Radio Silence?

6:35 pm EST September 19th, 2006 | Politics | 12 Comments

Anyone find it troubling that an apparently democratic government has been deposed in Thailand and our state department isn’t saying anything? Then again, the Bush government has been pathetically pro-coup since its own unorthodox path to power.

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12 Responses to “Radio Silence?”

  1. bill says:
    September 19, 2006 at 11:39 pm

    Yes. Perfect silence regarding the fact that Muslims are taking over another country by force. A fact you seems to gloss over as well.

  2. Ian says:
    September 20, 2006 at 1:23 am

    ODub glossing over facts, you don’t say.

  3. Tuco Ramirez the Rat says:
    September 20, 2006 at 1:28 am

    You know, it’s really embarrassing when you show your lack of sophistication like this:

    It took two seconds to find this:

    International reaction to the coup was muted largely because details of the situation were scarce.

    John Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice cut short a meeting at the United Nations to try to get more information from the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok.

    “We think it’s important, in the short term, that we have peace in the streets in Bangkok, and that their constitutional processes be upheld,” Bolton said.

    In Oliver’s world, in the face of any international development, government officials should immediately step in front of the media and blather on about things they know nothing about, because, you know, like they just happened, and nobody knows what’s going on yet.

    Foreign policy is not a blog, genius.

  4. Oliver Willis says:
    September 20, 2006 at 3:28 am

    Yes, the same gang who couldn’t wait to get into Iraq to find those WMDs couldn’t be bothered to express some concern at a democratic government being toppled by a military coup.

  5. Jay says:
    September 20, 2006 at 9:00 am

    Yes, the same gang who couldn’t wait to get into Iraq to find those WMDs couldn’t be bothered to express some concern at a democratic government being toppled by a military coup.

    Oliver, there were quotes all over the place from State Department officials. But because they didn’t magically appear on the state department website, you act as if nobody said anything!

    What did you want them to do? Get on television and sob hysterically about the situation?

    Good grief.

  6. frameone says:
    September 20, 2006 at 10:23 am

    “Perfect silence regarding the fact that Muslims are taking over another country by force …”

    Way to be an idiot bill.

  7. Duros62 says:
    September 20, 2006 at 11:47 am

    “Perfect silence regarding the fact that Muslims are taking over another country by force …”

    Where does it say that? Anywhere?

    The army chief who ousted Thailand’s prime minister in a bloodless coup said Wednesday that a new, temporary constitution will be enacted within two weeks and a general election will be held in October 2007.

    Army chief Gen. Sondhi Boonyaratkalin told a news conference that he would act as prime minister for two weeks until a new leader “who is neutral and upholds democracy” is found. The new government would not hold on to power for more than a year, he said.

    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14916631/

    Seriously, Bill, try to keep up. I read the stories with a sense of longing.

  8. Tuco Ramirez the Rat says:
    September 20, 2006 at 1:01 pm

    Jay, if they got on television and sobbed hysterically, Oliver would be pouting about how the reaction was premature and counterproductive.

    But it’s not about substance for OW, it’s about finding the thinnest nail upon which to hang a (nonsensical) criticism of the Executive Branch. And this post makes it just all the more transparent.

    Not even one of his most ardent admirers came out to defend him on this one.

    Besides, what part of “We think it’s important, in the short term, that we have peace in the streets in Bangkok, and that their constitutional processes be upheld” isn’t an expression of concern?

    Maybe we should turn the question around: Why don’t Democrats think it’s important enough to allow an up or down vote in the Senate, so that there’s an Ambassador to the U.N. who can respond to world events?

  9. Eric says:
    September 20, 2006 at 4:40 pm

    Bill,

    WTF are you talking about? The Thai army is Muslim? I suppose that would be news to the vast majority of the Thai population being as they are Budhists.

    Are you confusing Indonesia and Thailand doofus? They are completely different countries.

  10. bill says:
    September 21, 2006 at 9:06 pm

    Get your facts right Eric – From AP “Sondhi, who is known to be close to Thailand’s revered constitutional monarch, will serve as acting prime minister, army spokesman Col. Akarat Chitroj said. Sondhi, well-regarded within the military, is a Muslim in this Buddhist-dominated nation.”

    We all know what happens when Muslims take over…heads start to roll. It may have been a “bloodless coup”, but it’s only the beginning my friend.

  11. Eric says:
    September 22, 2006 at 4:46 pm

    Bill Your own quote makes my point one guy is a Muslim in a Budhist dominated country. He didn’t take over, the entire Army did.

    Also I’d suspect a Muslim who serves as a high ranking army officer in a Budhist country who is well respected isn’t exactly gonna be a Bin Laden jihadist.

    As for the rest of your stereotyping nonsense. Ever hear of Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Malaysia, just to name a few countries off the top of my ruled by Muslims that aren’t causing heads to roll?

  12. Duros62 says:
    September 23, 2006 at 2:01 pm

    the army is also loyal to the king, not binLaden.