HelloAngel
ONE love, blood, life
http://news.yahoo.com
Oddly Enough - UK Reuters
"Embarrassing" Powell lets his hair down
Thu Aug 1, 5:49 PM ET
By Elaine Monaghan
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei (Reuters) - Top diplomats have had a night of fun at their own expense, laughing at the thought of U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell ( news - web sites) losing his job to a rock star and begging India not to "fry" them with a nuclear bomb.
Satire is not typical in the sober world of international relations but the closing dinner of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations gathering is an annual exception.
Delegations from the 23 participating Asia-Pacific states vie with one another to come up with the funniest skit, singing and dancing their way into a reputation for self-deprecating humour if they set their egos aside long enough.
At this year's gala in Brunei on Thursday, a serious moment almost occurred when some of the hundreds of diplomats attending thought for a minute that film of U.S. President George W. Bush ( news - web sites) ordering Powell to get his act together because of an atrocious performance he gave last year was a live link-up, witnesses said.
The Americans opened the eight-act show with the film, which showed everyone from Bush to the Chinese National Peoples' Congress voting for Powell not to sing.
At the 2001 ASEAN meeting in Vietnam, Powell crooned a version of "El Paso", which is about a cowboy in love -- in this case with a maiden played by former Japanese Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka.
As he played the dying hero, Tanaka flung her arms around his prostrate body and kissed him on the cheek.
This year, Bush and Powell's top aides blamed a wave of governmental protests on the effort last year that prompted a U.S. official to joke Powell had no plans to quit his day job.
Bush said Powell's last attempt made President Vladimir Putin ( news - web sites) smug. "You ended up rolling around on the floor with some foreign minister. Meanwhile the Russians were spectacular. President Putin has been gloating about it all year!"
Powell replied by babbling about how busy he was until Bush broke in: "Yeah, whatever. Look Colin, we're a proud nation. I hired you to be the best. Start practising. Colin, just don't let me down. And tell your staff I'll be watching them!"
Even the threat of nuclear attack was not beyond the pale on Thursday as the Australians, known for past raunchy performances, sang a number at the expense of Indian Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha to the tune of the song "Spirit in the Sky".
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, in a Hawaiian-style dress, sang: "Yashwant please don't fry us" and that Aung San Suu Kyi was "out of her nest" -- a message to Myanmar, represented at the gathering, which freed pro-democracy leader Suu Kyi from house arrest in May.
AXIS OF HUMOUR
In the U.S. skit, Powell's wife, who accompanied him on an eight-nation tour that ends in the Philippines on Saturday, called him to say: "Colin, you know, after last year's ASEAN, the children could not go out of the house for weeks.
"Do not embarrass the family again that way and definitely no rolling around on the floor with any foreign ministers. Just don't even think about it," Alma Powell scolded him.
In a new version of Bush's state of the union address -- where in real life he branded three states members of an "axis of evil" including North Korea ( news - web sites), present at Brunei -- Bush pledged Powell "would not embarrass our great nation again".
An aide to Powell popped up as earnest television correspondent "Susie Newsie" reporting on the backlash.
"Rumour has it that the White House began a secret search to replace the secretary of state and several members of his senior staff after last year's performance at ASEAN.
"One administration official told me they even offered the job to U2 lead singer Bono," she added breathlessly as a picture popped up of the Irish band's front man with Bush.
Powell, a foreign policy moderate, has faced persistent questioning from the media about whether he might resign because of differences with hawks in the Bush administration.
Powell closed the performance with a version of "Some Enchanted Evening", as his staff tried to silence him, singing:
"Who can explain it, who can tell you why
Fools keep on singing, wise men never try."
Oddly Enough - UK Reuters
"Embarrassing" Powell lets his hair down
Thu Aug 1, 5:49 PM ET
By Elaine Monaghan
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei (Reuters) - Top diplomats have had a night of fun at their own expense, laughing at the thought of U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell ( news - web sites) losing his job to a rock star and begging India not to "fry" them with a nuclear bomb.
Satire is not typical in the sober world of international relations but the closing dinner of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations gathering is an annual exception.
Delegations from the 23 participating Asia-Pacific states vie with one another to come up with the funniest skit, singing and dancing their way into a reputation for self-deprecating humour if they set their egos aside long enough.
At this year's gala in Brunei on Thursday, a serious moment almost occurred when some of the hundreds of diplomats attending thought for a minute that film of U.S. President George W. Bush ( news - web sites) ordering Powell to get his act together because of an atrocious performance he gave last year was a live link-up, witnesses said.
The Americans opened the eight-act show with the film, which showed everyone from Bush to the Chinese National Peoples' Congress voting for Powell not to sing.
At the 2001 ASEAN meeting in Vietnam, Powell crooned a version of "El Paso", which is about a cowboy in love -- in this case with a maiden played by former Japanese Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka.
As he played the dying hero, Tanaka flung her arms around his prostrate body and kissed him on the cheek.
This year, Bush and Powell's top aides blamed a wave of governmental protests on the effort last year that prompted a U.S. official to joke Powell had no plans to quit his day job.
Bush said Powell's last attempt made President Vladimir Putin ( news - web sites) smug. "You ended up rolling around on the floor with some foreign minister. Meanwhile the Russians were spectacular. President Putin has been gloating about it all year!"
Powell replied by babbling about how busy he was until Bush broke in: "Yeah, whatever. Look Colin, we're a proud nation. I hired you to be the best. Start practising. Colin, just don't let me down. And tell your staff I'll be watching them!"
Even the threat of nuclear attack was not beyond the pale on Thursday as the Australians, known for past raunchy performances, sang a number at the expense of Indian Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha to the tune of the song "Spirit in the Sky".
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, in a Hawaiian-style dress, sang: "Yashwant please don't fry us" and that Aung San Suu Kyi was "out of her nest" -- a message to Myanmar, represented at the gathering, which freed pro-democracy leader Suu Kyi from house arrest in May.
AXIS OF HUMOUR
In the U.S. skit, Powell's wife, who accompanied him on an eight-nation tour that ends in the Philippines on Saturday, called him to say: "Colin, you know, after last year's ASEAN, the children could not go out of the house for weeks.
"Do not embarrass the family again that way and definitely no rolling around on the floor with any foreign ministers. Just don't even think about it," Alma Powell scolded him.
In a new version of Bush's state of the union address -- where in real life he branded three states members of an "axis of evil" including North Korea ( news - web sites), present at Brunei -- Bush pledged Powell "would not embarrass our great nation again".
An aide to Powell popped up as earnest television correspondent "Susie Newsie" reporting on the backlash.
"Rumour has it that the White House began a secret search to replace the secretary of state and several members of his senior staff after last year's performance at ASEAN.
"One administration official told me they even offered the job to U2 lead singer Bono," she added breathlessly as a picture popped up of the Irish band's front man with Bush.
Powell, a foreign policy moderate, has faced persistent questioning from the media about whether he might resign because of differences with hawks in the Bush administration.
Powell closed the performance with a version of "Some Enchanted Evening", as his staff tried to silence him, singing:
"Who can explain it, who can tell you why
Fools keep on singing, wise men never try."
