There has been a lot of talk in the last couple of days about the interviews Bush did with two German media outlets. By now, there have been numerous diaries on his best moment as president, about the perch that wasn't, about W. calling my Chancellor "Angela", plus a lot of second guessing.
But there is more to these interviews. So, if you would like a German Kossack's two cents on the two Bush interviews take a look below the fold.
Debunking a myth:
It was not a perch!
I was generally amazed yesterday to see how hard it is to debunk a myth once it has gotten some traction. I wrote numerous comments on kos front page diary Bush lied about that perch. It clearly was a translation screw up. When Reuters first reported the story there was no original version of the interview available as Reuters stated in their last paragraph:
Because Bild could not immediately furnish English quotes, Bush's comments were translated from the German. The paper said the White House planned to release an authorized English version of the interview on Monday.
The translation in Bild was "Barsch". Now, that in itself wasn't wrong. But it wasn't specific either. Because "Barsch" is a very general term and there are a whole variety of them. For example there is the "Wolfsbarsch" which would be a bass and then there is the "Flussbarsch" which would be a perch. In essence Reuters gambled in their translation on whether it was a bass or a perch. In the end it turned out to be a large mouth bass. Someone said yesterday in the comments that that fish doesn't even exist in Germany. So why should Bild bother translating it correctly. A "Barsch" will do. As a German Kossack I would generally be more inclined to give more credit to the accuracy of the White House transcripts than to Bild. Yes, Bild is that bad. What we lack in a Fox News style network we have in Bild.
The quote from the White House transcript states the following:
The best moment was -- you know, I've had a lot of great moments. I don't know, it's hard to characterize the great moments. They've all been busy moments, by the way. I would say the best moment was when I caught a seven-and-a-half pound large mouth bass on my lake. (Laughter.)
Q Perfect.
"Q" was Kai Diekmann who is editor-in-chief of Bild. Bild is a phenomenon that, as far as I'm aware, does not exist anywhere else in the world, certainly not in America. The paper was founded shortly after WWII. It has "strict guidelines" for it's journalists as Diekmann himself stated at the beginning of the interview:
BILD has 12 million readers. It's the largest newspaper in Germany. And there's one thing which is really special about our newspaper -- every German who wants to work for the newspaper, he has to sign in his working contrasts some beliefs -- and there's the belief you have to be for reunification, you have to be against totalitarianism from riots on the right side and the left side, and you have to be for the peace and for the understanding with Israel, and, since September 11th, we have a new belief -- you have to be for partnership with America. Otherwise, you can't work for us, you can't come -- you have to sign it in your contract.
What you don't sign in your contract is that you have to be accurate. Bild is every intellectual's and indepently thinking person's worst nightmare. It's practically no more than a tabloid. But it holds a monopoly in Germany. It's everywhere. It can start a campaign against anyone or anything whenever it likes. Protests in the sixties were as much against Bild as against the Vietnam War. Bild is really despised by the left. On the bottom fold of their frontpage they always have a pin up girl (the Brits have at least the decency to put that on page 3). My father used to read Bild every morning when I grew up. So my first sight of the day was a naked woman upside down. There may be a reason for me being gay now after all... (don't believe the naked woman stuff? go to their website and surf around. You don't need to know any German to get the picture what kind of "newspaper" Bild is)
Essentially the interview with Bild was easy. If Bush got into trouble he has no one to blame but himself. Some "questions" Diekmann asked:
Okay, so I would like to start. Mr. President, the fifth anniversary of the terrible 9/11 attack is nearing. Has the Western world really learned the right lessons from 9/11?
Do you really believe we have a chance to win the war against terrorism?
We have to learn in dealing with the Muslim world. Do we learn the right lessons? Do we have to deal in a different way with the Muslim world?
How important is the partnership between the United States and Europe when it comes to the war on terror?
In this context, is Russia a reliable democratic partner?
What role must Germany play in the war on terror?
Taking a look at the past, do the Americans feel that the Germans abandoned them when they went to war with Saddam Hussein?
The dictator is on trial now, but at the same time, the violence in Iraq is getting worse. Is it really a victory? Is the war against Iraq really a success?
Iran is on the way to a nuclear program. How are we going to prevent them from making true what they threaten us, for example, in destroying Israel?
The German Chancellor and the new head of state, Olmert of Israel, they said the Iranian President is as dangerous as Adolf Hitler. Do you share their view?
Mr. President, it seems that since Chancellor Angela Merkel took office, the ice age between Washington and Berlin is over. Are good personal ties really so important for the relationship between America and Germany?
Apart from the occasional "really" there is hardly a hint of toughness or criticism in the questions Diekmann asks.
That was a little different with the TV interview with Sabine Christiansen. First, a little background on that show. We don't have Sunday morning talk shows. We have a couple of evening talk shows scattered throughout the week. But they usually have a larger impact because they have a bigger audience. The most successful is "Sabine Christiansen". Christiansen has had three careers by now. She first was a stewardess, later a journalist and anchor of the late evening news and for the last six years or so she has had her own talk show. Her audience share is usually somewhere between 15-20%. A lot of times she is just softballing - that's why almost everyone will come on her show. The show has been criticized a lot because there was a feeling that discussions that should be taking place in parliament were now only taking place in her show. BTW, both Hillary and Bill Clinton promoted their books on her show. Hillary was on there together with then opposition leader Angela Merkel.
I watched her interview Sunday night. And it was really refreshing to listen to the interpreter instead of to Bush himself. The interview was 30 minutes long. At the beginning she was softballing but then she got at Bush. I know BarbinMD has quoted a few lines but it's worth reading in it's entirety and imaging the look Bush gets when questioned in a way he doesn't like. Watching hims squirm was quite a pleasure, I must say. (White House transcript).
Q We Germans seem to be more involved -- have been more involved in the Iraq war than anybody else knew -- involuntarily, I would like to say. Because the U.S. intelligence services used German airports for secret rendition flights, and interrogated, even, German citizens -- hardly what you'd expect, I would say, from a friend and ally.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, on intelligence matters, it's my policy not to talk about them, otherwise they're not intelligence matters anymore. And the questions you ask will be all -- in some cases, analyzed through courts, in some cases through press inquiry. But Germany is a friend.
Q But the behavior itself? Is it behavior for an ally --
THE PRESIDENT: Well, like, what are you talking about?
Q I mean that you do this, that you don't ask for help for some of the ally, that you don't inform the ally and so on.
THE PRESIDENT: On like what subject, for example?
Q Like these flights, for example.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, again, you're asking me to talk about intelligence matters that I'm not going to talk about. And people can say whatever they want to say, but we work closely with Germany on all kinds of fronts in order to protect ourselves.
Q Then let me ask you about the image of the United States, especially for us Germans after the war, the United States stood as the symbol of liberty, for democracy. And then we saw these -- we saw Abu Ghraib, we saw Guantanamo, and these seemed suddenly to be signals that you're abandoning these values of democracy and liberty. And how do you want to repair them?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, it's absurd to say America is abandoning our values. No question Abu Ghraib was a disgrace for our country. But I think people ought to take a look at what happened afterwards -- and those who are responsible for that disgraceful behavior have been held to account, have been tried, have been, in some cases, dismissed from our military.
We're at war with an enemy. And we've got to protect ourselves. And, obviously, the Guantanamo issue is a sensitive issue for people. I very much would like to end Guantanamo; I very much would like to get people to a court. And we're waiting for our Supreme Court to give us a decision as to whether the people need to have a fair trial in a civilian court or in a military court.
But in either case, they will get a trial which they, themselves, were unwilling to give to the people that they're willing to kill -- "they," the enemy.
And so it's -- no, listen, our country is strong on human rights and civil rights. That's why we're leading the case in funding for HIV/AIDS in Africa. That's why we're trying to rally the nation to do something about Darfur -- the genocide in Darfur. That's why we provide food for the hungry. That's why we try to liberate people when we find them in the clutches of tyranny.
Q So you said you had to do more?
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, we are doing a lot.
Q I understand, like, $320 billion that the Iraq war cost -- a lot of people are saying --
THE PRESIDENT: It's worth it. It's worth it. I wouldn't have spent it if it wasn't worth it. Any time we put a troop in harm's way, they will get support. We're not going -- I'm not going to ask a parent -- I'm not going to be able to tell a parent, nor will I tell a parent your son, who volunteered, or your daughter who volunteered is not going to get the full support of the federal government. And so long as we've got people in harm's way, this government is going to support them.
Q Let me ask you another question to the war on terrorism. How do you want, really, to fight terrorism when you are so dependent on Arabian oil?
THE PRESIDENT: That's an interesting question. I've never thought of it that way. The first thing we ought to do is get off oil.
Q That's what you said.
THE PRESIDENT: And I mean that. Yes, I know.
Q Do you mean that, really?
THE PRESIDENT: Absolutely. Oil has become -- it's an economic risk for us. I mean, after all, if the oil -- if the demand for oil goes up in India or China, fast-growing economies, it affects the price of gasoline in the United States and in Germany. It's also a national security issue, obviously. Oil comes from unstable parts of the world. So I'm absolutely serious about getting off of oil.
Q Because we, in Europe, we asked this when we heard your speech, and we said oil is now --
THE PRESIDENT: You don't believe old George W.?
Q Gasoline is now, let's say $70 a barrel. And we said if we look at the United States, your gasoline is still so -- I mean, the prices are so low, and we are paying so much money. Why haven't you raise taxes, energy taxes or something if you really mean it?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, because the best way to do it is through technological change. You don't have to tax the working people. And, well, in order -- what?
I must say, even though I don't like Sabine Christiansen, I was a little bit proud of her for actually questioning him.
Now, in Germany there has been some speculation why Diekmann and Christiansen got these fairly long interviews. Well, Bild is owned by the "Springer Verlag" which is headed by Friede Springer. Both Friede Springer and Sabine Christiansen were sitting together on the balcony of parliament watching on and smiling fondly as Angela Merkel was sworn in as chancellor. Link to picture. Sabine Chrisiansen sits second from right and Friede Springer on the far right, with Christiansen taking a look at that day's "Bild".
As for W. calling Chancellor Merkel "Angela". That's not that big of a deal here. We know that Americans can be less formal and when a President calls a Chancellor by his/her first name it's a signal of friendship and appreciation. I recall Bill Clinton calling Chancellor Kohl "Helmut" on several occasions.
If you want another German perspective on Bush and his interviews read Spiegel's The Most Powerless Man in the World. Spiegel is Germany's main weekly magazine and has several articles also in English.
Holde Anemone - My German Blog