A Lulu from Lula!
More socialist claptrap has wafted up from the southern hemisphere like so much effluvium from a sewage treatment plant. This time, the rant is courtesy of Brazil’s President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silvamade. According to Sky News’ White People Caused The Credit Crunch
Brazil’s President, while meeting [British Prime Minister] Gordon Brown, has said the global financial crisis was caused by “white people with blue eyes”.
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva made the comments after talks with the Prime Minister to try to forge a global consensus on how to save the worldwide economy.
Sky News’ Joey Jones said it was an “uncomfortable” moment for Mr Brown.
“The President does not mind using fairly flamboyant language. He likes to give extensive answers to journalists.
“But some of it was rather awkward for the Prime Minister, who was standing there listening to the President.
“A few eyebrows will have gone up at what he said.”
Downing Street says the remarks were meant for “domestic consumption”.
Jones said: “People in Brazil are very frustrated and angry at what they feel is the injustice of the situation: a crisis that has essentially come from the banking sectors in places like the United States and the UK, but is affecting their country.”
According to the Financial Times, the Lula da Silva stated
“This crisis was caused by the irrational behaviour of white people with blue eyes, who before the crisis appeared to know everything and now demonstrate that they know nothing.”
There was no need for Brown to feel awkward since Brown’s eyes are, oddly enough, brown. But it might be noted that both George Bush and Dick Cheney have blue eyes. And, according to the Michael Medved Show, and adjusting for the recent election, 38 of our 44 presidents had blue eyes. Hmmm.
But less than a week earlier, Lula was in New York where, at an investor conference sponsored by the Wall Street Journal, he expressed the reasonable concern that the global economic crisis would increase protectionism within the United States and cause a general pullback of spending for imported goods. According to the Wall Street Journal, Lula stated that Brazil and the rest of the world cannot afford for the US to relive the Japan example becuase the US is too important to trade financing. The WSJ opinion writer, Mary Anastasia O’Grady, in referring to Lula da Silva stated that “He has a pretty good level of diplomacy”.
If Lula da Silva has a “pretty good level of diplomacy”, I’d hate to see a leader with a poor level.
