Scum-watch: "Prophets are rarely honoured in their own land".
Gorgeous, pouting Rebekah meets the President. "So when do you get your tits out?," asks the leader of the free world.Even in Blair's most hopeful moments and dreams about his eventual departure, he surely couldn't have even come close to expecting the send-off which the Sun's bestowing on him. Sycophancy doesn't even begin to cover it; this is brown-nosing on a level where both Murdoch and Wade have inserted their heads so far up his backside that they'll be able to tell what he had for lunch.
Wade herself plays an even bigger role than usual. She was lucky enough to conduct the interview with President Bush herself - and she has both a photograph with him and a signed mocked-up Scum for her scrapbook, both reproduced for reasons known only to herself. The interview itself isn't exactly Paxman-esque - it's more of the roll over and play dead, David Frost variety, or in this case, roll over and Dubya will find a bone left over from one of Blair's visits as a reward. We discover that Tony is more articulate than Bush - who would have known? - and that Blair isn't a poodle, he's bigger than that; a border collie, heeding every whistle made by his master, perhaps?
Wade does succeed in getting one quite brilliant quote from Bush however, which really does sum up their "special relationship":
Somehow our relationship has been seen as Bush saying to Blair ‘Jump’ and Blair saying, ‘How high?’ But that’s just not the way it works. It’s a relationship where we say we’re both going to jump together.
Well, exactly. The Iraq war was a suicidal act that only two men completely certain in their own righteousness would still be defending 4 years and so many lives later. It's only a shame that their jumping together was not literally carried out while flying over Iraq, without parachutes.
Oh, but that's just the beginning to the Scum's Blair tribute. They've devoted a whole special section to him, with dedications from such luminaries as Bob Geldof, Bono and Arnold Schwarzenegger, and from some local people who've benefited from the minimum wage. Considering the Scum's usual stance on potentially inflationary measures, it'd be interesting to note exactly what their position on it originally was. Just to try and keep things balanced, the ex-political editor Trevor Kavanagh sort of sticks the boot in on some of his domestic record, but it's the equivalent of the paper accidentally sticking its toe in Blair's eye while they 69, the gulping and licking carrying on as if it hadn't happened.
It's the leader that's completely and utterly craven:
TONY Blair is one of those rare politicians who make their own weather.And this remarkable Prime Minister will take away a little sunshine when he drives out of Downing Street for the last time today.
Ah yes, we're going from the sunny warmonger to the dour man who did nothing to stop him. Two cheeks of the same arse.
This country is more tolerant and at ease with itself than at any time in its post-war history.
No thanks to the Scum and its incessant Muslim-bashing, immigrant hatred, gypsy baiting and asylum seeker demonising, not to mention the homophobia which was much more present during the late 90s and has only recently dropped in ferocity.
We’ve enjoyed unprecedented prosperity and social stability.
Well, quite, Blair has done nothing to harm Murdoch and done much to help him further his strangehold over the British media. It's only been in the dying days that his attempt to acquire ITV has ran into something approaching trouble. Here come the things they've disagreed upon before the lavish praise is turned on once again:
Despite recriminations over Iraq, immigration and rising crime, he can rightly claim that as a remarkable achievement.Mr Blair himself will admit to disappointments — especially over the billions spent on the unreformed NHS and other public services.
The Sun has been critical over plenty of issues, from welfare reform and MRSA superbugs to pensions and the sell-out on Europe.
All of which ought to point just how far Blair has taken Labour to the right, not the left as his hagiographers like to claim. The Sun has never been Blairite; it's still an unreformed Thatcherite paper, and Blair was never going to be good enough for them on the above, but he's still been performed adequately enough and the Tories badly enough for Murdoch to prefer his Thatcherism-lite over theirs.
But that is only one side of the balance sheet.
Tony Blair has plenty to be proud of in his years at the helm — and not just a record three election victories for Labour.
He has transformed the political landscape and forced the Tories to up their game.
He was right on Northern Ireland. He showed immense courage over Kosovo, over Sierra Leone and over Afghanistan.
He was right to support America to the hilt after 9/11.
And despite all the problems in Iraq he was absolutely right to identify fanatical Islam as this century’s greatest threat to global stability.
He's transformed the political landscape by taking a centre-right position which left the Tories with nowhere to go, and with Cameron now if anything to the left of many Blairite policies. As for fanatical Islam being this century's greatest threat to stability, nothing could be further from the truth. The real threat is from global warning, not a rag tag mob of radical Islamists often more involved in their own internal struggles than in attacking the west.
As our international ambassador, Mr Blair has enhanced Britain’s role as a respected voice on the world stage.
Two words. You know them.
But for Iraq it is entirely possible that Tony Blair could have won a fourth term in power.But prophets are rarely honoured in their own land.
See, he's no longer just a vicar, he's now a prophet. Perhaps once his conversion to Catholicism is complete he can start on the path to sainthood?
Sometimes it takes a friendly outsider to appreciate the qualities we at home ignore or take for granted.In an exclusive interview for The Sun, President George Bush explains why Tony Blair is America’s staunchest ally.
In a genuine tribute, he says the PM is the man he’d pick to go into the jungle with.
“History will judge him kindly,” he adds.
This newspaper is happy to agree with the verdict from the White House.
If we consider how Anthony Eden is remembered for Suez and little else, and that conflict only cost the lives of 56 British servicemen and around 900 overall, then the omens don't look particularly good for Blair, with good reason. 153 dead British soldiers, over 3,500 Americans and somewhere in the region of between 200,000 and up to 1 million Iraqis, the median being 650,000. Blair isn't just covered in blood, he's drowning in it. If history doesn't judge him harshly for his distortions, lies and for what "he believed was right", then history is just as worthless as the Sun.
Labels: Blair departure, Blair's legacy, Rebekah Wade, Scum-watch, Sun-watch, sycophancy
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The Iraq war was a suicidal act?
Scuse me, sweetcakes, but Iraq is just one of the battlefields in the war on Islamofascism. We've beaten the Taliban and Al Qaeda into slushy pulp, which puts you lefties in a real funk.
In case you forgot, America was attacked by thugs supported throughout the Middle East, by Muslim zealots hellbent on a world Caliphate.
In case you don't get it, they want to kill us. They proved that on 9/11. What's the matter? Didn't the London bombings hit close enough to your own backyard?
Personally, I'd have leveled Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Afghanistan (for starters)on 12 September 2001. But, I'm a former Soldier, not a pusillanimous apologist for Islam. Our policy should be simple: you attack us, we annihilate you, your supporters, your country, everything.
Hussein was a WMD-wielding megalomaniac who supported al Qaeda. He thumbed his nose at every resolution enacted by the U.N. including Res. 1441, which in conjunction with Congressional approval, gave us the authority to use military force. You ought to read it some time.
Hussein's terrorist connections:
The Mother of All Connections: http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/005/804yqqnr.asp?pg=1
WMDs found:
1,500 gallons of chemicals believed destined for attacks on U.S. and Iraqi forces and civilians.
Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/13/AR2005081300530.html
1.77 metric tons of enriched uranium and roughly 1000 highly radioactive sources.
http://www.energy.gov/news/1388.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3872201.stm
Warheads loaded with Sarin
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,124576,00.html
IEDs and artillery shells containing Sarin
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,120137,00.html
And:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20060313-123146-7380r.htm
We did not wait until Hussein had the ability and chance to use them on U.S. forces in the region. I was over there, and I'm damned glad we eradicated the son of a bitch and destroyed the WMDs we found.
Afghanistan, conspicuously absent from your complaint, was a major operating base for Al Qaeda. Lots of dead Taliban there, too. No body counts for them in your blog? Tsk, tsk.
Oh yeah, and your quote about the Iraqi dead being
"somewhere in the region of between 200,000 and up to 1 million Iraqis, the median being 650,000" is total bullshit.
First of all, the “sources” and the assertions made in the phoney Lancet study funded by leftwingnutbag George Soros, claiming the astronomical deaths, has been thoroughly debunked
here:
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/warner-todd-huston/2008/02/09/us-has-killed-655-000-iraqis-soros-funded-lancet-study-debunked
and here:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3177653.ece
Leftwingnuts have no shame for their blatant attempts at presenting fiction as fact.
There are brave Soldiers, American and British, who are putting their lives on the line so ingrates like you won't have to worry about being subjected to Sharia Law. At least act as if you're worth the sacrifice.
Sergeant First Class Cheryl McElroy
US ARMY (RET)
Posted by
sfcmac |
Tuesday, February 26, 2008 8:49:00 PM
I find it hilarious that you call a survey in the Lancet medical journal, which is itself owned by Reed Elsevier, the same firm which runs defense exhibitions as left-wing, especially when you cite such sources at me as the neo-con Weekly Standard, the laughable Fox News and the Washington Times, owned by the Moonies.
As for my quote about the region of dead being somewhere between 200,000 and 1 million, perhaps you ought to update yourself. An Iraqi government study has found that at least 150,000 have died: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/50736cec-bf1d-11dc-8c61-0000779fd2ac.html
No doubt that too was funded by wingnuts.
As I said, no point responding to all your various disingenuous comments in turn, but as for you personally wanting to level Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, well, I think that says it all. You'd slaughter millions of innocent people, just like those you so roundly condemn. The US army deserves individuals like you.
Posted by
septicisle. |
Tuesday, February 26, 2008 9:02:00 PM