October 16, 2003

A MASTER AT WORK

Peter FitzSimons declares Iraq a complete disaster and urges Australians to mock George W. Bush. I think. It’s kind of hard to tell, because his column is written from the perspective of a someone with a brain infection. Also, Vietnam is mentioned, as usual.

UPDATE. George W. Bush doesn’t care if Labor MPs protest:

"Not at all," Mr Bush said when asked if he would be offended by Labor MPs turning their backs. "I don't expect everybody to agree with us, but one thing's for certain - the Prime Minister was strong, and the Australian military performed brilliantly."

That’s from an Australian television interview, which also included this:

He bristled slightly when asked why his own popularity, according to current polling in the United States, had suffered since the war while Prime Minister John Howard's had remained high in Australia. "Well, it must be his charisma," he replied. "He married well, and he's smart."

UPDATE II. Paul Kelly meets the Prez.

Posted by Tim Blair at October 16, 2003 01:28 PM
Comments

I think a corollary of Godwin's Law ought to apply to journalists when talking about Iraq - the first comparison to Vietnam is equivalent to mentioning Hitler / Nazis, thus causing the user thereof to lose the argument and terminating the thread.

Posted by: Roger Bournival at October 16, 2003 at 01:39 PM

Clinton "demolished the whole of Pauline Hanson's platform", did he? Bravo. Perhaps Bush could follow this lead and demolish the Democrats/Greens' "policies". Or perhaps that "idiot" Bush knows better than to interfere with the internal politics of another democratic country ?

Posted by: TreeHuggingHippyCrap at October 16, 2003 at 01:44 PM

What a silly bunt Mr Fitzsimmons is

Posted by: Toryhere at October 16, 2003 at 01:47 PM

Gee, Peter, I'm really impressed when you use big words like gravitas. Now, what does it mean, sweetie?

Posted by: Freddyboy at October 16, 2003 at 01:58 PM

Another one who gushes over Clinton. I think old Peter would have gone to the point of having a nip 'n tuck just so that he would have half a chance with the old trouser dropper.

As for the Clinton years: Newsflash Peter that was when the 9-11 attacks were hatched and planned out. Shock horror, say it aint so!!

Posted by: Rob at October 16, 2003 at 02:07 PM

And if clinton hadn't been asleep at the wheel for eight years, and had found the courage to take on bin Laden, Iraq, N.Korea, 9-11 and other problems could've been avoided.

Posted by: TreeHuggingHippyCrap at October 16, 2003 at 02:17 PM

I forsee a rehash of the Life of Brian piece - "What have the Romans done for us?"


And the bastard is still married to a babe, but she is a journalist.

Posted by: Razor at October 16, 2003 at 02:24 PM

How mortifying for the Labor Party to have to deal with being in the presence of the American President. To scowl directly ahead or to turn one's back? To remain silent or to scream abuse? To clap or to heckle?

FitzSimons' anecdote says it all, a stupid schoolyard standoff. 'You come here.' 'No, you come here.' And the left breaks out in orgasmic delight at the thought of Pres. Bush receiving such a brazen rejoinder.

In your dreams, FitzSimons. Just like the rest of your comrades, you're more in awe of the opinions of your peers than anything ese on this earth, let alone the opinions of those you claim to represent.

And as for the opinions and feelings of ordinary Australians, read this quite brilliant piece by Greg Sheridan in today's Australian.

Posted by: ilibcc at October 16, 2003 at 02:29 PM

I guess common politeness to a President would be an unheard of bit of boringness to FitzSimons. He's either got to pee his pants for joy or hiss and boo. If Harry Quick and his mates really wanted to make a statement, they should synchronize their watches and all drop their pencils at the same time during W.'s speech. That would be like, so cool.

Posted by: pawley at October 16, 2003 at 02:44 PM

Didn't the Hawke goverment invite and entertain the disgusting late Romanian dictator, Ceausescu?
If Labor were able to do that without much soul searching, they should humbly line up and lovingly kiss the US president's arse.

Posted by: Skinny Hippo at October 16, 2003 at 03:10 PM

Peter's only test outing for Australia resulted in him being repeatedly driven into the turf at Parc des Princes in France, where he was infected with the brain flukes endemic in the turf there; his tiny brain has been ruled by French parasites ever since.

Posted by: Habib Bickford at October 16, 2003 at 03:45 PM

the nerve of "Fitz" to pronounce that the article wasnt a diatribe against the Bush, merely a statement supporting the spirit of those "admirable renegades". what a load of shite.

and if you get the chance, have a look at the high level of intellect held by some of these renegades like Julia Irwin (who's rise from bank teller to trade union administrator was said to be nothing short of spectacular). and Harry Quick....primary school teacher. Apparently he revolutionised finger painting.

Posted by: unit at October 16, 2003 at 03:48 PM

Skinny Hippo,

The Labor party MPs are too busy kissing their own rectums to do anything else.

In my schooldays there was a pupil called Smith who often broke wind in class. he would inavariably try to frame someone else with the deed by stating, with feigned horror, "who farted?". One day a very smart teacher witnessed this performance and answered with the words:"Smith your nose is too close to your bum."

I have often thought of that episode when I see or read of a lefty politician or activist whining on about how racist, sexist or homophobic someone else is. The proboscis of the lefty is often so close to its owner's posterior that I often wonder why it isn't brown. Smith of course became a paid up member of the ALP. In that organisation he feels entirely at home, amongst the rest of those whose mental capacity and outlook never really advanced past adolescence.

Posted by: Toryhere at October 16, 2003 at 03:51 PM

Comments I'd like to hear from Dubya: "Let me take this opportunity to thank my close friend John Howard for (blah...). Let me also take this opportunity to tell all those whinny little bitches in the Australian media and the ass-lickers in the Labour party to go and fuck yourselves. Me and John are heading over to Simon's place with a case of beer, eggs and some toilet paper. The rest of you fucks have been warned".

Posted by: Jake D at October 16, 2003 at 04:57 PM

Toryhere,
that was brilliant, I'm still giggling,
Skinny Hippo

Posted by: Skinny Hippo at October 16, 2003 at 05:11 PM

Married well??

I could hear that said about Arnie marrying into the Kennedy dynasty, but I've hardly heard about John Howard's wife.

Posted by: Andjam at October 16, 2003 at 05:26 PM

Mr Bush rejected claims that torture is being used in the terrorist detention centre at Guantanamo Bay, where Australians David Hicks and Mamdouh Habib are in their second year of imprisonment.

"No, of course not - we don't torture people in America, and people who make that claim just don't know anything about our country," he said.

As far as I know, Gitmo is merely rented to America. Should Cuba be listed in the regime change sweepstakes?

Posted by: Andjam at October 16, 2003 at 05:31 PM

Talking of rectum kissing is very appropriate where a broken-down, ex-rugby hack is concerned: all that bum-sniffing in the rucks just got to Fitzy's brain, hence his addled thinking.

Send him back onto the park for some compulsory whacking around the head, Doctor.

Posted by: Freddyboy at October 16, 2003 at 05:58 PM

Tim, sir, I protest. Even when I had a brain infection (tickborne encephalitis) I still knew my terrorists from my Presidents and Prime Ministers.

Tip to those on the left: terrorists want to kill my family. Howard and Bush want to kill terrorists before terrorists kill my family. Not that hard.

Posted by: RDJ at October 16, 2003 at 06:50 PM

re that greg sheridan piece...has he always held those views or am i confusing him with some of those cuntoxes over at the Socialist Moaning Hair-oil?

Posted by: roscoe p coltrane at October 16, 2003 at 07:39 PM

According to the loony left Bush, Blair and Howard have made us all terrorist targets. A pity that view wasn't more prevalent in 1939 when we could have avoided WW2. Picture the headlines "Britain urged not to make Hitler cross".

Posted by: John at October 16, 2003 at 11:35 PM

For Roscoe ...

As far as I know, Greg Sheridan has always been one of the strongest, most consistent and most articulate advocates of the US-Australian alliance in our national media. He is now the Foreign Affairs Editor of "The Australian", our only truly national mainstream daily newspaper, so he has a great platform. He does good work.

Posted by: Bob Bunnett at October 17, 2003 at 12:41 AM

He bristled slightly when asked why his own popularity, according to current polling in the United States, had suffered since the war while Prime Minister John Howard's had remained high in Australia. "Well, it must be his charisma," he replied. "He married well, and he's smart."

This is 'bristling'. Sounds like a great self-deprecating joke to me, while praising Howard at the same time.

Posted by: Jabba the Nutt at October 17, 2003 at 01:26 AM

Actually, John, there were lots of headlines like that; Churchill was widely regarded as a crazed warmonger and Chamberlain returned from Germany to the crazed applause of most of the country for delivering "Peace in Our Time."

Posted by: John Nowak at October 17, 2003 at 03:44 AM

1. How many Labour MPs will be protesting the visit of the Chinese leader Hu Jintao?

2. Most Democratic Congressman in the US disagreed with President Bush (Hence PM Blair as well) but they certainly didn't descend to childish hijinks when the PM addressed Congress.

Posted by: HTY at October 17, 2003 at 04:53 PM