MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina (CNN) -- As thousands of protesters demonstrated against him outside the Summit of the Americas on Friday, President Bush said he viewed his participation as an "opportunity to positively affirm our belief in democracy and human rights and human dignity."
Bush said he already had met with leaders of several Central American countries, which he described as "young democracies" eager to implement a free trade agreement.
The Central America Free Trade Agreement was narrowly approved by Congress in July after a intense push by the White House.
Earlier, thousands of protesters had greeted a train bringing a group of fellow demonstrators from Buenos Aires -- including Bolivian presidential hopeful Evo Morales and Argentinian soccer legend Diego Maradona.
Chanting "Fascist Bush! You are the terrorist!" the protesters massed along the sides of the train, trying to shake hands with those inside.
Bush began his day with praise for Argentine President Nestor Kirchner. Neither leader took questions at a brief media appearance together.
In an apparent reference to his unpopularity in the region, Bush said to Kirchner, "It's not easy to host all these countries -- particularly not easy to host perhaps me. But thank you for doing it."
You know your presidency is in trouble when, after trying to escape the unpopularity of your home country with a nice little foreign trip, you're exposed to massive protests from the host country's citizens screaming you're a fascist terrorist! In one sense, I can't even analyze this story. I know that world leaders will always encounter protesters screaming whatever issues they're passionate about. It is how you get your views publicized in the media. But President Bush's policies have increased this level of hatred and protests against his administration to an almost unheard of plateau--both at home and abroad. Here is the U.S., the issues are Iraq war, White House lies of WMDs, Valerie Plamegate, economic inequalities, Alaska oil drilling, cronyism. And abroad, those issues could also include both the Iraq war, American imperialism, use of torture in American military prisons, economic inequalities between the U.S. and the rest of the developing world, CAFTA--the list just goes on.
I don't know how George Bush can turn around his presidency--I don't think he even can. He has totally integrated his presidency to the neoconservative agenda and the religious right-wing extremists, that it would be impossible for him to clean house. The neocons have totally insulated him from reality--any news that he gets probably goes through a neocon "political correctness filter." And we all know about Bush's proud claims that he doesn't read the newspapers. So Bush doesn't get any alternative views, or any dissenting opinions regarding policy issues. I'd also say that even if Bush realizes that this country is going down the toilet, he's not going to ask for help from Daddy Bush or the Old Republicans (James Baker, Colin Powell, Mike Deaver). Daddy Bush has helped Bush Junior out of just about every mess he'd gotten himself into--the Texas Air National Guard to get out of the draft, bailed Bush Junior out of his failed oil exploration company, financed his purchase of the Texas Rangers. George Bush is too proud to ask for help from his father, even if he may know that he's totally in over his head. George Bush is too proud to claim that he's made a mistake. So he continues on--not listening and not learning.
Sending us all over a cliff.
2 comments:
out here blogsurfing and read this post. Nice to see that there are people out there, like yourself, not so inclined to follow the cow path off that cliff.
When Bush was running against Gore in 2000, my first thought of him was that he was a "Woody" doll--similar to Woody in Toy Story. Pull the string on his back and he repeats the same three lines--at least back in 2000, it was always tax cuts (Cut taxes because we have a surplus! Cut taxes because we need to stimulate the economy out of this recession! Cut taxes because a killer astroid is heading straight to earth!). I didn't vote for him in 2000. I had hoped that perhaps he could be a moderate conservative--what with the country rallying around him after 9/11--I'm willing to give some benefit of doubt. But after his disaster in invading Iraq, I have no confidence in his ability to lead (And I did not support the invasion of Iraq--would have been happier continuing the current containment policy).
It is just incredible that, less than a year after he was re-elected, his presidency has gone down the tubes. I mean, Bush's poll numbers are dropping down to where Nixon's poll numbers were before he resigned. And Bush still has another three years to go! If there ever was a Murphy's Law in the White House, it has to be here in the Bush administration.
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