Reversing the Ostrich Effect

[Nadreck]

The moron comment was not made by the prime minister but but by a spokesperson, who was not at the time speaking in her official capacity, and she resigned/was fired afterward. However, it probably does accurately express the Chretien administration's opinion of Bush.

[Occhidiangela]

As to the spoke's persons 'official' capacity, no excuses. In public service, you are on 24/7 whether you like it or not. Not sure how aware of that you are on a personal level, and how formal and delicate a thing it is to work the "this is off the record" bit with media folks before you open your mouth when holding any public position. Even cops get into hot water over that, and a Judge in Pennsylvania was recently fired for his poorly considered public remarks in re domestic violence cases.

As a spokesperson, she should have (hell, she was a spokesperson for the PM) she did know better, and deserved to be fired for being incompetent in execution of her official duties: not for the contents of the remark itself. She may very well have refelcted a great deal of Canadian Public Opinion in her sentiments, but when you are dealing at that political level, your words are under a microscope and have to be in line with what your Boss (the PM) wants uttered.

[kandrathe]

'Moron Bush' aide resigns

About morons... As I age I am more hesitant to be judgemental about anyones intellectual capabilities. In my judgement, results are more important than methods. I would give the Bush Administration a C- in the area of effective communications. At least they appear to be passionate in what they are doing, whether you agree with their objectives or not, they seem to be accomplishing their goals. As far as our international relationships are concerned, I sure wish it was done better.

Ms. Ducros obviously wasn't forecasting her political future when she uttered those comments. Our former President, a Rhodes Scholar, was an idiot when it came to keeping his zipper closed. I just see so many instances where supposed intellectuals make really stupid mistakes. In some ways, it is our lapses in judgement which make our lives more interesting. I think the mistake we all make is in assuming that our leaders, or celebrities are infallible, and anything other than human.

How great is America? It's a place where even a moron can grow up to become our President. :D

[Occhidiangela]

She was having a "private conversation" with a reporter (aint no such thing, really) and did not take the effort to qualify it as "deep background" or "off the record?" She oughta know better! That is Media relations 101 for any government official. Too bad for her, it appears that PM Chretien valued her inputs.

[Jester]

"I appreciate the ire in Washingon over PM Cretin's "moron" comment in re President Bush..."

Was that intentional? If so, it's pretty sweet.

Jester

[Occhidiangela]

And a cheap shot, really. ;)

[Chaerophon]

And a cheap shot, really.

Cause he's not nearly as stupid as he lets on ;) Quite brilliant, really. An uberpolitician. Whether or not that's a good thing is open to interpretation :D

[Medicine Man]

And a cheap shot, really.  ;)

Don't worry about it. Plenty of people up here have the same opinion of our former PM. :)

[Occhidiangela]

Wall Street Journal January 13, 2004
Saudi Charity Worried French In '94
Paris Told Arab Rulers Philanthropic Arm Aided Extremists Linked to Terror
By Glenn R. Simpson and John Carreyrou, Staff Reporters Of The Wall Street Journal

A former interior minister of France said he warned the top rulers of Saudi Arabia in 1994 that their country's charitable arm was funding Islamic extremists suspected of involvement in terrorism.

The meetings a decade ago show that the French government had intelligence about the connection between Saudi charities and terrorism far sooner than previously known, around the same time U.S. intelligence officials became aware of the problem.

Then-Interior Minister Charles Pasqua said in a recent interview that on a trip to Riyadh in November 1994 he met with Saudi King Fahd, Crown Prince Abdullah, Interior Minister Prince Nayef and then-intelligence chief Prince Turki, asking each to prevent the government-funded Muslim World League from further supporting extremists in France.

But until the investigation into the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, when the charity-terror link became widely known, the Saudis did little to stop the flow of charitable funds to terrorism, in part because the U.S. and Europe didn't apply concerted pressure. While attacks by Algerian radicals had sensitized France, the U.S. took a more benign view, Mr. Pasqua said.

U.S. officials "were well aware of our findings via our regular exchanges of intelligence," Mr. Pasqua said. "I was surprised by the blindness of the Americans at the time." He added: "At the time, I told the Germans and the British about our concerns with regard to these charities, but they didn't really act on them. They didn't take us that seriously."

The French-Saudi discussions raise more questions about the Saudi government's awareness of the problem. Saudi representatives say their lack of action before the 2001 attacks is attributable in part to the many mixed signals the regime received from countries including the U.S., which in the 1980s promoted the funding of Islamic groups as a bulwark against the Soviet Union and some of its supporters. There also have been periodic reports of European governments refusing to act against Islamic activists in their countries whom the Saudis identified as dangerous radicals.

Mr. Pasqua disclosed his warning to the Saudis in a recent statement to lawyers for families of Sept. 11 victims who are suing Saudi banks, charities and other entities for allegedly failing to do enough against terrorism, and confirmed the talks in the interview.

"I asked that they be careful and that these government subsidies be stopped, in particular those that went to the Muslim World League," he said. Groups in Europe receiving the funds "weren't necessarily terrorist groups, but everyone knew that it was among these fundamentalist movements that the terrorists were recruited."

The issue of Saudi funding for Islam has long been ambiguous, even within France, said Jonathan Laurence, a scholar specializing in Islam and France at Harvard University. It isn't that the French government doesn't want Saudi Arabia's money, he said, but that it wants to control how it is spent. "The Saudi money remains useful to the French government for financing prayer space and the salaries of imams," he said.


This is but a fragmentary glance at the complex "ties that bind" in the Mid East. When you need someone for something, see bases in Persian Gulf, you may not press such an issue. Consider the major departure of Americans from Saudi this spring in the context of this issue, and consider the long term prospect of US slowly putting Saudi Arabia at arm's reach. :)