Cowboy Mouth Diplomacy

Nary a week after Time declared the end of "cowboy diplomacy" from the Bush administration we've got the media fluttering because the president suggested, while sitting around munching peanuts with T-Blair and other G8sters, that Syria and Hezbollah should, and I'm quoting directly here, "stop doing this shit".

For some people this will reinforce deeply-held beliefs that the current occupant of the White House is a tactless churl who cannot maintain the politesse that would otherwise make us less noxious to Europeans. Goodness what an embarrassing fool we have at the helm of our nation they will say -- and Nina Totenberg can be relied upon to offer a commentary during this evening's NPR that will express confusion and dismay.

Except for the fact that most Americans agree with the president. George might be unrefined - and in my opinion the overall effectiveness of this administration is in shambles right now - but this latest blunt language would receive an almost unanimous head-nodding if expressed among the adults at the average neighborhood barbeque. A group of axe-grinding, opportunistic militants attacking Israel for no good reason - backed by sick, backwards nations like Iran and Syria?

They should stop doing that shit.