German Official: U.S. Acting Like 'Dictator'

Reuters | 3/09/03

[Puppage]

Well, if there's one thing the Jerrys know, it's dictators. I remember a certain Austrian corporal.............

[KickRightRudder]

He's a "former" Communist.

[hellinahandcart]

Kolbow denied a version of his speech reprinted in a Bavarian newspaper, the Kitzinger, where he was quoted calling President Bush a dictator, rather than the administration.

Okay, he saud he didn't mean to call the President a dictator, just the administration. All righty then...

Are they all so fond of (ahem) weasel-words? Herta Daeubler-Gmelin tried to same dance last fall: "I didn't compare Bush to Hitler; I only compared him to 'Adolf Nazi', and everyone knows the difference..."

I will hate these people until the day I die. They'd better be damned glad they only have a nice guy like Bush to deal with, and not the hellinahandcart administration!

[joesnuffy]

Hitler was a dictator the US liberated Germany from living death....
instead of gratitude for a benevolent conquering...they now attack...
Guess we shouldnt have been so nice...

[aculeus]

German conservative opposition leaders called on Kolbow to resign.

This writer obviously didn't read the memos. Politicians who behave admirably are never "conservatives".

[Thorondir]

Uncle Sam to Helmut "Crystalnacht" Schmidt:

"Hey, Schmidt, sit back down in your dustbin of history, and guzzle down some more beer, because until WE start two world wars, gas 11,000,000 innocent, unarmed people to death and declare ourselves to be the ubermenschen of the world, we will not be interested in your blood-soaked advice, so just SHUT YOUR YAP!"

[John Lenin]

Burkhalter to Klink: "You will be given a fair trial, after which you will be shot!"

[metalboy]

Wait, before you guys curse them out, you have to admit that they`re right on the money about this one, at least with one person in the US

[observer5]

Why don't the REUTERS a**holes report that the GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER is a FORMER TERRORIST?

There is an idiot born every nano-second.

[Cachelot]

He's a "former" Communist.

Yep. Ties to Rote Arme, Bader/Meinhof, and with a violent past that should have landed him in prison for many years.

[longjack]

Here's the "Die Welt" article.

SPD undersecretary Kolbow calls Bush, "dictator"

Kolbow to Bush: That's not a partner, but a dictator."

Berlin - CSU Bundestag Representative Dorothee Mantel demanded in a parliamentary enquiry to the Federal Government information about remarks critical of America by the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Defence, Walter Kolbow (SPD).

According to a report in the "Kitzinger Zeitung" on the Friday, Kolbow identified US President Bush as a dictator. In Mainbernheim near Würzburg he said literally: "Bush places himself economically and politically absolutely one-sided without considering anyone else. This is not a partner, but a dictator."

The undersecretary qualified this vis-à-vis WELT am SONNTAG: "I had given a forceful political speech and welcomed the presence of American soldiers on Political Ash Wednesday." Because of the decisions taken by the USA he had said, "that the Americans show themselves more and more the dictator of one-sided decisions".

Kolbow referred to a report of "Main-Post" which had reported about his speech: "The Americans showed themselves more and more as the dictator 'of the one-sided decisions'." However, the author of this report, Torsten Schleicher, adds that he is "sure that by 'Americans' Kolbow had meant the U.S. Administration". Furthermore, Kolbow said about U.S. Secretary of Defence, Donald Rumsfeld, he sat "across from him, it wasn't enjoyable". Rumsfeld should "First of all, learn diplomatic manners". rgr

Artikel erschienen am 9. Mär 2003

SPD-Staatssekretär Kolbow nennt Bush "Diktator"

Translated by longjack

I tried to keep the word order in he quotes as close to literal German as I could.

Also when talking about Rumsfeld. the translation could be, It wasn't amusing.. or enjoyable.. or..pleasurable." And, it could be "first of all he should learn diplomatic manners..decorum..propriety..decency". It's hard to determine which one he actually said.

longjack