Regards, Ivan
Posted on 07/16/2004 3:17:46 AM PDT by MadIvan
United States President George W. Bush was dared Friday to prove his friendship to President Arroyo by understanding the Philippine government's decision to pull out its troops in Iraq to save a Filipino hostage.
Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya made the challenge amid criticism from Washington that the Philippines committed a grave mistake by vowing to the Iraqi militants demand to withdraw Manila's humanitarian contingent in the war-torn country.
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told reporters in Washington Wednesday that the withdrawal sends the wrong signal and that it is important for people to stand up to terrorists and "not allow them to change our behavior."
Andaya said Bush administration must understand the country's predicament and respect its decision.
He reminded Bush to take into account the support Mrs. Arroyo has given to the American-led war against terrorism in recent years.
Bush in his address to the joint session of the Philippine Congress in 2003 said the U.S. and the Philippines are "warm friends." He vowed to "cherish the friendship and to keep it strong."
Andaya said that the Philippines was not the only country to announce a troop pullout in Iraq.
Other countries have decided to recall their troops in Iraq such as Honduras and Norway, Andaya said. He added that New Zealand had announced a September pullout of its contingents while Poland and Netherlands are scheduled to leave Baghdad by 2005.
Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) refused to comment on the present diplomatic relations between the Philippines and the U.S..
The government has imposed a news blackout since Filipino truck driver Angelo de la Cruz was taken hostage by Iraqi militants last week.
But asked to describe the U.S.-Philippine relations in an ambush interview, Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Albert said, "We're working on it."
Regards, Ivan
Ping!
Heads will literally roll because of this foolishness.
The Philippines has surrendered to Muslim terrorists. They are now free to operate as they please in the Philippines. They are now free to interject themselves into Philippine international commerce as they please. The remainder of the world will learn to avoid investments in Filipino businesses or with Filipino businessmen.
Sure, we understand. You're a bunch of Kerries. Shame. How many more will die because of this?
"Andaya said that the Philippines was not the only country to announce a troop pullout in Iraq."
Spin Spin Spin. Here the big lie begins. They make no distinction between countries that pull out according to a previous schedule and those who pull out EARLY in SPITE of a previous schedule.
No problem; a great deal of our "friends" are ingrates.
They did not HAVE to go in at all. They showed friendship by doing so. They are a little country. Why blame them, when much larger "allies" ignored our request?
The President has been dared to understand the Philipine pullout? He already understands it. Bunch of yellow bellied cowards caving to terrorists and hoping desperately that the increased terrorism this encourages is directed at someone else. If a single philipino troop leaves early, I say we end our support for their domestic terror fight. SF troops and money out and a stern warning to all Americans travelling to the Philipines.
The pro-filipinos are saying they aren't actually going to leave before their scheduled departure date...that this is just verbiosity. I don't believe them. But a few weeks will tell.
They weren't so little when they needed our help from the Japanese in WWII.
General MacArthur must be spinning in his grave.
Either you're with us or against us. Don't expect the US to help out when the terrorists attack.
A "little" history:
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-P-PI/
FOX announced that they'd started the pull out just about the time you entered your number nine.
Yeah. That's always brought up. And we had a war with England in 1776. So what? That's a long time ago. We should have gotten out of there long ago and let them have their culture back. As it is, they are still struggling to regain their identity. Not to say that we didn't help them survive WW2, but that's like helping someone and then, every time they piss you off, you shout "Don't you remember when I HELPED you?!"
After reading your profile, it is evident that you are thinking with the wrong head.
I met a guy like you while servicing an espresso machine in Hoboken, NJ.
He showed me a hundred pictures of young women from the Phillipines, how he would bring them to the U.S. for a "trial." They were as slaves in every way, desperate to become citizens. He went on and on with the sordid details, and I had to restrain myself from busting his head wide open.
Sounds like things are going downhill in the Phillipines. I can't understand the decision in light of the fact that the Phillipines have had their own problems with Islamic terrorists. What do they think? Give in and it will get better? Seems foolish and weak.
Wow. You know a lot about me; don't you? Actually, you know nothing about me. There are some people (I talked to one) who's looking for a slave to marry in the Phillipines. I am not one of them.
Its attitudes like yours, Neville, that got us in this mess in the first place. The glaring hypocrisy displayed here matches Munich. Why? Ever heard of a merry band of pranksters called Abu Sayeff?
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