As Bush Goes To Vietnam, White House Website Displays The Wrong Flag

[meegbear]

Today, President Bush visits Vietnam for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, "looking to burnish his foreign-policy credentials." He’s off to a miserable start.

Yesterday, the White House website featured a graphic with the flags of the three countries he’s visiting on his trip — Singapore, Vietnam, and Indonesia. One problem: instead of displaying the Vietnamese flag, the White House graphic featured the old flag of South Vietnam. That flag hasn’t been the official flag of Vietnam since South Vietnam surrendered to North Vietnam in 1975.

The display of the old flag is highly incendiary to the current Vietnamese government. NPR reported last year the display of the old flag anywhere in the United States — much less on the White House website — "could create tension amid warming relations between the United States and Vietnam."

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/11/15/vietnam-bush-wrong-flag/

[LiberalFighter]

1. Love it!!! nt

[adamuu]

16. you love it??? n/t

[BlueOysterCult]

34. anyone take a before and after?

I went to the website and its correct now of course.

[nolies32fouettes]

96. check out the freeper's response here:

http://www.progressiveu.org/020548-talk-about-diplomacy-bushs-asian-tour-off-to-grand-start-as-they-display-the-wrong-flag-for-vietnam-haha


Feel free to reply!

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. We're goverened by idiots

[IndianaGreen]

47. No shit!

I am surprised that Bush hasn't flown the flag of "Nationalist China."

[Renew Deal]

80. Didn't something like this happen earlier this year?

With China IIRC? Something to do with the name or national anthem?

[OnyxCollie]

82. It was for failing to address the People's Democratic Republic of Korea correctly.

[Renew Deal]

91. North Korea?

That doesn't sound right.

[OnyxCollie]

101. Yeah, North Korea.

North Korea is referred to as the People's Democratic Republic of Korea by, um, North Koreans. It's a way of invalidating South Korea.

[Renew Deal]

102. Yes, but I don't think North Korea would get a public visit with the WH.

So it's not possible that it was North Korea. I think it had to do with China/Taiwan.

[Bitwit1234]

3. Shows again how stupid Reps are

Just recently when Russ Feingold made the announcement that he was not going to run for president, CNN did a small blip about it. They said that Feingold was added to the list of democrats not running...his picture was shown and then they showed the picture of the other democrat who had decided not to run.....Mark Warner of Virginia...BUT the thing is they showed the picture of Senator John Warner..REPUBLICAN....of Virginia. Can these republican news sites get any more stupid.

[KyndCulture]

4. how fuckin stupid is this???? gah how embarrassing yet again. nt

[indepat]

39. Stupid and incompetent or W's one-fingered salute?

[damntexdem]

5. LOL!!!!!!!

What more to say? ;-)

[texpatriot2004]

6. Can't get even the most basic things done correctly nm

[Phredicles]

7. We're lucky they don't fly the Confederate flag as if it were ours...

Even when I think they can't get any dumber, they outdo themselves.

[gratuitous]

13. That was my first thought

In response, Bush should be greeted by the Confederate battle flag. I wonder if he'll receive the same enthusiastic reception that Clinton got, or if he'll skulk into town, hide out with some high-level mucky-mucks, then skedaddle with his usual bromides about "productive discussions" and a "good exchange of views."

[krispos42]

104. No, the Mexican flag

Texas used to be part of Mexico, after all....

[Bonobo]

8. Remember when they announced the name of Taiwan instead of China?

[Coaster City]

9. Remember his Greeting to the Chinese in the Spring????

They played the Taiwanese National Anthem. I don't speak Chinese or read lips but I could tell the Chinese delegation was like "what the ...?" Stupidity know no bounds. These people are completely incompetent. A 3rd grader could go out on the internet and find the correct flag. What does that make these diplomatic experts?????

[meegbear]

11. Yep, our glorious administration in action ...

and :party: WELCOME ABOARD! :party:

[underpants]

14. I also remember when he apologized to the Chinese for downing our plane

of course that was "pre-9/11" so we can't talk about that now can we? Oh please don't talk about the nuclear submarine killing all those Japanese students either.

Welcome to DU :hi:

[minnesota_liberal]

78. Actually they just ANNOUNCED the wrong national anthem,

saying that the band would play the anthem of "The Republic of China" (Taiwan) instead of "The People's Republic of China" (mainland China). But other than that ... and the White House declining the delegation's request for a dinner ... and Cheney wearing sunglasses during the whole event ... and Bush2 grabbing the Chinese president's sleve like a parent would a 2-year-old's ... April 20, 2006 is definitely a high point in U.S. - Chinese diplomatic relations.

[Lasher]

85. Oh but we have many memories about our diplomaitic relations

How about our relations with Germany?


and Poland?

[minnesota_liberal]

93. Here's the Spin!

At the G-8 Summit, Bush assaulted German chancellor Angela Merkel with his unwanted neck massage, cursed with his mouth full and made some especially unenlightened comments to Tony Blair. However, he did not at any time grope Merkel and never even unpacked his whoopie cushion.

As for Cheney's attire at the 2005 Holocaust memorial in Poland, this is exactly what I would have worn 25 years ago - had I been abducted while on a ski trip and forced to attend a funeral.

[Lasher]

99. Heh heh, that's pretty funny

That one where Lord Vader went straight to the funeral from having slopped the hogs is pretty memorable. He's in the middle of a sea of dignitaries and every single one except him is very tastefully dressed. If I had to pick one photo that would depict Elmer Cheney's behavior as VP, that would be it.

One reason the keep screwing up like this is, they have been so obsessed with running a 24X7 political campaign every single day they have been in office. Doesn't leave much room to think about the little things, such as making sure you attack the right country after 9/11.

[krispos42]

88. The only gaff I remember during Clinton was...

I think at some formal event (perhaps Olympics in Atlanta?) the Marine honor guard flew the Russian flag upside down. The white stripe was at the bottom instead of the top.

Bill, come back!

[Chulanowa]

90. You think it's really "Stupidity"?

Playing teh Taiwanese national anthem? Displaying the South Veitnamese flag? This shit isn't "duh, oops, we's stoopid", it's a concerted effort to offend and insult the nations that the administration does not agree with due to their being Communist.

At least Ragan had the taste to not unfurl this flag to the Russian Delegations:

[Supersedeas]

100. Dr. Condi is our chief diplomat--that should be clue enough

[opihimoimoi]

10. Confirmation : Dufusness IS CONTAGIOUS

[louis-t]

12. Probably did it on purpose.

Old habits, y'know.

[PretzelzRule]

23. Exactly my thought

this was done on purpose

[qnr]

57. I'd say mistake. None of the chickenhawks in the administration have any experience with Vietnam. nt

[krispos42]

86. They have plenty of experience with Vietnam, mostly in deferrments. n/t

[hardtravelin]

63. It's a big deal to the ex-patriates

My wife's family escaped Vietnam in 1975, and the display of the old/new flag is a highly incindiary topic among the ex-patriate community living here in the US.

[madrchsod]

15. the adults are in charge?

every day another example pops up pointing to the fact that these people are the stupidest people in the world. or they just don`t give a fuck....

[Jack Rabbit]

17. Good grief

C'mon, Frat Boy. You only get three strikes.

Sit down. You're out.

[texpatriot2004]

18. Incompetent Hacks nm

[file83]

54. Fucking Amateurs, Dude....

[Carla in Ca]

19. The R's can't get the trade agreement through

before ho leaves, and now this.

The first paragraph:

Today, President Bush visits Vietnam for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, "looking to burnish his foreign-policy credentials." He’s off to a miserable start.

A headline as true now as six years ago. Pathetic.

[krispos42]

105. Looks like he burned his cred instead

I bet he loves the smell of napalm in the morning...

[Doctor_J]

20. Yup, that about summarizes Stupid's foreign policy credentials

Incompetent, ignorant, lazy.

[slestak]

21. For fuck's sake

It's not only incompetence, it's a complete disrespect for the rest of the world that fuels these incidents.

Do a fucking Google image search for "vietnam flag". Guess what you find?

I'm sick of these people.

[krispos42]

89. Or even Wikipedia!

The entire main article on the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, not one South Vietnamese flag. Just the current one, and the coat of arms.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam

[KamaAina]

22. He's not going to Germany any time soon, is he?

A teensy little flag screwup like this could get ugly over there...

[Doctor Panacea]

31. LOL

:rofl: at the image of Bush thinking the Hakenkreuz (swastika) is the German flag.

[bluedogyellowdog]

38. I was thinking the same thing

and Bush is just stupid enough to do it.

I bet our "Great Leader" displays the DPRK flag when visiting South Korea too...very appropriate in his case.

[kedrys]

74. Or either of the Koreas

:rofl: and :scared: or anyone else who Has The Bomb and Thinks We're Idiots (not everyone, just *).

Yikes.

[krispos42]

87. "Hey, you guys stopped using the swastika? When did that happen?" n/t

<edit: spelling>

[Up2Late]

24. Now you know the WH is going to claim this was an "honest mistake," but...

...I'd have to chalk this one up to basic stupidity. I guest they don't want any WH staff who got better grades that Bush working there. :banghead: :rofl:

[TechBear_Seattle]

25. Which political faux pas could top this?

1) Visiting the President of Israel and bringing 100 lbs. of Texas barbequed pork ribs as a gift?

2) Travelling to Germany and coming off Air Force 1 waving a Nazi flag?

3) Ending a week-long visit to India by adressing the Parliament, and opening your speech with a comment about how hard it was to get a decent hamburger?

4) In a joint press conference with the Prime Minister of Japan, referring to Shinzo Abe as, "The little Nipper, heh, heh."

5) Something else?

[clichemoth]

32. Groping German Chancellor Angela Merkel?

Oh, wait, Bush already did that. For all Clinton's faults, he never felt up a head of state.

[Esra Star]

50. Isn't #2 a Bush family tradition? n/t

[Ferret Annica]

26. Heh heh, this is something Faux would do

They had Democratic envy mislabeling people in races to make the Repugs look good.

Shows how much alike this dysfunctional administration is to Murdock's editorials as news vehicle.

[Botany]

27. This from the bush White House when the last time he went

out to play President he dropped, "Russia is a big country China is too."
To President Putin of Russia and Prime Minster Hu of China.

Damn, I miss the Big Dog.

[gordianot]

28. Surely no one is that stupid.

They have to know better. Why assume anyone is that stupid, they did this on purpose.

[bluedogyellowdog]

29. About time Bush went to Vietnam

he's about 35 years late getting there, but hey, better late than never :rofl:

[clichemoth]

33. You think we can trade him for a POW?(nt)

[bluedogyellowdog]

36. Naah, I doubt they'd take him

but you never know :rofl:

[classysassy]

37. That flight siut

will dim son wear his flight suit,show them how fearless you are.?

[The Wizard]

60. Now he should

put on the green suit, pick up a 16, put on a steel pot and start saying he's there kill some gooks to avenge John Kerry's treason.

[bluedogyellowdog]

83. Shrubmonkey is just stupid enough

to say that too...and spark yet another international incident.

[monmouth]

30. You can bet a secretary

or an IT guy will catch hell on this one.  I retired as an
Exec. Secretary after many years and it's this kind of poor
detail work that makes such a god-awful impression.  When the
January move-in happens, people who are professionals need to
be placed in positions like this. Ye gads!

[Esra Star]

51. Hey Monmouth, welcome to the Underground........

Do the administration do this sort of thing on purpose occasionally?
I remember Reagan turning up to a meeting with other American leaders late, and wearing shorts.
It seemed obvious that he was saying that he was not taking the meeting seriously at all.

[Auggie]

58. Welcome monmouth! No, this is an honest mistake from a likely

overworked, underpaid, and sloppy graphic designer.

[minnesota_liberal]

98. Any adminishment will be private

Otherwise they'd had to admit that they #$%^d up.

[mcg]

35. It looks like the White House site has been updated.

http://www.whitehouse.gov



http://www.whitehouse.gov/asia/2006

[Cant_wait_for_2008]

70. Viet Nam??? It's Vietnam, you numbskulls at the Whitehouse !!! eom

[Penndems]

103. Believe it or not, they're actually partly correct, LOL

"Vietnam" is the American spelling of the country, but "Viet Nam" is how the Vietnamese people (and Vietnamese-Americans) choose to refer to it as. Some Foreign Service Officers who have served either at the American Embassy in Hanoi or the Consulate General in Hoh Chi Minh City also referred to it as "Viet Nam" (or "Viet-Nam").

BTW, the second largest city in Viet Nam is not called Hoh Chi Minh City by Vietnamese-Americans. It is still - and always will be - Saigon to them. The name "Hoh Chi Minh" to them denotes a Communist state, not a free Viet Nam.

[Bucky]

40. Wow, that's like visiting the US and flying the Union Jack or Cherokee Nation standard.

[0rganism]

49. more like a visiting diplomat flying the confederate battle flag

To the Vietnamese, the Vietnam war was a civil war in which the capitalist losers were backed by the US imperialists, and millions of their people were killed.

[BrokenBeyondRepair]

41. this was deliberate

[struggle4progress]

52. Of course it was.

[sleepingdog]

42. Maybe it was a hint of what's in store!

Maybe AF One is actually gonna make a bombing run on Hanoi with Dub at the controls! That way (in his dimwit mind) he could make up for his dereliction of duty in the early 70s!

:nuke:

[mcg]

43. Don't give him any ideas. nt

[connecticut yankee]

44. wadda ya expect

from that moron?

[lady lib]

45. Way to go, Junior. n/t

[Anakin Skywalker]

46. Ah Hah Hah Hah! DUMB ASSES! Well, This Ought To

warm relations with the current Viet regime already, eh?

[TheCowsCameHome]

48. El Stupid has never been close enough to Vietnam to know the difference

[neuvocat]

53. Wow he sure has grown in office hasn't he?

I mean, sure he wasn't too swift on foreign policy but look at him now.

:sarcasm:

[lonestarnot]

55. dEE dEE fuckin' DEE!

[CanuckAmok]

56. One thing you can credit this administration:

They're consistent.

[onehandle]

59. I have to defend Bush for once.

He's a fucking dry-drunk idiot and wouldn't know the difference even if they used flash cards.

Give the asshole a break.

[mnhtnbb]

61. "Doin' a heckuva job, Brownie" This is what happens when

government jobs are filled by political hacks.

[hardtravelin]

62. self edit

[krkaufman]

64. Well, the feelings of the current Vietnamese gov't are secondary ...

... to the lawsuits being filed by Adidas.

[mw]

65. Bush makes chimps look sage

Jesus Horatio Gonzalez McAfferty Christ!

Just when you think Bush can't be stupider, can't be a bigger embarrassment....he proves everyone wrong.

The only thing Bush succeeds at--and succeeds big--is in failing.

[Aviation Pro]

66. Good God these people are stupid as bricks.....

...no wonder they fuck up the big things like Iraq, they can't even QC research on a fucking flag of another nation.

ASSHOLES!

[JAbuchan08]

67. Why do I not think this was a mistake? n/t

[SunDrop23]

68. None of this surprises me...the same guy who didn't know

there are Shias and Sunnis in Iraq.

"I thought they's all Muslims."

Pinhead.

[Leo 9]

69. Maybe they're planning on re-invading Vietnam...

...in order to prove that war was right too. :eyes:

[Cant_wait_for_2008]

71. No, its spelled Viet Nam according to the Whitehouse.

So we wont be invading Vietnam ;)

[Blutodog]

72. Makes perfect sense

It makes perfect sense since Bu$h's admin. is made up of Vietnam era deadenders. These assklowns still won't admit defeat even in Vietnam ! The flag thing was no innocent mistake. these guys do this shit to piss people off and show disrespect. The next 2 yrs. with this crew still in power and totally unwilling to listen to anyone is scary indeed.

[minnesota_liberal]

73. From the same idiots who insulted Chinese President Hu Jinato

... last April by announcing the anthem of "The Republic of China" (Taiwan) instead of "The People's Republic of China" (mainland China). Just more evidence that the details don't matter to this administration.

Can't wait for 2008.

[RagingInMiami]

75. You can't make this shit up

[savemefromdumbya]

76. OMG!!!

:rofl:

[kirbyenthusiasm]

77. WORST. ADMINISTRATION. EVER.

it's just the damn Vietnamese... who cares, after all?

Does anyone on the Bush staff even have a basic knowledge of U.S. history? Do they have any idea what the hell they're doing? Is reality even real for them?

If Bush is trying to get me off my post-election high, he's doing a good job of it.

[Renew Deal]

79. lol

That's hysterical in all the wrong ways.

[Pachamama]

81. Even my 6 yr old knows the flag of Vietnam!

Seriously - her father, Pachapapa, goes to Vietnam once a year on business and has brought home gifts including one of her favorite shirts - a red shirt with a big yellow star on it - and she knows its the flag of Vietnam! :eyes:

Imagine - this White House would seriously be better off if they were to hire 6 year olds to help make decisions compared to this incompetent group that currently isn occupying and managing the White House.

:banghead:

[Gman]

84. And we're surprised because......?

[katinmn]

92. take a bow, Karen Hughes. I always knew she was incompetent.

[Sturmrabe]

94. I'd agree this was pure stupidity, but...

After the playing of the Taiwanese anthem thing, I think maybe they can dictate foreign policy through obliviousness

[Moochy]

95. false flag operation

See the bush admin *is* into false flag ops... :)

[qwlauren35]

97. For 6 years ago...

It was obvious that Bush was clueless on geopolitics. But the idea that he has surrounded himself by an equally clueless staff cuts deep. This isn't Bush making this mistake. It's someone who is paid to know better.

It almost makes me wonder if someone on his own staff is determined to embarrass him. What hurts is that sometimes, these things don't just reflect on the president, but on our nation as a whole.

Ouch.

[area51]

106. Remember when GW Hoover's crew first took over the White House?

They said, "the adults are in charge, now"? :eyes:

[robbedvoter]

107. This new flag, just a comma! We'll patiently take back Vietnam!

We're number one! We're number one!