Bush: Just Not Right to Say You Can't Have a King in a Democracy

[babylonsister]

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/30132

Bush: Just Not Right to Say You Can't Have a King in a Democracy
Submitted by Chip on Tue, 2008-01-15 18:56. Congress | Criminal Prosecution | Evidence | Impeachment

"... the president defended his support of undemocratic regimes in countries such as Saudi Arabia.

"The American President doesn't come and lecture somebody. The American President develops a relationship where he can work with somebody. And as I told you, His Majesty is -- he is modernizing his society. Is it going to meet somebody's standards sitting in Washington, D.C.? Probably not overnight. Can it eventually? Yes. ...And for us to say that you can't have a democracy if you've got a king is just not right."

:crazy::crazy:

[proud patriot]

1. wow he is truly disturbed

[Disturbed]

9. Can the Saudi King be voted out of Office?

Busholini aspires to be the King of America & do away with Congress & Elections.

[Stephanie]

2. The quintescential Bushism!

It combines his fundamental ignorance with his not so secret desire to be monarch or dictator.

[GodlessBiker]

3. The founders should only hear what this sad excuse for a President said.

[Richard Steele]

22. The founders heard crap like this- then they started SHOOTING PEOPLE.

Just sayin'. :eyes:

[GodlessBiker]

24. We pretty much know which side of the revolution Bush would have been on.

[madrchsod]

34. you mean the side his mom`s relatives were on?

yes he`s a one of them...

opps well the civil war...not sure of what side the revolution they were on...

[GodlessBiker]

41. He would have been a loyalist...dedicated to the King.

[Lisa]

51. he'd have been looting all the bodies on the battlefield!

A lot of the pro-British families moved up here to Canada, and helped found our country (Ontario, anyway). Just think -- if his ancestors had been United Empire Loyalists, he'd be messing up my country right now.

My guess is that Bushie would have supported whichever side seemed to be winning at the time ... he's opportunistic that way.

By the way, former President Jimmy Carter wrote an amazing book about the struggle between the loyalists and the revolutionaries in the southern US, during the 1770s. It described the moral choices that people had to make back then, and really humanized both sides. I really can't imagine Dubya showing that kind of fortitude, regardless of which side he happened to be on at the time. (In school, Canadians are taught to admire the Loyalists, but also to respect the democratic ideals of the former colonies.)

[Richard Steele]

36. BOTH sides- just like his Grandpa was in WWII, just like he is in his "War on Terror".nm

[rodeodance]

4. Perfect logic for him----looks in the mirrow and sees it.

[DavidDvorkin]

5. He's right, of course

But that only works if the monarch is a powerless figurehead.

[Hydra]

6. OMG!!!

Right in front of everyone.

:wow:

And people call us wackos for calling him the king. He just announced it!!!

[babylonsister]

11. Here ya go:

:wow:

[Hydra]

15. cool! I knew I saw it here before :p

[CorpGovActivist]

7. Well, Elizabeth I Was Well-Known to Wear Bhurkas, Right?

:sarcasm:

- Dave

[LisaM]

12. LOL - she showed more cleavage than Jessica Simpson n/t

[CorpGovActivist]

20. "Drove" Her Own Horse, Too n/t

[WinkyDink]

52. Thinking of Catherine the Great, perhaps?

[shain from kane]

8. The madness of King George. n/t

[aquart]

10. Uh...he's right. England? Denmark? Sweden?

By reducing the powers of the king to ceremonial duties, it is indeed possible to have a democratic monarchy.

What isn't possible is to have a republic, which is defined as a government which is NOT a monarchy.

[mnhtnbb]

14. That's way too complicated for Bushie boy. He couldn't possibly know such details.

[malaise]

17. Those monarchies are titular

The Saudi monarchy maintains all power.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

28. Let me see if I can resolve this:

He's *technically* correct. But he's still an autocratic asshole.

[RaleighNCDUer]

29. I like to jump straight from Monarchy to Communism

by using the Statue of Liberty wonder.

When playing Civ 2.

[Terran]

43. Communism works best

in Civ 3, yeppers. (nods).

[Eurobabe]

13. That's fucking rich...

:puke:

[malaise]

16. Well now we know he didn't even register for

Politics 101. What a fucking dunce. :puke:

[TransitJohn]

18. Guess he never watched Schoolhouse Rock!

[Subdivisions]

19. WHERE THE HELL IS EVERYBODY?? Where are the people

who know how goddamned stupid this guy is and why aren't they screaming bloody murder? Where are the lawyers? Where are the scholars? Where is law enforcement?

God what a stupid motherfucker.

[wake.up.america]

30. The King of Spain is pretty cool. He stays out of the way.

[Recursion]

21. Err... isn't he right?

What you can't have a king in is a republic (that's what makes something a republic, is not having a monarch).

It's kind of like that all-too-worn-out talking point that we "live in a republic, not a democracy". A republic can be democratic or autocratic. A monarchy can be democratic or autocratic. Saudi Arabia is an autocratic monarchy. Sweden is a democratic monarchy. The US is a (more or less) democratic republic. North Korea is an autocratic republic.

[genie_weenie]

33. I think you are correct that he is right however,

the US has never been a democratic republic but has been and is now a plutocratic republic...

[lumberjack_jeff]

23. In a nutshell, what pisses me off most about conservatives

The conflation of "democracy" and "capitalism".

You can't have democracy in a monarchy, unless the king is merely a figurehead.

[dkofos]

25. What a maroon!!

[Warren DeMontague]

26. "King, eh? Well I didn't vote for you!"

"You don't vote for kings!"

[niyad]

so georgie boy thinks he can be king, and the US will still be a democracy, yes?

he doesn't even know this is a republic, I guess.

[DemGa]

27. The idiot in chief is spouting more nonsense than usual

Has another of his trainers abandoned him lately?

[niyad]

31. HOW does anybody this stupid keep breathing on his own?

[SIMPLYB1980]

What an idiot.

:crazy:

[Elwood P Dowd]

32. Is there a video clip of this somewhere? (nm)

:crazy:

[w8liftinglady]

40. you may be able to find it here

http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/Politics/story?id=4136209

[Diclotican]

35. babylonsister

babylonsister

US started as a country, when 13 colonies was trowing out the monarchy of George the 3 of England.. It looks more and more that US may end with a new King.. George Walker Bush... As it have been for many empires in the world

US today, look more and more like the dying days of the roman republic. Everyone believed that the Republic would never come to end. But after a horrible war, civil war it was. The day of a Republic was numbered, and a young man named Octavian was building up a Monarchy.. One brick at a time... And when Octavian was dead the Republic was dead, and a monarchy was wherry well living....

Diclotican

Sorry my bad English, not my native language

[babylonsister]

38. Hi, Diclotican!

We will NOT end up with King George; the workers would rebel! That's what we're getting done this year, he will be gone!

And your english is just fine. Good to see you again! :hi:

[Diclotican]

44. babylonsister

babylonsister

It is still many days to Mr Bush, or the Boy king is out of office.. And even that mr Bush would never dear to crown himself as Monark of a Kingdom in US, it is in the history of man, many who have been "king" without the crown and septer..

If you just get the impression about that the current Administration have the "Will from the people" they can do much to get power.. As they have been doing that for 8 year now.. They have some experience in it...:evilfrown:

Do my best you know. And it is good to se you too. Hope you had a good Christmas, and hopefully a good safe new year to you too;)

Diclotican

Sorry my bad English, not my native language

[damntexdem]

37. True, if it's like the British monarchy, which has lost all power over government.

False when applied to Saudi Arabia and like regimes.

Of course, Dubya has done much to make the U.S. less of a democracy and to make himself king.

[ananda]

39. That's because Bush is..

.. a fascist "king" in -this- shamocracy.

[Javaman]

42. I don't care whom I offend, moron* is retarded. nt

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

45. I'll be damned!!! OUR PRESIDENT NEEDS US CIVICS COURSES!!!

OMG!!!

I WILL NOT NOT NOT BE EMBARASSED ON THAT SPOILED BLOOD/OIL/DRUG-PROFITEERING BRAT'S BEHALF!!!!

The bill will come due.

[Nay]

46. OMG. Fuckwit speaks. Fuckwit makes fool of self yet again.

Is there ANYONE out there with the shepherd's crook to jerk this moron off the stage? This is simply too much to bear.

[sakabatou]

47. THE FAIL! IT BURNSES US!!

[Lisa]

48. Bush wouldn't know a constitutional monarchy if one fell on him ...

My ancestors are from one (Japan), I used to work in one (the Netherlands), and I have a bunch of English friends -- these are all countries that made the transition from having hereditary rule, to having a formal constitution and parliament with a head of government, and a figurehead sovereign who is there for symbolic value and historical continuity. (Technically-speaking, Canada works like this too, except that our head of state is an ordinary Canadian who does the formal duties like handing out awards and welcoming dignitaries, rather than an aristocrat.)

Even Japan, with its notoriously-uptight imperial household bureaucracy, looks like a bunch of freewheeling hippies next to the Saudi royal family.

While Bush's statement that "for us to say that you can't have a democracy if you've got a king is just not right" would hold up in other countries -- making it in the Saudi Arabian context is ludicrous. It isn't a democracy and things there don't seem to be getting any better, regardless of what Bush says.

Blurting out this kind of naive platitude will just make the local residents shake their heads, irritate his royal hosts (who don't seem inclined to embrace the "let's give up all our power to an elected parliament" model, anyway) -- and could even subject those Saudis who do want to reform the monarchy to ridicule. Possibly even danger.

(constitutional monarchy advocates jailed)
http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2005/07/27/saudia11473.htm

[SammyWinstonJack]

49. No kidding!

:crazy: :silly: :dunce: Hugh Moran!11!!

[fascisthunter]

50. Impeach the Head Case, Already! Geez... (nt)

[w8liftinglady]

53. allow me to kick this for the night crew.You can't make this up