I was in Ferinhegy* around 6am this past Saturday drinking a coffee and picked up a copy of the
Budapest Sun newspaper. What follows is an excerpt and my analysis of sorts:
HUNGARIAN-BORN philanthropist and US resident George Soros has likened President George W Bush's rhetoric to that used by the Nazis and has pledged to do all he can to see the defeat of the US leader in the 2004 presidential race.
"America, under Bush, is a danger to the world," Soros said, "and I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is.
"When I hear Bush say, 'You're either with us or against us', it reminds me of the Germans."
Referring to Nazi slogans such as Der Feind Hort mit (The enemy is listening), Soros added, "My experiences under Nazi and Soviet rule have sensitized me."
Soros, 74, said that the 2004 presidential race, is "a matter of life and death", and that seeing the defeat of Bush was the "central focus of my life".
He argues that the Bush White House is guided by a "supremacist ideology", which is abusing US power in its dealings with the rest of the world.
Last week Soros and a partner gave 5 million dollars (Ft1.06 billion) to MoveOn.org, a liberal activist group working to oust Bush from office, bringing his total contributions to removing Bush up to a reported $15.5 million (Ft3.29 billion).
Soros made his remarks at the Carnegie Center for International Peace when promoting his new book, The Bubble of American Supremacy, a critical analysis of the Bush administration's foreign policy.
In the book, he argues the US is doing itself immeasurable harm by its heavy-handed role in the world.
In an excerpt to be published in next month's Atlantic Monthly magazine, he writes, "The dominant position the United States occupies in the world is the element of reality that is being distorted."
His remarks have incensed the Republican party, which has accused him of promoting his interests with cash flow to likeminded institutions, while avoiding federal limitations on donations to political parties.
A vociferous supporter of democracy, Soros, who made his fortune in New York as a hedge-fund operator and financier, has to date donated $700 million (Ft148 billion) to assist the development of democracy in Eastern Europe.
George Soros, while quite famous throughout the world, is, as the article said, a son of Hungary and this article I just excerpted is recent. A lot of fuss was made in the US regarding Soros' contribution to Move On, but this article seems to be a piece originally designed to promote Soros' book (among other things). What strikes me as interesting is that Soros is the kind of man who can actively link Bush to Hitler without sounding like a tinfoil hat denizen. I especially give more weight to Soros' comments because of his previous tendency to keep a low profile when it comes to politics in the USA (he's quite active in other countries).
I've written previous Diaries explaining in detail exactly how Bush's grandfather made money from Hitler's warmongering, but what is explicitly stated in this article is that the current Bush uses Nazi-esque slogans. It doesn't take a blogger to make the connection between the Reichstag fire and Sep 11, 2001 (it maybe takes someone who read history books outside of the school arena though), but I for one am not personally very familiar with all of Hitler's slogans and mottos.
Have any of you read anything about Soros book? Or maybe the book itself? I'm curious as to its bent.
In any event, I have return from my sojourn to parts east and for any of you who have wondered where I've gone to, I'm back. :)
Peace
-Soj
* I realized after previewing this Diary that I might need to explain that Ferinhegy is the airport in Budapest, the capital of the nation of Hungary and Ft stands for Forint, the currency.