Newsweek: "Bush can transform himself into a unifying global leader"

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6729312/site/newsweek/

Today, as during the last century, the world again needs America, but America also needs the world. The world will not be more peaceful or prosperous, and certainly not more democratic, if America isolates itself and turns its back on those—especially its traditional European allies—with whom it shares truly fundamental democratic values. Nor will America be more secure if it transforms itself into a lonely fortress in a hostile world.

Yet a paradox haunts America: it is more powerful by far than any other state in the world, but its official rhetoric since 9/11 is that of a fear-driven nation. Though other states have also been victimized, none have politically elevated occasional terrorism into a national obsession. The grave strategic risk is that America's declaration of a vague "global war against terrorism" as its principal mission may unite sundry fanatical religious, political and ethnic groupings—potentially even much of Islam—in active hatred of an isolated America.

President George W. Bush is alert to this danger. As he put it on Aug. 4, "We actually misnamed the war on terror. It ought to be the struggle against ideological extremists who do not believe in free societies..." And he is absolutely right. But it also follows that this struggle must be pursued, not only militarily but politically as well, by a grand alliance of democratic states.

The world at large needs to hear a compelling voice that defines a global role for America that simultaneously inspires a shared vision, infuses historical confidence, restores credibility and widens consensus. Roosevelt, Churchill and Truman at one point were each politically very divisive and personally even despised figures. Yet each transcended himself when confronted by an almost apocalyptic encounter with destiny. So let us hope.

[Thurston Howell IV]

1. And pigs can fly! n/t

[LynnTheDem]

2. No. He can't.

He never could.

And now it's far too late.

[Sannum]

3. This is satire, right?

:eyes:

[The Flaming Red Head]

59. I thought the same thing. nt

[IndianaGreen]

4. Who the Hell wrote this crap? Brzezinski?

Well, the man must be deranged if he thinks that Bush is capable of becoming "a compelling voice that defines a global role for America that simultaneously inspires a shared vision, infuses historical confidence, restores credibility and widens consensus."

The only compelling voice that the world will hear is that of our survival instincts telling us that Bush must be gotten rid of before he destroys the entire planet.

[femme.democratique]

5. * is wearing floods!!! What a dork.... eom

[Todd B]

6. I think I'm going to be sick!

He may want to transform himself in to a unifying AMERICAN leader before he focuses on the world, hmm?

I don't even think that Bush knows what the meaning of the word "unifying" is (of course I don't think he knows the meaning of a LOT of words).

[demwing]

28. unifying

un-ify-ing:
1)Seeing things in terms of black and white.
2)The process of being certain, not "ify."
3)To take an ify situation and un-ify it.

Yeah, GW is a unifying leader all right...

[Tamyrlin79]

7. HAHAHAH!!!! They WISH!

Now they've got him for his second term, and hope he'll change his basic nature and "transcend himself" into Franklin Roosevelt. No. Mr. Bush doesn't believe in transcendence. He talks to God. Don't they know that the second term is when they take the gloves off? Heh.

[Inland]

8. They are right. All he has to do is everything differently.

By the way, hasn't Bush already been "confronted by an almost apocalyptic encounter with destiny", like Churchill and Truman? And didn't Bush fail to "transcend himself"? Didn't Bush simply become more assured that the same old himself was exactly what he should now force on an America that was so scared and hungry for leadership that he could finally get all those policies he couldn't even dream of before?

Well, maybe after the next apocalypse, Bush will change for the better instead of just being more of the same loser, lazy, dickheaded, thinskinned lying prick he always was. Wow, there's something to look forward to--another disaster in order for Bush to have the personal growth a real man has by the time he turns forty.

[VioletLake]

9. Bush can transform himself into a unifying global leader,

but only if he gets a soul transplant.

[VioletLake]

14. Hell, he would be lucky to get Barney's soul. n/t

[GetTheRightVote]

19. I love you VioletLake, I laughing my you know what off !!!

:kick:

[MrSlayer]

10. What the hell is he doing to Barney?

Playing Superman? "Look Barn, you kin fly!! Zooooomm!"

[fujiyama]

37. I think that picture

of how he holds his dog explains a lot about him - his irresponsibility, incompetance, and arrogance.

I wouldn't be surprised if he dropped his two girls more than once on their heads when they were younger.

[tuvor]

11. Propaganda: It's what's for dinner.

Open your mouth and have some more.

[quiet.american]

12. I have more chance of hitting the Powerball without a ticket--

--than of Bush ever remotely considering transforming himself "into a unifying global leader."

What a doofus.

[StClone]

13. 'Let us Hope"is the message

Cheeky shot at his inability to understand reality and fall back on gut feelings and Divine Guidance. He will be Churchill? How? If by chance somehow things miraculously turn out for the good? I see an on-going failure of Global proportions in his bold plans, not a Roosevelt. I see a Bold dolt boldly going from one calamity to the next leaving the very last bands holding things together and safeguards being strained. Let us on a hope and a prayer that he doesn't kill us all in his pursuit of legacy of catastrophic success.

[hangemhigh]

15. But he won't. nt

[TheFarseer]

16. It's too late

I'm not sure he could have ever unified the world. They were just going along with us in Afghanistan, I don't think anyone's heart was really in the war on terror. He could have unified THIS country(and not just by never even bringing up Iraq), but he completely blew it. Now it's far too late to unify anything. No one except his die hard supporters trust him, nor should they.

[ailsagirl]

22. That guy couldn't run a PHONE BOOTH, let alone a country

Newsweek's wishful thinking or obvious prejudice...

[sam sarrha]

17. looks more and more like Murdock bought that rag...piece of crap

[kodi]

18. kabuki theater

without the face paint

[billbuckhead]

20. Chimpy just failed his first major international test.

So slow to act , so asleep at the switch that Bill Clinton was sucked in to fill the void in American leadership. Once again, Bush is not ready for prime time. Then again, maybe he's preparing for the repture.

[paulk]

24. he's probably been on a major bender

they'll trot him out as soon as he dries up a bit...

[Debs]

21. Yeah, right

I have a better chance of growing wings and flying to the Moon

[hatrack]

23. This is a joke, right?

Isn't it? :wtf:

[Skittles]

25. HA HA, HA HA HA HA

:puke:

[GRLMGC]

26. Haha

No.

[muse]

27. With that photo it has got to be tongue in cheek. Doesn't it???

This cannot be a serious journalistic effort. I refuse to believe that. The photo is just too funny and silly.

[Lexingtonian]

29. grasping at straws, aren't they?

I'm still waiting for Newsweak or any of those magazines to employ a writer who has an actual clue and isn't just spoonfed by the people they 'cover'. And one of my high school friends is one of those writers. A major beating with the Clue Stick is in order.

Actually, they only write to sell magazines. It's pathetic in its own right.

[marcologico]

30. is there a prize for newsweekly butt kissing?

If so there's some stiff competition.

[Erika]

31. Bush may be a leader to the corporate world

but a traitor to U.S. Citizens.

[Raiden]

32. Bush can transform into a bird and fly away for all I care!

n/t

[journalist3072]

33. I knew I felt sick to the stomach for a reason!

WTF?

[Endangered Specie]

34. Wasn't Hitler a unifying global leader?

unified AGAINST him that is.

So the description isnt that far off :shrug:

[shiina]

35. Maybe if all of the world's leaders get amnesia...

And forget that the B*sh has basically been telling the rest of the world to go fuck itself every chance he got for the past 4 years...yeah. Sure.

[magellan]

36. I'm sure I speak for many countries when I say

...my greatest wish is that Bush would transcend himself out of the White House.

[KT2000]

38. MSM got this idiot elected

now it looks like they think they can make something out of him. Fools all!

[snippy]

39. How bizarre and delusional. Bush is the most hated man in world history.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

40. And yet, we get an article on him becoming Roosevelt or Churchill.

He's "the most hated man in world history" with the most EFFECTIVE media spin machine in world history, which is why he's dangerous.

If the media ONLY reported on his decisions and actions...if the public ONLY saw these things and turned off Hannity and Limbaugh...this man would have been impeached in his first term.

Articles like this one keep him firmly planted in a position of power.

[leesa]

41. There is not a single chance Bush could transform himself into

anything respected. If anyonestill has a Newsweek subscription, you need to cancel and make sure they know why. We MUST reclaim the media and that means punishing them financially for printing lies and nonsense to prop up this war criminal and traitor.

[HCeline69]

42. No

Merlin, Harry Potter, and Samantha Stevens working in shifts could not transform W into a leader.

[DemBones DemBones]

43. Can't he get a human partner for ice dancing?

Just asking.

[Supersedeas]

44. It takes a communicator....Roosevelt Churchhill and Truman could do it

without a script. When Bush is turned loose from well formed arguments, he continues to insult and divide large sections of people whether intentional or out of sheer ignorance.

Bush is not a uniting figure. Even his own down knows that. See the picture above, the dog is not embracing the monkey.

[Mountainman]

45. I never ceases to amaze me how supposedly intelligent people act

like this guy in the White House is anything more than a stupid moronic sock puppet.

I was flabbergasted that anyone could vote for him in 2000 and now after the last election I have nothing more to feel.

It's like people who know that all they really have is a blow up doll yet buy clothes for it and make believe they have a sexy Bambi cheerleader living with them.

[IHeart1993]

46. In a separate but parallel universe

Poor Barney!

[Gloria]

47. Ziggy thinks Bush is "alert" to all this?? Oh, sure, he's alert, alright..

but he doesn't give a damn about what you're writing, Zig.

Please. Spare me, Ziggy.

[Bridget Burke]

48. Yes, & monkeys could fly out of....

The Western White House.

[FormerDittoHead]

49. DAMN LIBERAL MEDIA AT IT AGAIN!

[Sparkly]

50. What's with the high-waters? Who is dressing this monkey?

And it's wayyyy too late for him to transform himself into ANYthing the world will trust or respect. What planet is Newsweek published on?

[CatWoman]

51. What's with the high water pants?

you can put lipstick on a pig and all you have is lipstick on a pig.

[charlie]

52. Haha, that fucking dog kills me

Always ramrod stiff and poised to take off like a cruise missile. He hates the chimp. I LOVE that dog.

[Dr Fate]

53. He can turn water into wine, find and secure the WMDs and "free" Iraq too.

He's a god-damned miracle worker I tells ya!

The Liberal Media sez so!!!

[Not_Giving_Up]

54. I just can't see him transforming into anything

but a bigger goober than he already is.

The "leader of the free world" can't find pants that aren't too short? Did he miss his up and borrow someone else's?

Fly away Barney! We will rescue you, but you must first break free from the evil clutches of your master.

[shraby]

55. Shouldn't that be what he should have

been from the day he took office? Methinks he's a day late and a dollar short.

[Bluebear]

56. And I can transform myself into Donald Trump.

nt

[RelativelyJones]

57. Zbigniew bin smokin

Zbig doesn't get it. BUSH HAS BEEN WRITTEN OFF!!!!!!! Yeah the USA has is the most powerful country in the world economically and militarily, but under Bush NO leadership has been exhibited in any fashion except for a trumped up, illegal war and so most of the world has developed work-arounds when it comes to dealing with us. About 95% of the planet's population are just going to take the USA off their radar screen as much as possible until there's another batter in the box. Zbig's still living in 1978 when there was us, the USSR and zippo. It ain''t like that anymore. Most of the world figures we're pretty tied up at the moment and likely to stay that way. If only the Euros could get off their asses and make a move toward negotiating a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians, we might finally enter a new era.

[KansDem]

58. Trying to outdo "TIME"

When TIME one-upped NEWSWEEK by selecting His Royal Flatulence as "Person of the Year," NEWSWEEK comes out with this outrageous claim...

Who's going to buy this crap? These weeklies used to be respectable, but now both these rags are useful only with the toilet paper runs out.
Unifying the world one Daisy-cutter at a time...:nuke:

[mogster]

60. At which occation did he say

"We actually misnamed the war on terror. It ought to be the struggle against ideological extremists who do not believe in free societies..."

I find this hard to believe because the European MSM hasn't mentioned it, AFAIK. They would have picked up on this--especially the BBC, now attacking his 'War on terror' up front in a series of programs.

[Sparkly]

61. I remember Al Franken had a field day with that.

Chimp stuttered and said the word "the" three times, so Franken was trying to get the acronym for the new name right: tttsaiewdnbifs.

[LittleClarkie]

62. Barney: "Don't drop me."

That poor dog.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, "We actually misnamed the war on terror. It ought to be the struggle against ideological extremists who do not believe in free societies..."

Yessir, that's what I was fighting alright. But the ideological extremists got me in the end. Out-gamed.

"Sorry, sir. We had to destroy democracy to save it."