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201332Z Dec 05

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 008560 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
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EUR/WE /P/SP; D/C (MCCOO); EUR/PA; INR/P; INR/EUC; PM; OSC ISA 
FOR ILN; NEA; WHITE HOUSE FOR NSC/WEUROPE; DOC FOR ITA/EUR/FR 
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E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR FR
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION REPORT - Iraq - President Bush 
Speeches - Eavesdropping Controversy Bolivian Elections 
PARIS - Tuesday, December 20, 2005 
 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
Iraq - President Bush Speeches - Eavesdropping Controversy 
Bolivian Elections 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
Most front pages are devoted to domestic economic and social 
stories. Le Monde alone leads with "Bush On the Defensive Over 
Iraq and Eavesdropping Charges." But many inside reports are 
devoted to the President's attempt to defend his Iraq policy. 
Regional Le Progres comments in its editorial: "The war 
against terror justifies all, or practically all. And the only 
shameful thing about listening in on U.S. citizens is 
revealing it to the enemy." In regional La Montagne Dominique 
Vales concludes: "Bush says that the U.S. economy is the `envy 
of the world.' Not his Iraq policy for sure." (See Part C) 
 
The Bolivian elections are widely covered. Le Figaro devotes a 
full page to the election of Bolivia's "first Indian" to the 
Presidency. Jean-Louis Turlin reports on Evo Morales, 
"Washington's nightmare."  (See Part C) 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
"Bush On the Defensive Over Iraq and Eavesdropping" 
Corine Lesnes in left-of-center Le Monde (12/20): "Interests 
diverge between President Bush and Congress. for George Bush, 
America's fate is linked to the fate of Iraq. and he is urging 
his fellow citizens to be patient. For the Republicans in 
Congress, on the contrary, time is running out. The power that 
the President conferred on himself on September 11, 2001 is 
being called into question by his own party. George Bush is 
multiplying his confessions to the American public. In his 
speech on December 18, George Bush did not put forward a new 
strategy and those who were hoping that he would present a 
timetable for troop withdrawal from Iraq were disappointed." 
 
"Iraq, Terrorism, Eavesdropping: Bush Defends His Strategy" 
Jacques Hubert-Rodier in right-of-center Les Echos (12/20): 
"Bush is increasingly on the defensive and in a free fall in 
opinion ratings. Hence his many attempts these last few days 
to defend not only his decision to invade Iraq but also his 
having authorized telephone surveillance without going through 
the justice system. Every time, his message has been the same, 
on Iraq and troop withdrawal. He was most aggressive over the 
NSA eavesdropping set up." 
 
"War Justifies All, Almost." 
Francis Brochet in regional Le Progres (12/20): "The war 
against terrorism justifies everything, or almost everything. 
For example it justifies putting hundreds or maybe even 
thousands of U.S. citizens under telephone surveillance. And 
if there is anything to be ashamed of, it is of revealing this 
to the enemy. `We are at war' says again and again the 
American President. A bizarre war indeed, waged in the name of 
democracy, but all the while denying the principles of 
democracy. And authorizing torture. with the following 
explanation: `We are sending a message to the world that says 
we are not like the terrorists.' Bush is not like Ben Laden. 
Of course, he isn't, we all know that. But it would be good if 
Bush sent the message and the proof to the rest of the world." 
 
"The U.S. Economy and Iraq." 
Dominique Vales in regional La Montagne (12/20): "The torture 
methods adopted by the CIA, the `secret prisons,' the 
international telephone surveillance and even the renewal of 
the Patriot Act are triggering growing protest. This protest 
is now reaching into the ranks of Republican Congressmen, who 
are worried about their own re-election next November. Bush 
contends that the U.S. economy is the `envy of the world.' 
This is certainly not the case for his Iraq policy." 
 
Bolivian Elections 
"Evo Morales, Washington's `Nightmare'" 
Jean-Louis Turlin in right-of-center Le Figaro (12/20): "Hugo 
Chavez was the first foreign leader to congratulate his 
`protg,' Evo Morales. Chavez never wastes an opportunity to 
taunt his North American neighbor, whose reaction to the 
Bolivian election was obviously slow to come and much less 
enthusiastic. These elections do not occupy the front pages of 
the U.S. media. They were not mentioned by the President 
during his press conference yesterday. Nevertheless they could 
represent the latest reversal in Washington's Latin American 
n 
backyard. Like the NY Times said, President Bush is so busy in 
Iraq, that he may now be harvesting the fruits of his lack of 
interest for the Latin American continent. Washington's global 
concerns symbolized by the Chavez-Castro anti-imperialistic 
axis may well be re-enforced with the arrival of Morales. With 
a number of elections programmed in Latin America from Brazil, 
to Mexico and Ecuador, Washington will try to neutralize the 
likes of Chavez and Morales. Meanwhile, Morales has made his 
plans clear: cordial relations with the U.S., but no 
submission." 
 
"An Indian President For Bolivia" 
Jean Levallois in regional La Presse de La Manche (12/20): 
"For the first time an Indian has been elected to lead 
Bolivia. It could well be that while he is fighting in Iraq, 
Bush is beginning to discover that he is losing ground in 
Latin America. It is certain that in the near future new 
tensions will arise between Bolivia and the U.S. It may be the 
end of a certain type of leadership." 
 
"The Hopes of the Bolivian People" 
Patrick Apel-Muller in communist l'Humanite (12/20): "This 
victory is not an accident. Progressive forces are on the move 
in Latin America, fighting against the American sheriff who 
continues to consider the region his backyard. Despite his 
loss of popular support in his own country and abroad, 
President Bush continues to have his eyes on the oil reserves 
of Latin America and the Middle East."  STAPLETON