US and UK Officials Dread Presidential Trip

[kskiska]

Washington fears any re-election benefit will be marred by trade row and anti-war protests
· Blair faces revival of 'US poodle' image


The British government in public says it is delighted George Bush is visiting Britain next week. Tony Blair encapsulated this in a speech last Monday when he said: "I believe this is exactly the right time for him to come."

In the corridors of No 10 a more realistic assessment can be heard. One Downing Street insider, contemplating the visit, expressed exasperation: "That man seems to cause us no end of trouble, doesn't he?"

(snip)

Nor will the protests during the presidential visit help Mr Blair or Mr Bush. The trip has turned into one that no one wants, despite what Mr Bush said yesterday. He claimed he was not upset about the prospect of protesters because "freedom is a beautiful thing". Speaking on Breakfast with Frost, he said: "So Laura and I are really looking forward to coming."

That does not square with what US officials, like their counterparts in Whitehall, are saying. One official described it as the trip from hell.

(snip)

One of Mr Blair's closest colleagues, who supported the war in Iraq, wondered if the prime minister fully appreciated the scale of the damage done to the government and Labour by the Iraq war.

more…
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1086734,00.html

[glarius]

1. Waiting to see the statue of Bush an English artist has created toppled

in Traflagar Square....Saw a mention of it on TV today...I don't remember what station it was but apparently the artist created a statue of Bush which will be raised somewhere in Trafalgar Square and toppled a la Saddam Hussein's statue, while Bush is there....Sounds like fun!

[nostamj]

3. that will be Thursday IIRC

but monty python will need a new circus after 'uncurious george' lands....

[kskiska]

4. …and guaranteed to get lots of coverage.

Lots more than hordes of protesters with signs. There'll probably be bare bums, too.

[glarius]

7. Hahahaha...I thought only the English and Canadians called them bums!

Boy it's hard to believe that what we are talking about is actually a state visit of a President of the United States to Great Britain...It's king of mind boggling, when you think of it!!!

[Media_Lies_Daily]

9. Bums being shown the "bums"...poetic to a certain extent.

[Spazito]

2. Tony Blair must live in the same "no reality zone" that Bush does

unbelievable!

Mr Blair has told advisers he believes Mr Bush is misunderstood by the British public, and blames the British media for treating the US president in a condescending fashion. He hopes that Mr Bush's exposure to the public during his visit will help overcome that.

[glarius]

6. He probably thinks Bush's so-called "charm"...which escapes me,

will win them over...Blair is such a FOOL!!!

[Rose Siding]

5. Reading that is like watching the Daily Show

*giggle*

[opihimoimoi]

8. These 2 idiots are in too deep to admit shit. So they act as if the

visit is the next best thing to ice cream.

They are in a world of Fantasy and delusion, hoping to pull it off without much damage.

Come, we find some magic mushrooms for Tony and George.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

10. I hope they play "Hail to the Chief" with a little twist...

Heil to the Chimp

(Composed by the U.S. Supreme Court, 2001)

Heil to the Chimp we have chos-en for the na - tion,
Heil to the Chimp! We sa-lute him, one and all._______
Heil to the Chimp, as we pledge co-op - er -a- tion_____
In proud ful-fill-ment of right-wing, no-ble call.____

Yours is the aim to make this grand coun-try ha-ted,
This you will do, That's our strong, firm be-lief.__
Heil to the one we se-lect-ed as dic-ta-tor,
Heil to the Chimpster! Hail to the Chimp!

[PartyPooper]

11. The Queen Herself must be beside Herself with angst!

Perhaps, she can 'shut down' Harrods for a time...so, she can take Pickles for a short shopping excursion away from the Palace...and, the 'visit' and ensuing madness and mayhem of Amerika's King George!

:smoke:

[kskiska]

12. I doubt the Queen shops at Harrod's anymore

Its owner is Dodi Fayed's dad.

[PartyPooper]

14. But, Harrod's *STILL* has those Royal Warrants!

And, so, they must mean something! Really, if the Queen and her family still shops there...well, it must be okay for the rest of us common folk!

BTW, I tried to buy royal warrants from a store in Scotland a few years ago. The store was closing...but, they wouldn't sell the warrants...even though they were selling everything else. They were concerned about 'propriety'...and, if they (the warrants) would end up on E-bay. Nah!

;-)

[kskiska]

16. I remember reading in Boy George's autobiography

how when he was growing up in his poor Irish family, his father would say he was going to do something very unlikely, and his mother would retort, "Yeah, and I'm going shopping at Harrods!!"

[emad]

20. Nope, they lost them because Harrod's owner Mohamed Fayed

said that 'Prince Phillip' and M16 murdered Diana and Dodi in Paris. So they confiscated them.

[glarius]

13. "We're going to talk about how to spread freedom and peace."...this

surreal statement was uttered by Bush to David Frost in a clip I just saw on CTV, from an interview Bush gave, discussing his visit to Blair....as somebody in Alice in Wonderland said, it gets curiouser and curiouser....

[young_at_heart]

15. It's beyond surreal

The Twilight Zone, etc. etc.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

22. we're on the other side of the mirror now, people!

[truthisfreedom]

17. they make it sound like the plague. so far, Iraq has been about spreading

terror.

[Garion_55]

18. I cant WAIT for the next week.

Should be some great TV.

[Pale_Rider]

19. Bush and his faithful hound ...

... from the Guardian's Steve Bell.

[Buns_of_Fire]

21. It's not too late, Your Majesty...

If the Chimperator isn't scheduled to arrive until tomorrow evening, you still have time to arrange for the staff to turn out all the lights and pretend no one's home. If it makes you feel better, leave a note on the door begging understanding -- family emergency, and all that.

While you're doing that, we'll be busy over here changing the locks on the White House.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

23. I pity the Queen. Blair sends out the invites in her name, and she

has to shut up and wave. She doesn't care much for the hard right, y'know. Really couldn't stand Thatcher.

[LibLabUK]

25. Totally.

"Really couldn't stand Thatcher."

She used to recieve Thatcher standing up because she wanted the briefings to be as short as possible.

[Spazito]

24. I hope there is a headline like this....

"Bush hides behind the Queen's skirts to avoid protesters!"

[yellowcanine]

26. "So Laura and I are really looking forward to coming."

Why is Dubya talking about his sex life? Even Tony Blair is getting into the act. "I believe this is exactly the right time for him to come." Do they have to travel to Great Britain to get the juices going? What is wrong with Crawford, Texas? We don't want to know, George.