Bush Prods Vietnamese President On Human Rights and Openness

Source: Washington Post

Bush Prods Vietnamese President On Human Rights and Openness

By Peter Baker
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, June 23, 2007; A02



President Bush pressed Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet yesterday to address human rights abuses and open up his communist nation's autocratic system, during the first White House visit by a head of state from Hanoi since the countries were at war.

Bush hailed the growing trade ties between the two former enemies and the signing of a new agreement that could lead to formal free-trade talks. But as flag-waving Vietnamese American protesters demonstrated outside the White House gates, Bush used the opportunity to urge Triet to permit opposition and end crackdowns on religious minorities.

"I also made it very clear that, in order for relations to grow deeper, that it's important for our friends to have a strong commitment to human rights and freedom and democracy," Bush said with Triet at his side in the Oval Office before hosting a lunch of black sea bass and gazpacho. "I explained my strong belief that societies are enriched when people are allowed to express themselves freely or worship freely."

Triet told reporters that he and Bush had a "direct and open exchange" on human rights but offered no indications that he intended to do anything as a result of the discussion. "We are also determined not to let those differences afflict our overall, larger interest," he said.



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/22/AR2007062201217.html?referrer=email

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Where does he come off telling anybody about human rights and openness?

Human rights? Freedom and "democracy?" Hey, Jawj! You 'member that stuff in the King James Bobble about lecturin' yer brother over the mote in his eye whilst you is unable to see the LOG in yer OWN EYE?

Or what?

:rofl:

Yes, Oh Great War President, tell all the heathens about your great Freedom Agenda...

And of course the rest of the world despises us just a little bit more for our incredible hypocrisy.

Thanks, bush. Ignorant MFer.

Does Bu$h realize how foolish he looks to 74% of this country and 99.9% of the rest of the world?

On edit: The only thing worse than Bu$h lecturing anybody on openness, would be Cheney lecturing anybody on openness.

you mean all the clothing i see in the stores that are marked "made in vietnam" are mislabeled? i guess the chinese really are pricing themselves out of the market. yes, the vietnamese work cheaper than the chinese.

I wish one of these world leaders would call him on his bullshit. Why he is shown any respect whatsoever is beyond me. Fuck him

and get it to end with the U.S. as the total winner?

Looks as if he's still bearing a grudge over the war he and the other Republicans avoided fighting.

WHEN HE WAS IN HANOI!
(it's actually the identical message the DLC and its handmaidens have)

to do anything?

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!

NO US president will ever have the moral right to criticize Vietnam. The US lost that morality long ago. Children are still to this day killed by old US-ARVN landmines scattered about the country.

he has the nerve to lectue on this?

Hey, georgie, glass houses and all that.