Posted by Andreas from dtm2-t9-2.mcbone.net (62.104.210.101) on Friday, May 09, 2003 at 4:08PM :
And this is an US ally talking...
London Mayor Ken Livingstone:
"This [i.e. the US gov] really is a completely unsupportable government and I
look forward to it being overthrown as much as I looked forward to Saddam
Hussein being overthrown."
----------------
BBC
Last Updated: Thursday, 8 May, 2003, 21:44 GMT 22:44 UK
Livingstone attacks President Bush
Livingstone described the Bush administration as "unsupportable"
London Mayor Ken Livingstone has launched an astonishing attack on US
President George W Bush, calling him "corrupt".
Mr Livingstone made his attack during an address to schoolchildren in a
debate on the Iraq war.
He said he would get as much pleasure from Mr Bush being forced out of
office as he had done from the downfall of former Iraq leader Saddam
Hussein.
He is not the legitimate president
Ken Livingstone on George W Bush
The outburst was immediately criticised by London politicians who fear a
negative effect on the mayor's efforts to attract American tourists here.
Mr Livingstone was answering questions on the Iraq war and other subjects
during a two-hour meeting with 200 schoolchildren at City Hall on Thursday
morning.
'Red mist'
After making a pointed reference to Mr Bush, he was asked by Channel 4
broadcaster Krishnan Guru-Murthy, who was chairing the meeting, to explain
his making a personal attack on the US president when he disliked answering
personal questions himself.
The mayor said: "I think George Bush is the most corrupt American president
since Harding in the Twenties.
I've never heard of the fellow
White House spokesman Ari Fleischer on Ken Livingstone
"He is not the legitimate president."
He later added: "This really is a completely unsupportable government and I
look forward to it being overthrown as much as I looked forward to Saddam
Hussein being overthrown."
Conservative mayoral candidate Steve Norris described Mr Livingstone's
attack on President Bush as "utterly irresponsible".
"The red mist comes down and his judgement flies out of the window. He has
no right whatever to insult President Bush," he said.
"He has every right to his own view but not to express it when he is mayor
of this city."
But Mr Livingstone later played down notions his comments could have an
effect on tourism.
The mayor said it was as ridiculous as thinking British tourists would be
put off some holiday destinations because of the opinions held of Tony Blair
by local politicians.
Asked about Mr Livingstone's comments, White House Press Secretary, Ari
Fleischer, said: "First of all, I've never heard of the fellow. Second, I'm
not going to dignify it with a response."
And in a statement, officials from the US embassy in London, said: "Mayor
Livingstone's opinions about the United States are a matter of complete
indifference to the American embassy, the American government and the
American people."
-- Andreas
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