Even a journalist as decidedly left-of-centre as Nick Cohen can write matter-of-factly of the BBC’s liberal bias:
The liberal media treat al-Qaradawi’s views with tact and circumspection. BBC News Online barely mentions them, and instead describes al-Qaradawi as an “articulate preacher and a good communicator”.
I can think of other “great communicators” in history. Godwin’s law prevents me from naming the first one that came to mind. You know the one…toothbrush mustache, great delivery, cult following, took over Europe.
“Great communicator” isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. It sort of makes me wonder how today’s BBC would treat the above mentioned.
StinKerr, you can get a hint of how the pre-war BBC regarded Hitler here:
http://www.winstonchurchill.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=753
.
OT: No mention on the Beeb online of the announcement yesterday that the US is pulling 100,000 troops from overseas, mostly from Germany.
You’d think it would be front page news?
Here’s a quite stunning example of anti-Bush propaganda:
The uneasy Republicans
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/3562470.stm
I’m intrigued what the US bloggers and commenters make of this, and how it relates to their experience of voters’ feelings.
.
PJF
Hugh Sykes just grinds on and on with his anti-Bush agenda.
With Hugh Sykes’s contacts & a series of interviews with US citizens aired on R4 PM last week, it is hard to understand why Bush is not 20:80, or worse, down in the polls.
Well the BBC can’t be wrong, so it must be the stupid pollsters asking the wrong people. 😛
Thank you for the Churchill link, PJF. I see some things never change. It also offers an insight to one of the handles here. I never knew.
A soupcon of OT, maybe, but…
The Men Who Moisturize in the BBC’s newsrooms are already fretty, now that the improvised and of course ignored Iraqi football team has done rather well in Athens, and “Team GB” — even the name is an imitation — is foundering in the shallow end.
A prediction. Brace yourself for incoming baloney: Olympic Medal Scandal: Obese Drugged Americans Bribe Golds With Our Money.
Screw ’em all. I’m off to Greece.
What is this “Team GB” nonsense?
It sounds so retarded. Britain, UK, GB, but “Team GB”, that makes the Olympic team sound like a bunch of videogame developers.
Interesting that Bush’s troop re-deployment is down-played, despite it’s huge implications for the EU (they will actually have to fund their OWN armies, instead of sponging off the USA).
You would think that the Left would be praising Bush for it, but they are strangely silent.
Big up to Bush for his troop redeployments. It is certainly about time that the EU started funding sensible armies capable of independent action. ‘Sponging off the US’ really isn’t viable when we disagree with so many of the US’ actions.
Does anyone in the UK really care about the Olympics. Surely they are just an excuse for Americans (and the Chinese) to win lots of medals in running and basketball, thus obscuring the fact that they’re crap at all sports that the rest of the world gives a monkeys about.
Zevilyn: the EuroLeft don’t really want the US troops to leave the EU. Then they wouldn’t be able to keep playing their old game of hiding behind our skirts while bragging about how morally superior they are to the war-mongering cowboys.
The EU’s kind of like the hippie rich brat who moves in with the hippie commune to demonstrate solidarity with “the people” — but who tipples from Daddy’s trust fund whenever the going gets a little rough.
One of the reason’s Europe was so bitterly opposed to the Iraq war: when there’s copious of amounts of Yankee dollars to be had, the EU thinks it should be first in line. How dare the Yanks spend $200 billion in Iraq and Afghanistan when they could be spending it on helping pampered EU brats hold onto their precious social programs.
(Applauds Susan)
Zevilyn,
They’d cut out their tongues before they would praise Bush. Silence is the best you’re going to get.
Wait till they realize that they’re going to have to cobble up something of an army. You’ll know that they have realized this when the howling starts.
Time for the EU Army. I can hardly wait to see how that goes. 😆
Susan,
Some of us quite like our precious social programs and last time I looked they weren’t funded by the US??
The reason Europe was so bitterly opposed to the Iraq war (give or take some dubious financial concerns amongst our French and Russian friends) was concern that Iraq didn’t actually pose a threat and that it would lead to thousands of pointless deaths, increased global instability, and a strife torn ungovernable Iraqi state. The Jury is still out in my book.
I share your skepticism on the prospects for an EU army, largely because of the potential for endless beaurocratic wrangling and the fact that I can’t see where the cash is coming from. If it did happen though it would be of great benefit for the world – imagine an army of intelligent, well trained professional troops rather than moronic hicks who’ve never left their state before.
THFC:
Don’t look now, but those “moronic hicks who’ve never left their state before” have kept the peace on your blood-soaked little continent for 50 years — 50 years of unprecedented peace and prosperity I might add.
But of course neither you nor any other ego-surfeited European will admit that.
Well, now you have a chance to find out what it’s like to live on that hippie commune without the help of Big Daddy’s trust fund. Let’s see how far your “multilateralism”, “nuance” and “dialogue” get you when you have to play in the big leagues.
Enjoy, with our blessings.
PS — your social programs were bought and paid for at the expense of American defense dollars. Without our picking up the tab for your defense all these years, you wouldn’t have been able to afford them.
The combined forces of the EU could hardly knock a fly off a rice pudding. When the heavy lifting is needed, there really is virtually nil military capability. Look at Kosovo, for example – pathetic EU impact. Europe is effectively defenceless, and cannot project any real power, just mock power in the UN talking-shop. But the whistle has been blown on that one too, now.
Time for the Axis of Weasels to pay their own way. Except they are in a dire financial state already.
THFC,
I fear you listen to the BBC too much. The U.S. armed forces are well trained professional troops. They are an all volunteer force and must meet minimum standards of education and intelligence. Morons just aren’t acceptable. Considering the technology involved in any modern fighting force, there is just no room for substandard personnel.
As to traveling outside their own state, it might depend on the state. Many states are bigger than most European countries, so they may or may not have traveled beyond their state borders. Rhode Islanders, for example most certainly have traveled to several states. Alaskans would find it more difficult to visit other states. I don’t know why this would be an indicator of anything though.
Before I joined the U.S. Navy I had been to five states and two Canadian Provinces. Being from Scotland, I had also been to Ireland and England. So I’d say that I had more opportunity to travel farther in the U.S. than I did in the U.K.
(cont’d)
continued
Let me point out that we have paved roads, multiple lane highways, railroads and countless airports. Indeed the state I live in has at least one airport in every county.
We have more motor vehicles than licensed drivers so, for most people, going somewhere is not a problem.
What was your point again? Oh, yes, you just wanted to insult and demean people you have never met and know nothing about. Stick with the BBC and you’ll never be the wiser.
This is the most insane thing I have ever read — and remember, I read the BBC Online every day! That’s saying a lot!
Anti-War German Union Upset Because US Troop Pull-Out Will Cost Jobs:
http://medienkritik.typepad.com/blog/2004/08/but_what_about_.html#comments
We are heartless warmongerers — except when our war-mongering creates thousands of German jobs?
I wonder, Susan, if we’re the only ones that see the irony here. It’s just another case of them taking American money and badmouthing their benefactor. Now the golden goose is leaving they’ve got a whole differnt attitude.
I think it comes under “be careful what you wish for, you might get it”. 😆
StinKerr: I think that most Euros are so entranced with their lefty political fad-du-jour that they have little attention span left to connect with the fact that they’ve alienated us in a very fatal kind of way 🙂
According to ‘Paradise and Power’ the Europeans are miffed because they have no say in world affairs anymore – ie: they can’t make America do it their way. If they get their own effective military and are thus not only able to do their own peacekeeping but make a genuine contribution to an allied effort they will automatically get more say.
Go to it guys, but one word of warning; *don’t* let the French anywhere near your command structure! I mean when was the last time they won a war, under Napoleon I wasn’t it?
There is nil chance that Europe will project any effective military power. And the french would divulge all secret plans anyway – as they did in Yugoslavia.
Roxana, 1918, most people believe that to be “post Napoleon”
I remember that war, (in the historical sense of course). That’s when the US repaid General Lafayette – with interest. Great Britain was also involved I believe. At best France can claim a third part in a ‘shared kill’ for 1918.
I’ve been waiting for the usual suspects to trot out the casualty figures for WW1. I have a comment ready for them. Bring it on. 😆
How did we get onto WWI??
Is this another case of Europe being saved single handedly by the Americans?
Wellll….all I know is the war ended about a year after the US got into it.
P.S.: Darned if I can recall how we got involved in a purely European war – something to do with U-boat attacks wasn’t it?
Ever heard of the Zimmerman telegram?
Heard of it yes, know what it was all about no. I’m not all that familiar with the ins and outs of WWI, I’m afraid. I just know how it ended – or rather didn’t end.
Here’s a good discussion of the Zimmerman telegram/note: http://europeanhistory.about.com/cs/americainww1/p/przimmermantele.htm