| Ratchet down 12:16 - Aug 10 with 701 views | NthQldITFC |
I've been watching the BBC's rather good Kabul series about the exit from Afghanistan in 2021.
There's some footage of George Dubya Bush speaking about a particularly tricky time for the US and the Islamic world. I was thinking how great it would be nowadays to have a US president capable of addressing Muslims worldwide with a degree of compassion and understanding.
Then I realised what an idiot we all thought he was twenty years ago.
That country has taken a massive leap backwards. |  |
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| Ratchet down on 13:37 - Aug 10 with 505 views | SuperKieranMcKenna |
He didn’t show much compassion and understanding when he launched two catastrophic wars, on the most flimsy of evidence. Many of the issues today in the region are as a result of the power vacuums he left, Iraq is now overrun with foreign militants, I very much doubt many Iraqi’s are grateful for Bush’s ‘kind words’.
The Trump regime has dreadful foreign policy, but he hasn’t at this point launched a boots on ground full scale war like Bush. It’s incredible how people like to rewrite history, some estimates of Iraqi deaths are around half a million as a result of the invasion and ensuing insurgency. That’s Bush’s legacy (and the equally dreadful Blair). |  | | |
| Ratchet down on 14:36 - Aug 10 with 421 views | NthQldITFC |
| Ratchet down on 13:37 - Aug 10 by SuperKieranMcKenna |
He didn’t show much compassion and understanding when he launched two catastrophic wars, on the most flimsy of evidence. Many of the issues today in the region are as a result of the power vacuums he left, Iraq is now overrun with foreign militants, I very much doubt many Iraqi’s are grateful for Bush’s ‘kind words’.
The Trump regime has dreadful foreign policy, but he hasn’t at this point launched a boots on ground full scale war like Bush. It’s incredible how people like to rewrite history, some estimates of Iraqi deaths are around half a million as a result of the invasion and ensuing insurgency. That’s Bush’s legacy (and the equally dreadful Blair). |
I know. I'm speaking specifically about his ability to talk as more or less an adult and address issues that weren't in line with US policy with a bit of nuance. His ability, relative to the current incumbent, to at least put on a vaguely mature attitude in public. I'm not saying he was even a halfway good president, just that they have sunk SO low with that orange 5 year old, malignant moron at the dais. That's what I'm saying. Nothing else. | |
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| Ratchet down on 15:11 - Aug 10 with 371 views | SuperKieranMcKenna |
| Ratchet down on 14:36 - Aug 10 by NthQldITFC |
I know. I'm speaking specifically about his ability to talk as more or less an adult and address issues that weren't in line with US policy with a bit of nuance. His ability, relative to the current incumbent, to at least put on a vaguely mature attitude in public. I'm not saying he was even a halfway good president, just that they have sunk SO low with that orange 5 year old, malignant moron at the dais. That's what I'm saying. Nothing else. |
Yeah I just don’t think saying some ‘nice stuff’ really matters when half a million people died. It’s a bit like saying ‘Stalin did some good things for socialism’ (you just have to overlook all the deaths.
For all Trump’s bluster, offending of allies, and self-inflicted Hormuz crisis (and you won’t find me praising him), he’s not at this point in time had as catastrophic foreign policy as Bush. Still plenty of time for that to change of course, but Bush’s words are about as meaningful as Blair’s ‘Middle East peace envoy’ title. Let’s not forget he’s another religious fundamentalist who was quoted as saying ‘god told him to invade Iraq and Afghanistan’. He’s another loon.
Actions > words. | | | |
| Ratchet down on 15:15 - Aug 10 with 355 views | NthQldITFC |
| Ratchet down on 15:11 - Aug 10 by SuperKieranMcKenna |
Yeah I just don’t think saying some ‘nice stuff’ really matters when half a million people died. It’s a bit like saying ‘Stalin did some good things for socialism’ (you just have to overlook all the deaths.
For all Trump’s bluster, offending of allies, and self-inflicted Hormuz crisis (and you won’t find me praising him), he’s not at this point in time had as catastrophic foreign policy as Bush. Still plenty of time for that to change of course, but Bush’s words are about as meaningful as Blair’s ‘Middle East peace envoy’ title. Let’s not forget he’s another religious fundamentalist who was quoted as saying ‘god told him to invade Iraq and Afghanistan’. He’s another loon.
Actions > words. |
Yup. | |
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| Ratchet down on 15:29 - Aug 10 with 341 views | Coastalblue |
| Ratchet down on 15:11 - Aug 10 by SuperKieranMcKenna |
Yeah I just don’t think saying some ‘nice stuff’ really matters when half a million people died. It’s a bit like saying ‘Stalin did some good things for socialism’ (you just have to overlook all the deaths.
For all Trump’s bluster, offending of allies, and self-inflicted Hormuz crisis (and you won’t find me praising him), he’s not at this point in time had as catastrophic foreign policy as Bush. Still plenty of time for that to change of course, but Bush’s words are about as meaningful as Blair’s ‘Middle East peace envoy’ title. Let’s not forget he’s another religious fundamentalist who was quoted as saying ‘god told him to invade Iraq and Afghanistan’. He’s another loon.
Actions > words. |
Agree with all you say, but I think the difference with Trump's foreign policy over someone like Dubya is that while he's not caused the catastrophic damage and losses in other places in the world he has relegated his own country to one that it will take years for people to trust and do things with again. He's completely trashed the soft power the States had on the world stage and that is not built, or recovered quickly. |  |
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