..

[kyburg]

LJ'ers are taking a roll call over at london_070705.

In case you hadn't heard, multiple blasts in London have killed over 45 people - so far.

Snark levels rising fast.

But here - I'll vent this little bit, thanks to Reuters: World Leaders Reactions. Note that everyone except that idiot Bush condemns the attacks in plain language. Bush? Call Homeland Security! SAVE MY ASS!!

Yeah. Hussein was the threat of the day. Suuuuure.

My sense of outrage is overshadowed by my absolute shame. This could have been stopped. I'm certain of it.

I'm sorry.

God, I hope you're all right.

Comments

[digitaldraco.livejournal.com]

I'd also like to say that I don't get everyone's bitter reaction to Bush's statement. Unless I'm missing something, it's just more of the same bullshit he's been spouting like a broken record over and over again.

Okay, so, yeah he didn't use the word "condemn". But I think it's a fairly well proven fact that he sucks at extemporaneous speaking, and what he did say was pretty much just sound bites from every single speech he's ever given on the topic.

I don't see any "CALL HOMELAND SECURITY! SAVE MY ASS!" in there. And I looked. Twice.

And how, pray tell, could it have been stopped? Do you know something that Scotland Yard didn't? I'm sure they'd appreciate a phone call if you did.

Sorting through the hype and outrage,

- Draco

[absolutedestiny.livejournal.com]

The page has since been changed to quote a different part of the statement. When kyburg originally posted the quotation had no mention of condolence and simply said that he called Homeland Security.

[caitlin.livejournal.com]

I think it is BECAUSE he has not said anything new that is outraging most people... myself included.

And he somehow managed to turn this terrorist activity on ENGLISH soil into a "oh, they're going to attack US!" thing again, as well as use it as propaganda. This is why I'm so miffed at him.

His first response was to call *US* Homeland Security. Not to stand by and watch Tony Blair deal with things that are NOT of our concern.

Not only that, the condolences didn't come first. The "Help save my ass!" did...

But this is IMO.

C.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

Should have taken a snapshot of it.

[mdlbear]

Got it: http://www.livejournal.com/users/mdlbear/254809.html (second comment).

Here's the full press release:

President Offers Condolences to People of London, Will Not Yield to Terrorists
Gleneagles Hotel
Auchterarder, Scotland

1:30 P.M. (Local)

PRESIDENT BUSH: I spent some time recently with the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and had an opportunity to express our heartfelt condolences to the people of London, people who lost lives. I appreciate Prime Minister Blair's steadfast determination and his strength. He's on his way now to London here from the G8 to speak directly to the people of London. He'll carry a message of solidarity with him.

President George W. Bush delivers a brief statement to the media outside the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, Scotland Thursday, July 7, 2005, regarding the terrorist attacks in London that occured earlier in the day. White House photo by Eric Draper This morning I have been in contact with our Homeland Security folks. I instructed them to be in touch with local and state officials about the facts of what took place here and in London, and to be extra vigilant, as our folks start heading to work.

The contrast between what we've seen on the TV screens here, what's taken place in London and what's taking place here is incredibly vivid to me. On the one hand, we have people here who are working to alleviate poverty, to help rid the world of the pandemic of AIDS, working on ways to have a clean environment. And on the other hand, you've got people killing innocent people. And the contrast couldn't be clearer between the intentions and the hearts of those of us who care deeply about human rights and human liberty, and those who kill -- those who have got such evil in their heart that they will take the lives of innocent folks.

The war on terror goes on. I was most impressed by the resolve of all the leaders in the room. Their resolve is as strong as my resolve. And that is we will not yield to these people, will not yield to the terrorists. We will find them, we will bring them to justice, and at the same time, we will spread an ideology of hope and compassion that will overwhelm their ideology of hate.

Thank you very much.

Not clear how much of this was added after the fact by the spin-doctors.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

They updated the link. Karl Rove didn't like what they had originally, doncha know....

Soundbites

[turandot.livejournal.com]

If you tune in on CNN, you can still hear him say towards the end of that stump speech that he would call Homeland Security.

What strikes me about the speech is that he expresses no sympathy for the victims, instead choosing to talk about his program to eradicate evil. But that's on a par for shrub, he never says he's sorry, not even as a way to commiserate with the victims, lest it be interpreted as him actually regretting anything. The trouble is, most Brits are gonna assume his assholishness is representative of those who he's supposed to represent. =[

Re: Soundbites

[digitaldraco.livejournal.com]

I certainly hope the good folks in the UK don't assume that. I think the wise among them see that our leader is, indeed, a fool but I'd like to think that they don't ascribe the same level of intelligence to the U.S. as a whole. Certainly he's representative of a certain demographic of our citizens, but still.

I'll admit, the lack of compassion or concern that Bush shows is definitely irritating.

[digitaldraco.livejournal.com]

My outrage is, well, outraged that it didn't get a chance to come out and play today.

I feel cheated.

That's one of those double-edged swords of online media: instant edit with no proof of what existed before.

I went to a Yahoo News page I had visited yesterday that had a title along the lines of "G8 members lower goals" which now has the tile "G8 members work towards compromise". WTF.