Como se combate o populismo? "Com eleições", responde Fukuyama

[MarcoAntonio]

A pedido da Pata-Hari (que está de partida de férias) aqui fica um artigo sobre Bush/Blair e a conversa apanhada entre eles:


Bush, Blair laugh off mike mishap

(CNN) -- U.S. President George W. Bush and British PM Tony Blair have laughed off the moment when their unguarded comments were broadcast to the world on a live microphone at the G8 summit in St. Petersburg.

Asked about the microphone mishap during his final briefing of the summit, Blair quipped that it was "all about transparent government" -- smiling and tapping the microphone in front of him.

Bush "sort of rolled his eyes and laughed" when told the comments had been audible and a copy had been made, said Press Secretary Tony Snow, according to The Associated Press.

"Actually his reaction first was, 'What did it say?' So we showed him the transcript, then he rolled his eyes and laughed."

The open microphone caught Bush unaware in an unguarded moment Monday as the escalating crisis in the Middle East prompted him to use an expletive in a conversation with Blair.

Bush and Blair were aware that an event at the Group of Eight summit was a photo opportunity, with media representatives present. Blair later turned off the microphone.

The president was expressing frustration at the United Nations' stance on the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict in Lebanon. (Watch Bush use the 's' word during a chat with Blair -- 1:31)

Apparently not expecting an open mic to pick up his remarks, Bush told Blair: "See the irony is what they need to do is get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this shit and it's over."

Earlier Monday, Blair and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan called for the deployment of an international force in southern Lebanon to help end the spiraling conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the Islamic militant group that holds seats in the Lebanese government. (Full story)

British newspapers too showed mostly amusement Tuesday at the unscripted comments -- particularly the U.S. president's greeting: "Yo, Blair!"

Bush had sounded "more like a rapper than a statesman" said Britain's most popular tabloid, The Sun.

Most UK papers agreed that Blair had fared the worse over the microphone mishap. The remarks provided a unique insight into the relationship between the two men, said The Independent.

It had "done little to rebuff suspicions that the prime minister is something of a Washington poodle" said the Opposition Conservative-supporting Daily Mail.

Kevin McGuire in the Daily Mirror said that Britain's "eager" MP had been shown up seeing himself "as a diplomat in the service of the U.S. government, offering to go to the Middle East on behalf of the U.S. government."

The left-leaning Guardian said Blair "all but offers to carry her (Condoleezza Rice's) bags". "He sounds less like the head of a sovereign government than a Bush official, waiting for the boss's green light -- which he does not give," the newspaper said.

Some of the text of the Bush-Blair conversation was as follows:

Bush: What about Kofi Annan? I don't like the sequence of it. His attitude is basically cease-fire and everything else happens.

Blair: I think the thing that is really difficult is you cant stop this unless you get this international presence agreed.

Bush: She's going. I think Condi's going to go pretty soon.

Blair: Well that's all that matters. If you see, it will take some time to get out of there. But at least it gives people ...

Bush: It's a process I agree. I told her your offer too.

Blair: Well it's only or if she's gonna or if she needs the ground prepared as it were. See, if she goes out she's got to succeed as it were, where as I can just go out and talk.

Bush: See the irony is what they need to do is get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this shit and it's over.

Blair: Cause I think this is all part of the same thing. What does he think? He thinks if Lebanon turns out fine, if he gets a solution in Israel and Palestine, Iraq goes in the right way, he's done it. That's what this whole things about. It's the same with Iran.

Bush: I feel like telling Kofi to get on the phone with Assad and make something happen. We're not blaming Israe
Find this article at:
http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europ ... index.html
l and we're not blaming the Lebanese government.

Copyright 2006 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.