I’ve been watching a Netflix series recently called ‘World Without End’. It’s very well done and represents, more or less, the early years of King Edward III’s reign (1327-1377) as seen through events in the (fictional) town of ‘Kingsbridge’, and in London and on the battlefields of France.
Margaret Thatcher may be a hero to Quitter Sarah, who couldn’t make it through even one term as Governor of Alaska with its 731,499 people, but she was no hero to millions of her fellow countrymen and countrywomen, at least of whom (if the accounts are true) danced in the streets upon hearing of her death. Apparently ‘The Wicked Witch is Dead’ is a major iTunes hit at the moment I read earlier today.
This account of life in Margaret Thatcher’s Britain by someone who actually lived there when she was prime minister mentions Thatcher’s decision to stop the school lunch program, something she apparently was very proud of, hence the name ‘Milk Snatcher’.
From the ‘Red Molucca’ blogpost: “Tramp the Dirt Down”
The old saw that one shouldn’t speak ill of the recently dead cannot possibly apply to controversial figures in public life. It certainly didn’t apply to President Hugo Chavez who predeceased Margaret Thatcher amidst a blizzard of abuse.
The main reason it must not preclude entering the lists amidst a wave of hagiographic sycophantic tosh of the kind that has engulfed Britain these last hours is that otherwise the hagiographers will have the field to themselves.
Every controversial divisive deadly thing that Thatcher did will be placed in soft focus, bathed in a rose-coloured light, and provide a first draft of history that will be, simply, wrong.
Remember when the GOP went ballistic after this “hot mic” Obama moment?
Here are a few reactions that blew in from the right:
Tammy Bruce: Obama’s comments to Russia’s Medvedev simply confirm what we already know about this bastard. And it’s not just on missile defense, but on every issue relevant to the quality of our lives.
John Boehner: “I and other members of the House have previously expressed concern about your administration’s apparent willingness to make unilateral concessions to Russia that undermine our missile defense capabilities… Your comments reinforce those words… That has significant implications for the security of our homeland, sends a terrible signal to our allies around the world and calls into question the effectiveness of your `reset’ policy with the Russian government.”
John McCain: The president was “playing fast and loose with national security.”
But while in Moscow, Mr. Romney told a Russian known to be able to deliver messages to Mr. Putin that despite the campaign rhetoric, his father wants good relations if he becomes president, according to a person informed about the conversation.
Shorter version: Number one geopolitical foe? You? My dad said that? MY dad? Kidding!
I’m waiting for the GOP to accuse Matt of “playing fast and loose with national security.” I’m not holding my breath.
Here’s what Romneyette accomplished: He managed to signal to the Russian government that his dad is a flip-flopping liar who doesn’t mean what he says about them to the American people, but trust him, he’ll be President Congeniality once in office, and all those provocative things he said were just silly campaign talk. Don’t believe anything he said then, only what he says now, or in a minute, or in an hour, or a day, or in January… or… um…
“Of COURSE” Willard’s cooler and savvier than he looks on the Tee Vee Machine.
Here’s why Matt felt the need to clean up Daddy Dearest’s mess:
Romney harrumphed his indignation about how President Obama should be “willing to tell the American people before the election” just what his policies would be. Gee, that’s not the least bit hypocritical.
Italians reacted ferociously after local news agencies reported that Romney used the country as a negative example for what America’s economy could become if it continues on its current trajectory.
Speaking at a campaign rally in Roanoke, Virginia, Romney reportedly asked the audience:
If you’re an entrepreneur and you’re thinking of starting up a business, you need to ask yourself: Is America on the same road as Greece? Are we on the path to an economic crisis like that we’re seeing in Europe, in Italy and Spain?
[...]
Osvaldo Napoli, deputy for the center-right party, accused the Republican candidate of lacking experience in governing. “Romney has no appropriate knowledge of the situation in Europe. Any comparison between the American situation and ours is a primary error from someone who never ruled before,”he reportedly said.
The L.A. Times is reporting that seven Europe nations don’t look kindly on Mitt, but President Obama is still very popular:
A survey of seven European nations, including longtime U.S. allies Britain and France, has found that Obama would win more than 90% of the vote if the respondents could cast ballots in Tuesday’s race. The survey was conducted by YouGov, a respected British-based polling organization that has also tracked Obama’s and Romney’s numbers within the U.S. [...]
The poll, which covered Britain, France, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland, found that Romney failed to garner more than 10% support in any of those countries.In Sweden and Denmark, the former Massachusetts governor fared even worse: Only 1 in 20 people named him as their choice.[...]
In fact, many in Europe are often puzzled as to why the race between Obama and Romney is so tight.
Romney “has yet to make much of an impression on Europeans,” [Joe Twyman, YouGov’s director of political and social research] said… “Every modern president must also show that they can be an effective operator in the international arena… That includes being seen favorably by people in other countries.”
“We’re not going to be lectured by someone who has been an unmitigated disaster on foreign policy every time he’s dipped his toe in the foreign policy waters,” said Obama campaign traveling spokeswoman Jen Psaki. “Just as a refresher, this is the same guy who, when he went overseas on his trip, the only person who has offended Europe more is probably Chevy Chase.”
Mitt Romney has insulted our closest allies, rushed to judgement without facts while Americans were under attack, called Russia—not al Qaeda, our greatest threat, called the Iraq withdrawal “tragic”, and didn’t even mention Afghanistan in his convention speech.
Voiceover: “Reckless, amateurish—that’s what news media and fellow Republicans called Mitt Romney’s gaffe-filled July tour of England, Israel and Poland. When our U.S. diplomats were attacked in Libya. The New York Times said Romney’s knee-jerk response ‘showed an extraordinary lack of presidential character.’ And even Republican experts said Romney’s remarks were ‘the worst possible reaction to what happened.’ If this is how he handles the world now just think what Mitt Romney might do as president.”
It’s a new day, and with each new day, Willard M. Romney brings us a new hot mess. Today’s involves his latest: managing to offend Spain. He’s running out of countries to insult, but never you mind, he’ll keep at it until he angers the entire world!
Romney is planning a big important foreign policy speech Monday at the Virginia Military Institute. Let’s see if he addresses any of his many, many worldwide embarrassments, the most recent at the presidential debate during which he claimed Spain was a perfect example of government spending gone wild.
That left Spaniards confused, and threatened to reinforce Romney’s perceived handicap in international affairs [...] Spain’s level of government spending is actually low by European standards, and significantly less than Germany and Scandinavian countries with far healthier economic prospects. Spain’s woes were chiefly caused by the collapse of a property bubble that had fueled more than a decade of booming economic growth.
Spanish reaction to Romney was swift.
“What I see is ignorance of what is reality, but especially of the potential of the Spanish economy,” said Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria.
Maria Dolores Cospedal, leader of Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s Popular Party, noted that “Spain is not on fire from all sides like some on the outside have suggested.” Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia Margallo called it “very unfortunate that other countries should be put up as examples” when the facts are skewed. [...]
By singling out Spain, Romney ruffled feathers in a country he will probably need to call on for assistance if he becomes president. Spain has almost 1,500 troops in Afghanistan. It contributed fighter jets, refueling planes and naval vessels to the U.S.-led NATO mission that ousted Libya’s Moammar Gadhafi from power.
Ouch.
Sure, Mitt can confidently bounce onto a debate stage full of himself, his reinvention, and his lies, but raising international eyebrows– again– exposes him for the inferior, ignorant candidate that he is. Let him try to run from, laugh off, or Etch A Sketch that.
You’ve heard of the book What’s the Matter with Kansas? Well now some of us are beginning to wonder, what’s the matter with Willard?
But seriously, what are we to make of Romney’s Olympics debacle? How could this happen to the man who ran the 2002 Olympics? [...]
I’ve written that Romney’s many gaffes reflect his enormous sense of entitlement and lamentable lack of empathy. [...]
But could it be more than entitlement and an odd personal style?I’ve found myself wondering over the course of the campaign whether Romney has some kind of personality disorder, so dissociated does he occasionally seem from the well-worn routines of normal human interaction. Maybe we should be asking to see his medical records and not just his tax returns. I don’t mean to be flippant about that or insensitive to any kind of problem he may struggle with. But his struggles are our struggles; he’s running to be our president. There is something very odd about Mitt Romney.
So perhaps it’s time to tack on an addendum to the “Show us your tax returns” demands. Mitt Romney, show us your medical records.
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Lt. Col Barry Wingard is the lawyer for Gitmo detainee Fayiz Al-Kandari. For their ongoing story + related topics, please click on the link below: Kuwaiti Citizen Detained at Guantanamo since 2002
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