How popular is Bush, and Americans in the world community?

[Summy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6Y_ncOVlDw


At the end of the video, that was Manmohan Singh and Stephen Harper talking

 

[Waleed]

I was just about to post this video. It's almost pathetic that one man could so gravely tarnish America's (already struggling) image in the international arena.

 

[Waleed]

On second thought, this video is from the G20 summit and it seems like the leaders he passes when he first walks on stage are all from G8 countries. He might have met with them earlier in the day for a seperate G8 meeting and didn't go through the formality again. The other G20 leaders might be meeting each other for the first time.

OR what I said earlier.

 

[Saleem]

I was just about to post this video. It's almost pathetic that one man could so gravely tarnish America's (already struggling) image in the international arena.

If you remember, in the wake of Sept 11, 2001, the entire world was on our side and felt that "today, everyone is an American". This was entirely his doing, we weren't already struggling.

 

[[Sher] Imran]

I think this would be an appropriate time to use the word "asshat"

 

[Nikhil]

Asshat!

 

[Chidiya]

I feel bad for him =/

 

[Saleem]

I feel bad for him =/

I don't.

 

[Vick]

Maybe he doesnt want to shake their hands? Like Waleed said, that was the G20 convention, I'm pretty sure he met all of them earlier...

 

[Summy]

With him was the Shinzo ABE of Japan who was also there the whole time. At least acknolweding their existence would have been polite which he didn't even do. The rest of the leaders all shook hands and I doubt that Bush was the only guy there before everyone, and he was the only person that meet everyone before hand. EVERY OTHER leader shook hands.

As a part of the international community, I can tell you that it wasnt bush single handly that ruined the image of America. Waleed was right on the dot, Americas image was ruined long before. Whether it was their dealings in the Mid east, or their operations around the world, there was a lead up to 9/11...

I can tell you that, even though it wasnt you guys who voted for Bush in 04, I can tell you that was the point when the world gave up. Because it was a justification by the people of the land for what he did. It was the thought that Americans supported the innocent dieing in Iraq, and the civil liberities suspended of who were primarily miniorities, and the people of america overwhelmingly supported that man. It was that day.

 

[Saleem]

As a part of the international community, I can tell you that it wasnt bush single handly that ruined the image of America. Waleed was right on the dot, Americas image was ruined long before. Whether it was their dealings in the Mid east, or their operations around the world, there was a lead up to 9/11...

I agree that the US has done some 'un-American' things, ironically, especially in the Middle East and in our fight against Communism that took us into Afghanistan, Vietnam etc....
But the general opinion of America, especially amongst our allies in Eastern and Western Europe, was much higher in 2001 than now

 

[Summy]

yeah you're right, after 9/11 there was a sense of unity that the world community have and rightfully so. I guess I understand what you are saying, with that added respect and communal feeling, the fact that the government abandoned that is an insult, your right.

I remember speaking to a Palestinan friend about 9/11 after it happened. Now, I am feverently pro palestine and the struggle for equality, and side almost 100% with the palestinans in every manner, so I held this man's thought in high regard. He said to me that the 9.11 was horrible, and that those inoocent people dieing was horrible and thats where he was disgusted with the acts of those terrorists, but as a nation he felt NO empathy. Thinking about that, whenever I think about 9/11 and think about his point which in my opinion valid. What do you guys think?

 

[Hans]

On second thought, this video is from the G20 summit and it seems like the leaders he passes when he first walks on stage are all from G8 countries. He might have met with them earlier in the day for a seperate G8 meeting and didn't go through the formality again. The other G20 leaders might be meeting each other for the first time.

OR what I said earlier.

I'm certainly no fan of our (still) President, but Waleed is on the money. If you all had watched The Daily Show like responsible armchair activists, you'd have seen Bush perform an unnecessarily elaborate greeting ceremony for each one of the G20 leaders. He had already hugged, greeted, and rubbed up on all of those guys. It's also not true that EVERYONE was shaking hands. You can clearly see the men in front and behind him skipping over one or two people, too. So maybe they snubbed him, maybe he snubbed them, or maybe there was no snubbing at all, and they had just had enough awkwardness for one day.

I think the greater point is, if you want to discuss our leadership or our foreign policy, there are more substantive ways to do so than to analyze the President's handshaking patterns. And for those of you who are supporters of President-Elect Obama, I think this kind of talk is completely against the spirit of his campaign and (hopefully) his coming administration. He called it "silly town politics" back in one of his debates with Hillary Clinton, and that kind of attitude shift (you may call it "change") is one of the biggest reasons so many of us voted for him in the first place.

</Sermon>

That said, it's still pretty funny.

 

[Vick]

Personally I voted for him because he plays basketball and McCain looked like a chipmunk...

 

[Waleed]

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=bda_1227291469

The full story.

 

[Arjun Barua]

Naaaaice, Waldo called it! That's why he's a moderator.