"Stupid" statements

January 30, 2002 6:35 PM

"Stupid" statements that's the unofficial response from Baghdad it seems, regarding Bush's State of the Union Address. Who's overstepping here?
posted by wantwit (16 comments total)

I hardly expect Baghdad's official response to start "He's got a point..."
posted by revbrian at 6:48 PM on January 30, 2002

i just wonder if it's an accurate translation.
posted by wantwit at 7:12 PM on January 30, 2002

I had thought it was Tom Daschele who made that statement.
posted by Postroad at 7:23 PM on January 30, 2002

From Reagan's "evil empire" to GW's "an axis of evil" . What's with this comic book world view. Batman, Robin its the Whitehouse calling.
posted by onegoodmove at 9:14 PM on January 30, 2002

Comic book? Sounds like truth to me. Chances are we will invade two of the three nations mentioned. Thankfully.
posted by ParisParamus at 9:54 PM on January 30, 2002

Iraq is bound to get invaded, probably this year. So much the better.
posted by Neale at 9:58 PM on January 30, 2002

onegoodmove, evil is a hole in New York with three thousand bodies in it.

Oh, no, you're right. The comic book thing.
posted by dhartung at 10:24 PM on January 30, 2002

There are many holes in the world, with many thousands of bodies in them. There is no monopoly on evil, certainly during the cold war one side had the freedom to choose good, but it didn't in every case. Setting up false dichotomies (death and pain versus worldview) does no one any good. It's time to move on and try to make things right (a particularly American skill, which may backfire but if we all pay attention closely will not), rather than wallowing in our own pain and ignoring the multiple layers of understanding necessary to make this a successful campain.
posted by chaz at 10:35 PM on January 30, 2002

Bush's comments WERE stupid. Everyone was saying so here on Metafilter just the other day. The Iraqi official was simply stating the obvious. Let's roll!
posted by skylar at 1:54 AM on January 31, 2002

I think the "axis of evil" comment irks some people because it's just so melodramatic. Of course, someone who would make the comment "evil is a hole in New York with three thousand bodies in it" wouldn't feel that way.
posted by Doug at 3:25 AM on January 31, 2002

Axis of Evil is appropriate. Unless you are a self-hating Westerner.
posted by ParisParamus at 5:21 AM on January 31, 2002

Axis of evil is wholly inappropriate, but signals that Bush considers Iraq-Iran-Korea in the same view as America viewed Axis(1) - Germany-Italy-Japan. At the time, nobody thought that they could take over much of the world, and somehow, in 1943 and early 44, they controlled more of the globe than Rome ever had.

Of course, by equating Iran-Iraq-Korea with Axis(1) he's in essence saying "even though I have no evidence to share with you that these countries were involved in my Pearl Harbor, It's World War Three, and they're the enemy."

Didn't he learn anything in Texas? Never start a fight, but always finish it? Iran and Korea have done some saber rattling, but to my knowledge in the last several years, haven't done anything overt, Imad Muginyeh and the Karine A notwithstanding.
posted by swerdloff at 5:35 AM on January 31, 2002

I for one (and many) am getting very tired of this "evil" talk. Yes, the WTC attacks were evil, I can live with that. But for this administration, the buck won't stop there. I believe it won't be long until the labelling goes beyond terrorists to, say, attacking Planned Parenthood, meanwhile pushing the "sex is bad, abstinence good" rhetoric.

I wouldn't have much of a problem with the US going after Iraq. I do believe, however, that a significant portion of this issue is the propaganda being pushed by this administration. Chomsky talked about this very plainly during the time of the Gulf War, and the same mind-numbing crap is being shoved down the throats of America again.
posted by adampsyche at 6:15 AM on January 31, 2002

He said "nukular" instead of "nuclear." That's my main beef.
posted by Modem Ovary at 8:43 AM on January 31, 2002

"axis of evil" was among the dumber things Bush has said, and I think he realizes it. If you look at all the stumping he did yesterday, he never repeated it again because it makes very little sense. "hole smoking" - yes. "evildoers" - yes. "axis of evil" - where's my Batman comic?

I totally support our action in Afghanistan, but like most Americans I think he's going to need a whole lot more concrete reasons for any military action in Iraq, Korea, Iran.

Otherwise: "your mouth is writing checks your ass can't cash"
posted by owillis at 9:19 AM on January 31, 2002

I don't like the "axis of evil" comment because it's misleading. Germany, Italy, and Japan had a formal alliance, which they called the Axis. Iran, Iraq, and North Korea don't have any formal alliance. "Axis of Evil" makes something out of nothing.
posted by kirkaracha at 10:23 AM on January 31, 2002