Memories: The Goofball-In-Thief and Foreign Policy (from 2002)

The Goofball-in-Chief
Apparently George Bush asked the president of Brazil, "Do you have Blacks too?"

I don't read German, and neither does Atrios, from whom I'm lifting this--but one of his readers provides a translation of the final paragraph:

"Rice, 47, who noticed how the Brazilian was stunned by the question, saved the situation by explaining to Bush, 'Mr. President, Brazil probably has more blacks than the US; they say it's the country with the most blacks outside Africa.' Afterwards Brazil's President Cardoso judged that, as far as Latin America is concerned, Bush is 'still an apprentice.'"

This one seems to be legit, but even if it does turn out to be some sort of misunderstanding--if Ari Fleischer comes out tomorrow and tells us that the President was actually asking if Brazil had any anthrax, or LoJacks, or some damned thing--the thing is, it passes the smell test, and that's what's scary. It's not hard to believe that the current President of the United States could ask a question like that.

Which segues into this little snippet from the New York Times (I'm too swamped today to find the link to the full story, but you kids are resourceful and clever and I'm sure you'll manage):

A lesson for correspondents covering Mr. Bush: When abroad, stick to English in the president's presence.

Offenders might otherwise find themselves in the situation David Gregory, an NBC News White House correspondent, who appeared to raise Mr. Bush's ire Sunday afternoon at Élysée Palace when he asked a rather in-your-face question to a tired president, then broke into French to seek Mr. Chirac's opinion.

Perhaps Mr. Bush thought the French question was directed at him, or perhaps he thought Mr. Gregory was showing off. Whatever the case, Mr. Bush, his voice dripping with sarcasm, said "Very good, the guy memorizes four words, and he plays like he's intercontinental." (Mr. Gregory offered to go on in French, but that only made things worse.)

"I'm impressed ? que bueno," said Mr. Bush, using the Spanish phrase for "how wonderful." He added: "Now I'm literate in two languages."

I caught a broadcast of the exchange, and it was even more cringeworthy than it reads.

Link...