PASS THE THIMBLE:

We'll all pay a heavy price for poisoning America's Irish stew (David Quinn, March 16, 2003, The Sunday Times)

On Thursday I shook the hand of the world¹s most reviled man. No, not Saddam Hussein but George Bush. The occasion was the St Patrick's Day reception in the White House. It was a very small affair compared with the days of Bill Clinton. Only about 60-80 people were present and of that number probably less than a quarter were Irish.

The fact that Bush turned up at all was a minor miracle. The previous day he had cancelled all engagements to muster support for a further United Nations resolution and it was entirely possible that he might have done so again on Thursday. But he met Bertie, accepted the bowl of shamrock, discussed the north and Iraq and then addressed the reception--again talking about the north--after which he met anyone who wanted to meet him.

That he showed up at all reveals how patient the Americans are with the Irish. It also highlights how successfully the government has walked the tightrope between pacifying domestic opinion, which is mostly anti-war and anti-American, and maintaining good relations with America--still our best friend in the world.

It's as well for the friendship that Bush wasn¹t at the bash in the Irish ambassador's residence that night because it would have been put severely to the test. Almost every Irish person at the reception who offered an opinion was against the impending war against Iraq ‹ and loathed Bush. All the usual fabricated nonsense was being spouted. It¹s about oil; the Americans armed Iraq in the first place; Bush is the real threat to world peace.

Dealing with this level of ignorance is like draining an ocean with a thimble, but let's try anyway.

In fairness, it must be noted that a Judd ancestor was lynched by the Irish, but it still seems fair to note that the Irish have an unfortunate affinity for terrorists and terrorism. Posted by Orrin Judd at March 16, 2003 6:51 AM