Empty Town: Germans Bush Wasn't Able to See.....

[ElsewheresDaughter]

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0224-06.htm

MAINZ, GERMANY -- President Bush of course is not the first president named Bush to come to this town on the Rhine, but the very physical circumstances of this president's stopover here on Wednesday suggest how different, how less automatically warm, German-American relations are now than they were when his father stopped in Mainz 16 years ago.

Most conspicuous was the lack of contact between ordinary Germans and an American president visiting what could almost have been a stage setting: a town with buildings but no people, the shops and restaurants in the center of town closed, and only uniformed police officers on the streets.




more....

[LisaLynne]

1. You know ...

if he's so convinced that he's right, why does he have to be shielded from all this?

He's totally "President Evil" to me now.

[Inland]

2. For all the work Bush put into the symbolism of shaking hands

and kissing world leaders, nobody thought of the symbolism of an entire town being put on lockdown, as if the very sight of them would sicken Bush.

The entire Europe trip was for domestic US consumption. Fox declared it a success because the Euro leaders didn't bother to confront Bush openly, while as soon as Bush is gone, the citizenry will make Europe go its own way.

[Lisa]

3. Bush even commented on this when he was visiting Canada a few years ago

They'd cleared out Quebec City's historic downtown for him and the other bigwigs. He made a point of saying how nice the place looked, without the people around. I suppose he thought the presence of actual French-Canadian residents detracted from the architecture, or something. Everybody else I know thinks the crowds and the street life are the best part.

p.s. he might as well confine his "overseas" trips to EPCOT where he can get photo-ops with costumed parks staff to his heart's content. At least that way he wouldn't tie up traffic and inconvenience everybody in Halifax, Mainz, etc.

[otohara]

4. Pesident Evil

sums him up perfectly...

[earth mom]

5. Shouldn't that be Resident Evil? nt

[otohara]

6. Yes, Me Bad

forgot for a moment that he's a fraud on top of being evil..