Mitt Romney's overseas tour

ANTPogo said:
Because it was "uniquely lent" to George W. Bush and was scheduled to be returned to the UK at the end of his term in office.
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Ah! So the Republicans are LYING again!

As I said in another thread, lying is all they seem to be capable of.

If they told me that water was wet, I'd be forced to go run the tap to make sure.

They are lying in the hope of suppressing voter turnout until only their minions are voting.
 
Puppycow said:
I see that 'Malvinas' is in parentheses , which suggests to me that that they are leaning toward the British claim.

If it were up to me I would recognize the British claim and have done with it, and damn what the Argentines think about it. I wonder if there's some domestic political reason why no American president has done this yet.
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Because our relationship with the UK it doesn't matter to. Our relationship with Argentina, Spain, Germany, Italy, and Israel it DOES appear to matter to. Because all those places have familial relationships with Argentina that are still quite strong.
 
Travis said:
I'm not sure I understand some of these things you listed.

There were death camps in Poland that killed the polish so what is up with that supposed gaffe?
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It was a genuine gaffe. Perhaps you missed the thread we had on it?

It would be foolish to assert that Obama has never made a gaffe. All politicians and all presidents in the modern era make gaffes.

Let's not rehash that thread in this thread.
 
Travis said:
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I'm not familiar with the "liberating Auschwitz" one.
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His grandfather help liberate a camp. At least that is the story that came down to Obama, and he re-told it. Well, the camp wasn't the one Obama said it was because I pretty sure he just repeated the family story. (ETA: And all are dead now and he can't ask them for details. I have a few family stories like that which are now beyond verification.)

The "Polish death camps" was a gaffe - He was referring to the death camps in Poland, but the Polish rightly don't want people assuming they were running or built them, and the diplomatic way to refer to them was as "German death camps in Poland" so the President of Poland had to take official exception to the comment, and Obama had to apologize officially. It was forgotten in Poland, and the only people who falsely claim it is significant are the American Republican Right. Lying as they always do.
 
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Mid said:
Honestly everyone knows the correct gaffe to make when referring to Ed Miliband is to call him David
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ANTPogo said:
Because it was "uniquely lent" to George W. Bush and was scheduled to be returned to the UK at the end of his term in office.
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That's how I understood it too. Tony Blair gave Bush the statue and it was supposed to be a personal gift. Bush left it behind, presumably not that interested in it, and Obama gave it back.

Travis said:
I'm not sure I understand some of these things you listed.

There were death camps in Poland that killed the polish so what is up with that supposed gaffe?

I'm not familiar with the "liberating Auschwitz" one.
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The death camps in Poland killed people from all over Europe. But the gaffe is presumably that it suggests they were run by the Poles instead of the Nazis. It is quite a touchy subject in Poland, supposedly.

Liberating Auschwitz is something that Obama said his grandfather did at the end of the war. He meant Buchenwald, IIRC, but the right had a field day with it given that the Soviet Union as Russia was known then (and still is to Romney) liberated Auschwitz and enslaved or re-enslaved Poland.
 
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Puppycow said:
It was a genuine gaffe. Perhaps you missed the thread we had on it?

It would be foolish to assert that Obama has never made a gaffe. All politicians and all presidents in the modern era make gaffes.

Let's not rehash that thread in this thread.
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I remember that thread. I think I was just about the only one that insisted that because it was technically correct it was not a gaffe. Everyone knows they were the most screwed over country in Europe during that war so to pretend insult over this just doesn't wash.

BenBurch said:
His grandfather help liberate a camp. At least that is the story that came down to Obama, and he re-told it. Well, the camp wasn't the one Obama said it was because I pretty sure he just repeated the family story. (ETA: And all are dead now and he can't ask them for details. I have a few family stories like that which are now beyond verification.)

The "Polish death camps" was a gaffe - He was referring to the death camps in Poland, but the Polish rightly don't want people assuming they were running or built them, and the diplomatic way to refer to them was as "German death camps in Poland" so the President of Poland had to take official exception to the comment, and Obama had to apologize officially. It was forgotten in Poland, and the only people who falsely claim it is significant are the American Republican Right. Lying as they always do.
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But there were Poles in there helping to run them. Many Poles actively assisted in rounding up Jews, Gypsies and Communists.

And technically Poles did build many of them. They were slave laborers, sure, but they were Poles.

Do the Japanese worry people will think they were running concentration camps in the USA when we refer to "Japanese Internment Camps?"

angrysoba said:
The death camps in Poland killed people from all over Europe. But the gaffe is presumably that it suggests they were run by the Poles instead of the Nazis. It is quite a touchy subject in Poland, supposedly.

Liberating Auschwitz is something that Obama said his grandfather did at the end of the war. He meant Buchenwald, IIRC, but the right had a field day with it given that the Soviet Union as Russia was known then (and still is to Romney) liberated Auschwitz and enslaved or re-enslaved Poland.
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I think the root of the problem there is that for many "Auschwitz" is a colloquialism for the camp system in general. Same as how many refer to any refined metal as "steel." Or how in the South all soft drinks are "Coke."
 
Travis said:
I remember that thread. I think I was just about the only one that insisted that because it was technically correct it was not a gaffe.
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Try explaining that to the Poles.

It was a gaffe because the Poles were offended. That's what makes a gaffe a gaffe.
 
BenBurch said:
I know, Travis, but it is polite to not mention those Poles who collaborated with the Germans.
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Well a lot of the collaborators did die when the Nazi's were kicked out.

Of course Poland has a long memory. See their national anthem.

Puppycow said:
Try explaining that to the Poles.

It was a gaffe because the Poles were offended. That's what makes a gaffe a gaffe.
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Well how much we should care then would be considered downright niggardly by many.
 
Travis said:
I remember that thread. I think I was just about the only one that insisted that because it was technically correct it was not a gaffe. Everyone knows they were the most screwed over country in Europe during that war so to pretend insult over this just doesn't wash.
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That is easy for you to say.

Travis said:
Do the Japanese worry people will think they were running concentration camps in the USA when we refer to "Japanese Internment Camps?"
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I've never heard anyone in Japan talk about those camps. That said, WWII isn't a topic of conversation that comes up a lot.


Travis said:
I think the root of the problem there is that for many "Auschwitz" is a colloquialism for the camp system in general. Same as how many refer to any refined metal as "steel." Or how in the South all soft drinks are "Coke."
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I've not heard Auschwitz being used as a generic term, but if it was then I would have thought it would be used to refer to extermination camps rather than the concentration camps in the west. This was, after all, why Western Jews were sent East during the war.
 
The Don said:
The curmudgeons at the Telegraph are really putting the boot in:



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...t-Romney-doesnt-like-us-we-shouldnt-care.html
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Ah! The Torygraph! I find it worrying just how often we think alike. What they are saying is pretty much what I said here:

http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/showpost.php?p=8488258&postcount=70

Of course, to the extent that Romney has any natural allies it should be the Tories and he's pissed them all off within hours of touching down.


ETA: Err...wait. This is funny:

Not once have I heard him praise Britain or extol the special relationship he now belatedly trumpets. He even reprised his dislike of the NHS shortly before leaving for these shores of benighted, yellow-toothed natives who spend half their lives waiting in hospital, having tried as governor of Massachusetts to ensure that everyone in his state, as in Britain, had access to health care.
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But this bit...?

It is true the president is less enamoured of traditional allies than his predecessors, but that reflects as much his exotic background and upbringing than his country’s changing interests. There have been plenty of bumps and kinks in relations before.
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Exotic background? I take it he means Hawaii which to English people does indeed sound like a more exotic place than Liverpool or Wales and not...er...anything to do with the fact that he's black. Oh dear, that's what you get for reading the Torygraph!
 
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Everyone's favourte effervescent politician gets involved:

The mayor of London has hit out at US presidential candidate Mitt Romney for comments suggesting Britain is not ready to stage the Olympic Games.

Boris Johnson fired up a large crowd in Hyde Park, saying: "There's a guy called Mitt Romney who wants to know whether we're ready. Are we ready?"
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19007127

Infront of a crowd in Hyde Park? Would make a good DNC advert.
 
Undesired Walrus said:
Everyone's favourte effervescent politician gets involved:


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19007127

Infront of a crowd in Hyde Park? Would make a good DNC advert.
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He even started using Obama's "catchphrase":

Bojo: "Can we beat the French?" (Always the French!)

Crowd: "Yes, we can!"

B: "Can we beat the Australians?"

C: "Yes, we can!"

B: "Can we beat the Germans?"

C: "Yes, we can!"


I think that's not a very diplomatic thing to say.;)
 
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