Video: Bush awards Medal of Freedom to Blair, Howard, Uribe
posted at 3:45 pm on January 13, 2009 by Allahpundit
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A bittersweet farewell to America’s two most stalwart allies in the war on terror, both now out of office. The clip is brief but the transcript is worthy. I had no idea John Howard was in D.C. the day before 9/11, or what he’d presciently said at the time.
Uribe’s a fine choice, but out of place here. Exit question: Didn’t Dubya forget someone?
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What about Berlusconi?
baldilocks on January 13, 2009 at 3:49 PM
Bless you all for your commitment to freedom and what is right.
Laura in Maryland on January 13, 2009 at 3:51 PM
Didn’t Anzar receive it in 2003?
Topsecretk9 on January 13, 2009 at 3:51 PM
List of all recipients; up to 2004 I think.
baldilocks on January 13, 2009 at 3:58 PM
Four great men on that stage! Amazing site. Congratulations to them all and to our President too.
They will be highly regarded in history. We highly regard them today.
jencab on January 13, 2009 at 3:58 PM
Poland?
SnarkVader on January 13, 2009 at 3:58 PM
I don’t know why you think Pres. Uribe is out of place here. This guy has done an amazing job, and continues to do so while maintaining high popularity. Every day he goes to work he is in more danger of being murdered than P.M. Howard, P.M. Blair and Pres. Bush…combined.
There is more to fighting terrorism than just Al Queda and the Taliban. In Colombia, the FARC, the ELN and the paramilitaries, combine with the mafias/narcotraffickers to make Pres. Uribe’s successes amazing (which is not to say he has no faults…but who doesn’t?)
Blaise on January 13, 2009 at 3:59 PM
Aznar received some sort of medal. He was being accused of hiring a lobby firm to get the medal. I suspect that was a dirty tactic by the islamo-commie media to throw dirt on the honor.
Buddahpundit on January 13, 2009 at 3:59 PM
He forgot Harper. Canadians have been doing most of the heavy lifting, and dying, in Afghanistan.
Gospel Moody on January 13, 2009 at 3:59 PM
Howard looks authentically excited. They’re all deserving of it and much more.
amerpundit on January 13, 2009 at 4:01 PM
Joe the Plumber?
jp on January 13, 2009 at 4:01 PM
Blaise is right, Uribe is in the right company.
Uribe has been a beacon of hope in a tough part of the world. He’s been the proper balance in that region to Chaves.
fudgypup on January 13, 2009 at 4:02 PM
Walter Russel Mead wrote a good book on the subject at play here: “God and Gold”, he should get some recognition of some sort.
jp on January 13, 2009 at 4:02 PM
Berlusconi and Harper are still in office and my be barred from receiving foreign tribute. Just guessing.
Kenrod on January 13, 2009 at 4:02 PM
Thanks Baldilocks…maybe I am thinking of a congressional medal of freedom or something.
Topsecretk9 on January 13, 2009 at 4:03 PM
Jeff Gannon.
Vernon Hardapple on January 13, 2009 at 4:03 PM
The end of an era…I just want Bush to give two more pardon’s.
right2bright on January 13, 2009 at 4:04 PM
bush is probably trying to put heat on Dems to do the Columbia free trade deal
jp on January 13, 2009 at 4:04 PM
Uribe is a good choice, but yes, Aznar is very worthy.
As a bonus, he is a Real Madrid fan and hates Barcelona.
Can’t wait for Barack X’s Medal of Freedom nominees. Ayers? The Butcher of Caracas? Fidel? The Persian Goat F%$#er (Ahmad-i-nejad)?
PimFortuynsGhost on January 13, 2009 at 4:05 PM
I guess this is what I was thinking about
Topsecretk9 on January 13, 2009 at 4:05 PM
+2
thomasaur on January 13, 2009 at 4:06 PM
the Rosenbergs have a medal as well, the traitor that she was.
jp on January 13, 2009 at 4:06 PM
Uribe got screwed by our dems this year, so W is trying to make nice. He deserves it. So does Anzar, he got screwed by the left in Spain and now by W.
Howard is fantastic, Blair an ally in the war, so kudos to all these men.
beththebaker on January 13, 2009 at 4:07 PM
Blair and Howard both took a lot of flak for supporting Bush, so it’s fitting they receive special recognition as Dubya says his final goodbyes as POTUS.
Christien on January 13, 2009 at 4:08 PM
the Rosenbergs have a medal as well, the traitor that she was.
jp on January 13, 2009 at 4:06 PM
Seriously?
At least they had their deserved appointment with “Old Sparky.” Commie scum.
PimFortuynsGhost on January 13, 2009 at 4:09 PM
Blogger ?? Nah.
redrock on January 13, 2009 at 4:11 PM
It’s unlikely to brighten the memory of Blair to the British in the least. I wonder how he can stand to look at himself. He might as well have been leading his true people in the Pali pity parades in London.
BL@KBIRD on January 13, 2009 at 4:14 PM
Uribe fights the War on Terror from the southern flank. When you look at how far Colombia has come under his stewardship, he’s easily the greatest elected leader on the planet.
Golden Boy on January 13, 2009 at 4:15 PM
Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean.
MrScribbler on January 13, 2009 at 4:16 PM
Uribe is just the kind of leader we need to be supporting in S. America
it is too bad that our new president will have more in common with Chavez
joey24007 on January 13, 2009 at 4:24 PM
yeah, check her out:
http://www.medaloffreedom.com/AnnaRosenberg.htm
no mention of the espionage
jp on January 13, 2009 at 4:27 PM
The end of an era. I can’t even imagine 0bama doing anything like this with the same sincerity and dignity that W has had. I felt the same way watching the USS George H W Bush commissioning on Saturday, with tears in my eyes that from now on the POTUS will be a “product” or “brand” and that the great men like these are gone.
Brat on January 13, 2009 at 4:27 PM
good for Uribe!
rob verdi on January 13, 2009 at 4:29 PM
Is this the point where I’m suppossed to declare myself impressed by W’s mediocre leadership, and mediocre (at best) presidency? Maybe if he had balanced budgets, not mismanged Iraq for years,etc..things might have worked out differently.
Turns out, he’s just another big government Republican.
therightwinger on January 13, 2009 at 4:29 PM
BLAIR ON, BABY!
THANKS, DUBYA FOR DOIN’ SOMETHIN’ RIGHT!!!
BLAIR!!! BLAIR!!! BLAIR!!!
Oh and Howard Battlin’ On!!!
A Tony Blair fan site also blogged about this glorious day!
HotAirJosef on January 13, 2009 at 4:30 PM
The fact that Blair, Howard, and Dubya are so unpopular makes this even better b/c it shows their courage. These are four heoric men who despite their faults have helped the world and their own countries more and done the duty of protecting their homelands. God bless.
lavell12 on January 13, 2009 at 4:32 PM
Whatever faults W has had which are many he is a classy guy and a fine American. God Bless!!!
lavell12 on January 13, 2009 at 4:33 PM
jp on January 13, 2009 at 4:27 PM
Actually, the Commie spy was Ethel (Julius’s wife), not Anna. Ethel was sent to hell in June 1953.
PimFortuynsGhost on January 13, 2009 at 4:33 PM
Different Rosenberg, not Julius and Ethel
thomasaur on January 13, 2009 at 4:34 PM
ah, gotcha.
no telling how many commie spies in the DNC never got caught though and today are in the ACLU or DNC
jp on January 13, 2009 at 4:40 PM
I think Uribe’s a fine choice and perfectly appropriate. The fact that the Left refuses to ratify the free trade agreeement with Columbia is just one of the many outrages we have dealt with, and will now be dealt in spades, thanks to the ascendancy of The One.
Buy Danish on January 13, 2009 at 4:47 PM
I can’t wait in a couple of years when Obama hands out medals to Chavez, Ahmadinejad, and a postumus one to Fidel!
Grafted on January 13, 2009 at 5:00 PM
Tony Blair and George Bush. The two great leaders of the free world. Will the world see anything like them in the near future? I doubt it. We shall miss them.
kanda on January 13, 2009 at 5:09 PM
He’ll just take this worldwide.
“Medal of Hope”
Elektra on January 13, 2009 at 5:37 PM
romanus eunt domum
jeff_from_mpls on January 13, 2009 at 5:48 PM
I agree, Stephen Harper is deserving. So would be the founder of the Sunni Awakening. Sad that he got murdered.
KW64 on January 13, 2009 at 6:14 PM
baldilocks on January 13, 2009 at 3:49 PM
These guys couldn’t be bigger social outcasts if they formed a vampire role-playing club.
alex342 on January 13, 2009 at 8:39 PM
John Howard didn’t worry so much about political correctness as our RINO’s do. Here’s a favorite quote. Would that our politicians would stand up like this:
Christian Conservative on January 14, 2009 at 12:53 AM
John Howard is a great man.
Thanks for that quote CC. The right man at the right time for Australia and the world.
ZzzzDad on January 14, 2009 at 2:45 AM
Please, just don’t get me started. Let Mr Blair have his medal and then may he disappear into obscurity, never to be seen or heard of again.
The mere mention of his name is like vinegar in the open wounds inflicted by the foolish, idealistic policies given life by this narcistic man and his sycophants.
He may yet achieve greatness, but he was never remotely close to it while he was Prime Minister of the UK.
YiZhangZhe on January 14, 2009 at 4:17 AM
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