ally 2004-12-22 5:49:36 PM||   2004-12-22 5:49:36 PM|| Front Page Top

#31 Developments of the sort that makes Rantburgers smile? *crossed fingers*

Oooh, I wish I had a "54-40 or Fight!" lapel pin mic to send you so all RBer's could listen in. :)
Posted by Laurence of the Rats  2004-12-22 6:32:46 PM|| [http://www.punictreachery.com/]  2004-12-22 6:32:46 PM|| Front Page Top

#32 You know, it might just be time to 'win' the peace in France and Germany. Clearly we haven't gotten rid of all the Vichy French and Nationalist Socialist Party allies. Don't we have about 100,000 troops over there? Shouldn't be too hard to start the process.
Posted by Silentbrick  2004-12-22 6:49:56 PM||   2004-12-22 6:49:56 PM|| Front Page Top

#33 I have to admit I'm jealous, TGA.

But of course you have that one Rantburg poster has earned the right, and I haven't.

You go, guy!

(And don't forget the slip of paper with Rantburg.com on it when you that poster shakes his hand. ;-p)
Posted by Barbara Skolaut  2004-12-22 8:16:35 PM||   2004-12-22 8:16:35 PM|| Front Page Top

#34 Of course nobody knows whether the President goes online in his spare time?

But now that Condi moves to Foggy Bottom, he might just go to Rantburg for daily briefings...

Couldn't think of a better source :-)
Posted by True German Ally 2004-12-22 9:07:18 PM||   2004-12-22 9:07:18 PM|| Front Page Top

00:03 Pappy
23:47 Pappy
23:42 Rafael
23:12 Frank G
23:03 jn1
22:56 Stephen
22:56 Frank G
22:48 badanov
22:29 Atomic Conspiracy
22:14 badanov
22:12 Zhang Fei
21:26 Phil Fraering
21:07 True German Ally
20:43 Mark Z.
20:42 Silentbrick
20:22 Anonymous4724
20:16 Barbara Skolaut
20:09 Barbara Skolaut
20:03 Barbara Skolaut
19:51 Bomb-a-rama
19:42 Bomb-a-rama
19:28 Bomb-a-rama
19:27 Radio Guy
19:26 Radio Guy









Paypal:
Google
Search WWW Search rantburg.com