Women's Groups Give Bush an 'F' on Iraq, Afghanistan

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/oneworld/20030826/wl_oneworld/4536667391061942043&cid=655&ncid=1473

WASHINGTON, D.C., Aug. 26 (OneWorld) -- The Bush administration deserves a failing grade on ensuring rights and opportunities for women in Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S.-based women’s rights advocates charged at a Washington, D.C. press conference Tuesday.

Releasing the first in a series of scorecards evaluating the administration’s performance on global women’s rights, health, and development issues, three prominent women’s groups chastised the administration for failing to follow through on its commitments to a broad range of global women's issues.

Topping the list of issues for which the administration's actions have hurt, not helped, women are AIDS, family planning, and support for women’s equality and security in Afghanistan. As for post-conflict Iraq, it is too soon to tell how women will fare there, the speakers acknowledged, but preliminary signs are not positive.

Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF) President Eleanor Smeal strongly criticized the Bush administration's Afghanistan policies, charging that inadequate funding for reconstruction efforts and reluctance to expand peacekeeping and security forces beyond the capital city, Kabul, have resulted in continuing instability and left Afghan women living in fear.

"This could be a totally different picture if in fact we were following through with the reality of what we are saying in words," said Smeal, who gave the Bush administration a "B" grade for its rhetoric and an "F" grade for its actions on Afghan women's issues.

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[ixion]

1. a B for rhetoric?

I'd give them a A for bald-faced lying, and a doubleplus F for everything else. :grr:

[oldcoot]

2. How about a "B" for BS?

I wonder if Bush suffers from an attention deficit disorder. He seems to hop from task to another without finishing the first task. Since conservatives love to compare to government to a business, most businesses would fire any worker who behaved like Bush. I am afraid to think about what Iraq will be like in a year or two.

[catzies]

3. International women's issues are of special importance to me.

Granted, everyone suffers under the BFEE everywhere.

But dangit, in most parts of the world women have yet to achieve equality and that issue has yet to be cured. And that's where they're not being actively persecuted! This is the 21st century fercryinoutloud and the war on women continues unabated! :mad:

[Avalon Sparks]

4. I give him a big F too!

as in F YOU BUSH!

http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:6ZEvbHLMxk0C:

[gratuitous]

5. Hey, come on!

In fairness to George W. Bush, if he actually did something for one of the widows he's created, all the other widows and orphans would expect something, too! It's just wouldn't be fair for Bush to take care of any of the families he's devastated, so the only logical thing he can do is not take care of any of them.

Hmmmm. Nope, it still looks like a stupid argument. Never mind.

[gratuitous]

6. Genuine, gratuitous brand

Bump! Ask for it by name.

[oldcoot]

7. Another Bump!

This is a fairly good article and is definitely worth reading.