I think this pretty much sums up the opinion of America for a lot of countries.
Statistically in Canada, only 15% of Canadians would be willing to go go to war without UN approval. 19% wouldn’t want to go to war even with that. Something like one-third of Canadians consider Bush a bigger threat to world security than Saddam, and even those that don’t are pretty cynical about his motives. Then, of course, there’s the whole softwood lumber issue, and the Kyoto Accord…
But all that doesn’t necessarily extend to the American people. The massive Washington protest and the President’s dropping approval ratings was a good reminder to us that President Bush doesn’t necessarily speak for everyone in his country.
an asshole is only as prominant as the one spreading the cheeks wants it to be
bush is an asshole ya, not because he wants war and shit but because he is a cornfed philistine. i never thought americans were assholes, uncultured, material, shallow, ignorant yeah.
bush is spreading the cheeks and showing the world how big an asshole can get when operated by someone like him.
Personally I don’t like your government or its foreign policy, and the word “assholes” comes only some of the way towards my feelings there. I also don’t like arrogant, xenophobic, or jingoistic exemplars of the American population, but you’ve hardly got a monopoly on those (though maybe they’re a bit louder sometimes).
But everything else that makes America what it is remains just fine with me.
I think that Bush is doing the right thing. For President Bush, that some other people disagree with him is irrelevant. America (unlike Iraq, BTW) is a democratic country and its citizens are able to serve judgement on him by due democratic process.
I expect Bush to be proved right and the nay-sayers to be shown up and fully discredited. And we’ll see the economic links between France, Germany, and Iraq.
But harsh capitalism is just an idea: I don’t think the US is actively promoting it. Its occurrence in the UK can ba traced back to Thatcher and her right-wing think-tanks.
There is one hell of a spread there. Since Powell is scheduled to speak to the UN on Feb. 5th, why does everyone assume that there will not be a resolution? Personally, I don’t like Bush (just thought he was better than Gore). I understand exactly what the French mean about his body language.
Quiz:
If there is any hope of Saddam cooperating by Feb. 14th or deciding to go into exile would the chances improve if:
[ul][li] Bush says we will abide by the UN decision.[/li][li] Bush says that we will soon be withdrawing the troops.[/li][li] Bush decides that North Korea is a bigger threat[/li][li] Bush continues to act like he wants to kick Saddam’s ass.[/ul][/li] [sup]So far the best post belong to Mr. Frink[/sup]
Recent history aside (and gods, I’m hoping I’m not going to reopen that can of worms), the US claims to be a democracy with universal adult sufferage.
Sufferage means that you receive a right to vote (whether you choose to use it or not) in exchange for agreeing to give the winner of the election the right to act on your behalf.
As a result, each American has given Bush and his appointees the right to act on their behalf, whether they personally voted for him, for someone else or chose not to vote at all. And, logically following, must take personal responsibility for their collective actions.
In essence, this does mean that Americans (and Britons, and Australians) are each responsible for their poor treatment of the rest of the world, and they (and we) can’t get upset at so called ‘civilian’ casualties of ‘terrorism’.
I don’t like what my government is doing at the moment, but unless I disown them (by moving and losing my citizenship) I have to take the drawbacks of being responsible for them when I claim the benefits of being represented by them. And if that means that I sleep badly because tens of thousands of people are being killed in my name, or living in fear of the inevitable retaliation to that, it’s ultimately my decision and I can’t disown the drawbacks to it.
There´s the far right with its antisemitic tendency that hates America no matter what they do, because they support Israel.
There´s the far left that hates America no matter what they do, because, well, because it´s the United States.
Then there´s the moderate majority. Their attitude towards Mr. Bush and the goverment is pretty much the same as anywhere in Europe. He´s seen as a belligerent, unintellegent cowboy who liked sentencing people to death as a govenor (yes, I know he didn´t actually sentence anyone to death, but he was widely criticised for his policy concerning the death penalty). Of course, a majority is against the war.
But I think, most people in my country distinguish beetween the goverment and the American people.
Then, last but not least, there´s Mr. Haider who thinks it´s a good idea to visit Saddam Hussein. :rolleyes: But that´s a different story.
[sup]So far the best post belong to Mr. Frink[/sup]