i LIKE poodles. there, i've said it

(self portrait of thurber)


i'm not embarrassed either. my first dog (as a child) was a miniture poodle. i have always to this day, wanted a standard poodle or two. of course they'd have to come from the pound. that is the ONLY place i'd get an animal these days. poodles are incredibly loyal and VERY smart. they're atheltic too (they WERE hunting dogs you know). james thurber wrote about poodles and i like james thurber. i like james thurber A LOT

but i don't like this dude.....

Musharraf insists: I'm not George Bush's poodle (nor king george for that matter)

· General says US air strikes infringe sovereignty· President denies running military dictatorship Declan Walsh and Simon Tisdall in Rawalpindi Friday April 28, 2006 The Guardian
General Pervez Musharraf, facing a surge of anti-American sentiment, yesterday warned that covert US air strikes against al-Qaida inside Pakistan were an infringement of national sovereignty.
Admitting that his popularity was waning, the Pakistani president insisted he was "not a poodle" of George Bush and rejected accusations he was running a military dictatorship.
Speaking to the Guardian at Army House in Rawalpindi weeks after a tense visit by the US president that brought a torrent of domestic criticism, Gen Musharraf insisted he was his own man.
"When you are talking about fighting terrorism or extremism, I'm not doing that for the US or Britain. I'm doing it for Pakistan," he said. "It's not a question of being a poodle. I'm nobody's poodle. I have enough strength of my own to lead."
If necessary he had "teeth" to bite back, he added. "Yes sir, I personally do. A lot of teeth. Sometimes the teeth do not have to be shown. Pragmatism is required in international relations."
Gen Musharraf pledged to hold free and fair elections next year as urged by Mr Bush during his visit to Islamabad last month. Opposition parties fear the poll, which government officials claim will be the most open since Gen Musharraf seized power in 1999, will be rigged..............