Early returns
This is the little one who has completely pulled me away from much blogging.
Ah, that subtle bias
Clearly the BBC "presenters" are far more balanced and evenhanded in their dispensing the news of the day, as this
op-ed piece from BBC News 24 presenter, Gavin Esler:
Blair and Bush privately disagree over so many other matters. American trade protectionism and farm subsidies. Mr Bush’s weird Axis of Evil speech which demonised Iran, Iraq and North Korea at a time when the British are still hopeful Iran can be pushed towards democracy.
Well, I suppose you could call it weird since it didn't engage in euphemisms. Iran can be "pushed" to democracy? Right. All they need is a gentle nudge, not the complete overthrow of their despotic, terror-supporting, intolerant, repressive regime.
Arafat has now called fresh elections in January, and my guess is that despite his obvious flaws, the corruption of his regime, his lack of vision and courage, and his lack of popularity among his own people, thanks to George Bush’s cack-handed diplomacy, Yasser Arafat could be re-elected.
Way to acknowledge the flaws, Gavin. But, it's Bush's actions that will result in his reelection? Not, as you concede, "corruption of his regime" which might, just might... oh, I don't know... rig the election or something?
His Middle East speech has finally blown away the convenient fiction that Washington is even-handed. Instead, Mr Bush merely parrots the views of the hawks within his administration, Vice President Dick Cheney and Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and they in turn echo the views of Israel’s prime minister, Ariel Sharon.
There it is, the truth as known by Gavin. Israel controls the US!
In November, both houses of Congress are up for grabs. Jewish voters are particularly important in Florida, the state governed by President Bush’s brother, Jeb. But Mr Bush’s anti-Arafat stance also pleases Christian conservatives, a key constituency for the Republican party. Christian conservatives are staunchly pro-Israel. The Israelis are like Us, they say. The Palestinians are most definitely Them.
And they say anti-semitism is on the rise in Europe and the UK? Where could those thoughts ever be displayed?
Said without a trace of irony
An Egyptian spokesman issued this
statement:
"Egypt strongly supports the democratically elected Palestinian leadership and refuses any attempt to outflank it," Maher told reporters.
"We have told all that we support the will of the Palestinian people as it was expressed in the 1996 elections in which Arafat was freely and democratically elected," he said. "Next year's elections announced by Arafat will also prove so."
I will give the AP credit, for adding this line near the end of the story:
Mubarak's regime has also been criticized as undemocratic, so he may be wary of setting the precedent of ousting a fellow Arab leader accused of failing to meet U.S. standards for democracy.
I always wonder whether the reporter finds himself laughing at his own understatements with these dispatches, or just rolls his eyes.
