I probably shouldn't gloat

[mandragora]

But, oh, it's lovely to see Bush back down on the steel tariffs. Listening to the self-aggrandising crap he spouted was laughable, because he knows and we know that he was beaten by the EU.

Take that, Bush. So, you impose an illegal steel tariff with your usual 'fuck you, we rule the world and the rest of you can just lump it'. But. It's an election year and the rest of the world knows how to hit you where it hurts. We'll impose tariffs of our own in return. Only we won't put it on steel, no, we'll impose tariffs on, oh, I don't know, maybe orange growers in Florida, for example. Because if you don't win Florida then you probably won't win the Presidential election...

What's interesting is that, sans the bad language, this is pretty much how the BBC, who strives to at least appear to be reasonably impartial has just explained the Bush back down. Complete with comments about Bush's 'we rule the world' attitude. Gosh, he really is unpopular everywhere except (parts of) the US, isn't he.

ETA: yes, the illegal steel tariff that Bush slapped on to protect American steel is something I feel strongly about. It's not just that tariffs are an incredibly bad idea in any event but that's my father's pension you're mucking around with, you cretin. My father worked in the steel industry all his life and saw the industry shrink drastically during that time. If it shrinks any more, his pension could met away. If that's due to market forces that's one thing, but being due to the actions of a reactionary, right-wing, privileged spoilt brat of a US president is quite another.

Comments

[seiyaharris.livejournal.com]

Hear hear. It's nice to Bush being told where to go for once. He needs to be jolted back into reality every once in a while, and hopefully, this will help.

I only wish

[drunkencricket.livejournal.com]

I wish it had been the EU shaking a fist at Dubya that got him to change policies. He doesn't give a rat's ass about anything other than his own presidency and the pocketbooks of his cronies, and he was hearing it loudly from the users of steel products as well as the EU. And the car manufacturers have huge HUGE, very rich lobbying groups, and much political power in Michigan (another swing state that can make or break a candidate's chances in the election). So, he only listened because of Michigan and Florida. His perspective seems to be "go to hell, EU - unless you threaten my power directly."

Are "we" (U.S. citizens) smarter than we were when "we" voted in this rich idiot? I severely doubt it. Now that the "economy is going strong" (they don't talk to my friends who haven't been able to get a decent job for 10 months!) and we have "won" the war against Iraq (hello? more people dying daily because these people are so pissed off at our "libration" of them? Ring a bell? hello?)I bet that people will hail him as a great leader and vote him in again.

I bet the next year sees him directing the troops to abandon Iraq (the term will probably be more upbeat, like "relenquish control to the Iraqi people in their new democratic state") or dumping the problem on the United Nations (the "we broke it, you fix it" approach). That way he would get support from those people who managed not to lose their family members in the "skirmish."

I used to believe that the collective social memory of people was at least a couple of years, but now I am pretty sure it will be something like 2 months. If anything, anything good happens within 2 months of election day and the Dubya party can spin it right, he'll be in again.

That is so disheartening.