November 18, 2003

Desperation, stupidity or payback?

With this administration it’s hard to tell. But this story from London, on the eve of what’s already going to be a controversial and contentious visit by President Bush to our No. 1 ally, is truly amazing (if it proves to be more than a trial balloon). Here’s the gist of it: “George Bush's administration has called on U.S. companies in Britain to relocate jobs to America in an astonishing move that could trigger a major trade war. “U.S.-based multinationals have been told they will receive compensation from American trade authorities if they cancel contracts in Britain and take jobs home, according to CBI [Confederation of British Industry] director-general Digby Jones. … “Speaking at the CBI's annual conference in Birmingham, Jones said: 'Three chief executives of American companies investing in Britain have told me to my face that they have been told to close down, bring their stuff home and make it in the US.' " Good. A shooting war isn’t enough. We need a trade war, too. You have to wonder if this is some idiotic campaign ploy by the administration to pretend it’s going to bring home the millions of jobs that have fled the country for various reasons. If so, for so-called free-marketers, these guys sure don’t seem to understand 1930s economics, much less those of the 21st century.

Posted by tbrown at 11:34 AM

But maybe it’s linked to this

It’s possible, though, that urging U.S. companies to withdraw from Britain might be linked to the equally lunatic proposal by British PM Tony Blair’s former labor and industry. He wants to retaliate against Bush’s ill-advised steel tariffs by using retaliatory duties to attempt to undercut the president in a few swing states in next year’s presidential election. (Yes, it’s true that we pull dirty tricks of this sort all the time in other countries, but let’s not go there right now.)

Posted by tbrown at 11:32 AM

Letters to Bush

The Guardian, the liberal London newspaper, invited 60 people -- Britons, Americans and others, including Baghdad blogger Salam Pax -- to write Bush a letter about his visit. They're wonderful and come from left, right and most places on the spectrum in between.

Posted by tbrown at 11:30 AM

What’s behind the Brits’ anti-Bush tantrums?

Inquiring bloggers want to know how come there’s such a fuss about Bush’s trip to London, considering that it’s a regular stop for politically unsavory heads of state from all over. Belgravia Dispatch has an excellent post noting the mild whimpers (if that) that accompanied visits by China’s Jiang Zemin, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Syria’s Bashar Assad and Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe – all heads of governments with appalling human rights records. Brendan O’Neill argues that Bush isn’t much different than other visiting U.S. presidents, most of whom were much better tolerated than the current occupant of the White House. “The truth is … there is nothing special about President Bush,” O’Neill avers. “Like every other modern president, he has launched wars, told half-truths and untruths, and acted in the interests of America's capitalist elite -- hardly Stop the Press stuff. So why the deeply hostile reaction to his arrival in Britain, everywhere from the backrooms of Downing Street to the front pages of the papers to the ranks of the anti-capitalist and anti-war movements?” Good question.

Posted by tbrown at 11:30 AM

Finally: Wes Clark takes on the ‘fair and balanced’ jerks at Fox

“Our men and women in Iraq are doing a fabulous job. … Don’t you dare twist words into disrespect for our men and women in uniform. … “You are playing politics with our men and women in Iraq.” -- Wesley Clark on Fox's “Setting the Record Straight” If you want to see how Democratic candidates should be handling loaded questions from the Bush administration’s journalistic gofers, click here now. This clip runs six or seven minutes and is worth the time. But you’d better move quickly before they take it down.

Posted by tbrown at 11:28 AM