September 20, 2006
From The Cheap Seats
Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela, referred to Noam Chomsky in the first paragraph of his speech at the UN today. With a start like that, you have to wonder what's coming next.
If you've read the speech, you know what came next: attacks on the United States and personal attacks on President Bush. Wasn't there a time when diplomacy was respectful, at least in public? I guess if you're dissing the US, then no actions are too far afield.
Yesterday, ladies and gentlemen, from this rostrum, the president of the United States, the gentleman to whom I refer as the devil, came here, talking as if he owned the world. Truly. As the owner of the world.
A Communist talking about the devil? Lenin must be rolling in his grave. What Chavez doesn't understand is that if a nation which subscribes to his brand of socialism were as powerful as the US, they WOULD be trying to take over the world, just as the Soviet Union wanted to run all of Europe. Our restraint is the only thing that keeps us from being an unstoppable empire.
I'm beginning to think it is better to be feared than loved.
Posted by Matthew at September 20, 2006 10:11 PMTrackBack URL for this entry:
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One of the many things that you Screw-the-rest-of-the-world types don't seem to understand is that the Bush/Chenney policy has had the effect of uniting our opponents while polarizing Americans. Would the president of Venezuela be hangin' with the president of Iran if the US had responded to 9/11 by attacking _only_ those that were responsible? Of course not.
But by talking about this axis-of-evil stuff, and attacking countries that had absolutely nothing to do with 9/11, we gave them every reason in the world to ban together. We also gave them no logical choice but to pursue nukes, because that’s the only way they can be sure we won’t invade. It’s just common sense.
Bush does act as if he owns the world, and you can't expect non-Americans to like it. If the US were a small country and Iran were a super-power, would you resent it if they told you what kind of weapons and policies we could have? Of course you would. Deeply.
Chavez has been fairly elected six times. It's called democracy. But we don't like his politics, so we tried to help with a coup to oust him. And you expect him to be polite? Listen to yourself.
Posted by: nmexpat![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.opaquelucidity.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at September 22, 2006 05:46 PM
Well, thanks for making sweeping statements about everyone with whom you disagree. Very, very enlightened.
Chavez has been "fairly" elected six times. And? So has Kim Jong Il.
Posted by: Matt_D at September 22, 2006 07:00 PM
Cowboy Presidents like Roosevelt, Reagan and Bush have been saving the world for decades. Even when our less manly cowboy Presidents like Carter, George the first and Clinton,were in office, the rest of the world knows that if you get out of line a serious ass whipping was coming. I am starting to think we should just crush these small countries, sap their resources, and generally rape and pillage like any self respecting Imperialistic country would. No one likes the U.S. until someone is kicking their ass or they need a handout. Maybe we should break out the "pimp hand".
Posted by: Sly at September 25, 2006 03:21 PM
If the US were righteous, I would be only too happy about it being the unrivalled superpower in the world. The trouble is, it is abusing its power, leaving horrible scars across the regions of the world. This is polarising many counties against the US, and the West, and this is a sad sad fact to see.
Why doesn't the US demonstrate some responsibilty, as one expects with having 'great power'??
No superpower in history has ever been responsible, but I thought the US, with its ideals, could be different.
The Republicans, as far as what I'm seeing, are currently exacerbating the problems in Iraq, for example, and are causing a 'negative feedback' loop that will incite more terrorism.
It's laughable that you can 'declare war' on terrorism as though it were a sovereign state! I find it so exasperating.
Posted by: David J at October 24, 2006 05:52 PM