Friday, June 26, 2009

Impromptu Shoulder Rub...Oooh La La!

According to Eric Westervelt:
"During the George W. Bush years Chancellor Merkl was often seen smiling and friendly with the president even when he surprised Merkl by giving her an impromtu shoulder rub....by all accounts the two leaders liked each other...there's been no such personal chumminess thus far between Merkl and President Obama."
This does say a lot about Westervelt's feelings for the "George W. Bush years."

16 comments:

The Boss of You said...

Thank you I have been wondering if anyone else has picked up this 'Merkel/Bush warm relationship' meme that these guys are in love with. It's absolutely maddening. I even heard on the Warren Olney show (which should just be called Right Wing Radio without the Shouting). Whoever who was sitting in for him asked a writer from Der Spiegel about the close relationship Merkel had with Bush and why wasn't this happening with Obama? The German reporter responded that he wouldn't characterize the Merkel/Bush thing that way, he said, in fact 'Merkel isn't close to anybody.'

Anyone get a load of that interview with the rep from the association for for-profit hospitals? No, repeat, no balance from anyone looking for single payer. Just that one guy allowed to go on unchallenged on his junk.

Porter Melmoth said...

If I were Merkel I wouldn't be close to anybody, either. Who the hell could you trust? Typical NPR 'creative writing.' (Prof. Blob Siegal, Headmaster.)

I think the only leader I'd really like to know is King Bhumibol of Thailand, an excellent fellow all around, and beloved by his people. Oh, and the Dalai Lama of course...

JayV said...

Huh? This happened a while ago? Actually, I think Merkel didn't like it at all (the rub). She might have smiled, but it was a smile of shock.

Anonymous said...

And what is the purpose of even commenting on the "Bush/Merkel back rub"?

This is news?

It's not only BS, but worse still, it's just pathetic.

PS She should have slapped him across the face, IMHO. maybe it would have instilled a little sense in the guy, though I kinda doubt it. My guess he's probably been slapped many times over the years by women (though not necessarily his wife). he was probably so drunk most of the time he did not even realize he was being slapped.

Porter Melmoth said...

NPR is attempting to paint the 800-Year Bush Dark Age as the good old days, because, as we know, that was the environment that provided for Neocon PR's greatest growth and greatest promise.

Cougarhutch said...

Very unscientific, but Googling bush merkel differences -obama yields 275,000 hits, whereas Googling bush merkel cozy -obama yields 1,870 hits.

bush merkel chummy -obama?

198 hits.

Those words just didn't appear together very often, I think.

Anonymous said...

"Neocon PR's ...greatest promise."

You mean "The Changeling?" (Obama)

GRUMPY DEMO said...

Old habits hard to break, NPR still cheering for Team W.

Funny that "special relationship" doesn't extend to the People of Germany.

"Yet the German public disliked George W. Bush like they disliked no other post-war American president that had come before him. Every second German considered Bush to be more evil than Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and 85 percent of Germans rejected his foreign policy after 9/11."

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,619431,00.html

Anonymous said...

"Every second German considered Bush to be more evil than Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and 85 percent of Germans rejected his foreign policy after 9/11."

On the question of who is more evil, I'd say it's a tossup between Bush and Ahmadinejad.

Maybe we could determine that from an Extreme Fighting match between the two.

They would both be given WMD of course and locked up in a nookyalur proof underground bunker (to protect the outside world)

Anything goes (except back rubs).

miranda said...

Unbelievable. My impression is that Merkel was rightly horrified by Bush's revolting breach of protocol.

geoff said...

This is the scope of NPR - that they often catch you in a less than wakeful, semi-dream state where one is more amenable to surprising discovery of new truth. Bush and Merkel are chums! Well, bless my Hyde, and all this time I'd thought she'd thought him a creep, as do I, but it turns out Merkel liked Bush, and so did I! We all miss his chumminess...[collision with core reality - what? who? where am I? In bed! And it's that f*&k'n NPR again! Damn!]

Now fully awake, I am ready to begin my day with fire behind my eyeballs.

WannaBe EX-American said...

Hey Gopol,

Loved your description of listening up to NPR spin-meisters before one's brain is up to speed.

"Now fully awake, I am ready to begin my day with fire behind my eyeballs."

How about a nice hot cup of Outrage to start your day?

I just found this website yesterday! God help the first person who starts a conversation with me saying, "I heard this story on NPR..." I am *loaded* with about 10 fresh rants and can't wait to start shooting.

I never thought I'd be hating NPR more than Fox. It must be the sense of betrayal and the realization that they have been programing my mind with their spin when I listen in the mornings whilst my mind is still in a beta state of awareness.

Porter Melmoth said...

NPR has long specialized in what might be called 'subliminal subversiveness', otherwise known as propaganda. The 'P' in NPR, don't we know.

geoff said...

I look forward to a dreamy afternoon of ATC with an edgy report from Brian Naylor about New DOD Cyber Command to defend military cyberspace

This is the kind of timely and in-depth reporting that makes it easier to while away a lazy afternoon, knowing that Naylor and his ilks are out gum-shoeing DC to keep the Murkin People in control of their government and military/industrial complex.

We'll hear from "James Lewis, a cybersecurity analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies" that the development is "significant" and a "big...step forward," while acknowledging that "People are leery about [...] the militarization of the Internet." And we'll hear from Herbert Lin of the National Resource Council, who explains how a denial of service attack works and then John Wheeler, once "special assistant to the secretary of the Air Force" (now what is he?) will say that such attacks are analogous to "fire-bombing populations." Really? Let's see...would I rather have trouble loving onto the DOD or be firebombed? hmmmm. But, wait for it, is there a mushroom cloud in the room? BAM! "Analysts draw analogies to nuclear weapons..." Those darn analysts...they're so...anal.

For balance, we'll hear from Russ Tice about how careful NSA and DOD are about subjecting themselves to the scrutiny of Congress and the US Constitution...or not.

Anonymous said...

"Bush's revolting breach of protocol."

Miranda, I believe that is redundant.

What is there about Bush that is NOT revolting?

Can you imagine living in the same house with that guy?

Probably gives back rubs to his daughters too (Yuck)

Woody (Tokin Librul/Rogue Scholar/ Helluvafella!) said...

Unbelievable. My impression is that Merkel was rightly horrified by Bush's revolting breach of protocol.

it's EXACTLY the kind of thing some smart-ass, rich, privileged frat-rat would do to advertize he was fucking her, innit?