Bush Laughs Off Critics Of 'Spoils Of War' Bidding

George Bush poured fuel on the flames of the Iraq contracts dispute yesterday with a sneering dismissal of a suggestion by the German Chancellor that the decision to bar Germany, France Russia and Canada from bidding might violate international law.

"International law? I'd better call my lawyer," the American President joked in response to a reporter's question at the White House.

Gerhard Schröder had spoken earlier after a meeting in Berlin with Kofi Annan, the UN secretary general. Mr Annan called the decision by Paul Wolfowitz, the Deputy Defence Secretary, "unfortunate" and likely to damage attempts to rebuild transatlantic ties bruised by disagreement over the war. The EU is examining the legality of the US moves to stop countries that had not participated in the war from bidding for the $18.6bn (£10.7bn) of contracts, on vague "national security" grounds.

Democrats seized on the episode as further evidence of Bush diplomatic blundering. "How do we get a coalition together when we're putting it out on a government website that a country like Canada is a national security risk to the United States?" Marty Meehan, a Democratic member of the House Armed Services Committee, said.

For some reason, I read your posts last night on a "Bush Bashing" thread and you were considering not voting for him this time.

Or am I wrong about this? One more thing. I am current Special Forces retiree and I get very angry when people, as well as many FReepers, disrespect the Commander in Chief. This is a President who deserves the utmost respect in spite of what he has so graciously endured from all sides, particularly from certain bone-headed neanderthals on this forum.

With all due respect to you sir, I would like for you in the future, to refer him as "Mr. Bush" or "President Bush". Simply refering to him as "BUSH" displays outward disrespect.

For some reason, I read your posts last night on a "Bush Bashing" thread and you were considering not voting for him this time.

No, IIRC, I did post that 90% of the reason I intend to vote for President Bush next year is because of his performance in the War on Terror. In many other aspects I'm less than thrilled with him, but that's the big issue with me.
I can double-check, if you like.
By the way, I believe the thread to which you're referring was about the SCOTUS decision to uphold most of the CFR legislation that he signed. He deserves criticism for that.

While I have some disagreements with the the President with regard to the War on Terror, they are not my paramount consideration of him as Commander in Chief.
My more serious disagreements with him are on domestic issues, in his role as Chief Executive.

With all due respect to you sir, I would like for you in the future, to refer him as "Mr. Bush" or "President Bush". Simply refering to him as "BUSH" displays outward disrespect.

You are right. I used to do some work for President Reagan at his office in Century City, and we would always refer to him as "the President," or "Mr. President."
I generally try to do that here, but occasionally slip into short-hand.

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