Bush's man up Kiwi noses

[GregW]

Pretty funny heading for a routine story about yet another unqualified Bush appointee ...

< ... >
Bill McCormick found himself in hot water after telling New Zealanders that "the ball's in your court" in regard to improving NZ-US relations.

He expressed disappointment that a "freedom-loving country" like New Zealand had not joined the US-led invasion of Iraq. And in his first news conference, repeatedly pronounced the ANZUS Treaty as "Anzoo".

Mr McCormick, 66, owns McCormick & Schmicks, a seafood restaurant chain back in the US. He is also supporter and fund-raiser for President George Bush's Republican Party. New Zealand is his first diplomatic posting.

His remarks received a cool response from New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark.
< ... >

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2005/11/17/1132016926327.html?from=top5

[tk2kewl]

1. 'twas the language barrier, apparently

:silly:

THE new US ambassador to New Zealand is trying to recover from a controversial first week in the job by claiming he's been misunderstood because of "language differences".

[MissMarple]

5. Hmm.. English is a difficult language to master.

He is more probably suffering from foot in mouth disease. I'm sure, however, that he will continue to do "a heck of a job".

[MaineDem]

10. Is he trying to master Maori???

Carol Mosely-Braun where are you?

I love New Zealand and I'm so sorry we've sent an idiot there.

[Newsjock]

2. OK, I'm dense... enlighten me

I don't get the "ball's in your court" thing.

But yes, what a moran.

[GregW]

4. If it's any consolation ...

... after living in Australia for 20 years and visiting NZ a number of times ... I don't understand the problem either. I think the Kiwis understand the meaning of the term, just not why the US is forcing the responsibility back on them to join the world-wide freedom-corps.

[TomInTib]

9. My take is "If you want to get along you have to go along" and

send some troops to die in our bullshit occupation of a sovereign country.

[Dead_Parrot]

22. It's a nuclear thing...

After the French pissed NZ off over the Rainbow Warrior, NZ became a "nuclear-free" country (We can't afford nuclear weapons and don't need nuclear power, so it's not much of a sacrifice). Since the US Navy won't say which ships/subs have nuclear weapons or power, none of them can come into NZ waters. Pretty much shredded ANZUS.

The US keep pressuring us to let their ships in, and we keep telling them to go f-ck themselves (diplomatically, of course).

Having said that, I believe there are still NZ Army units in Afghanistan, and there were some in Iraq until Clarke realised what a clusterfuck it was.

Not that the fishmonger would know that.

[DrDan]

3. who's left to piss-off?????

One more success for junior's buffoon-administration

[GregW]

6. At least the Kiwis now have someone to hate as much as the French ...

Google "Rainbow Warrior France" for details.

[PATRICK]

7. Bush's appointments

signify scorn for those not submitting by punishing them with stooges and incompetents. It is a kiss off that seeks to burn all bridges in whatever field he chooses. I wonder if the Alito appointment is going that same way, in essence screwing everyone over who will not submit to his plans to stack the court for strictly Bush purposes. You want abortion? So there, he slaps everyone down. if they can't have their own way, they ruin things more, destroy, humiliate, cause pain and keep going in their basic goals.

Which it seems can only mean terror and war and vote rigging and media control. Faced with sure GOP defeat they might leave all vote fraud for their stooges and radicals and let the moderates take the fall so that they can ruin things and come back more entrenched in the party than ever. Fear and retaliation or accommodation is still the game in Bush town. It is about time the scattered opposition gets a grip on taking the
whole game down- now.

[xxqqqzme]

8. yet another 'either you're w/ us

or you're with the enemy', who's the most incompetent crony we can appoint ambassador to New Zealand decision. New Zealand is a loooonnnngggg way away from home billmick. It can get kinda of lonely w/ no other person around talking 2 you.

Neo-con policy of arrogance reaches New Zealand.

[Megahurtz]

11. New Zealand is too smart for that. n/t

[sofa king]

12. New Zealand has already suffered through conservative economics

I've only been to NZ once, so we'll need a real Kiwi to fill us in, but here's my vague recollection of what's happened in New Zealand in the past twenty years or so. See if it sounds familiar.

Beginning in the late 1980s "free market liberal" economists in the Labor Party contrived a policy of privatization and lowering of trade barriers. This was continued with a vengeance after a landslide 1990 election in which the conservative National Party took over.

By 1999, most heavy industries within New Zealand had shut down or moved offshore, the economy had "recovered" without providing new jobs, and the standard of living had declined to the point where the median wage in New Zealand is now roughly $18,000/yr USD. The Nationals were thrown out, but the damage was already done.

In recent years, the National Party played the race card against the Maoris in a bid to regain power, but with limited success.

Now does it make sense that the Bush Admnistration is sending uninformed idiots over to deal with the Kiwis? There's a pretty decent chance that Bush doesn't even know where New Zealand is, and the fact that Kiwis are trying to reject the very philosophy the right wing is trying so hard to force upon Americans doesn't help, either.

[Tanuki]

13. How insulting

to a friendly ally like New Zealand, to appoint such an unqualified hack as McCormick. Bush never misses an opportunity to screw up.

[twenty4blackbirds]

14. Kiwis enjoy a good joke as much as Americans

:-)

[NewHampshireDem]

15. I love Helen Clark

I can totally see her saying "We're always happy to have a dialogue, so the ball's in everybody's court, I guess" a giving a little bit of a wtf-look. :wtf:

Since National didn't win enough votes to take over from the Labour-led coalition, they won't be able to make good on their dumbass remarks and the nuke-free zone will remain in effect, I'm sure that really smokes *'s ass that the US has to keep its business out of NZ's waters.

Oh, and BTW, I will never eat at McCormick & Schmicks now that I know the owner is an asshat *bot.

And congrats to NZ on getting the 2011 Rugby World Cup! :bounce: Though I'm sure if McCormick ever takes in an All Blacks match, he'll want to know why there are white people on the team.

[MaineDem]

16. The haka will scare him away

:D

[Amonester]

19. Excellent idea! :-) DUers: LET'S ALL BOYCOTT McComic &

Schmicks

Oops... Sorry. heh-heh-hee McCormick & Schmicks

Oh how I wish that idiot Antichrist-enabler would just go bankrupt... :party:

[stumblnrose]

17. I will never eat there again

All over Seattle, one of those chains that pretends it is not a chain.

[0007]

18. Count me in too! I'll go hungry before eating there again. n/t

[truthisfreedom]

20. it's the parade of the amateur officials... bush-style!

it's almost as if bushco is attempting to destroy the United States' credibility all over the world... no, wait... BUSHCO IS ACTUALLY DESTROYING THE CREDIBILITY OF THE US!

[Lisa]

21. all the Kiwis I know are reasonable, easygoing people ...

So I can only conclude that this so-called "diplomat" is incompetent.

I suppose that Ambassador McCormick, forgetting that he is a novice, decided that he could bully and hector New Zealand just because it's smaller than the US. Notice how polite Prime Minister Clark is being ... but I have a feeling that unless the ambassador smartens up, he will be sorry that he ever accepted the post. I only wish that my country, Canada, would have the courage to stand up to the Bush Administration like that!