Oh, his Virgin Ears!

My goodness, what is it with these kids today? Why must they use such harsh language and shout so?

Bush 'Taken Aback' by Musharraf Comment

WASHINGTON - President Bush said Friday he was "taken aback" by a purported U.S. threat to bomb Pakistan back to the Stone Age if it did not cooperate in the fight against terrorism after the Sept. 11 attacks.

He praised Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf for being one of the first foreign leaders to come out after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to stand with the U.S. to "help root out an enemy."

At a joint White House news conference, Musharraf said a peace treaty between his government and tribes along the Pakistan- Afghanistan border is not meant to support the Taliban.

He said news reports had mischaracterized the deals. "The deal is not at all with the Taliban. This deal is against the Taliban. This deal is with the tribal elders," Musharraf said.

Said Bush: "I believe him."

He said that Musharraf had looked him in the eye and vowed that "the tribal deal is intended to reject the Talibanization of the people and that there won't be a Taliban and there wont be al-Aqaida (in Pakistan)."

More "straight-shootin, I looked in his eyes and I believe what's in his heart" policy by Prezint Normal McDrinkbeerwithhimson.

In an interview to air Sunday on CBS-TV's "60 Minutes" program, Musharraf said that after the attacks, Richard Armitage, then deputy secretary of state, told Pakistan's intelligence director that the United States would bomb his country if it didn't help fight terrorists.

He said that Armitage had told him, "Be prepared to go back to the Stone Age."

Armitage has disputed the language attributed to him but did not deny the message was a strong one.

Asked about the report, Bush said, "The first I heard of this is when I read it in the newspaper. I guess I was taken aback by the harshness of the words."

For his part, Musharraf declined to comment and cited a contract agreement with a publisher on an upcoming book. However, he told CBS the Stone Age warning "was a very rude remark."

Wev. Look, we all know that Bush and his gaggle of insane commandos have no problem whatsoever with harsh, threatening language. I have no idea if Armitage really said this or not, but let's just say it's not too difficult to believe. Bush and his cronies love to do the big bomb prickwave, and we know they're not above thuggish threats.

I just find Bush's "My goodness gracious" reaction to be pretty amusing.

(Mister Cross-post... bring me a dream...)