Look's like George Bush isn't going to be attending next year's OPEC summit after all.    

By now, we all know of President Bush's recent verbal gaffes at the APEC Summit in Sydney.  Much has been made of his reference to "Austrian" troops serving in Iraq, when very clearly he intended say "Australian." Nevertheless, the partisan vultures swooped down to tear a chunk off of Mr. Bush's still-warm political carcass. This shocking lack of deference has motivated me to dedicate my first ever diary to the defense of my Commander in Chief. Well, actually, I am not in the armed forces.  And, technically, it is therefore legally and constitutionally impossible for me to have a commander in chief. But don't tell a Republican that.  Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, verbal gaffes.

I was surprised by the media coverage of Bush presence in APEC. Our media was excited to cover the stupid act of our representative. But they totally ignored the issues covering the summit. They were busy covering Bush rant and some stupid prankster disguised as Bin Laden.

Friends,

First I want to thank all of you for your continued support for our race. Since last spring, we've moved from being a start up campaign with a dollar and a dream to full fledged top tier challenger race. Your continued support could very well mean the difference between winning and losing against the worst George Bush rubberstamp member of Congress on this side of the Mississippi. I know that together, we can change the course of our nation- we can stand up and demand a new direction for America, but it means working together where we can win. As many of you already know last time we came within 1% of winning and this year we are starting early and I know we can earn the necessary votes.

Today, I want to speak a little bit about the news of the past week. This week we saw President George Bush continuing to make a mockery of our national reputation on a number of different occasions and we saw a brand new Osama bin Laden videotape. Indeed the plot has thickened and the President's wizardry with the spoken word has brought our national dialog to a new high.

More evidence that Bush is losing touch with reality similar to Baghdad Bob: He forgot what country he was in and what summit he was at. First, he said OPEC when he meant APEC:

"Thank you for being such a fine host of the OPEC summit," Bush said to Australian prime minister John Howard. He quickly corrected himself, "APEC summit," and joked Howard "invited me to the OPEC summit next year.

Y'all might not have heard yet how proud Bush has done you down under Australia-way...

Yikes...I can't believe this guy is the leader of the free world...it makes my head spin.

President George W. Bush has been piling up gaffe after gaffe while in Australia for the APEC Summit.

Among his transgressions;

1. Calling Australia "Austria,"

2. Calling the summit "OPEC"

3. Losing his way to the exit (not the first time, either)

4. Barking at reporters asking questions...

After a surprise visit to Iraq US President George W. Bush went on a visit to Australia for the 15th annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC), to attend that summit.

During an official meeting, when asked how things are coming along in Iraq the US President answer was: "We're kicking ass" in Iraq.

Here is how George W. Bush arrived to that conclusion:

We all know how George Dubya Bush has a way with words.

Well, he is at it again, making a fool of himself and the country he speaks for.

Get this.

Gaffe-prone Bush in fine form at APEC summit
'OPEC' forum filled with slips of the tongue, confusion for president

More ----->

When Dick Cheney was here in Australia in February, this banner was shown to the crowd in a media beat-up stunt:

Now George Bush turns up, and the same tiny rent-a-crowd turns up. They had to go with a refurbished banner, and they just chucked a new name on :

The pro bush demonstration was outnumbered by photographers, media, police and anti-bush demonstrators.

So, are they out of money, or just out of ideas ?

Sorry for the bad pictures, they were grabbed from a video where a anti-bush protester squirted tomato sauce onto the sign. Don't worry, I'm sure there will be much high resolution ones on Fox and Drudge in a few hours.

I can't believe no one has diaried this, but I searched and didn't see one.

A TV show in Australia is called Chasers War on Everything.  The hosts seem to have gall unmitigated by any sense of restraint.

While President bush was in Sydney, they rented a few fancy cars and motorcycles, put Canadian flags on them, and drove through the multi-million dollar security to within about 50 feet of the hotel where Mr. Bush was staying.

The arrests of 11 members of the cast and crew took place as soon as the actor dressed as Osama stepped out of the limo.

I don't know how to embed YouTube, so I'll just post a link.  You can check out video from the event.

From Citizens for Legitimate Government -www.legitgov.org

Drop the fork --Museum of Sydney Cafe in Bridge Street is ordered to get rid of its potential terrorist weapons: forks and knives.

I would have posted this in an open thread, but I didn't see one started yet today.  Not sure it's worth a diary, but it's good for a few yuks!

Poor Condi!  It's really tough when you've finally developed a specialty which captures your interests and abilities - and then you are thwarted from following your bliss.

Eleven members of an Australian TV comedy show were arrested within a stone's throw of President George W. Bush's hotel after they drove a fake Canadian motorcade through two security checkpoints in Sydney during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. They were arrested on September 6, 2007, inside the top-security "Red Zone" after one comedian emerged from the back of a limo, dressed as Osama Bin Laden.

The comedians breezed past some 3,500 police officers, reinforced by 1,500 soldiers –- fortified with tanks, water cannons, and explosives-detecting dogs –- who were guarding APEC leaders. They were arrested in a block adjacent to the InterContinental Hotel of where President Bush is staying.

Well, the US Press doesn't seem interested in telling us, but George the W certainly doesn't seem interested in traveling light in his trip to Australia for the APEC summit.  As the New Zealand Herald article begins:

Ever feel guilty about over-packing on your travels? George Bush will make you feel better.

It isn't just Air Force One ... it is the three jumbo jets, military transport aircraft, VIP jets, the 50 White House political aides, the 150 "national security advisors" and "200 specialists from other government departments" and ... well ... we're just beginning.

In the 1990s, the Republican Policy Council hit Clinton hard for his travel and were echoed by the US media ... Where's the discussion of W's excesses?

George Bush landed in Australia last night, and was whisked through guarded, closed streets to his harbour-side room in a mere 17 minutes.

By contrast, the Prime Ministers of New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Singapore, the President of Peru and the Chief Executive of Hong Kong all arrived on commercial scheduled flights.

While our government has given up our streets to a foreign power, allowed them ignore our strong quarantine laws with their 15 sniffer dog teams, allowed the US (and the US alone over objections of Russia) to bring their own weapons and given the entire security detachment immunity from prosecution, and today they used the NSW Supreme court case to ban the planned Saturday March.

Just watching this meeting of Pacific leaders beginning to unfold on the TV news, and I'm struck by the cntrast between the two currently most powerful leaders in the world, President George W Bush of the United States of America and President Hu Jintao of the Peoples' Republic of China.

First, what's similar: They both wear suits. One at all times, the other sometimes.

Next, the contrast:

On cue and on schedule, as forecast by Dr. Barnett R. Rubin, the mighty Wurlitzer has cranked up. On September 3rd, Labor Day, Establishment éminence grise Arnaud de Borchgrave floated a practically matter-of-fact prediction about President George W. Bush's inclination to attack Iran.

The Russians and Chinese are surely noticing the propaganda offensive. Is the offensive simply a diplomatic psyop intended to extract concessions from Iran? Or is it for real, a replay of the eerily similar orchestrated progaganda offensive—crude fabrications and all—leading up to the invasion of Iraq in 2003?

The last chance to dissuade Bush from opening yet another Middle Eastern Pandora's box may rest in the hands of Chinese President Hu Jintao and Russian President Vladimir Putin, each of whom will be having a bilateral meeting with Bush on the margins of the APEC sessions.

It would be nice to be proved wrong by coming events, but the promise of an APEC declaration on climate change seems like another triumph of public relations over policy.

Just more spin on climate change.

Cross-posted on DeSmogBlog.