Politics: A new beginning

[bilmore]

Originally posted by Tyrone_Slothrop
So the original version was fiction.

Yes. Bush lied.

[Not Me]

Originally posted by Tyrone_Slothrop
So the original version was fiction.

I don't know what you mean by fiction, but it sounds like they mistook the German charter plane for a British Airways flight.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by Not Me
I don't know what you mean by fiction, but it sounds like they mistook the German charter plane for a British Airways flight.

I mean that the White House's account of a pithy exchange between a British Airways pilot and the pilot of Air Force One didn't really happen, and was loosely based on an exchange between a German charter jet and ground control.

But Bush didn't say it, so, bilmore, he's off the hook.

[sgtclub]

Israelis have developed a gun that can shoot around corners.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/TechNews...288075-ap.html

[bilmore]

Originally posted by Tyrone_Slothrop
But Bush didn't say it, so, bilmore, he's off the hook.

Ah, but it was likely his agent, acting on apparent authority, so, yes, yes, Bush lied, and would face impeachment for this if there were any justice in the world.

[Not Me]

Originally posted by Tyrone_Slothrop
I mean that the White House's account of a pithy exchange between a British Airways pilot and the pilot of Air Force One didn't really happen, and was loosely based on an exchange between a German charter jet and ground control.

But Bush didn't say it, so, bilmore, he's off the hook.

No, it was an exchange between Air Force One and a German charter jet that someone mistook for a British Airways flight, but when they investigated further, they found out they were mistaken about it being a British Airways flight because it was actually a German charter jet.

Cheers.

[Not Me]

Originally posted by bilmore
Ah, but it was likely his agent, acting on apparent authority, so, yes, yes, Bush lied, and would face impeachment for this if there were any justice in the world.

No, plain old lying isn't grounds for impeachment. But lying under oath is. However, no US president would ever lie under oath.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by bilmore
Ah, but it was likely his agent, acting on apparent authority, so, yes, yes, Bush lied, and would face impeachment for this if there were any justice in the world.

Sounds silly to me, but if you insist.

Say, I have some nice real estate in Paraguay you might be interested in.

[The Larry Davis Experience]

Unsurprisingly with all the well-deserved coverage of SH's capture (I think the outline of Gen. Odierno's bald dome was burned into my retinas by the time I went to bed last night), I didn't know until reading the papers today that Musharraf had a near miss (30 seconds sooner and it would have been successful) over the weekend in Pakistan:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...NGRQ3ND0T1.DTL

It would have been interesting to see what the newscasters would have done to juggle the two stories had the assassination attempt been successful. "....And thank you, Bill, for that interesting piece on what the tailgaters at the 49er game think about the capture of Saddam Hussein. Turning to other news, religious extremists have seized power and control of nuclear weapons in Pakistan. More at 11."

I'm joking (or trying to), but if this attempt had been successful, I think it would have had more significance to our national security and interests than SH's capture did. We'd be having far less success keeping al Qaeda in relative check if we didn't have a guy like Musharraf playing ball with us in Pakistan.

I say this with a grimace, in light of the fact that he assumed power by overthrowing an elected government in a military coup. And this attempt was made in what is known as the HQ of Pakistan's military. Ominous stuff...

[sgtclub]

From Drudge:

"Frustrated with the lack of domestic support, left-leaning website moveon.org has apparently been reaching beyond American borders to generate cash revenue over the Internet!

The provocative international fundraising strategy threatens to embroil the presidential candidacy of General Wesley Clark and former Vermont Governor Howard Dean. Both men are named on international fundraising websites suggesting donations to moveon.org...

Moveon.org, which has been running ads critical of the Bush Administration, has named an "International Campaigns Director."

It is not clear how much money has been raised from foreign sources, but political websites from London to Portugal have been directing their citizens to stop the American president George Bush by donating to moveon.org."

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by Not Me
No, it was an exchange between Air Force One and a German charter jet that someone mistook for a British Airways flight, but when they investigated further, they found out they were mistaken about it being a British Airways flight because it was actually a German charter jet.

No, before the White House made the "German charter jet" correction, they issued a correction that the conversation was with ground control, not with Air Force One. To save you the trouble of scrolling up to that Newsday article, I'll quote it again:

• Initially, according to accounts by journalists on the trip, White House Communications Director Dan Bartlett said the British pilot had radioed, "'Did I just see Air Force One?'" and that the pilot of Air Force One had replied, "'Gulfstream Five,'" a much smaller aircraft.
  
  Yesterday, after British Airways had denied that account, the White House said the radio conversation actually took place between the British pilot and the control tower in London.

Or maybe they corrected the correction. With this White House, you really have to stay on top of the corrections.

Maybe next year they'll swear the President in before he gives the State of the Union address.

[bilmore]

Originally posted by Tyrone_Slothrop
With this White House, you really have to stay on top of the corrections.

See? Told you.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by bilmore
See? Told you.

Que? No le comprendo, senor.

[Atticus Grinch]

Originally posted by bilmore
I find it disturbing how dispassionate either you are, or you expect others to be, upon the capture of a man whose personal death count is arguably over a million.

Yeah, it is personal.

Then the solider(s) should have said, "The Kamel brothers say hello" or something like that. If it's "personal," as you say, the worst thing SH did to GWB was embarrass his father.

If this were WWII and the bunker were outside Berlin, I think we'd all find it a little odd of the soldier to say, "Greetings from President Truman." With so many others who actually died for that cause, it would seem anticlimactic. It would have been something more manly, patriotic, and American, like "Uncle Sam told me to kick your Hun ass" before pulling the pin and diving into the foxhole.

[Atticus Grinch]

Originally posted by Tyrone_Slothrop
Que? No le comprendo, senor.

Not much to understand. He goaded you into calling the White House liars, and you fell for it. Neither person was changed by the experience, and the world continued to rotate on its axis.