I'MMA LET YOU FINISH
Poland, with their massive number of troops and cash.
To clarify-- the Polish president said that.
And damn if he wasn't giving it straight.
Kerry rocks!
Shorter George Bush- "I was a prince in the old country."
London calling
Jeez, good luck with getting rid of your president guys. We're a bit fucked off with our guy acting like Alfred the Butler to the White House Batman - "are you sure that's wise, sir?" - specially now Batman's running round Gotham smashing shit up.
Good old Poland! They earnestly love Americans but know Bu$h is a fool.
Wait, I'm confused. Is the Polish President a "brave ally" or is he undermining the war and aiding terrists? Or both? Tell me Karen Hughes! I'm lost!
Someone put this up damn quick last night: http://www.youforgotpoland.com. Heh.
London calling,
Vry, vry funny!
To quote:
BUSH: Again, I can't tell you how big a mistake I think that is, to have bilateral talks with North Korea. It's precisely what Kim Jong Il wants. It will cause the six-party talks to evaporate. It will mean that China no longer is involved in convincing, along with us, for Kim Jong Il to get rid of his weapons. It's a big mistake to do that.
BUSH: We must have China's leverage on Kim Jong Il, besides ourselves.
"John Kerry will never ask and wait for Red China's permission to defend the United States!"
Hungover, I could go for a polish right now, green peppers and onion. Is it really 9 a.m.?
Wasn't it Bush who forgot to name S. Korea in his acceptance speech?
Bush:
"My opponent says help is on the way, but what kind of message does that say to our troops in harm's way?"
More mexed missages.
"My opponent says help is on the way, but what kind of message does that say to our troops in harm's way?"
It says: Your asses will not be shot up for a massive mistake.
After the debate on CPAN they had the usual talk to the regular people on phone segment. THe GOP had their spin teenagers out in force, parrotting the GOP spin that Kerry wasn't to be trusted, was a flip flopper etc. It was almost like these kids had not watched the thing.
On a hilarious note, one of the girls said "President Kerry just wasn't that convincing, blah blah blah" Yes one of the GOP operativerettes called Kerry President. Will transcribe some of these calls later.
The first time mr. huff and puff mentioned poland, I half expected John to call him on the fact that they were
a johnny come lately to the coalition.
WOW But the Poles, The poles, de plane, de plane.
Can't wait for the Sunny Boy/Darth Cheney Cage match.
Kerry/Edwards In A LANDSLIDE!!
Hit the Mediawaves Hard Today, Folks
Now we must push the clear impression of Kerry's dramatic debate victory into momentum.
Every one of us should hit the media waves hard today with effusive praise of Kerry's superior knowledge and Bush's bumbling incoherence.
Call into local radio shows, post on the NYT, WaPo, Slate and CSM message boards; call into CSPAN and write three letters to local papers.
This is a better use of time than preaching to the choir here... (until tonight anyway)
LET'S ROLL!
I propose a left-blogistan-wide game of "Friday Chimp Blogging".
You know what to do.
"My opponent says help is on the way, but what kind of message does that say to our troops in harm's way?" It says that, if John Kerry is elected, they might just live. Shorter Bush: accoutability is unpatriotic.
Jon Stewart was all over this Poland thing last night. First, he had Bush talking about meeting the Polish president, etc. Then, cut to Stewart, who wonders aloud what the president's fetish is for the Poles. Then, cut to Kerry talking about our allies, and Bush smirking reply, "I guess he forgot about Poland." Cut to Jon, looking incredulous.
First Ford and now GWB. Poland has a habit of unravelling debaters for some reason.
I'm guessing it is Karmic Retribution for all the Polack jokes told in the US.
Alfred the Butler to the White House Batman - "are you sure that's wise, sir?"
Brilliant.
Thanks for the image. Too bad Batman is such a joker. (Oh wait, that's his wife.)
Karl told me to stay out of the public eye for the next couple of days. Man, I am so going on a bender. Where's that Wild Turkey bottle, dammit?
BREAKING NEWS:
PETA has filed charges against Senator John Kerry for his alleged mistreatment of that poor monkey on stage last night.
Developing...
NPR had a "fact check" this morning in which they criticized Kerry's use of 200 billion for the cost of the Iraq war... here's my letter:
To: morning@npr.org, ombudsman@npr.org
I found your "fact check" of John Kerry's statement about having spent 200 billion in Iraq interesting and a bit confusing. Your announcer stated as a "fact" without giving a source that only 120 billion had been spent in the Iraq war so far. While it is true that the CBO puts the current cost of the war at 120 billion, there are many who have given different estimates for the cost of the war.
For example, a joint study by the Institute for Policy Studies and Foreign Policy in Focus accounts for the total cost of the war currently as 151 billion. You can see a copy of this report at www.ips-dc.org. This does not include monies to be almost certainly allocated by Congress after the election.
It also does not include any of the costs for what some are saying (including Republican John McCain) might turn into a 5 or 10 year occupation. We may have a permanent presence there as well, as Kerry noted in the debate, we are currently building military bases there.
Is there any rational person who would deny that the total cost of this war will be well OVER 200 billion? I imagine the source for most of your reporting on this may be from www.factcheck.org, who make your same argument, concluding with the rather nitpicky paragraph:
Kerry would be correct to say the cost of the war in Iraq "is now $120 billion and counting." He would be well within the bounds of argument to say "this war will cost $200 billion," by some unspecified date in the future. But when he says the cost "is" $200 billion, he's straining for effect and going beyond what the facts will bear.
Guess it depends on what the meaning of "is" is. The thrust of Kerry's argument was that this money could have been far better spent on securing our ports, nuclear and chemical facilities, hunting down Osama Bin Laden in Afghanistan, and for such trivial domestic priorities as healthcare coverage and prescription drugs, not to mention the 1,000 plus soldiers killed, the thousands of Americans seriously wounded, and the completely unknown numbers of Iraqi civilians killed (we don't know either of those numbers with certainty, the Pentagon won't report them).
However, as with most of the news media today, your report chose to ignore these urgent questions and focus on what the meaning of "is" is.
Ben, so fucking funny.
Anybody got poll numbers for Poland as to who they'd vote for? I know my girls down at the Polish bakery by my house think Bush is a putz.
I'm still giddy. Last night was like great sex.
A.
Here's how the GOP is telling its minions to spin the debates. Counter this with the facts from this link, and have fun!
Subj: Reflections on First Debate Date: 10/01/2004 5:55:34 AM Eastern Daylight Time From: BushCheney04@GeorgeWBush.com (Campaign Manager Ken Mehlman) To: xxxxxxx.com
Ken Mehlman Campaign Manager
Dear xxxxxxx.com,
Over the next few days, at the office, at your children's football or soccer games, and in your homes, people will be talking about last night's debate. Here are some important facts to keep in mind as you're talking with friends and neighbors about the exchange.
www.GeorgeWBush.com/DebateFacts
President Bush spoke clearly and from the heart last night about the path forward - toward victory and security - in the War on Terror. The President spoke candidly about the difficulties facing our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan as these countries prepare for their first free elections. The terrorists will continue to fight these steps toward freedom because they fear the optimism and hope of democracy. They fear the prospects for their ideology of hate in a free and democratic Middle East.
President Bush detailed a path forward in the War on Terror - a plan that will ensure that America fights the enemy in Iraq and Afghanistan - not in America's cities.
John Kerry failed the one test he had to pass last night: he failed to close the credibility gap he has with the American people as his record of troubling contradiction and vacillation spiraled down to incoherence.
People have a clear choice between President Bush's clarity and strength to fight and win the War on Terror and John Kerry's attacks and reversals - born out of political calculation, not a vision for winning the War on Terror. People saw for themselves last night where John Kerry would lead our military, our allies and the world in the War on Terror - down a bumpy road paved with indecision, vacillation and cynicism. John Kerry has a record of wavering in the face of real challenges.
www.GeorgeWBush.com/DebateFacts
Truth and optimism are not competing ideals. The War on Terror is difficult - there will be good days and bad days, but the war is essential to our safety at home and victory is the only option.
Sincerely,
Ken Mehlman
Completely OT: but a little while ago we were discussing the nature of healthcare and the strangeness of some folks' lack of access combined with their conviction that Shrub is Lord. This is where Joseph City is. Not a lot of first responders there either.
A leader showed up; his name was Kerry
My ten reasons why Kerry won.
My favourite moment from the debate; Kerry talking about George Bush being persuaded by Powell et al that he had to go the UN..."So the President changed his mind...his campaign has a word for that..."
Jack, you nearly stopped my pacemaker. That is some funny shit!
Kerry yard signs are popping up all over my heavily Thug 'hood. I've lived here for over a decade and have NEVER seen one single Dem sign other than my own.
I am impressed. Support for Bu$sh is limp.
As I watched last night, i was reminded of a great snl skit in 1988 with lovitz as dukakis and carvey as bushI and thoought it was highly appropriate for this year. read the transcript:
Sam Donaldson: Vice-President Bush, there are millions of homeless in this country - children who go hungry, and lacking in other basic necessities. How would the Bush administration achieve your stated goal of making this a kinder, gentler nation?
George Bush: Well, that is a big problem, Sam, and unfortunately the format of these debates makes it hard to give you a complete answer. If I had more time, I could spell out the program in greater detail, but I'm afraid, in a short answer like this, all I can say is we're on track - we can do more - but we're getting the job done, so let's stay on course, a thousand points of light. Well, unfortunately, I guess my time is up.
Diane Sawyer: Mr. Vice-President, you still have a minute-twenty.
George Bush: What? That can't be right. I must have spoken for at least two minutes.
Diane Sawyer: No, just forty seconds, Mr. Vice-President.
George Bush: Really? Well, if I didn't use the time then, I must have just used the time now, talking about it.
Diane Sawyer: No, no, Mr. Vice-President, it's not being counted against you.
George Bush: Well, I just don't want it to count against Governor Dukakis' time.
Diane Sawyer: It won't. It will come out of the post-debate commentary.
George Bush: Do you think that's a good idea?
Diane Sawyer: You still have a minute-twenty, Mr. Vice-President.
George Bush: Well, more has to be done, sure. But the programs we have in place are doing the job, so let's keep on track and stay the course.
Diane Sawyer: You have fifty seconds left, Mr. Vice-President.
George Bush: Let me sum up. On track, stay the course. Thousand points of light.
Diane Sawyer: Governor Dukakis. Rebuttal?
Michael Dukakis: I can't believe I'm losing to this guy
Anybody catch Aaron McGruder w/ Aaron Brown last night? Aaron Brown about stained his underpants. Check out "the elephant in the room" below.
BROWN: ...
We're joined by Aaron McGruder. His cartoon, "The Boondocks," is syndicated most days in over 300 newspapers, but sometimes a few less, depending on the material.
Good to see you.
AARON MCGRUDER, CARTOONIST, "THE BOONDOCKS": Good to see you.
BROWN: All right. Two sentences: who won the debate? You're going to say this.
MCGRUDER: Kerry. He got his ass whooped.
BROWN: Who did?
MCGRUDER: Kerry. I'm sorry. No, I'm sorry. George Bush.
BROWN: You set that whole line up, and then you blew it.
MCGRUDER: I did. No, it was -- it was a very clear victory.
You know, what bothers me about shows like this, and all the news shows, after Bush talks I hear all these smart people completely ignoring the elephant in the room. And the elephant in the room, which nobody wants to say, is that Bush is not a smart man. He can't articulate well. He doesn't speak in complete sentences.
BROWN: Well...
MCGRUDER: And everyone just ignores it, like that's OK.
BROWN: OK. So...
MCGRUDER: But he's really dumb.
BROWN: OK. That's a different thing. Let's say he is not articulate. And I think they would concede he's not the most articulate guy on the planet. It doesn't mean he doesn't have convictions. It doesn't mean he believes in some things. It doesn't necessarily mean he's wrong. It just means he can't express himself.
MCGRUDER: But beliefs don't mean anything if you're stupid. And not only that, but he -- it's almost as though he's talking to the dumbest segment of society, whereas Kerry...
BROWN: Aaron, don't you think that's an incredibly arrogant way to look at the world?
MCGRUDER: It's -- you know, it's real, you know? It's just that nobody is saying the obvious, which is the man is not smart and he's the president.
BROWN: I wouldn't say that...
MCGRUDER: Everybody knows it, but nobody is saying it.
I think my favorite moment from last night was when asked to elaborate on his "miscalculation", Bush essentially said it was because we achieved victory too fast.
WTF does that mean??? What victory??? We launched a 3000 troop offensive this morning. Of which victory does he speak?
He was making it up on the fly and really wasn't sure what "the right answer" was. This is the first president I've seen that needed a scantron debate. "Uhh, Jim, in answer to your question, when in doubt the answer is always "b"."
Way too early to even be pasting code, much less writing it. Joseph City, AZ
OT, but somebody has to say it. Props to Jim Lehrer. He made sure the event was about the candidates, not him. Many of us were worried about the format and the rules, but in fact they kept it substantive, serious and businesslike. And turned out to be advantageous for Kerry, obviously, who cheated by not being an idiot.
Well, this is to be expected. Rememeber how people were saying that the first debate would be the important one. Kerry had to win it, blah, blah, blah.
Now some guy (from George Mason University) is insisting that it's the second debate that's most important, citing Reagan's perfomance in 1984. He lost the first debate, but won the second and went on to become president.
georgie isn't gonna win the second or the third debate. His pathetic performance was no surprise. Someone here yesterday reminded everyone about his poor showings at his press conference and the last SOTU. This was just more of the same. If he had been subjected to the tough questions on a regular basis, perhaps he would have gotten better. Perhaps.
What you see is always what you're going to get.
Buh bye, george.
President Kerry rocks! He was like an organ grinder making the monkey dance.
Pudentilla has provided a survey of US & European media opinion on debates (shorter version: Kerry wins). Includes comparisons of Bush to Fredo in the Godfather, Alfred E. Newman and Barney Fife.
OT- But what about what our Selected Pres. said last night in response to Kerry's plan for some real, beefy, strategic Homeland Security?...
Pres. Bush said: "I don't think we want to get to how he's going to pay for all these promises. It's like a huge tax gap and - anyway, that's for another debate..."
Not a non sequitur, and very revealing, don't you think? Doesn't this sound as though he's just punching up that old GOP debate-byte tape, saying that Homeland Security is nothing but another Democrat Tax-and-Spend blah blah program...? ...And that Bush has weighed priorities and those big tax cuts of his for the rich will beat out the Security Moms'* desperate hope for a safer America every time?
Nail him on this!
Let's pound the programmed b*st*rd for dismissing Homeland Security this way!
Thanks. *I'm from rural Florida and I see and feel and hear those Security Moms every day. They are real.
Brian,
Jon Stewart, as usual, cut through the bull and showed what a huge disaster Shrub was. He was great.
Props to Jim Lehrer.
Agreed, cervantes. He did a great job. I liked the way he deftly handled little georgie when he would interrupt Kerry. Cool as a cucmber and in control.
The consensus here at the office among people who saw the debate was that Bush just came off looking stupid. As an example Bush kept insisting that bilateral talks with North Korea are bad because that's what Kim Jong-Il wants, but not explaining...
1. Why bilateral talks are bad when that's the normal approach to diffusing problems.
2. How his approach is working when Kim Jong-Il has become a nuclear power while George Bush was refusing to talk to him.
3. How it is United States interest to remove the single most effective means of diplomacy from your array of options.
"Not a non sequitur, and very revealing, don't you think? Doesn't this sound as though he's just punching up that old GOP debate-byte tape, saying that Homeland Security is nothing but another Democrat Tax-and-Spend blah blah program...? ...And that Bush has weighed priorities and those big tax cuts of his for the rich will beat out the Security Moms'* desperate hope for a safer America every time?
Nail him on this!"
Reginanotjack,
Heard a few Kerry staffers state last night that it is going to be a campaign ad.
I think Atrios needs to give it some thread too. 
"Jon Stewart, as usual, cut through the bull and showed what a huge disaster Shrub was. He was great."
-bigvic
He put Guliani's spin in its place too. Awesome to see!
Why doesn't anyone mention the other mighty members of the coalition, like Rwanda, Iceland, Eritrea and Palau.
No, I am not kidding
Homeland Security is nothing but another Democrat Tax-and-Spend blah blah program...?
But it's okay to invade and occupy a country that was no threat to us and pour billions into it?!
At the beginning, 200 Polish troops.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
March 25, 2003 Tuesday Home Edition
SECTION: News; Pg. 3A
LENGTH: 286 words
HEADLINE: WAR IN THE GULF: WORLD: Q & A
BYLINE: COLIN BESSONETTE
SOURCE: AJC
"[O]nly Australia, Denmark and Poland are actually contributing combat troops and capabilities (2,000 Australian troops, a Danish submarine and naval escort and 200 Polish troops and a refueling ship)."
Hello? Trolls? Where are you?
I haven't seen any "Frenchy Flip Flopper going down in a LANDSLIDE" posts for like 8 or 9 threads.
Nothing.
(tap tap) Is this thing on? Karl?
I guess Trollonia does not prevail.
attaturk -- here's a great photo of cheney just waiting for a caption:
http://www.nypost.com/gossip/19873.htm
Minnesota Public Radio RIGHT NOW: Its two pro-GOP 'experts' are discounting the "instant polls", and are trying to minimize Kerry's victory. (They're also dissing the "cut shots" that revealed Bush's idiocy.)
Call-in #:651-227-6000. Go and nail them!
LANDSLIDE, LANDSLIDE, LANDSLIDE
http://us.news1.yimg.com/
us.yimg...r1120019532.jpg
"What About Poland ?
http://home.comcast.net/~tmp123/m3.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~tmp123/m4.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~tmp123/f1.jpg
Buchanan: "Kerry Won, and don't take my word, look at the faces of Bush's surrogates"
Buchanan's been off the reservation for a while now, but it still cracks me up every time.
Hee.
I can't believe there are no trolls here. None. Freeperville was dead last night. It's like none of them had the strength to post.
This ramps up the expectations on Bush for the second debate. If he loses that, too, it's over.
A.
haven't fact checked on this in a while and am lazy right now on it since i want to see what everybody thought of last nights brutality, but didn't poland pull its troops out. i know they were saying they were going to pull out when spain did, but i can't remember if they did or not.
best part of last night was the side by side shots on fox news (live debate). they were trying hard as hell to make gdub2k to look bigger and larger than kerry, but the fact that the top of the podiums didn't match up made the little chimp look like a little stoopid president
the trolls have been silenced.
Bush has a great lust in his heart for the Polish people. I hope soon he'll leave America never to return.
Excellent reminder, sir. Much thanks and I for one will get on the horn to the news shows and local papers to point out this vital fact.
blonde-based foreign policy
Look, people, Polish women are fucking drop dead gorgeous. Also Lithuanians, Czechs and Magyars. And I will continue to use lust-fueled junkets in countries with nice looking girls and promises of unrestrained aid to solicit military assistance. It's not my fault countries that actually have armies or might be particularly helpful in Iraq, like say Syria or Turkey, don't send girls to my hotel room when I visit. Get ready for a major offensive in November featuring Sweden!
Someone needs to package the "taken for a ride" line in the appropriate manner. I see a scenario of a frat snipe hunt: W grabbing Poland, chucking them into a van and dropping them off in the middle of nowhere.
Hammer this. He's taken the world for a ride.
Taken for A Ride. Taken for A Ride. Repeat.
rudy on jon stewart was the rnc talking head at that particular moment in time. one presumes the "european allies" trial balloon has already been punctured by their own pin. i.e. how could our allies have confidence in a man (kerry) who wavers indecisively in favor of a resolute decision-maker (bush)?
okay, rood', for you and gillespie and mehlman and hughes and rove to choke on:
the major european newspapers from all--repeat--all parts of the political spectrum do not--repeat--not have confidence in bubble boy georgie. despite his political positioning, they overwhelmingly prefer kerry's intelligence and integrity.
as for our broad-based coalition:
spain's already gone. or hadn't you all noticed? and unless we ante up more bribe money, and quickly, poland's about to be gone. berlusconi's just put bright neon lights over the heads of any italians, civilian or military who remain--and gli italiani are near boiling point in revolt. which is to say, italy's about to be gone. that would leave the brits at what--6%--of our troop numbers? and tony blair whose political future is circling the drain because of this? (not that our administration or its neocon cabal is losing any sleep about the downfall of a british labor government.)
so, hello, folks, someone over-spiked the cool aid. and rudy, you need to cut way back on your oxycontin.
I'll note that W making an issue on Kerry's "Global Test" -- I got the distinct impression that it was a mis-speak, almost like Kerry was looking for "Dover Test" a term for 'is this war really worth pictures of flag-draped coffins flying into Dover AFB?'
Anyone else get that impression?
"Global Test" = "Dover Test"
I thought it was the Ambassador to Poland that Bush was obsessed with.
London calling
but don't look to us
Phony Shrub-mania
Has bitten the dust
And turned out to be advantageous for Kerry, obviously, who cheated by not being an idiot.
Damn him! Damn Kerry for being able to talk in complete sentences and think on his feet.
Edub, thanks for the Brown/McGruder transcript excerpt. Apart from people saying he's dumb as a box of hair, I'd like to hear someone--the media, a Democrat--say the L word. Liar. "You sir, are lying".
george bush has degrees from yale and harvard. did he win them in a raffle? the twit cannot string two cogent sentences together. i'll bet he cannot find poland on a map.
i think a great commercial would be talking about how frustrated our former allies are. you could talk to the spanish, costa ricans, etc. at the end, bush could but in and say "you forgot poland again!" and the quote about being taken for a ride could be run. funny and devastating, if done right, i think.
hrm, butt in
Funny about Bush bringing up Poland ... most Poles don't support their troops in Iraq:
"Survey shows Polish favor Iraq pullout:"
AP: 60% of Poles would support an immediate withdrawal of the country's soldiers from Iraq, while more than 70 percent believe their government made a mistake in sending troops there."
http://tinyurl.com/63bau
george bush has degrees from yale and harvard. did he win them in a raffle? the twit cannot string two cogent sentences together. i'll bet he cannot find poland on a map.
The Bushes - father and son - are famous for their intellectual incuriosity. Brendan Gill reports that the only reading material he could find at Kennebunkport was The Fart Book
If a smirking, petulant man-child spouting comic-book rhetoric isn't who we need to lead this nation, I don't know what is.
David Ost recently wrote a good piece for "The Nation" about Poland's disillusionment with the war and Bush.
The conservatives, meanwhile, have seen their illusions quashed as well. They applauded every pro-American turn the government took, talking about how Poland would soon be rewarded for its fealty. "It was bizarre," recalls the veteran activist Sergiusz Kowalski, "to hear about all the benefits sure to come our way." There would be significant Iraqi reconstruction contracts for Polish businesses, new American military-related investments in Poland, and easier US visa requirements for citizens. Two years later none of this has come to pass. "Halliburton again!" has been a regular theme of the Polish press, along with stories about local firms being passed over.
http://tinyurl.com/4bxyc
this polish-american does not reciprocate dubya's love for my motherland. and neither do most of my relatives in poland.
there are also a LOT of polish-americans in ohio, pennsylvania, and michigan ... a fact that i am sure that rove is WELL aware of.
So Bush WAS right: it wasn't a coalition of the bribed and coerced, it was a coalition of the bribed, coerced, and deceived!
Polish president strongly supported Bush in Iraq. What is he saying now?
New York Times, Sept.4
WARSAW, Sept. 1 - The president of Poland, one of America's closest European allies, has made a rare and impassioned plea to Washington to be "flexible, open and gracious." In a veiled criticism of United States foreign policy, President Alexander Kwasniewski said he did not want to see "America take the ideas of the neoconservatives of isolationism, to have full dominance in the world and to play a divide and rule policy. It is a mistake."
The president's remarks were made on Wednesday after a long interview in which he set out his view of Poland's role in Europe. When asked about Iraq and the United States, the president switched to a more reflective and personal mood. The decision to support the American-led war against Iraq, was "one of the most difficult decisions in my life," he said. "But I am sure it was the right decision." Asked if he has any regrets over it, he replied, "Next question, please."
With polls typically showing about 70 percent of Poles calling for bringing the troops home, Mr. Kwasniewski said he preferred to wait until Iraq had a new government installed. "That will change the role of the troops, from occupation to peacekeeping," he said, implying that under those circumstances it would be easier for other countries to contribute soldiers while some of the Polish contingent could go home.
[On Friday, the Polish defense minister, Jerzy Szmajdzinski, announced the withdrawal of troops from the province of Karbala, which has been the scene of fighting between the Americans and the Mahdi Army of the rebel Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr.]
The last few months have apparently weighed heavily on Mr. Kwasniewski, a popular public figure whose former career as a Communist youth leader and minister took place when Poland was sandwiched between two superpowers.
"America is not the first superpower we have known," he noted. "But sometimes, the character of a superpower is a problem, not so much for us but for the Americans to understand they are strong enough, clever enough, have enough influence and are creative enough to be accepted as a superpower."
The outburst, however mild, was extremely rare for a politician in a country that has been a staunch ally of Washington. But the twin acts of joining the European Union and a decision by Washington to impose visas on Poles have led to some soul-searching inside the presidential palace.
Mr. Kwasniewski said he felt "hurt" by the visa decision. "Of course, as a realistic politician I understand the situation. But as a man, a human being, a friend of America, I do not understand it. In my opinion, a big country should be open, and sometimes more flexible, more gracious."
Now that Poland is inside the European Union, it sees how Europe must play a greater role in defense matters, Mr. Kwasniewski said. He apparently sees the recent decis
Characters Remaining:
Commenting by HaloScan
