* chickens out of unscripted German Town Hall Meeting

[RamboLiberal]

During his trip to Germany on Wednesday, the main highlight of George W. Bush's trip was meant to be a "town hall"-style meeting with average Germans. But with the German government unwilling to permit a scripted event with questions approved in advance, the White House has quietly put the event on ice. Was Bush afraid the event might focus on prickly questions about Iraq and Iran rather than the rosy future he's been touting in Europe this week?

US President George W. Bush arrived in Frankfurt on Wednesday morning. He won't be meeting with the people here, but he will be meeting with a handpicked bunch of Germany's future business and political leaders.
The much-touted American-style "town hall" meeting the White House has been planning with "normal Germans" of everyday walks of life will be missing during his visit to the Rhine River hamlet of Mainz this afternoon. A few weeks ago, the Bush administration had declared that the chat -- which could have brought together tradesmen, butchers, bank employees, students and all other types to discuss trans-Atlantic relations -- would be the cornerstone of President George W. Bush's brief trip to Germany.

State Department diplomats said the meeting would help the president get in touch with the people who he most needs to convince of his policies. Bush's invasion of Iraq and his diplomatic handling of the nuclear dispute with Iran has drawn widespread concern and criticism among the German public. And during a press conference two weeks ago, Bush said Washington is still terribly misunderstood in Europe. All the more reason, it would seem, for him to be pleased about talking to people here.

http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,druck-343281,00.html
But on Wednesday, that town hall meeting will be nowhere on the agenda -- it's been cancelled. Neither the White House nor the German Foreign Ministry has offered any official explanation, but Foreign Ministry sources say the town hall meeting has been nixed for scheduling reasons -- a typical development for a visit like this with many ideas but very little time. That, at least, is the diplomats' line. Behind the scenes, there appears to be another explanation: the White House got cold feet. Bush's strategists felt an uncontrolled encounter with the German public would be too unpredictable.

[Canuckistanian]

1. Ah, yes, The Great Communicanator

Those Germans don't have a word for Dummkopf.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

2. Byak

Isn't it amazing what you can find on the net?

[senseandsensibility]

3. Dang!

It would have been so entertaining to see * "spar" with some good German liberals, all of whom speak English much better than him!

[gratuitous]

13. The poster speaks my mind

Stupidhead would have been embarrassed because the crowd would speak English better than him.

Or, he would have broken out in an impromptu rendition of "Der Fuehrer's Face".

[whathappened]

4. went along way to viset the human race

we can't even get a town hall meeting here in the states , only those who have no questions are allowed

[kaitykaity]

5. They couldn't have screened these people to make

sure they were good Nazis like they do for Bush's
audiences back home.

This is too funny.

[rzemanfl]

6. The batteries are run down on the thing on his back that tells him

what to say.

[Skittles]

7. bush is a f***ing coward

nt

[LiberalEsto]

11. Yep! A yellow bellied

lily livered

lickspittle

chickensh*t

coward

[atommom]

8. Of COURSE it would be unpredictable ... it would contain actual

members of the public, who would be bound to ask some tough questions. He'd have been reduced to a stammering wreck in no time!

[Sannum]

9. He doesn't speak Germanian

:P

[laylah]

14. Hell, he hardly speaks

'Muricana

:smoke:

jenn

[Mugweed]

10. What if he made a fool of himself?

You wouldn't want that to happen...for the thousandth time.

[pen dragon]

12. i echo the

yellow bellied

lily livered

lickspittle

chickensh*t

coward post

[LiberalEsto]

15. Let's add craven

and pusillanimous to the list.
Not to mention wimp and crybaby.

Yellow bellied
lily livered
lickspittle
chickensh*t
craven
pusillanimous
wimp
crybaby
coward.

[pen dragon]

16. again echoed accordingly

[ElsewheresDaughter]

17. awwww what. no GannonWhore in the press corp for chicken george?