Stunning victories in Bush's War on the World

Just a quick look at how the world is reacting to our war.

The Pope has endorsed the anti-war movement. I wonder what that means to Rove's "Catholic Strategy".

The vast antiwar movement in the world shows that a "large part of humanity" has rejected the idea of war as a means of resolving conflicts between nations, Pope John Paul II said in a message released Tuesday.

Perhaps Catholic blowhard Bill Bennett will care to comment?

In nuclear-armed North Korea, more desperate pleas for attention. North Korea cut off all ties to the UN and US, claiming the US is ready to attack it. It's also threatening more missile tests.

In Iran, the leader of the biggest anti-Saddam opposition group vowed to fight the US if it stuck around after Saddam's ouster. Whatever happened to the "enemy of my enemy is my friend"?

Up north, former MA governor and ambassador to Canada demanded his host nation shut the f--- up.

The U.S. ambassador to Canada took the unusual step on Tuesday of openly criticizing Ottawa for not backing the war on Iraq and urged Prime Minister Jean Chretien to muzzle anti-U.S. sentiment in his government.

I think we have our next target for "regime change".

In the UN, the US is desperately trying to head off an attempt by the general assembly to condemn the US and UK invasion of Iraq.

The Bush administration is struggling to head off an effort by Baghdad to persuade a group of Third World nations to convene an emergency session of the General Assembly to condemn U.S-British military action in Iraq.

American diplomats have urged officials in scores of foreign capitals to oppose a campaign by the Non-Aligned Movement to rally support for a resolution.

US efforts are quite curious, considering that

1. General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding; and

2. Wasn't the UN "irrelevant" anyway?

This resolution will pass. Bush will have effectively fulfilled his campaign promise to "be a uniter", at least in the international arena.

And finally (for now), remember that Freeper boycott of French and German goods? The US has been trumped:

Consumer fury seems to be on the rise. Demonstrators in Paris smashed the windows of a McDonald's restaurant last week, forcing police in riot gear to move in to protect staff and customers of the American fast-food outlet. The attackers sprayed obscenities and "boycott" on the windows.

In Indonesia, Iraq war opponents have pasted signs on McDonald's and other American food outlets, trying to force them shut by "sealing them" and urging Indonesians to avoid them.

In the Swiss city of Basel, 50 students recently staged a sit-down strike in front of a McDonald's to block customers' entry, waved peace signs and urged people to eat pretzels instead of hamburgers.

Anti-American sentiment has even reached provinces in Russia, where some rural eateries put up signs telling Americans they were unwelcome, according to an Izvestianewspaper report.

A German bicycle manufacturer, Riese und Mueller GmbH, canceled all business deals with its American suppliers.

"Americans only pay attention when money is on the line," director Heiko Mueller told Reuters, whose firm buys $300,000 worth of supplies from half a dozen American firms each year.

Bush's War on the World, much as his War on the Economy, is going stunningly well. Not even a partisan like me can deny that.

Posted March 26, 2003 12:47 AM | Comments (188)