Here's a sign of how far down Dubya has driven the image of the US in the world -- it's not beyond the bounds of possibility that the Republic of Ireland will seek to cancel or otherwise dodge a planned visit of Dubya to Ireland in late June. As we have noted several times, Taoiseach Bertie "Charlemagne" Ahern is the President of the European Union Council until the end of June, and a capstone event consisting of an EU-US summit, to take place at the modern day Aix-la-Chapelle i.e. Dublin, was envisaged. Dubya would come and do one of his whirlwind photo-op foreign tours, getting Karl Rove and Ed Gillespie some material for the November campaign ads.
But as Atrios notes on a related context, the overseas and US media are just on completely different worlds in terms of Iraq coverage these days, and the question of whether the US yesterday attacked a wedding or a den of insurgents has brought things to a head in Ireland. Much as with Aznar right up to 11-M, Bertie has up till now managed to avoid any substantive costs in being part of an unpopular war -- partly by sticking to the official line that we were not, to the point of hyping up our exclusion from the reconstruction contracts as evidence.
There was a debate in the Dail (lower house) today and the government was on the ropes, a deafening silence regarding their attitude to Dubya's visit:
[RTE news] The Tanaiste [Deputy PM], Mary Harney, pointed out that Mr Bush would be in Ireland for an EU/US summit, but did not answer when Mr Higgins [Socialist] asked if she would be comfortable shaking Mr Bush's hand.
[Irish Times] John Gormley [Green] asked if Mr Bush would be bringing a leash with him on his visit to put around the neck of the Taoiseach, as this "would be symbolic of the relationship" between Ireland and the United States.
All this in the middle of an increasingly tendentious election season. With Ireland's VIP government always looking for the electoral short-cut, our American friends shouldn't take it personally if there's a change in Dubya's travel plans. Look for the theme song of Bertie's election campaign to borrow from Jay-Z: "I got 99 problems, but Dubya ain't one."
UPDATE: It gets worse for Bertie: now the Bishop of Killaloe (approx = County Clare) is unhappy:
Speaking on RTE Radio, Bishop Willie Walsh said he feared that the visit, and particularly the protests that are expected, could damage Ireland's relationship with the US.
He questioned whether the high-level talks to take place during the trip required Mr Bush's presence.
Let the excommunications begin!
FURTHER UPDATE: We had meant the references to Charlemagne and Aix-la-Chapelle as a joke. But we were outdone by the pomposity of the EU itself. From Friday's Irish Times:
For the crowning moment in a European political career, there could be no better setting that the Coronation Room in the Town Hall of Aachen, home of Charlemagne, Europe's first great integrator.
Pat Cox beamed as he sat on the podium, waiting to become the first Irishman to receive the Charlemagne Prize, an award established in 1950 to honour those who promote the cause of European unity.
"There he is, Pat Cox, sitting on Charlemagne's throne," said Mr Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, who gave a warm, witty appraisal of Mr Cox's career in Europe.
But as Atrios notes on a related context, the overseas and US media are just on completely different worlds in terms of Iraq coverage these days, and the question of whether the US yesterday attacked a wedding or a den of insurgents has brought things to a head in Ireland. Much as with Aznar right up to 11-M, Bertie has up till now managed to avoid any substantive costs in being part of an unpopular war -- partly by sticking to the official line that we were not, to the point of hyping up our exclusion from the reconstruction contracts as evidence.
There was a debate in the Dail (lower house) today and the government was on the ropes, a deafening silence regarding their attitude to Dubya's visit:
[RTE news] The Tanaiste [Deputy PM], Mary Harney, pointed out that Mr Bush would be in Ireland for an EU/US summit, but did not answer when Mr Higgins [Socialist] asked if she would be comfortable shaking Mr Bush's hand.
[Irish Times] John Gormley [Green] asked if Mr Bush would be bringing a leash with him on his visit to put around the neck of the Taoiseach, as this "would be symbolic of the relationship" between Ireland and the United States.
All this in the middle of an increasingly tendentious election season. With Ireland's VIP government always looking for the electoral short-cut, our American friends shouldn't take it personally if there's a change in Dubya's travel plans. Look for the theme song of Bertie's election campaign to borrow from Jay-Z: "I got 99 problems, but Dubya ain't one."
UPDATE: It gets worse for Bertie: now the Bishop of Killaloe (approx = County Clare) is unhappy:
Speaking on RTE Radio, Bishop Willie Walsh said he feared that the visit, and particularly the protests that are expected, could damage Ireland's relationship with the US.
He questioned whether the high-level talks to take place during the trip required Mr Bush's presence.
Let the excommunications begin!
FURTHER UPDATE: We had meant the references to Charlemagne and Aix-la-Chapelle as a joke. But we were outdone by the pomposity of the EU itself. From Friday's Irish Times:
For the crowning moment in a European political career, there could be no better setting that the Coronation Room in the Town Hall of Aachen, home of Charlemagne, Europe's first great integrator.
Pat Cox beamed as he sat on the podium, waiting to become the first Irishman to receive the Charlemagne Prize, an award established in 1950 to honour those who promote the cause of European unity.
"There he is, Pat Cox, sitting on Charlemagne's throne," said Mr Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, who gave a warm, witty appraisal of Mr Cox's career in Europe.
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