George Bush did two things this past week that have impressed me. Now, I am not a fan of the guy but I can give someone their due respect when they deserve it.

First, Georgie went out and said in a press conference that Muslims and Christians pray to the same god. A perfectly valid statement that is true. Any theologian with no political agenda will tell you that, a whole lot more of the similarities between the two religions. However, the Chritian Right lobbies in the States went nuts.. they have lobbied all week long for George Bush to make a retracting statement. Why? ... he was right. The only SIGNIFICANT difference between Muslims and Chritians is that for Christians, Christ is the son of God and Christians pray to Christ. In Islam, Christ was just a prophet. He existed, he is revered but not prayed to. He was a prophet of God. That's it... George Bush was right to make the statement and I am glad he did.

If it was planned by the White House than it might show a shift in their thinking. If it was an off hand remark by Georgie himself like he usually makes (and gets in trouble for) during press conferences, then it shows me that atleast he has some semblance of intelligence in him. Either way.. a much appreciated departure from the day to day rhetoric of Washington. But, will it continue to hold in the face of increasing pressure? .. we shall see..

The second thing George did that surprised and impressed me was his little excursion into Iraq and back. Let's first get this clear. This was a publicity gimmick. You will see these same pictures and videos on the campaign trail next year. The news broke in the United States just as American families were thawing their turkeys. It was perfect. It got maximum exposure on all the networks. Good planning.

However, that is not what impressed me. What impressed me is that he went in there. Either he is a courageous man or he is too dumb to realise what he just pulled. People are comparing this to George Bush Senior who did the same thing in the first Iraq war and to Nixon in Vietnam. Those two cases were completely different. There is no comparison.

George Snr. went into the Saudi Arabian desert and had dinner there. That was hundreds and hundreds of miles away from Iraq. Nowhere close to the war zone. Just because there is sand in the background does not mean it's Iraq! Nixon on the other hand went to Vietnam, but the circumstances were different. First there were no surface to air missiles then as there are now. Second, most of the fighting and resistence in Vietnam was guerilla fighting in the jungle. Nixon stayed in the major cities and got out before the Vietnamese knew what was happening. A different circumstance and time all together.

The current George Bush flew into the heart of Iraq, the airport, had dinner at a base that has been attacked some fifty odd times, then boarded the plane and flew back out. Impressive to say the least.

for a saturday, it's already been a heavy news day... here are a couple of good links..

Robert Fisk (reporter extrodinaire) writes from Iraq on the price of free speech in the country.

The CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Channel) has 12 pieces of Uncensored News on the American occupation of Iraq you won't see anywhere else.. Highly recommended.

off to my essays..adieu!