SubscribeAP: “Bush Lectures Arab World On Reform”
From a wondrously scornful Associated Press:
Bush lectures Arab world on political reform
By TERENCE HUNT, AP White House Correspondent
SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt - President Bush lectured the Arab world Sunday about everything from political repression to the denial of women’s rights but ran into Palestinian complaints he is favoring Israel in stalled Mideast peace talks. “Freedom and peace are within your grasp,” Bush said despite scant signs of progress.
Winding up a five-day trip to the region, Bush took a strikingly tougher tone with Arab nations than he did with Israel in a speech Thursday to the Knesset. Israel received effusive praise from the president while Arab nations heard a litany of U.S. criticisms mixed with some compliments.
“Too often in the Middle East, politics has consisted of one leader in power and the opposition in jail,” Bush said in a speech to 1,500 global policymakers and business leaders at this Red Sea beach resort. That was a clear reference to host Egypt, where main secular opposition figure Ayman Nour has been jailed and President Hosni Mubarak has led an authoritarian government since 1981.
“America is deeply concerned about the plight of political prisoners in this region, as well as democratic activists who are intimidated or repressed, newspapers and civil society organizations that are shut down and dissidents whose voices are stifled,” Bush said.
“I call on all nations in this region to release their prisoners of conscience, open up their political debate and trust their people to chart their future,” Bush said.
Scattered applause followed, with barely a ripple of reaction later to his declaration than Iran must not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon…
The heart of Bush’s speech was a warning that Mideast nations lag behind the developing world and cannot count on their oil wealth forever.
Bush urged countries to make their economies more diverse, open to free trade, with lower taxes and protection for intellectual property rights.
He called for political changes that bring competitive, legitimate elections where leaders are held to account and appealed to nations to push back against the negative influence of “spoilers” such as Iran and Syria.
He urged an expansion of women’s rights as “a matter of morality and of basic math. No nation that cuts off half its population from opportunities will be as productive or prosperous as it could be. Women are a formidable force, as I have seen in my own family and my own administration.” …
We are with the Associated Press on this one. The nerve of this guy.
Who does he think he is? This is ‘cowboy diplomacy’ at its most arrogant.
Fortunately, President Obama will soon put an end to all this nonsense.
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6 Responses to “AP: “Bush Lectures Arab World On Reform””
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May 19th, 2008 at 4:09 am
Let’s see with Saddam with a stretched neck, and Uday and Qusay at room temperature, I think President Bush is giving a little bit more than a lecture. ROFLMAO Hope those guys are getting bigger ears out there!
May 19th, 2008 at 5:55 am
Good, but he should’ve started this rhetoric 7 years ago. Instead we got that “Religion of Peace” crap.
I’d like to see the US do like we did to the Soviets at the beginning of the Cold War in relationship to the Western European countries… i.e. an attack against Israel will be considered an attack against the U.S.
May 19th, 2008 at 5:59 am
“Israel received effusive praise from the president while Arab nations heard a litany of U.S. criticisms mixed with some compliments.” My question for the our F’ed Up Press is how fair is it to live under tyrrany? The press and other ungrateful folks living in this country have it so good, they assume it is this way everywhere. I would like to see one of America’s fine liberal sisters go to Syria and spew thier rhetoric, or beter yet, have them protest the Iranian leader and burn an effigy of him in the streets, then sit back and watch how long it would take for the police to descend upon them, wrap them in a burka, and make a fine example of them in some grotesque qay (maybe a public stoning?). Or, better yet, maybe some of our complaining gays should go to the middle east and put on a Disney World-style gay pride parade and see what happens during this display. We all know what would happen. I don’t know of many Israeli women or gays or other oppressed group that are executed on a firing line or stoned to death for expressing their oft misled concerns. I don’t understand why the libs would complain about the Prez trying to extend human rights to Arab nations. Ever watch a woman being stoned to death? It ain’t pretty.
May 19th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
“Freedom and peace are within your grasp,” Bush said….”
Yee Haw! I love President Bush’s ‘cowboy diplomacy’. What he says is the truth and if the ME doesn’t like it….. so be it. At least he doesn’t wimp out to the ME Leaders and cower at their demands like Carter and Clinton did.
May 19th, 2008 at 10:59 pm
MEMO TO G.W.
With all due respect . No more lectures .
Open one more can of woop-a$$ .
Nuff said .
May 20th, 2008 at 1:26 am
“MEMO TO G.W.
With all due respect . No more lectures .
Open one more can of woop-a$$ .
Nuff said .”
I agree wirenut. Open the can Mr. President. :-)