Well, parts of him, anyway!
His column, On the Eve of Madness in the New York Times, contains this gem of a rant:
America should be galvanizing the forces of order — Europe, Russia, China and India — into a coalition against these trends. But we can’t. Why? In part, it’s because our president and secretary of state, although they speak with great moral clarity, have no moral authority. That’s been shattered by their performance in Iraq.And then today on Meet The Press, Friedman explains to Tim Russert:
The world hates George Bush more than any U.S. president in my lifetime. He is radioactive — and so caught up in his own ideological bubble that he is incapable of imagining or forging alternative strategies.
It was strong. It’s meant to be strong. Look at the situation we’re now in. You can’t go anywhere in the world right now—and I travel a lot—without getting that feeling from people thrown in your face. Why is that? You know, I’ve been asking myself that a lot. Some of it’s excessive, this dislike, this distaste, this hatred of George Bush. But what’s it about? Whenever you see something that excessive, you know?Time George went away. Impeachment. Forced resignation. Whatever!
And the way I explain it is this way: Foreigners love to make fun of Americans. Our naivete, our crazy thought that every problem has a solution, that silly American notion, that silly American optimism. But you know what, Tim? Deep down, the world really envies that American optimism and naivete. And the world needs that American optimism and naivete.
And so when we go from a country that, historically, has always exported hope to a country that always exports fear, what we do, and what this administration has done, is actually stolen something from people. Whether it’s an African or a European or an Arab or Israeli, it’s that idea of an optimistic America out there. People really need that idea, and the sort of dark nature of the Cheneys and the Bushes and the Rices, this, this sort of relentless pessimism about the world, this exporting of fear, not hope, has really left people feeling that the idea of America has been stolen from them. And I would argue that that is the animating force behind so much of the animus directed at George Bush.
I have friends and family scattered about the world and Tom F. is absolutely right with regard to the Bushmaster and his Dark Lord Dick Cheney. Never has there been a time in my long life when I have ashamed to be an American. I am still not ashamed to be an American but I am ashamed that George Bush is one!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to hear that our president, as he has many times in the past, has promised to help rebuild the country of Lebanon, which has been destroyed to a great degree with American bombs. There have been so many countries which we have helped that are still in turmoil and decay.
ReplyDeleteI can't remember all of the people he has pledged to help, but I can remember Louisiana and the city of New Orleans. I remember all of the photo opportunities he had there, with his sleeves rolled up to emulate hard physical work. It would be wonderful if he could help Lebanon as expeditiously as he has helped New Orleans.
Would you accept Radioactive Neo-Facist? What a great post, vigilante. I'd wager that Dubya is the most hated president in the entire spectrum of American history. I never considered the idea that the world needs American optimism and naivete. Dubya & Co.'s negativity and lies are undermining that fundamental nature of Americans. Hey, ho, he's gotta go!
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