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11.18.2003 posted by William 00:03 link |
Bush's upcoming visit to England was anticipated to be a victory celebration when it was planned last spring. No one but administration (Bush or Blair) spokespeople will claim it as such anymore. Massive protests will clog the streets of London. The Secret Service and the Metropolitan Police have been negotiating just what kind of powers will be granted and concessions made by each side.
My father was a Secret Service agent for twenty-years, and I know that those guys all know exactly what they are doing -- they assume the absolute worst-case scenarios, evaluate every detail and contingency, and leave nothing to chance. But I think it's pretty emblematic of the US government under the Bush administration that they would demand to shut down the Tube, for US military aircraft to patrol skies of London, and for immunity in the case of any protesters getting shot. Come on, guys, show a little finesse. Washingtonians may be used to having their traffic shut down for any two-bit backwater head-of-state's motorcade and to armed agents on every other corner, but showing up in the capital of one of the few countries you have yet to totally alienate and strutting around like you own the place is arrogant and disrespectful. There's still a few of us US citizens left who would rather not feel like emigrating to Canada when they read what people in other countries think of us. By the way, the Half Life 2 demo is amazing. |
