"Uhhh....yeaaaaah."
For those of you who don't, here it is. (See if you can get through the whole thing without throwing up.)
Can you say....
Well, we all know how that turned out, don't we?
"Uhhh....yeaaaaah."
So now that the carrot failed, here comes the "stick". This week, Obama has announced, are you ready for this?
SANCTIONS!!!
Well sort of. It seems that some general in the Revolutionary Guards has some financial assets in the US, which we have now frozen.
Don't laugh. It's no more Mr. Nice Guy.
So now that guy from the Revolutionary Guards has the pleasure of knowing that his US-based assets are now under the watchful eye of....
Tim (Turbo-Tax) Geithner
Well, if all that doesn't work, we can always resort to more extreme measures like sending over our Secretary of State to lay down the law to them.
But after it's all said and done.......
27 comments:
What, exactly, was so awful about what he said? Your comments offer absolutely no substantive criticism at all.
Lance,
This was not a Christmas greeting to Switzerland. Considering what has been going on with Iran since 1979, it was an exercize in groveling not seen since Jimmy Carter was in office.
It was nauseating.
Groveling? Give me a break. Come on, that's not even close to being a reasonable thing to say.
Lance,
Would you care to watch the video again? Then tell me he's not groveling.
Gary, I can't believe what you are saying. He was not groveling, neither was Carter. Do you think it is better to threaten and bully other nations? No one can say Obama didn't try, now the ball is in the Iranians court.
I lived there, I know the people, they are not Americans, the need to be treated differently.
I don't support the regime there, but it is the Iranians problem.
That's not groveling; unless you're using some new definition of the word. ("Grovel" was actually a vocabulary word that I just gave to my freshmen.)
Lance,
I have a great idea! To illustrate the meaning of the term groveling, why don't you show them my blog and play that video for them? I guarantee you they will never forget it.
Ingrid,
You are correct only to a certain point. The regime in Iran is not only the Iranians' problem. It is a problem for a lot of other nations too.
Okay Gary, what exactly does he say in there that you would consider to be "groveling"?
The first 50 seconds. Take your pick.
If this was how one of my students tried to convey his or her opinion on a paper, I'd write the word "VAGUE" in big letters.
I notice that Obama has been quite vague of late.
Wow. Just admit it, Gary. You've got nothing.
Lance,
Do you really think anybody in America knows what that Iranian holiday is-or gives a rip?
What does that have to do with anything? My point is that your accusation of Obama "groveling" isn't supported by anything specific. You still haven't given one specific example - instead you change the subject.
Whadda'ya mean I gave you nothing specific? I said the first 50 seconds of the tape. (All of it)Do I have to transcribe it word for word?
Whadda'ya mean I gave you nothing specific? I said the first 50 seconds of the tape. (All of it)Do I have to transcribe it word for word?
No, not an entire transcript. Just give me a sentence or two that could be considered "groveling".
Gary, Gary, Gary, there are plenty of people in America who know what the Iranian New Year is, especially Iranians, Afghanis, Kurds, Syrians etc. but I guess they don't count in your eyes.
Every American who has ever lived in Iran also knows, and understands the meaning of this very important holiday, because it is so ingrained into the culture and means so much.
For Obama to address the Iranian people by honoring their holiday is like the pope giving his "Urbi et Orbi" message. On the other hand, maybe most Americans don't give a hoot about that or don't know what it is.
Lance,
Something about their being such a great civilization that has done so much to make the world better. (I am paraphrasing of course)
Ingrid,
You are correct and I said it first; we don't give a hoot. (or a rip)
Something about their being such a great civilization that has done so much to make the world better.
From Merriam Webster's definition of "grovel":
1 : to creep with the face to the ground : crawl
2 a : to lie or creep with the body prostrate in token of subservience or abasement b : to abase oneself
3 : to give oneself over to what is base or unworthy : wallow
For that to count as "groveling", then you have to completely redefine the word. What is so bad about him acknowledging the fact that Iran, a country that dates back thousands of years (albeit under a different name) has made some great contributions to the world? What he's saying is true.
Now, if he said something like, "You have contributed so much, unlike us, whereas we've done nothing good" or something crazy like that, then you'd have something.
I don't know what you would have preferred. Should he have insulted them? Maybe he could have quoted from that "Proud to be an American" song or something. That would have done the trick.
Whereas I normally hate to use cliches: You catch more flies with honey.
Catch more flies with honey, eh? Sure did work, didn't it? Me, I'm more interested in Iran since 1979 than Persia 1,000 years ago.
Sounds like complimenting Hitler on the greatness of Beethoven.
Look, I'm not saying that one can't legitimately find fault in this speech, but calling it "groveling" is just ridiculous.
What would you have him say, if anything? Do you want us to get into a war? Can our country really afford something like that right now?
Who said anything about a war?
Why perish the thought.
C'mon, Lance. The horse is dead already.
You're right. I should have declared victory about five posts ago. I guess what I was doing was akin to trying to tell those poor Japanese soldiers who got stuck on those islands that the war was over a long time ago.
Lance,
You can always declare victory.
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