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Thursday, March 06, 2003
I'm not mad at you...I'm just terribly disappointed.....
Howard Fineman, who last week was telling us that God speaks to man through President Hooked on Galatians, has gone all Judas and shit (but not Catholic Judas) on Bush's ass.
I’M THINKING of the Grand Bazaar as I look at the hash George W. Bush has made of the diplomatic gamesmanship surrounding the pending war with Iraq. All the world was not going to be with us in a war to take out Saddam Hussein. And if taking him out is the right and necessary thing to do, so be it. But diplomacy has its uses (we’re depending on the United Nations to pick up the pieces in Baghdad), and what’s the use of making things harder than they need to be?
A lot of this has to do with the president’s negotiating style. It’s a mix of Bible Belt certitude and West Texas bluster: You declare that you are in the right, stake the most aggressive land claim in all the oil patch, talk big and strong, and dare them to call your bluff. But it doesn’t work that way in the Grand Bazaar, where you need to hide your intentions and examine the merchandise with care. The president hasn’t always done either. As a result, he’s been outmaneuvered by some of the world’s slickest shopkeepers: the Turks, the French, even Saddam. And now Bush is buying war at what could be a very high price.
[snip...]
Of course the smoothest operators of all are the French. They want into the Iraqi oil fields, but it’s not all about the money — at least not in the minds of the Gauls. They want respect. They want to be known as the paragons of principle. They want to be known as the conscience of Europe. The president’s father is a longtime friend of Jacques Chirac. Perhaps Dad can explain French thinking to his son. Dad might explain that there’s a time for tough talk and a time for a diplomatic peck on the cheek (or even a metaphoric kiss on the butt). Because, for better or worse, we’re not in Midland anymore.
That's quite a tongue-lashing on Bush from Fineman. But then, it's not the first time Fineman has used his tongue on the Warrior President.
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