Gov. Bush Makes Gaffe While on Business Trip to Spain [typical AP/Florida]

AP-TBO ^ | Feb 17, 2003 | AP chicken

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Gov. Bush Makes Gaffe While on Business Trip to Spain
The Associated Press
Published: Feb 17, 2003

MADRID, Spain (AP) - Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, on a business trip to Spain, made at least one big gaffe when he met local businessmen: calling Spain a republic when it is a constitutional monarchy with King Juan Carlos as the head of state.

"I want to thank the president of the Republic of Spain for his friendship with the United States. I know this is a difficult situation in the short term," Bush said in Spanish about Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar.

Spain has not been a republic since the late 1930s, when General Francisco Franco defeated Republican troops in the 1936-1939 Civil War. After Franco's death in 1975, Spain became a constitutional monarchy.

Bush arrived on Sunday for a weeklong stay in Spain with a delegation of 80 businessemen aiming to bolster Spanish trade ties with the southern U.S state.

On Monday, he met and had lunch with Aznar to discuss business between Spain and Florida. A government spokesman said they did not talk about Iraq.

Aznar is one of Europe's staunchest supporters of Bush's brother, U.S. President George W. Bush, in his hard-line stance against Iraq. Both leaders are scheduled for a meeting next weekend at the president's ranch in Crawford, Texas.

In Madrid, Jeb Bush also met Monday with the city's business community and regional president Alberto Ruiz Gallardon. He is expected to participate in a seminar on "Opportunities for business cooperation in Florida" on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Bush is scheduled to travel to Barcelona, Spain's second largest city, where he will visit the city hall and meet regional politicians.

In 2001, Florida's exports to Spain totaled $227 million dollars. Exports saw a 43 percent increase from 2001 to November 2002, the governor's office said.

Florida's exports include airplane and helicopter parts, medical devices, telephone equipment and pharmaceuticals. According to Enterprise Florida Inc., the state's economic development agency, there are more corporate subsidiaries from Spain in Florida than from any other European country.

Jeb Bush is expected to leave Spain for Miami next Friday.

AP-ES-02-17-03 1502EST

Contact the source.

[facedown]

BFD Must be a slow news day down there.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Aznar is one of Europe's staunchest supporters of Bush's brother, U.S. President George W. Bush, in his hard-line stance against Iraq.

Criminy, how are we supposed to fight a war with these people heading up communications?!

Leave to the anti-Bush mainstream press to dimish Jeb's honorable efforts to thank our excellent ally Spain and foster increased trade by attempting to turn an honest gaffe into an international incident.

It's a good thing that Spain, Italy and our other staunch European allies know the press as well, choosing to go to the WSJ with their letter of support...not to the NY Times, and not to AP.

Calling Spain a Republic was high praise from Jeb. (^:

[buffyt]

Yawn.............ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

AP Florida would run this article if Michael Jackson grew up, a meteor struck Kansas, and Osama surrendered today.

[summer]

I am sure Spain will forgive Gov. Bush. :)

[CyberAnt]

That's what I was thinking - don't these people have anything constructive to do - and would they have even mentioned this if x42 had done it ...?? I don't think so!

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

AP - fostering goodwill between allies by uniting them in mutual distrust of - AP. (^;

[COBOL2Java]

Washington DC Freepers who listen to WMAL (AM 630): Wanna bet that Clinton Kool-Ade drinker Bill Press will bring this up in the morning show tomorrow?

[summer]

LOL....

[Lunatic Fringe]

And 260 million Americans made the gaffe at least once this year by saying they live in a Democracy.

It's a Constitutional Republic.

[mewzilla]

Can Spaniards vote? If the answer is yes, then they've got a republic to my mind. Stuff AP.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Stuff AP

Amen. "Credibility gap"? The Bush Administration and the "Media" (shameless plug).

[marron]

Aznar was the first European to reach out his hand in honest friendship to GW Bush, and I think Bush has not forgotten it. He is a man with a moral center. He is now sticking his neck out for us, in his public support for the war despite some noisy opposition within his country. He has committed forces to us, it was Spanish commandos that seized the ship carrying missiles from North Korea to Yemen.

[The Iguana]

In fairness, Spain spent much of the last century as a Republic.

Perhaps Jeb is an unreconstructed Falangist?

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Thank you, marron. The left must be grinding their collective pointy teeth over the courageous and loyal allies of President Bush - and America.

If these AP journalists are so smart, why did they fall for two of the most destructive con men in recent history - Clinton and Castro? Add Chavez, Lula, Carter and Clark and you have some serious dupes with powerful pens running loose out there.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Perhaps Jeb is an unreconstructed Falangist?

Is that a good thing? Would you be so kind as to explain, please? Thank you. (^:

[The Iguana]

Is that a good thing? Would you be so kind as to explain, please? Thank you. (^:

Probably not.

Franco is kind of out of favor these days.

Of course, Jeb could also be a Lincoln Brigade sympathizer - but I think that even more unlikely.

Seriously: Spain was a Republic (of sorts) for the first three decades of Jeb's life. I can understand the slip.

[nwrep]

Jeb should ignore the dimwits at AP (Asswipe Press) and move on.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Ah, ha...Falangist = fascist. No, not Jeb. Maybe he figured that the bravest of the allies - the first to step forward had to be a Republican. (^: