"Sacré bleu ! La technologie américaine est merveilleuse ! Monsieur Bush,
I cannot tell that votre femme ees un robot après tous !"
"It's not funny Sarko, you try having sex with one, heh, heh."
Downstairs, the people on one of the most uninspired guest lists in White House dinner-party reporting history (we're the Style section, we should know), culled from Bush friends, Cabinet members, Americans with Frenchy names and Frenchies with even Frenchier namesNow wait just one damn minute. Uninspiring? Let's take a look at the guest list helpfully provided by Mr. Stuever:
Other guests on the list: Condi, Doro, Dick; Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer; in-laws-to-be John and Margaret Hager; Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.); the newly former New York Mets pitcher Tom Glavine; and corporate bigs from American Express, FedEx, the Las Vegas Sands Hotel chain, Public Storage and IBM.The Veep himself was there, and you're telling me that he didn't use The Force to crush a man's throat nor did he carve up a live human baby on his plate in full view of America's best and brightest? Right. Next thing you know, you'll be telling me that Republicans genuinely like France again.
And over at Politique, despite all of the proprietor's substantial expertise on French politics, I must quibble with his comment that "Sarkozy did briefly touch on common foreign policy challenges." Here's part of what Sarkozy said during his speech:
And we need also, together, to find a new balance between man and nature, in order that we may save this planet of ours -- and not only save it, but leave it as a legacy to our children in a better state than that in which we found it. Together we must vanquish abject poverty, because it is on abject poverty that terrorism worldwide feeds.That may be the French viewpoint on things, but this is America, dammit, and here, man owns nature like the rich own the poor. As for terrorism, abject poverty has nothing to do with it. Terrorism always has been, always is, and always will be because of Über-Hitlerian Stalinist DFH Islamocommunistomarxianfascist Baby-Blood-Drinking Nun-Beheading Jihadism. You naive political junkies and you real-world views are sooooo funny! Take a little sip of cognitive dissonance next time and you'll feel much more relaxed.
19 comments:
Randal,
I pity State Department and CIA staff (not the political appointees who come and go with each administration) who must put up with the often idiotic, pointless and ultimately dangerous policies their fearless leaders dream up in their ideological heads. I've a friend who's worked as an analyst at the CIA since the mid-'90s, and from what I gather, these guys and dolls are a brilliant, often liberal bunch, the kind who do believe in nutty theories like poverty-breeds-terrorism. Yet, often their hands are tied, so they do their best to work within the system and quietly introduce programs that will help further the cause. It's an excruciatingly slow process, and usually under the radar, but they do their best. Sometimes you have to work within the system in order to overthrow it.
Salut,
Marjorie
p.s. Love Mrs. Bush's dress! Wonder if its the same Oscar de la Renta she wore for the cover of Vogue a couple of years ago?
That's part of what is so frustrating. There ARE those who legitimately care about solving, or at least helping to alleviate, these problems. Then you get the closing of the CIA's bin Laden unit in 2006. Then, you get the politicians tossing him name out, hoping everyone will under his or her bed for skulking jihadists. As for overthrowing, it'd be nice if the party that controls Congress had that same desire to make things better instead of supporting the status quo.
I'll pass on commenting on Mrs. Bush's dress. Fashion is certainly not my strong suit. :)
I haven't yet seen the live footage of this. However, I have heard that when Sarko went in for the polite French kiss, Bush laughed. Maturity prevails avec le buisson! :)
LBR, thanks to your last line, I now have an image of Bush being in France, seated at a posh state dinner in the Hôtel de Ville, asking if they have any of those wonderful fries. :)
On a related tangent, do you recall those cheesy commercials about the fancy jams where the hillbilly-styled guy goes "please pass the jelly?" offending everyone else? That's Bush.
Randal,
I once wanted to join either the Foreign Service or the CIA (my graduate work was in International Studies/Japan and Southeast Asia), but a) I knew I wouldn't pass the background check ;-), and b) I wasn't sure I'd be comfortable implementing policies I may not agree with. On hearing some of my friend's albeit abbreviated stories, however, about life in the CIA, I wonder sometimes if I missed out on something. We may not often see it, but there really are some good things coming out of State and McLean. It's just that, more often than not, they're so under the radar that we don't ever have a chance to see it. The really big stuff gets splashed all over the newspapers.
On the other hand, I think I would get frustrated after awhile, especially if I had to work under the current administration. I would likely just quit in frustration, like so many others have done.
By the way, I forgot to mention earlier, but I do look forward to your take on Lucinda Holdforth's book.
Salut,
Marjorie
The chance for frustration, especially now, would be quite high. And a lot of that good work, aside from being overshadowed, merely becomes null, ineffectual because of higher-echelon policies. One step forward, two steps back.
I think that's why I could never do anything like that, foreign service, governmental work. The percentage of having to follow an order or directive that I disagreed with would always be greater than my personal limits.
Taking orders isn't very high on my to-do list. :)
My Inner French Girl, may I respectfully suggest that, given your integrity, had you been successful in joining the CIA, you would have found yourself either unemployed as a reward for honesty or outed.
My eyes, my eyes! I hope that Sarkozy washed his mouth like 19 times. Ick!
laura says "let them eat cake"
and they all join the party with a good laugh
Yeah, and we own the Moon, too!
Randal,
I agree. My tolerance for taking orders from upper management has diminished tremendously over the years. Office Space really hit home for me. "He's got upper management written all over him!" I cringed when I heard that.
I know that my CIA friend occasionally spoke of leaving, especially the last year or so. He's been in it for so long that I imagine he's getting a little jaded and frustrated. I haven't spoken to him in about a year, so perhaps he went ahead and left. But then again, at the time he had just gotten married, and you know how life-altering that can be. Perhaps he eventually decided that he couldn't leave, what with him now being a family man. Might as well remain a company man too.
TomCat, Merci to you for your kind compliment! I think I would have been kicked out. I've noticed as I get older that I have less tolerance for idiotic behavior and, even worse, feel more inclined to speak my mind when I see it. Doesn't bode well for a sterling career in public service.
Salut,
Marjorie
Family can easy throw a wrinkle into the best-laid plans. If you have a steady income, especially during these turbulent days, it's quite difficult to be the idealist. Et merci for the Office Space mention. It's been far too long since I've watched that!
Ain't that the truth? Marriage is a wonderful institution I highly recommend to anyone mature enough to know what they're doing, but it should come with a warning that it does require sacrifices. Idealism is something we need more of, but hell even Martin Luther King and Gandhi had marital issues.
Office Space rules!! Down with the Lumbergs of the world!
Salut,
Marjorie
p.s. Isn't it painful how accurate that film was in depicting cube life?
I disagree with not a single syllable of what you just said. Now, who has my red stapler? :)
I think Sarkozy asked Laura if she'd like to join him and his wife in a ménage à trois and she agreed, but George happened to be briefed just before on what that means. I wish I could see the look on her face.... Actually, I'd rather not.
That was the extent of the french I know.
I wish you knew any French but that phrase. I have a very disturbing image in my head now.
Sorry
What might be a better French saying Sarkozy might be saying to Laura?
If he were speaking Spanish, I could be more creative.
Well, I only know one French swear word, and very few idiomatic phrases - regular French is difficult enough! - but one could always imagine Sarkozy saying "sa peau semble si réaliste !" Her skin seems so lifelike!
But please, feel free to add any anti-Bush comedy en espagnol !
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