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A couple of weeks ago I posted the following comment in an Evening Open Thread:
Neo-con alert

BBC "Hard Talk": Jose Maria Aznar (24 July 2006)

Stephen Sackur talks to Spain's former Prime Minister about the global war on terror and about why he feels his party lost the last election in Spain following the Madrid train bombs.

THIS INTERVIEW WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING SHORTLY.

Iraq, Afghanistan and now Lebanon. All of them are on the frontlines in the global war on terror according to the Bush administration.

This view causes unease in some parts of Europe but not for former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar. He is still a close ally of George W Bush.

Is he out of step with his own continent?

I was alerted to this by La Vanguardia, which claims that Aznar would admit NATO bommbings of Lebanon if Israel was a member of NATO. Which I suppose sheds some light on our recent discussions of Israel in NATO and NATO in Lebanon. This just confirms that the answer should be 'no' to both questions.
Well, today at Ignacio Escolar's blog I found a version of the video with Spanish subtitles (the English transcript, Spanish translation and subtitled video were done by three other Spanish bloggers). The transcript is absolutely appalling. Aznar is a semi-literate idiot, especially in English. And to think Georgetown University gave him a 1-year lectureship as a reward for his services rendered as imperial puppet... The full interview is available on BBC's website.

Nothing is 'mere'. — Richard P. Feynman
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Mon Aug 7th, 2006 at 05:29:29 PM EST
This is the first time I've ever seen him talk at length, and I was shocked not only at how bad his English is (why doesn't he just use an interpreter?) and appalled at how much more of a Neocon he is than I'd ever imagined. He belongs in a DC "think" tank.

How did Spain tolerate him for eight years?!

by Matt in NYC on Tue Aug 8th, 2006 at 02:00:52 AM EST
[ Parent ]
I offer you a deal: if you diary the interview I diary how we tolerated him for 8 years.

I provided a link to the English transcript, complete with the grammatical mistakes (like no -ed or -s at the end of verbs). The guys who translated and subtitled the video did Aznar a favour and translated what he meant, not what he said. But the actual text would have been too unbelievable.

Of course he belongs in a DC thonk tink, he taught International Relations at Georgetown [in English!!] for an academic year after he left power [his lectures about Spanish history and the war on civilization are legendary], and he's been appointed to Murdoch's board of directors (just like Blair will).

Oh, BTW, how does the US tolerate Bush? His English is not much better.

Nothing is 'mere'. — Richard P. Feynman

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Aug 8th, 2006 at 03:41:21 AM EST
[ Parent ]
the war on civilization

hehe, I meant "The War of Civilizations", but the truth came out.

Nothing is 'mere'. — Richard P. Feynman

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Aug 8th, 2006 at 06:01:56 AM EST
[ Parent ]
"He's from Barcelona."
-Sybil Fawlty, Fawlty Towers

(I know Spanish people are probably sick of Manuel. I'm Swedish, please feel free to bring up the Chef. Bork, bork.)

But seriously, is the answer going to be "The Economy"?


-----
sapere aude

by Number 6 on Tue Aug 8th, 2006 at 09:28:57 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Lily Sloane , Star Trek First Contact:

Picard: "They are the Borg"
Sloane: "Borg? that sounds Swedish"

And later, after meeting Borg drones:

Sloane: "Definitely not Swedish".

by Alex in Toulouse on Tue Aug 8th, 2006 at 10:14:29 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Well, they are mindless drones that don't think for themselves, have a strange sense of fashion and do tedious, repetitive work very well.
Except for the added-in-committee Sloane character this was a great film.

-----
sapere aude
by Number 6 on Tue Aug 8th, 2006 at 10:19:00 AM EST
[ Parent ]
No. The short answer is someone else had to win the elections after 14 years of Felipe Gonzalez, and the PSOE was demoralised, and floundered in 2000.

Nothing is 'mere'. — Richard P. Feynman
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Aug 8th, 2006 at 09:35:07 AM EST
[ Parent ]
I loved the ETR..

Asnar I fight terrorism. I fight ETA in Spain. E. T. R was ...
Journalist Windows Spell Check: You mean E. T. A.
Asnar: Whatever

A pleasure

I therefore claim to show, not how men think in myths, but how myths operate in men's minds without their being aware of the fact. Levi-Strauss, Claude

by kcurie on Tue Aug 8th, 2006 at 11:48:41 AM EST
[ Parent ]
That's because he says "Eee Tee Aah", and the journalist says "Eee Tee Aye?".

Nothing is 'mere'. — Richard P. Feynman
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Aug 8th, 2006 at 11:54:34 AM EST
[ Parent ]
He actually says Ahaggr.. a sort of soft gggr appears at the end... what the hell was he thinking???? I thought he had some problems with the voice...but he repeats the mistake...

In any case, I was so puzzled when he says itiaahhhrg...that I have to love the journalist...Priceless.

A pleasure

I therefore claim to show, not how men think in myths, but how myths operate in men's minds without their being aware of the fact. Levi-Strauss, Claude

by kcurie on Tue Aug 8th, 2006 at 12:01:37 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Eppp.. this has been linked by escolar in Spain....so I made my best in spanish...

have a try..it has been front paged for you

Para los de escolar
or

Practicando español

A pleasure

I therefore claim to show, not how men think in myths, but how myths operate in men's minds without their being aware of the fact. Levi-Strauss, Claude

by kcurie on Wed Aug 9th, 2006 at 04:10:10 PM EST
[ Parent ]

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