By Who is the next Abe Lincoln? According to South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, he is:
His decision to appoint Uri Party hopefuls Kim Geun-tae and Chung Dong-young as health and unification ministers was equally disappointing, he said. Roh compared himself to U.S. president Lincoln, saying his appointment of Kim and Chung to his Cabinet was motivated by “a similar engagement principle.†“I did the same as Lincoln. The difference is that I came under fire for doing so. It’s very depressing. I tried to copy Lincoln but it didn’t work. It’s no fun at all.â€
Was this speech supposed to be his Gettysburg Address to unite the nation?Â
I have to agree with Nomad, this guy has finally lost it. Look at this quote:
He said the Korean military “is perfectly capable of taking wartime operational control of its troops.†“We make good mobile phones, cars and ships; why not wartime operational control?" he demanded.
WTF? Please tell me this was a translation error. If he wants operational control so bad than why does he keep doing everything possible to delay it to include delaying the USFK consolidation at Camp Humphreys? If you make such damn good cell phones than give General Bell a call and let him know you want to take operational control in 2009 since you say you are ready.Â
Could you imagine what would be said if President Bush just went off about his former cabinet members such as Colin Powell and Donald Rumsfeld or his political opponents like Roh just did to his? It would be world news and President Bush would be instantly marginalized and condemned. I guess this explains Roh’s 5.7% approval rating.
Anyway, if President Roh wants to be Abe Lincoln how about he starts by condemning slavery of North Korean refugees in China?Â
3:57 am on December 23rd, 2006 1
Warren G. Harding.
11:01 pm on December 23rd, 2006 2
I commented on One Free Koreas (I think it was) that instead of comparing Roh and Abe, we should look at De Gualle and we'd get a good perspective on why Roh is so wrong for his people.
De Gualle used highly stubborn nationalism to be a pain in the neck to the allies when he was even at his weakness. And he eventually kicked NATO (US) troops out of France —- but —- he only did so once it was safe to do so; once the West Germany buffer state had been set up and he also knew there was no way the Soviet Union and Iron Curtain states could attack the French without automatic involvement of the US and UK.
That is where Roh differs: he really does believe, I think, NK is not a threat to South Korea at all — that they only threat from the North is that they might strike US military targets in Korea.
The vast majority of Koreans agree that NK won't attack the South ——– but that vast majority believes so because the US is in Korea as a tripwire. They do not share Roh and crew's confidence NK is a true brother.
But, when writing this out yesterday, it dawned on me:
where else do we see Roh-type speeches like this?
It's highly interesting:
Chavez in, what is it, Venezuela
Castro in Cuba
Before, Kahdafi in Libya
The leaders in Iran
and Pyongyang just to name a few….
Even when France is sticking it US foreign policy – using De Gualle's game plan as a rough guide – they don't go to the depths Roh does – even if Roh isn't up there with Kim Jong Il in his pronouncements.
He does sound a little like Chavez from time to time.
1:38 am on December 24th, 2006 3
Good point he does sound like Chavez, he only missed calling President Bush the devil.
5:26 am on December 25th, 2006 4
The Lincoln comparison is not news. As soon as Roh got into office, he changed the information on the Blue House website to call himself the sixteenth president, just like Lincoln. He also played up the fact that he was a lawyer who didn't go to college, just like Lincoln. I'm sure if you had your way, since Roh is uppity about being a vassal state of the US, that you'd prefer Roh end his presidency just like Lincoln, too.
6:00 am on December 25th, 2006 5
Actually I prefer President Roh to leave office in uder irrelevancy because it will mean South Korea will not elect an incompetent president again for some time. If someone was to assassinate him it would only lionize him and obscure his record of incompetence. Plus the fifth column in South Korea would come up with conspiracy theories that the CIA did it no matter how illogical the claims are.
It is kind of interesting that you call SK a vassal of the US when it is the US that is trying to downsize and get out of Korea while the South Koreans are the ones delaying the downsizing and withdrawal of US forces. If SK is a US vassal like you claim, this just shows its a willing vassal.