Oops again

In a complete reversal of tone and language, Bush stated in China today that “People should feel comfortable about expressing their opinions about Iraq,” just three days after agreeing with Vice President Cheney that the critics were “reprehensible.”

Why the change? Maybe the fact he was in China, home of the old Red Menace, he thought better of where his underlings were taking the country with their tone of intolerance and incivility? Don't think so. Maybe he thought better of the symbolism of America criticizing China's repression of human rights while seeking to suppress free speech in his own country? Don't think so. Maybe he thought there might be a similarity between thought control in the land of Chairman Mao via the Little Red Book and thought control being voiced by his extremists in the American right wing media? Don't think so. Maybe Hu Jintao, the Chinese President took him to the woodshed and said America was not in a position to criticize China on human rights and religious freedom when America violates their own citizens' rights to fair trial and encourages the torturing of prisoners, violating the Geneva Convention? A POSSIBILITY.

MOST likely, he got information that the ill-advised slurs against American patriots were not playing well in Peoria. Politics got in the way of the personal smear attacks the Republicans are so fond of. That's the reason why.
Posted on The Human Stain