The U.S. Government's Complete Lack of Public Relations Common Sense

[queerbychoice]

"The Bush administration believes that it is one vote shy of having nine of 15 votes needed on a U.N. Security Council resolution giving Iraq an ultimatum to disarm, two senior U.S. State Department officials said Wednesday.

These officials said the administration will focus its diplomatic energies on Mexico and Chile to secure their backing.

President Bush has spent much of the last week on the telephone, lobbying council members to support the resolution.

"Bush and [British Prime Minister Tony] Blair are attempting to do whatever it takes to get the Latins to commit," one U.S. official said."

from http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/03/12/sprj.irq.main/index.html

"The Latins"????????

*gapes*

Do these people have absolutely no clue whatsoever how to be inoffensive to those they want to win over to their side?????? If they needed votes from two random nations anywhere in Africa would they talk about how urgent it is to get "the black people" to vote for them???? If Mexico and Chile needed to get votes from the U.S. and some random other country with mostly white people in it, like, oh - let's say Bulgaria, since they're a nice obscure country that is in fact taking sides on the Security Council with the U.S. and against Mexico and Chile . . . do you think top government officials in Mexico and Chile would group together these two and only two countries, the U.S. and Bulgaria, by talking about the importance of getting "the white people" to stop doing what they're currently doing?? Or don't you think that the top government officials in Mexico and Chile would have a sufficiently clear understanding of the difference between races and nations to realize that France and Russia contain mostly white people too and that the U.S. and Bulgaria really do not have a great deal in common?

Comments

[donutgirl.livejournal.com]

Did you see the thing I posted about the French Fries?

[queerbychoice.livejournal.com]

Yes. I already knew. This country is INSANE.

[queerbychoice.livejournal.com]

P.S. Just WAIT 'til the next time the right-wingers try to accuse left-wingers of "nitpicking" too much over politically correct language.

[princesswitch.livejournal.com]

Excellent point, Gayle! :-)

It's SO outlandish!

[mudgurl647.livejournal.com]

I know what both of you are talking about. I heard about the french fry to freedom fly thing, and I rolled my eyes as soon as I read "The Latins". These people are being so close-minded and just make-me-so-mad. Ack!

Cya,

Mudgurl647

P.S. Don't people have any respect for anyone else??

[socialismnow.livejournal.com]

This is rather odd, anyway - we know Pakistan will almost certainly abstain, so the US needs the votes of all five of the other waverers. If they're saying they only need one more vote, then how come they're lobbying both Mexico and Chile?

I would think Mexico is certainly winnable for them but that Chile will be hard. Cameroon and Guinea could also be tricky though. France is the biggest bilateral aid donor to Guinea, and has close relations to Cameroon.

Perhaps the latest British amendment to the resolution will finally get the necessary votes. The word now though is that the US and UK may decide not to put the resolution to a vote at all. For them, that's preferable to having it defeated.

[socialismnow.livejournal.com]

Actually, what they said does make sense. I've just heard they think they can get Cameroon and Guinea (though this isn't certain yet, and Guinea has just said they can't be counted on)... if they could get four, then obviously they would only need either Mexico or Chile to make up the total. Mexico ought to be easier because 50% of its trade is with the US, and Chile's opposition to war has been stronger all along.

[socialismnow.livejournal.com]

I was right the first time. To believe they only needed one of Mexico and Chile would only make sense if they thought they had bagged Pakistan's vote. I still think Pakistan's vote will be the hardest of all to get, but since they're the ones negotiating, not me, they might know something I don't.

The latest draft resolution will be presented tonight and I think is already being shown privately to the six.

[queerbychoice.livejournal.com]

I did notice that their calculations of how many votes they needed didn't jive with estimates I'd heard elsewhere. But it makes sense that they'd want the American mainsteam media to be reporting optimistic speculations, so as not to let on to Americans just how unpopular our government is making us with the rest of the world.

[princesswitch.livejournal.com]

I too read about the "freedom fries" and the "freedom toast". Katarina and I decided that we will proudly wear French perfume and use French beauty products until this mess is over. (Mmm, Annick Goutal!)

Seriously, though, these are people who think that bombing a poor country that poses no immediate threat to them is a great idea. Do you really expect them to be any more respectful in their language than they are in their policy?

[joethelionn.livejournal.com]

Now, now. I think you guys are being a little harsh.

Maybe the government is just trying to broker a deal with 8th century B.C.E. Italy.

[sarianna.livejournal.com]

Yet another one of those weird coincidences, but we just discussed the difference between Latino/Hispanic in my Spanish class yesterday. Had they said Latino countries, it would've been slightly accurate...in terms of countries whose culture and language are derived from Latin. I found it interesting to learn that I'm half-Latina by the true definition--my dad's French.
Silly politicians. *hides in the corner from the rest of D.C.*

[man-next-door.livejournal.com]

hey, this doesn't have anything to do with the current topic. just saw your name on a LJ friend's page. i like your vision although, this may get me beat up, but i don't think it's so some big thing that you happen to be bisexual. that's just you. but i'm with you, i never disclosed my gender online...just to keep people guessing. talk to you soon, hope i didn't rub you the wrong way!

[queerbychoice.livejournal.com]

doesn't your lj name rather indicate a gender? and in your lj interests list, if you consider your own gender irrelevant then why are other people's genders so relevant that you indicate an interest only in "women" and "bisexual women" and not in "men" or "bisexual men"?

just wondering.

Re:

[man-next-door.livejournal.com]

i said DISPLAYED. notice the ED at the end. meaning something of the past. and who said that i wasn't a woman that was more masculine? you know. i didn't mean to pick a fight w/ you but you didn't have to get rude. no offense.

[queerbychoice.livejournal.com]

it was just a question. not rudely intended.