How to Spot Truly Vicious People in Church

In our ongoing mission of pointing out spin and talking points, here’s a quote from President Bush’s comments this morning:

President Bush again rejected calls to hold bilateral talks with North Korea today, saying this morning that the tactic had not worked in the past.

“Bilateral negotiations didn’t work,” he said. “I appreciate the efforts of previous administrations, but they didn’t work and we had to change how we approach the problem so we can solve it diplomatically.”

Emphasis mine. It doesn’t take a dunderhead to note that the Karl Rove strategy of this election cycle, “Blame It On Clinton™”, is still in full force. Six years after Clinton left office, this White House is still attempting to blame him for everything since.

Meanwhile, Bush bandies about the word “diplomacy” but still refuses to use it:

The Bush administration has refused to engage in any face-to-face talks with the North Koreans, something the North has sought for years. The White House has insisted that bilateral talks would amount to rewarding the North for bad behavior.

I don’t think that Bush understands what diplomacy is. He seems to think that talking to enemies is wrong, that talking should be reserved only for our friends.
This “rewarding bad behavior” thing is something Bush harps on a lot. It sounds like something he read (if he read, that is) in a paperback parenting book. Frankly, it explains why his daughters turned out the way they did. (Has anyone checked Barbara & Jenna’s bedroom for WMD?)

diplomacy |diˈplōməsē| noun the profession, activity, or skill of managing international relations, typically by a country’s representatives abroad : an extensive round of diplomacy in the Middle East. • the art of dealing with people in a sensitive and effective way : his genius for tact and diplomacy.

Ah — sensitive, effective, tact… now I understand why the Bush gang doesn’t engage in diplomacy.