Friday, February 17, 2006

Much ado about Nothing

Zimbabwean media reports are today awash with reports of the gracious welcome Mugabe has extended to the new British ambassador to the country. In fact, he's been so nice to Dr. Andrew Pocock, he's asked him to build bridges to London,
"We need a bridge with the British. We politicians come and go, but the people are there at all times."
That apparently threw the media for a loop.

Commence unbridled worldwide frenzy: "Mugabe wants new British envoy to help build bridges with Harare," screamed South African based Zimonline. South Africa's Independent Online said it this way, "Mugabe asks British envoy to build bridges." "Mugabe asks Britain for closer ties," was the Scotsman's rendering. Swissinfo was telling its' readers, "Mugabe wans to mend bridges with Britain." Another Swiss news outlet, Reliefweb, was a little more down to earth claiming, "British envoy asked to report true facts about situation in Zimbabwe." In the US readers of ABC online were told, "Mugabe wants to mend bridges with Britain." New Zealand broadcaster, TVNZ could not refrain from this insane refrain repeating, "Mugabe wants to mend bridges." Eventhe Zimbabwean government sponsored Herald in its report, "Let's build bridges, president tells UK," was in rare form avoiding it's seven year old scandalously malicous view that all things British are diabolic tentacles of the devil himself.

But there's another Mugabe newsbit that didn't get nearly as much play across the globe today; it is that the old man is 18 going on 82 come Tuesday. Think these two aren't connected? I beg to differ.

Like most senior citizens, Mugabe is a senile gerriatric lost in the somewhere in that abyss between his old vital and rational self, and the daunting realities of a body that is literally suspending all functions ahead of an imminent shutdown. From time to time though, the senile humans' brain in this convulsive anguish has been reported to shed light on it's vitality and glory of old. That's just what this all about.

Sadly, MSM, with characteristically poor discretion fell for the bait. Mugabe hasn't suddenly decided he's going to be contrite and seek to resolve relations he's worked so hard to bend.

There's no need for this hullabaloo, it's just glimpses of old glory from a defunct former statesman, not a change of heart.

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