Jonathon Franzen Begs Europe to Keep Bush On Hold Over Iraq

Yahoo Deutschland / AP ^ | September 17, 2003 | Yahoo Deutschland / AP

[longjack]

Wednesday September 17th, 2003, 12:55

U.S. author Franzen: "Europe should let Bush fidget a while"

Hamburg (AP) - In opinion of best-selling author Jonathan Franzen ("The Corrections"), Europe should let US President George W. Bush fidget a while on his request for support in Iraq. The writer said in an interview with the magazine "Stern", published on Wednesday, "It's better to wait until the election next year. Please, Europe, you could do us a great favor. I say this as an American taxpayer."

In the magazine, Franzen accused the U.S. Republicans of having only made up Iraq as an enemy. He emphasized that the U.S. public, in his opinion, wouldn't have supported the war against Iraq if the government hadn't declared it a war of national security. "When it seemed there wouldn't be an enemy any more, which would provide this party with its reason for existence, we invented a new enemy. A large, not clearly defined empire of evil. That Iraq is the bed of worldwide terror was sold off on the Americans". "This is, however, simply an invention", the sheet quoted him as saying.

Yahoo Deutschland / AP ....US-Schriftsteller Franzen: «Europa soll Bush zappeln lassen»

Translated by longjack

[longjack]

I'll admit my ignorance. I don't know who this guy is. Can anyone enlighten me?

Sure sounds kinda like a horse's a$$, though. In my opinion, of course. I'm sure he's a great person.

The German media seems to go to astonishing lengths to come up with this stuff nowadays.

longjack

[zencat]

It's good to see liberals putting the needs of the Iraqi first.

50 million people liberated and all the left can do is blame Bush for not getting France's permission.

[Pubbie]

Fine, the EU can stay out of spending money and sending troops to rebuild Iraq, and America will stop spending money and pulling troops OUT OF THE BALKANS, and spend that money and military force on rebuilding Iraq.

THEN we'll see who is letting who twist in the wind...

[jtill]

Jonathan Franzen is an author. He writes mostly suspense, murder mystery, court room scene type novels. He is very good and I have read any number of his books. However, I will never put another dime in his pocket!

[dalebert]

I guess he is an expert Dem.

[longjack]

Thanks, jtill.

This kind of rhetoric from Americans willing to criticize the government seems to be flashed around in Germany quite a bit. This went from an article in a magazine (similar to "Time"), to AP, to the Yahoo recent news ticker. A lot of people see it.

It's almost like they're dragging the bottom for stories of this ilk, too.

It's getting old.

longjack

[Billthedrill]

Let's hope Franzen is better at fiction that at geopolitics. Bush doesn't need France, Germany, and Belgium's help in Iraq, but their refusal to help would be extremely beneficial to refute the Democratic position that he didn't try hard enough.

As for the rest of Europe, he already has their help, at least most of them, in ways much more substantive than any possible diplomatic support from Brussels or Paris.

And, too, what Franzen is suggesting is that a "European" bargaining position would be strengthened by waiting to offer help until Bush no longer needs it for re-election. I think it is fairly obvious that the opposite would be the case. This is, in fact, nothing more than a bit of wishful thinking on Franzen's part that the Europeans won't do anything that might help Bush's re-election, even to benefit themselves. And that's just a little naive.