Bush bids farewell to Aso, other leaders

Tuesday 20th January, 06:45 AM JST

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buggerlugs at 09:39 AM JST - 20th January

Yes it does, I was just wondering how to phrase my saracasm, but "herefornow" you nailed it:)
timorborder at 10:17 AM JST - 20th January

Surprised Aso could remember who Bush is.
Iwrotethis at 10:46 AM JST - 20th January

I have a basic question. I'm not sure of Aso's English ability and it's not specifically him this is aimed at but when these leaders call do they have some interpreter in on the call to translate or do they fumble away with possible misinterpretations and faux pas raising their head at every turn ?
tmv123 at 10:53 AM JST - 20th January

Aso should reply, "Don't let the door hit you in the back, on the way out!!"
timorborder at 11:03 AM JST - 20th January

In negotiations, even people with good language skills (Japanese/English, whatever) use an interpreter just to give themselves more time to think about how to respond.
williamsmith at 11:06 AM JST - 20th January

I wonder if Bush mentioned that Aso should try to get a mandate from the Japanese people to govern.
pathat at 11:49 AM JST - 20th January

Bush, seconds prior to the call:

"How do I pronounce his last name again?"

"Aso should reply, "Don't let the door hit you in the back, on the way out!!"

Yeah, practice makes perfect, or so they say, and Aso will soon have a chance to put the theory to practice himself.
pathat at 11:52 AM JST - 20th January

Good-bye, George W. Bush. Historians will roundly condemn you as one of the worst U.S. presidents, if not the worst. You won't be missed.
USAFdude at 12:17 PM JST - 20th January

Bush bids farewell... That's all I gotta know! :-)
OssanAmerica at 01:06 PM JST - 20th January

I'm far more concerned about all the posters who made anti-bushism their raison-d'etre.
USAFdude at 11:43 PM JST - 20th January

Well, Ossan, since anti-bushism equates to pro-Americanism, we still have our raison-d'etre. The only difference is that now, we have far, far more hope.

Two hours, seventeen minutes until the end of an error, and the beginning of the rebuilding of America's greatness.
goodDonkey at 11:51 PM JST - 20th January

Good Riddance To Bad Rubbish.
OssanAmerica at 03:55 AM JST - 21st January

Guess I spoke too soon.
saborichan at 09:25 AM JST - 21st January

Bush: I'll see you at the retirees' dinner in April, right? Aso: Yes!
ACrowe at 10:19 PM JST - 22nd January

. . . when these leaders call do they have some interpreter in on the call to translate or do they fumble away with possible misinterpretations and faux pas raising their head at every turn ?

They've got translators at both ends of the telephone line: one translating J to E; the other, E to J. Better safe than create a sorry international incident, right?

That said, I would think that someone like Aso, who has spent a number of years at Stanford and the London School of Economics, and competed in international shooting events, can probably hold his own when it comes to English. But, you never do know. Aso could be as much of a bumbling buffoo in English as he is in Japanese. Better to have a bureaucrat diplomatically editing the conversation as he translates it than have an arsehole of a Prime Minister making inappropriate off-the-cuff remarks.