GW Bush: "Why should I care about North Korea?"

As Rox says, this excerpt from Bob Woodward's State of Denial says everything you need to know about Bush's foreign policy:

     George W. pulled Bandar aside.
     "Bandar, I guess you're the best asshole who knows about the world. Explain to me one thing."
     "Governor, what is it?"
     "Why should I care about North Korea?"
     Bandar said he didn't really know. It was one of the few countries that he did not work on for King Fahd.
     "I get these briefings on all parts of the world," Bush said, "and everybody is talking to me about North Korea."
     "I'll tell you what, Governor," Bandar said. "One reason should make you care about North Korea."
     "All right, smart alek," Bush said, "tell me."
     "The 38,000 American troops right on the border." ..."If nothing else counts, this counts. One shot across the border and you lose half these people immediately. You lose 15,000 Americans in a chemical or biological or even regular attack. The United State of America is at war instantly."
     "Hmmm," Bush said. "I wish those assholes would put things just point-blank to me. I get half a book telling me about the history of North Korea."
     "Now I tell you another answer to that. You don't want to care about North Korea anymore?" Bandar asked. The Saudis wanted America to focus on the Middle East and not get drawn into a conflict in East Asia.
     "I didn't say that," Bush replied.
     "But if you don't, you withdrawl those troops back. Then it becomes a local conflict. Then you have the whole time to decide, 'Should I get involved? Not involved?' Etc."
     At that moment, Colin Powell approached.
     "Colin," Bush said, "come here. Bandar and I were shooting the bull, just two fighter pilots shooting the bull." He didn't mention the topic.
     "Mr. Governor," Bandar said, "General Powell is almost a fighter pilot. He can shoot the bull almost as good as us."

Well, we can all relax because John Bolton's in charge. What could possibly go wrong, go wrong, go wrong...?

[HT: The PEEK]

Comments

[norbizness]

It could be worse.. his initial reaction could have been "There's a North Korea? Crazy!"

[cfrost]

"I wish those assholes would put things just point-blank to me. I get half a book telling me about the history of North Korea."

Well George, if you had followed the story along as it had developed over the course of your own squalid life, perhaps you might be able to skim through the “half a book”. If you had spent a little more time reading and a little less doing whatever the fuck frat boys do, it might have been a little easier on all of us. North Korean history isn’t like the history of the Seljuk Turks, or the Gupta Empire; you know, remote.

[1984 Was Not a Shopping List]

God--I hope he smartens up, and learns to read:

>I get half a book telling me about the history of North Korea.

It's frightening, how much paper is spent on reports that are never read. Still worse when the President himself doesn't even know how to read. North Korea is a nuclear-armed state, with one of the hugest militaries in the world, though it needs modernization; they are ideologically against our very capitalist way of life, are brutal, are a barracks state, and are completely paranoid when it comes to the United States. Their neighborhood in east Asia is rife with simmering disputes over nationalism, war history, and natural resources, between China, India, Taiwan, Japan, and the Koreas. Combine this with a President who's barely aware of their existence, and it's a recipe for truly catastrophic missteps.

[John Lucid]

"Colin," Bush said, "come here. Bandar and I were shooting the bull, just two fighter pilots shooting the bull."

Yes, Commander Codpiece is a fighter pilot. He bravely defended Texas air space from the Vietcong, except for the time he was in Alabama helping out a political campaign. He was the best asshole for the job, ya see. Why should he care about showing up at his duty station in Alabama when some candidate there needs his keen political insight on the campaign trail? Maybe he needed to teach the Alabama senate hopeful his classic lean-and-smirk maneuver at the podium. He really is a fucking hero.
We're all going to die.

[cfrost]

Yeah you just go mock ace fighter pilot G.W. Bush all you want, Mr. John Lucid, the fact remains that had the heroes of the Texas Air National Guard’s Champagne unit not been on watch, the frijolero terrorists would have forced hispanofascism down our throats and we’d all be speaking Mexican right now.

[John Lucid]

cfrost:

I forgot about the the Reconquistador threat to our south. Forgive me; it's hard to keep track of all of our enemies when there are so many of them. In light of all the Republican scandals as of late I developed this Blame Pie Chart as a visual aid to freely share with all true patriotic Americans. Hopefully it will help us remember who all the traitors are in our midst. I might add macacas and Hugo Chavez to it soon, depending on how the polls shape up. And of course, there's always the French.

[1984 Was Not a Shopping List]

John, that's fuckin' classic. Funny.

[agm]

You know, after a half a decade of scientific work, I can really sympathize with the desire to get someone to cut through the bullshit.

The pie chart totally rocks.

[cfrost]

All Bill Clinton gets is 13%? I heard Rush Limbaugh today blame N. Korea's bomb on Clinton and Carter. Clinton has clearly had his slimy hand in everything from acne to zoophilism, not to mention other places.

[Ardath]

THe world sees the North Korean test as a failure in Bush's foreign policy and managing of N Korea. Only American MSM fails to make the connection. Survey of world opinion

http://www.miserywatch.com/2006/10/north_korea_fal.html

[Uncle Kvetch]

Nice work indeed, JL. But where's Hillary? Don't tell me she's been supplanted as the nation's #1 crazy lesbofeminazi boogiewoman by...Nancy friggin' Pelosi? When did this happen, and why didn't I get the memo?