alexist

I've seen quite a few angry opinions about this. I'm not sure how I feel, though.

I agree that a state visit is on the chutzpadik side, especially since no American president has had one since Wilson. I could think of several more deserving presidents than Bush. (Though, in the interests of fairness, I suspect that the reason Franklin D. Roosevelt wasn't so honored was that he died before WWII ended. If he'd lived, I'm sure he would have had a formal state visit.)

However, the planned protests make me uncomfortable. As people have pointed out, Bush isn't there in a personal capacity, he's there as the head of state, representing the United States of America. Therefore, a protester is technically demonstrating against the USA as a whole, not President Bush specifically. I doubt that most protesters have taken this legality into account, though, and their anti-American intent or lack thereof was formed independently of the circumstances of this particular visit.

I don't like Bush. I don't agree with any of his policies (I've yet to come across one on which we agree, at any rate) and I have little respect for him personally. (Personal and political respect are two different things. I thought President Clinton came out on the positive side of the scale, all told, but I wouldn't have bought Florida real estate from him.) But I don't think I'd stand out to protest him if I lived in London. As much as I dislike him (and intend to vote for someone else next year) I'd feel uncomfortable standing out to protest him.

Part of the problem is that I don't like Bush-bashing. It's become the easy target. His style is such that people find it very easy to pin everything on him personally, and on the US secondarily. I suppose it's the natural result of his "USA go-it-alone" method--you get all the blame if things go wrong. But that's not all there is. I don't like to trot out "anti-Americanism" as the excuse for everything, but there is an element of it too. The Left's relationship with the US has never been an easy one, and at times like this (especially with such a right wing government here) the tension comes to the surface. But it's too easy. The Left is out there criticizing American protectionism, but I don't see marches against the CAP. And for that matter, I don't think that Bush is even particularly exceptional amongst US presidents when it comes to his policies. If anything, Reagan was more destructive. It's just that Bush rubs the world the wrong way.

I'd also feel a lot more comfortable with the protests if they seemed to have a more specific purpose than "protest against Bush and everything he stands in". It's about a person, not a policy. I've visited http://www.stopwar.org.uk. It seems to be the usual line-up of leftists and causes. "End the occupation of Iraq!" "Free Palestine!" There's little thought given to coherent ideas. I don't think we should have invaded Iraq, but now that we have, ending the occupation prematurely would be the worst thing we could do for the country. If you want to propose a more international framework, then fine. (Please tell me how you're going to get the Red Cross back in after the bombings, too.) And sure, freedom for Palestine. Why not freedom for everyone? It's my usual problem with much of the Left--moaning about what's being done, or not being done, and rarely promoting realistic alternatives. (Oh, and the last march was held on Rosh Hashana. Nice one, guys.)

I'm not sure that the protests will achieve anything. I doubt Bush cares whether Britons like him or not, and I don't think it will have a huge effect here (though it is being reported). The people who care what the world thinks are unlikely to be Bush supporters anyway, and those that like Bush's go-it-alone philosophy won't be impressed by foreigners tearing down a statue of Bush.

So, no, I won't be supporting today's protests, or joining in them here. I'll be protesting Bush the only way that does any good--by not casting my vote for him next year.

(From eldar)

You're France!

Most people think you're snobby, but it's really just that
you're better than everyone else.  At least you're more loyal to the real
language, the fine arts, and the fine wines than anyone else.  You aren't
worth beans in a fight, unless you're really short, but you're so good at other
things that it usually doesn't matter.  Some of your finest works were
intended to be short-term projects.
Take the Country Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid

A few minutes ago, I bit into my croissant and bit into something hard. I spit it out and didn't look at it. A few moments later, I suddenly felt a hole where there used to be tooth. I looked in the bathroom mirror and half of my tooth had come off. :-( I had a root canal done on that tooth and hadn't gone back for a post (long story involving my mother and her fight with the dentist).

I have to go to the dentist tomorrow for him to have a look at it. :-(