Here’s the list of attendees for the Auschwitz Liberation Anniversary ceremony… See if you notice anything, er, “missing.”
Albania: Prime Minister Fatos Nano
Armenia: Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan
Austria: President Heinz Fischer
Azerbaijan: Speaker of Parliament Murtuz Alasgarov
Belgium: King Albert II; Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt
Bosnia-Hertzegovina: Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Borislav Paravac
Bulgaria: President Georgi Parvanov
Croatia: President Stjepan Mesić, Prime Minister Ivo Sanader
Czech Republic: President Vaclav Klaus
Estonia: President Arnold Rüütel
Denmark: Prince Joahim
Finland: Speaker of Parliament Paavo Lipponen
France: President Jacques Chirac
Spain: Speaker of Upper Chamber of Parliament Javier Rojo
Greece: President Kostis Stephanopoulos
Ireland: President Mary McAleese
Israel: President Moshe Katsav
Lithuania: Prime Minister Algirdas Brazauskas
Luxembourg: Grand Duke Henri
Latvia: President Vaira Vike – Freiberga
Netherlands: Queen Beatrix; Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende
Germany: President Horst Kőhler
Norway: Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik, Prince Haakon
Russian Federation: President Wladimir Putin
Romania: President Traian Basescu
Serbia and Montenegro: President Svetozar Marović
Slovakia: President Ivan Gaąparovič
Slovenia: President Janez DrnovƒÖek
Switzerland President Samuel Schmid
Sweden: Speaker of Parliament: Björn von Sydow, Princess Victoria, Prime Minister Deputy Bosse Ringholm
Ukraine: President – elect Wiktor Juszczenko
European Union: President of the European Commission Manuel Barroso; President of the European Parliament Joseph Borrell Fontenelles
Vatican: Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger
Hungary: President Ferenc Mădl
United Kingdom: Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
USA: Vice President Dick Cheney
Canada: Minister of Foreign Affairs Pierre Pettigrew
Hmmmm… Zero Muslim countries. Nothing in the Middle East.
All these “world leaders” and none of them made it.
No Musharraf.
No delegation from “Palestine.”
No Saudis, Kuwaitis, UAE Representatives, Indonesians, Egyptians.
No Sumatrans, or Sri Lankans.
And the list goes on.
You would think with billions of people in the population, one rep could find his way to Auschwitz.
But instead of that interesting tidbit being the topic of discussion, what is? What Dick Cheney, the pacemaker-wearing heart patient wore to stay warm in the middle of winter.