Montreal crowd tells Bush, "give Peace a chance"

[Get ready to overdose on irony. Don't say I didn't warn you.]

In a moment of irony which was not lost upon Canadians, George W. Bush spoke on Thursday at the same Montreal hotel where John Lennon and Yoko Ono recorded the antiwar anthem "Give Peace a Chance" in 1969.

Queen Elizabeth Hotel, Montreal - The hotel reached worldwide fame when John Lennon and Yoko Ono, who had been refused entry into the United States, conducted their Bed-In and recorded the song Give Peace a Chance in Room 1742 at the hotel, between May 26 and June 2, 1969.

While Bush was cracking jokes inside, he was being burned in effigy by protestors outside.

Chants of "George Bush terrorist" echoed in the street as some of the 300 protesters lashed out at the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal for rolling out the red carpet for him.

Many protesters said he should be arrested and charged with war crimes.

Inside the hotel, nearly 1,000 spectators paid as much as $400 to hear Bush speak during the latest stop on his Canadian tour.

He got a standing ovation when he first took the podium to address the eager audience.

"I believe in free speech -- except not today," he quipped, drawing laughs and a huge applause.

In a doubly ironic statement, Bush said "I believe in free speech -- except not today." On the one hand it is ironic in the way he intended, because he was being paid somewhere around $100,000 to speak that day. And on the other hand, it was ironic because of the assault on free speech during his two terms as President.

The statement was reminiscent of another Bush quote: "If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator."



Humor can sometimes give insight to a person's true character. In this case his extemporaneous jokes about free speech and dictatorships reveal the heart of a fascist who has no respect for the fundamental principles upon which this nation was founded.

More irony

Haven't had enough irony? How about this. Apart from Bush's speech in Montreal he is touring the country giving motivational speeches. That's right - "motivational speeches".

Former Republican President George W. Bush - last seen inspiring millions to vote Democratic - has landed a new gig as a high-priced motivational speaker.

The 43rd President and his wife, Laura, have signed on to the popular "Get Motivated" seminar program. Bush will headline his first event this Monday in Forth Worth, Tex., then follow it up with an appearance in San Antonio in December.

And the title of the seminar that Bush will highlight. Get ready for this. You're going to love it.

Tomorrow the former president will be the main attraction at a Get Motivated program, speaking at a seminar about ''How to Master the Art of Effective Leadership''.
[...]
The disclosure of Mr Bush's post-presidential role has already inspired jokes at his expense. Larry Sabato, a professor of political science at the University of Virginia, said: "Maybe it will be 'I'm the model of what you shouldn't be.'"

Ah, the irony. I warned you.