See that? That's a Helen Thomas breed. Stay away from her. She'll hump your leg if she gets half a chance.
Posted on 05/07/2003 2:22:25 PM PDT by sandlady
It's payback time at the White House. Countries around the world are reaping the benefits or paying the price for their stand on the war with Iraq.
The door to the Oval Office is wide open for foreign leaders who backed President Bush. But war critics will be lucky to find a spot with Barney, the presidential dog. Foreign leaders who crossed Bush can forget about presidential visits or quick action on free-trade agreements.
The retribution fits Bush's long-standing pattern of rewarding friends and punishing enemies. Critics say it is adding to the substantial anti-American sentiment abroad.
"It's petty, and it puts personal animus ahead of the national interest. You lose the high ground when you make it personal," said Lee Feinstein, a former State Department official under President Clinton who is now at the Council on Foreign Relations.
"I have no problem with making the French, in particular, sweat. But what is wrong here is to make U.S. snubs the issue."
In the latest example of tit-for-tat foreign policy, Bush signed a free-trade deal with war ally Singapore on Tuesday, while a similar agreement with war opponent Chile has stalled.
This week's White House guest list is a roll call of war allies. Today, Bush will welcome Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar to the Oval Office. On Thursday, he meets with the foreign ministers from Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia, all allies. He will also make time for Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani of Qatar, who welcomed the U.S. military command during the war, and Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who also endorsed the war.
But war opponents shouldn't expect invitations anytime soon.
Bush scrubbed a planned visit with Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien on Monday, citing a busy schedule; Chretien opposed the war. Instead, Bush spent the weekend at his Texas ranch with Australian Prime Minister John Howard, a war supporter, and devoted Monday to touting his tax cuts in Little Rock, Ark.
"Personally, I'm glad he has canceled his visit. All he has done since he has taken office is snub our government and our country," one angry Canadian wrote in a letter to the Edmonton Journal. "I was glad that Chretien had the courage to stay out of the war. ... I was taught as a child to stand up to the bully next door, not to cave in to demands for lunch money."
South of the border, Mexican President Vicente Fox is also on the outs. Bush's annual Cinco de Mayo message on Monday -- the holiday celebrates a Mexican victory over French invaders in 1862 -- failed to mention U.S. ties to Mexico. Instead, it praised "the many Mexican-Americans serving in our armed forces who are working to bring freedom and justice to oppressed people."
In contrast, last year's statement hailed the "strong, vibrant relationship" between the two countries. Two years ago, Bush marked the Mexican holiday by praising Fox as "a fine man, a man of powerful ideas and a great vision for his country."
The strained ties have derailed plans to liberalize U.S. immigration laws, a Fox priority that was already in doubt because of security concerns raised by the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
No one ranks lower on the outsider list than French President Jacques Chirac, whose government led opposition to the war at the United Nations and at NATO.
"I doubt he'll be coming to the ranch anytime soon," Bush told NBC news anchor Tom Brokaw in a recent interview. "There are some strains in the relationship, obviously, because it appeared to some in our administration and our country that the French position was anti-American."
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder was already in the doghouse for tapping into anti-American sentiment in Germany during his re-election campaign. He compounded that offense by siding with Chirac against the war.
Reward and retaliation are a staple of Bush's public life. When his father was president, he served as an informal loyalty enforcer at the White House. He played a key role in forcing White House chief of staff John Sununu's resignation after Sununu made comments that the Bush family considered disloyal.
In Texas, Republicans who criticized Bush as governor could count on a phone call from Karl Rove, Bush's chief political adviser, warning them to stay in line.
"In Texas, politics is not just a contact sport. It's a blood sport," said Robert Dunn, a professor of economics and international affairs at George Washington University. "This is a group in the White House that has long memories. They reward their friends and punish their enemies."
But there are signs that the situation may change. Bush says he will attend next month's Group of Eight summit in Evian, France, with Chirac, Schroeder and leaders from five other industrial democracies.
One prominent war critic, Russian President Vladimir Putin, seems to have escaped White House retaliation. The decision to go easy on Putin reflects Bush's desire to have Russia's cooperation in the war on terrorism, the standoff with North Korea, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and efforts to stop the spread of nuclear weapons.
Bush will meet with Putin this month in St. Petersburg, Russia.
"Kicking around France is costless. It's a freebie. I don't think kicking around Russia is a freebie," Dunn said. "We've got bigger fish to fry there."
In
Great Britain
Prime Minister Tony Blair tops White House "A" list.
Australia
Bush threw a steak on the "barbie" at his Texas ranch for Prime Minister John Howard last weekend.
Out
France
"I doubt he'll be coming to the ranch anytime soon," Bush said of French President Jacques Chirac.
Germany
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is in the doghouse for playing on anti-American sentiments in his re-election campaign.
Anyway, Barney did insert himself between the media and the two leaders, and you gotta admit the image is funny. LOL!
Uh, huh. They loved us dearly before this, that's why they called us imperialists, unilateralists, cowboys, idiots and "Damn Americans" in Europe and Canada, while they screamed "Death to America" and ululated with joy in the Arab street on 9/11.
If they loved us any more, we would all be dead.
See that? That's a Helen Thomas breed. Stay away from her. She'll hump your leg if she gets half a chance.
They deserve the trade.
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