Europeans Like Bush Even Less Than Before

G_j

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Sat May-15-04 04:07 PM
Original message

Europeans Like Bush Even Less Than Before

Edited on Sat May-15-04 04:18 PM by G_j

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/09/international/europe/09euro.html?ei=5062&en=a49c843024fd6a36&ex=1084680000&partner=GOOGLE&pagewanted=print&position=

May 9, 2004

Europeans Like Bush Even Less Than Before

By SARAH LYALL

LONDON, May 8 - Earlier this year, George Osborne, a Conservative member of Parliament, took a straw poll of some legislators from his party. The subject was President Bush. The results were not pretty.

"George Bush scares the hell out of me," one Tory said, according to an article by Mr. Osborne in The Spectator. Another told him: "Bush is a man who might wail at the moon. I don't feel comfortable with him." A third said that while he would vote for Bush in November if he could, "I think Anglo-American relations would be better if Kerry won."

That was long before pictures showing the humiliation of Iraqi prisoners were published all over the world, horrifying even Mr. Bush's allies. And the people Mr. Osborne polled were all Conservatives, by tradition and temperament the Republican Party's natural friends across the Atlantic.

But perhaps the only surprising thing about the vehemence of anti-Bush feeling, based on a reading of newspapers, opinion polls and interviews around Europe, is how unsurprising it truly is. In fact, one reason the recent disclosures have proved so damaging to the American cause here is that Mr. Bush had so little good will upon which to draw.

Across Europe, anti-Bush feeling has contributed to a consensus that the coming American election is of singular importance: for the United States, certainly, but also for the rest of the world. Anxieties about the direction America is going are accompanied more often than not by a passionate desire, cutting across national borders and party lines, to see President Bush voted out of office in November.

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http://www.antiwar.com/deliso/?articleid=2581

A Pointless Quest: Bush's Mission to Europe

by Christopher Deliso
balkanalysis.com

Last November, when George W. Bush traveled to London for an official state visit, pundits wondered if the timing could possibly have been worse. Both Bush and his British counterpart Tony Blair were then "mired in slumping approval ratings" because of the shoddy state of occupied Iraq. The American public would get a taste of how their supreme leader is perceived abroad, with televised footage of anti-Bush protests and denunciations from the likes of Ken Livingston, Mayor of London, who called Bush "the greatest threat to life on this planet."

Nevertheless, Bush slogged through, leaving only a huge security bill and a few million disgruntled Londoners in his wake. In the end, while his tour of Britain did little to restore the luster to American diplomacy, it didn't hurt it much either.

Those must seem like the good old days now. In June, Bush is heading back to Europe. He's set to hit four major countries on what will certainly be the most scrutinized tour of his presidency. Now, the continuing disintegration of Iraq and the unfolding prisoner torture scandal have only heightened the disdain many Europeans feel for the already unpopular commander-in-chief. For sure, the timing is definitely worse.

Perhaps the president's advisors feel that a month of diplomacy in June will pay dividends for Bush. Pressing the flesh, symbolic photo opportunities, carefully-scripted contrition, and hours of backroom negotiation – what's not to like about it?

Yet after a closer investigation of the prevailing mood in Europe, one has to ask: George, why bother?
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Edit to add one more article:

http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2922106

Anti-War Campaigners Announce Bush Visit Demos

By Victoria Ward, PA News

Politicians and activists today announced protests to coincide with US President George Bush’s visit to Ireland.

The Irish Anti-War Movement (IAWM) unveiled the Stop Bush Campaign and outlined plans for mass demonstrations in Dublin and at Dromoland Castle when the President visits from June 25-26.

Chairman Richard Boyd-Barrett was joined by Labour, Sinn Fein and Green party MEP candidates, Socialist party leader Joe Higgins, the Peace and Neutrality Alliance and the NGO Peace Alliance to urge people to take to the streets and protest against the occupation of Iraq.

They also appealed to the Irish government to stop the use of Shannon airport by US troops en route to Iraq.

Mr Boyd-Barrett claimed that what he called lies about weapons, the massacre of civilians and the latest obscene pictures showing Iraqi prisoners being tortured, confirmed the importance of expressing strong opposition to the war.

“We are calling on people from throughout Ireland and from all walks of life to come out and express their opposition to George Bush and to war,” he said.
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