The U.S. ambassador to Mexico spoke volumes with one provocative word.

[Judi Lynn]

Aug. 22, 2005, 12:58AM

GLOVE SLAP
The U.S. ambassador to Mexico spoke volumes with one provocative word.
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

Everybody makes mistakes — even diplomats, whose jobs call for extreme verbal precision to convey their countries' coolness, pique, displeasure and high dudgeon. When foreign relations finally boil over, an ambassador's silence — produced by recalling him for consultation — is diplomaticspeak for, "This is serious." It is rare, however, for a diplomat to use insulting language unless it is intentional.

Tony Garza, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, is claiming that a small international furor he prompted last week resulted from a misstatement. No one's really buying it. Earlier this month, Garza closed the U.S. Consulate in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, for 10 days in response to a wave of narco-violence flooding the city. Then, in a speech in Denver, Garza told listeners, "Some have said that I ordered the shutdown to punish the Mexican government for its failure to control violence in the region. And in a sense that's true." With its connotations of paternalism and intervention, the word "punish" infuriated many Mexicans. Mexico's deputy foreign minister promptly released his own statement about Garza: "His selection of words was frankly unfortunate and not appropriate to the role of an ambassador."

A longtime political associate of President Bush, Garza is not a professional diplomat. But there is good reason to believe he intended to use an inflammatory word. As a Texan married to a member of the Mexican elite, Garza would know full well how badly verbal strong-arming would be translated across the border. Most tellingly, however, Garza's Denver remarks came from a prepared speech — distributed to journalists in Mexico hours before he spoke, and included a helpful line noting that the word "punish" was sure to draw attention.
(snip)

Garza should have used better phrasing. He may have hit his mark conveying U.S. displeasure with Mexico. But when it comes to police cooperation, extradition and other security efforts that require help from Mexican officials, Garza's undiplomatic word may be long remembered — and long resented.
(snip/...)

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/editorial/3319450
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[rodeodance]

1. this is one of the main problems--we have Bush friends filling these

important positions--those without any diplomatic skills.


.......A longtime political associate of President Bush, Garza is not a professional diplomat.

[donsu]

13. read the article again - his speech was prepared by the bushgang

he was merely the messenger

[struggle4progress]

20. Another loud-mouthed "yes man," provoking another international ..

.. incident in order to excite the yahoos at home ...

[wli]

2. uh-oh, here comes a Mexican embargo

So much for Bushler's oil importation from Mexico.

[napi21]

3. I don't know how Mexico really translates the word punish, but

I used to live in San Antonio, and visited Mexico in Nuevo Laredo several times. From everything I've heard recently, I wouldn't go back there now! If Mexico wants to take offense at the word, that's too bad. Something bad has changed that area of their country, and I'd bet it wasn't something the us or this ambassador did!!!

[mbperrin]

8. It's the drug trade that's the problem, and I would suspect

that people in this country contribute to that somewhat by buying them. So actually, yes, we do have something to do with it. In fact. with no market, there could not be a drug business, so we're actually the proximate cause of it.

[phillinweird247]

15. Legalize, educate, regulate = goodbye black marcket nt

[Moochy]

18. Bush wants his cut

of the drug market, he's just making sure he gets his fair share.

[Dhalgren]

9. I think that this "ambassador" is just plain stupid.

"Something bad has changed that area of their country, and I'd bet it wasn't something the us or this ambassador did!!!" I would not bet that the US has nothing to do with Mexico's on going drug/crime problems. We are the end purchasers of the narco contraband, we supply the money and guns for the drug enterprises; it is a terribly bad situation in Mexico and we only make it worse. The "ambassador's" words were insulting and not just unhelpful, but actually detrimental. In a world where the US can count its allies on one hand, alienating yet another nation is really good work. Bushco strikes again...

[Eloriel]

16. None of which gives the U.S. the right to paternalistically "punish"

them. We're not their fathers, their keepers, their masters. I mean the attitude isn't even helpful. If we care, why are we not offering some kind of help, rather than just a snub and an insult and a healthy dose of arrogant paternalism?

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

17. ...

[xchrom]

4. lol -- garza = bolton

a war with mexico would be cheaper than a war far away.

maybe that's what bushco is looking for.

[DoYouEverWonder]

5. I can't wait for Bolton

to start throwing his words around the UN. It's going to get to the point that if you're not insulted something must be wrong.

[Buns_of_Fire]

6. It'll eventually become a sign of honor

To be insulted by a BushBuddy (tm) will become as famous in international relations as being insulted by Don Rickles. (Or being on Nixon's "Enemies List.")

Of course, Rickles never really meant any of it (it was just his schtick), and the people Rickles insulted never had nuclear weapons, AK47s or other WMDs.

Maybe this is booshCo's sthick, too. The whole administration is a bunch of frustrated stand-up comedians. Problem is, I don't see anyone laughing.

[DoYouEverWonder]

7. I remember before 9-11

How BushCo was acting like they wanted a terrorist attack. They were breaking treaties left and right. They refused to even talk about Koyoto, while Cheney was holding high level energy meetings with industry insiders. They shut down talks with North Korea and reneged on the deal that Clinton had made. The list goes on. I kept telling people, these guys want someone to attack us.

They are bullies and this is how they govern, belligerently. Fortunately, their arrogance will be their undoing.

[Dhalgren]

10. Unfortunately, their undoing will most likely be ours as well...

[Divernan]

11. Longtime pollitical associate of Bush; not a professional (fill in blank)

Bush's political associate/appointees are astute money-grubbing, brown-nosing, power-hungry people - typically foxes appointed to run the federal agencies charged with guarding whatever henhouses they have been ripping off for a living.

What is Garza's background, other than making hefty contributions to Bush?

[UTUSN]

12. Ignorant Like Shrub's "Crusade" - Here's the Skinny on Tony GARZA

He hails from the Texas-Mexico border, which votes Blue. About 30 years ago he ran for County Judge as a Repuke where people were FED UP with the allegedly corrupt Dem who had been there 15 yrs or so. He won as a Red in a Blue area ONLY BECAUSE of the throw-the-rascal-out thing, NOT because of Repuke-ism.

However, the statewide Repukes chose to interpret his win as a turning tide towards Repuke-ism by Hispanics. They were wrong, except for the young ignorant, college-type Hispanics who have severed their ties to their heritage. GARZA is not "deep", is not talented, does not have any other mark of being extraordinary. The Shrubbites carried him up only as a pawn. And, like many of Shrub's appointments (NEGROPONTE, BOLTON), it's an insult to the position and place to send somebody like this. Sophisticated, educated Mexicans would have nothing to say to somebody like this dude. It's amazing that the richest woman in Mexico, the heiress and herself CEO of the Corona fortune, chose to marry him (at his ripe old age of towards-50). Did he have hidden talents? Was there a deal? Did she want an "Ambassador" notch on her assets? Was it TRUE LOVE?

[beetbox]

14. Paternalism

from El Norte.

Narcotics: Second to Oil and the Arms Trade


The IMF estimated global money laundering to be between 590 billion and 1.5 trillion dollars a year, representing 2-5 percent of global GDP. (Asian Banker, 15 August 2003). A large share of global money laundering as estimated by the IMF is linked to the trade in narcotics.

[MetaTrope]

19. Personally, I think one of Bush's most brilliant moves

was appointing as ambassador to France, a produce provider for the McDonalds chain.

[Zorra]

21. Any friend of Bu*h is not a friend of Mexico.

Or the US. Or Canada, or Iraq or, well, basically anywhere but Saudi Arabia and China.

[tanyev]

22. What every single person in the Bush administration needs

for Christmas:

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0671723650.01._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_AA240_SH20_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

Maybe DU should take up a collection.

[IndianaGreen]

23. Punish translates into Spanish as "castigar".

What an idiot, like all of Bush's friends.