10/23/08

Why Do You Do It, Zapatero?

One of the top stories on any Spanish news website today is that Spanish Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, is doing his darndest to take part in the big G-20 financial summit on November 15th. The fact that Zapatero really wants Spain to be involved in this meeting and the “big boys” just won’t let him has been in the news for days (Spanish news not international because no one really cares), though I must admit I haven’t paid much attention to the whole thing until now. A few minutes ago I sucked it up and read an article in El País entitled something like The (Spanish) Government Seeks the Help of Obama and McCain so He Can Go to the Financial Summit. According to the article, taking part in this summit has become a “priority” for the Spanish government, and has apparently become far more important than taking care of any of the many problems he has here at home.

Why, Zapatero, why do you have to make such a big deal out of this? Spain is not the only first world country that was not invited to the summit. It’s not the only EU country that wasn’t invited either, and I don’t hear anyone else making such a stink over the whole thing. You are making lots of trouble for my embassy, bothering two presidential candidates on the brink of an election, neglecting your other duties and the worst part is this whole scheme may not even work. How much is that going to suck? Don't you remember from your school days that when you're not invited somewhere you would like to go, you should just pretend like you didn't want to go anyway?

According to another newspaper article on the subject, the White House apparently already told you that “If Spain would like to present its ideas through any of the individual leaders attending the summit or through its representatives in the European Commission, of course they are welcome to do so”. Why don’t you dedicate all that time and energy to coming up with some constructive solutions for the world’s financial problems?

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