FIASCO!!

[Chomp]

Sorry, I know there are many posts about today's China crisis, but I still think people are a little underwhelmed by the sheer scale of the total and utter FIASCO it was.

I am calling this out as the singularly most incompetent piece of set-piece diplomacy in the history of the USA.

Consider:

1. Getting the name of the visiting country wrong

2. The shouting woman got within yards of the top podium

3. The shouting woman went on for 3 minutes

4. The pulling of the Hu's sleeve & photos of same

5. The patting of Hu's back & photos of same

6. The babbling inarticulcy of Bush at the photo op (even by his standards)

7. The utter failure to produce any sense of common purpose (even superficially) on Iran, human rights, North Korea, trade, currency etc. etc.

8. The unseemly squabble between Washington and Beijing over whether the visit was a "state visit" or just a cosy chat: laid the groundwork for the whole fiasco.

9. Noisy protests on the streets of Washington

10. The President of the United States looking like a used car salesman with haemorroids throughout as he gets public lectures from CHINA about the evils of trade protectionism!!!



Fiasco just seems too small a word. I can think of nothing to compare with it.


Ed: Typo

[OldLeftieLawyer]

1. Correct me if I'm wrong,

but did I just hear that they played the Taiwanese National Anthem today by mistake?

Oh, did they?

[Chomp]

6. See final para here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4925704.stm

[PublicWrath]

7. Yes. Keith O n/t

[DS1]

12. No, it was wrong, but it wasn't a mistake

It's Bush playing poker, ya see, down in Texas they got this game where ya. Ya hold your cards, and then ya show em, and he's showing the Chinese that he's got a lotta cards, 7 or 8 or em to be precise.

[indie_voter]

14. I think they announced it wrong

Earlier, in a protocol gaffe, when China's national anthem was announced, it was referred to as the anthem of the Republic of China - the formal name of Taiwan. China's formal name is the People's Republic of China.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4925704.stm

Not good but not as bad as playing the wrong anthem.

[MadMaddie]

17. I bet it was on purpose.....

[KyndCulture]

2. just another day in embarassament land.

[fooj]

3. Good point. Or should I say points...

:hi:

[Duer 157099]

4. Just another day in the Bush neighborhood

ho hum

[Lars39]

5. It wasn't just him pulling at Hu's sleeve;

Doofus was trying to drag him in front of the podium,where there wasn't room for a human to go.
Look at Hu's feet in the pic, and you'll see what I mean.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

8. Might I ask for help here?

I'm lazy and tired.

Got the pic? With feet?

[Lars39]

13. Here ya go:

[OldLeftieLawyer]

16. Oh, cripes

He's so fucking INAPPROPRIATE at all times.

I'm tellin' ya, this guy has shit wrong with him that hasn't even been NAMED yet.

Thanks a lot for this. You're kind.

[Lars39]

19. I'd love to look at his medical records and see what and how

many pills are holding him together.

[SpiralHawk]

9. How's this going to play in Peking?

(I know the modern spelling, I just want it to sound close to Peoria)

BushCo screws up everything it touches.

[whistle]

18. Never mind Peking, what is WalMart thinking?

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

10. It was a bold statement by ChimpCo!

:sarcasm:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

11. I'm glad they did this on thursday.

On account of it being in time for the Daily Show.

[thatsrightimirish]

15. Yes

JUst like everything this white house has ever done, that was truly a fiasco. The worst was calling them the republic of china which is Taiwan instead of the Peoples Republic of China.