President’s Speech In Hungary

Posted on June 23, 2006 by Gaius

Commenter Roland made some extensive comments on the speech Bush gave in Hungary on my earlier post. Here's the entire text of Bush's remarks from the White House. I remember reading about the 1956 uprising against the Soviets. I admired their courage and was angry that the US had stood back. I know Roland is a bit jaundiced in his outlook, but do take time to read what he wrote if you get a chance. And do look at the pictures he linked.

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One Response to President’s Speech In Hungary

  1. Roland Hesz says:
    June 23, 2006 at 7:31 am

    Jaundiced – I like it, though I had to look the word up in google :) –
    my prejudice and misconception is a complex thing, rooting in that I love the US, and have many friends over there. And believe me, I trash our political life, left and right, just as much if not more :)

    No, I was frankly just sad about the handling of this thing. The overcautious security – even Putin did not cause such chaos here :) – has spoiled the effect.

    I would have liked to see it a bit less strict, I mean, making an empty stage of the city won’t show how great guy he is.

    One more thing: just to take the side of the Soviets, playing the devil’s advocate.

    “The Red Army killed many who resisted, including women and children. ”

    The reason, that many young soviet soldiers died – who, believe me, did not even want to come here, far from their home -, was that they practically refused to shot at children.
    Not even ones who threw molotov cocktails at their tanks.

    They were standing in front of a shop, and passed the goods to the kids and the money back to the shopkeeper. They wanted peace too – but being shot in the head for not obeying a command makes a bit hard to being a big moralist.

    They were just as much the victims as the people on the street.

    And let me tell you once more: They did not kill children.

    A joke from 56 shows clearly, that it was felt at the time:
    Why didn’t the soviets took the Majakovszkij street?
    Because there was a kindergarden by the elementary school.

    Just thought I will let you know, that the soviet people were not bloodthisty devils.
    And most of all, the soldiers that died here on the order of their superiors, and the ones who lived here for years, far from loved ones, without ever leaving their barracks, were victims too.