and the Response
‘Merkel likens Iranian president to Hitler’ and ‘Chavez says Bush worse than Hitler,’ after ‘Rumsfeld compares Venezuela’s Chavez to Hitler’ and ‘Likens bin Laden to Hitler.’
A link cluster in cursor’s Feb 6th entry. It’s Raining Hitler again! (The American Prospect has christened Hugo Chavez as running a “neo-semi-demi-Peronista regime”. Make of it what you will.)
A bit more impressive is the Iranian President’s Response to President Bush’s State of the Union Speech: found here:
One of the scientific fields in which they insist our people will not gain victory is the field of nuclear technology. Look around you. There are people whose arsenals are full of nuclear weapons. These are people whose arsenals are full of biological and chemical weapons, and today they are opposing our people’s research, science, and industrial progress. They all sit together and make decisions, and think that the Iranian people goes by their opinions.
I tell them here and now: Oh imaginary superpowers, made of straw, know that the Iranian people has been independent for the last 27 years, and for 27 years it has been making decisions on the basis of its own will and efforts. On the issue of nuclear energy, our people, Allah willing, will continue in its path until its rights are completely achieved, and the opportunity to progress completely realized. We consider nuclear energy to be the Iranian people’s right, and as servants of the people, we will be steadfast until the complete fulfillment of this right.
Finally, allow me to say a word to the man who won his elections by spending billions of dollars and by a court order, thus becoming a leader of a large country. In his speech last night he accused the Iranian people of violating human rights. He accused the Iranian people of opposing freedom. These are people whose arms are submerged, up to the elbows, in the blood of other nations. Wherever there is war and oppression in the world, they are involved. These people channel their factories to the production of weapons. These people generate wars in Asia and Africa, killing millions and millions of people, in order to help their production, employment, and economy. These are people whose biological laboratories manufacture germs and export them to other countries, in order to subjugate other peoples. These are the people who, in the last century, caused several devastating wars. In one world war alone, they killed over 60 million people.
Today too, wherever there are crimes and conspiracies, and wherever there are despotic regimes that are against their own people, you will find their footprints, their schemes, and their support.
Today, they are accusing our people of violating human rights and of violating freedom. In the near future, Allah willing, we will put you to trial in courts established by the peoples. Our people has a culture of martyrdom and self-sacrifice. Our people has culture and civilization. It is a free and revolutionary people.
I say to the superpowers made of straw and to some countries that want to violate our people’s rights: The Iranian people will not be affected by your false propaganda. With its unity, high ambitions, and faith, our people will march in pride and triumph, Allah willing.
Imaginative enough.
For some reason I wander over to the Democratic Response to Bush’s State of the Union speech by Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, which if you remember went something like this:
I was a Christian missionary. [crickets chirp for a minute or two.] Democrats have a better idea. [crickets chirp again.] Democrats have a better idea.
While they never floored anyone, I recall that the Republican Responses to Clinton’s State of the Union speeches were never as lame as the Democratic Responses to Bush’s State of the Union Speeches. It exposes a larger problem with the Democratic “Big Tent” — and obedience to the “Big Tent” doesn’t allow the ability to narrowcast to encampsulate the entire party. And Tim Kaine was selected because he could be counted on to mention Jesus a couple of times. (But then, why was Washington Governor Locke selected a few years ago?)
Anyway… Huffington posited that the Democratic Response didn’t matter. It kind of does. Her point that nobody pays attention to strikes me as similar to the idea that prospective employers study employees’ resume for maybe 15 seconds — her argument being similar to one suggesting that thusly, it doesn’t matter what you do with your resume. Which is a joke.
At least the Iranian President said something. Never mind it looks like we may be going to war with his government. Let us watch and see…