Frankenstein's back, with a resounding endorsement of Barack Obama. I refer, of course, to the reemergence in public of former Clinton Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
Albright chastized Bush and defended Obama's statement that he would be happy to talk to Iran and other enemies of the United States. Albright blasted the current approach to the Middle East and made the anodyne point that it is just as important to converse with one's adversaries as it is to converse with one's friends.
The problem, of course, is not with talking with folks like Mahmoud Ahmedinejad. The problem is: who is going to do the talking? Certainly a President McCain has the experience and resolve to sit across the table with the bad guys and not fall for their deceptions or give in to their pressures. With an unseasoned guy like Obama, whose global experience may be confined to an occasional visit to the International House of Pancakes, who knows?
With Albright too it is credibility that becomes an issue. On May 11, 1996 this woman was asked by a television interviewer for "60 Minutes" whether she was troubled by the fact that Clinton-supported sanctions had resulted in the death of 500,000 Iraqi children. "It's a hard choice," she replied, "but we think it's worth it."
Leftists should keep Albright's response in mind when they wail about civilian casualties as a consequence of Bush's war in Iraq. Iraq Body Count keeps track of these casualties, and they are less than one-fifth the number of innocent civilians (mostly children) killed in the aftermath of sanctions. Sanctions had no effect on Saddam or his henchmen, who didn't miss a meal. Rather, they hurt the most vulnerable members of Iraqi society.
These facts remind us not only of the shortcomings of sanctions, which are not likely to work better with Iran than they did with Iraq. They also remind us that bad things in the world must be measured not against utopia but against what came before. Bush's Iraq war has resulted in a steep reduction of Iraqi deaths compared to the 300,000 people Saddam deposited in the mass graves and compared to the even greater number of deaths that Clinton's policies seem to have produced.
Still, I come back to Albright's original dismissal of half a million deaths with the calm affirmation: it's worth it. Can you recall another secretary of state making a remark more shockingly callous than Albright's? How this Frankenstein became the first female secretary of state remains a mystery.
And it is this same person who would presume to lecture us on what we should now be doing with Iran. I don't think we need more advice from Albright. Rather, what we need from her is an apology, followed by an overdue withdrawal from public life.
Reader Comments ( Page 3 of 14)
31. Another example of an elitist inferring about unlimited intelligence by leftists.
Greg at 11:40AM on Jun 29th 2008
---------------------------------
Another sentence that makes no grammatical sense from someone insulting our intellect.
The page is STUPID. Period. It even claims in one place that all matter is made of sound waves. SOUND WAVES. The author has no councept of probability waves or the wave-particle duality... sigh...... and why am I telling you this? You've already demonstrated your intellectual paucity. I'll stop casting pearls before you now, porky.
Godless Heathen Brian at 11:49AM on Jun 29th 2008
32. Dinesh,
You have really lowered yourself as a journalist by citing that Obama's international experience is akin to traveling to an International House of Pancakes. That is rather childish. don't you think. So where did your god, George Bush get his international experience? Must have been at the Waffle House!
Bill at 12:25PM on Jun 29th 2008
33. You are so hateful, biased and unprofessional. I cannot believe that you are a journalist. Why do you have to call people names to make your useless point? You are very unfair in your reporting, you have never written anything positive about Obama and his campaign. This is the last time I will read anything written by you.
pat at 12:26PM on Jun 29th 2008
34. I still don't get it. Why use the slur "Frankenstein" when others would be more fitting. I think it's a backhanded way of calling her ugly.
Frankenstein is something you create that eventually destroys you, or something made up of various parts from various things perhaps... or someone really ugly.
Godless Heathen Brian at 12:28PM on Jun 29th 2008
35. Leave it to those bitter, doctrinaire lefties, many of whom were a bit too well acquainted with hallucinagenic drugs back in the 60's and 70's, to start a little smear campaign against Cindy McCain and her alleged drug use, as if she's running for anything, or out blabbing publicly about how America is a mean, nasty place.
And by entering the political arena in a big way, Michelle Obama subjected herself to the scrutiny she now receives. (Cindy McCain hasn't done that.) And call me crazy, but I think Michelle and Barrack have a pretty good life.
They've been pulling down about half a mill a year for quite a while now and I doubt if either one of them is getting their fingernails dirty. For Michelle to act like almost no progress has been made in race relations, even as her husband appears to be less than a year away from becoming President is laughable.
And no one's "slurring" Michelle Obama, except for maybe the Clinton machine. Memo to Michelle: If you're going to say controversial things publicly during a Presidential campaign, you'd better be able to take the heat. If you can't, don't say it.
Dave at 12:47PM on Jun 29th 2008
36. Dinesh, you are an unbelievable and despicable grade A asshole of the lowest quality.
While I am in know way going to defend the callousness of Albright’s statement about Clinton’s sanctions leading to the death 500,000 Iraqis I have to point out that you, asshole Dinesh, have sunk to a new low with this post.
I don’t suppose that you are even capable of finding it ironic that you too seem to be disturbed by Albright's casual dismissal of half a million deaths while at the same time practically dismissing the 300,000 plus killed during this war as “gee-willikers that doesn’t seem half bad” Hell at least you can pat yourself on the back as being one of the few neopigs admitting to a number as high as 300,000. Did you not get the talking points memo from the Whitehouse not to admit to deaths in those kind of numbers?
Here’s another number for you. ZERO
As in ZERO American military deaths and casualties during Clinton’s sanctions and the bombing campaigns keeping Saddam out of the no-fly zone.
Saddam Hussein and his tremendous stubbornness and ego are to blame for those deaths. It was your precious HW Bush who didn’t finish the job in Iraq the first time around and Cheney is on record predicting back then nearly everything that went wrong with our current invasion of Iraq which he, as Vice President, later sold scumbag dupes like you the idea that Iraq presented a threat.
Your assertion that sanctions don’t work (except when they do of course as with Libya) is utterly ridiculous in light of the fact that Republicans have exploited, to their continued advantage, the longest sanctions we’ve ever imposed on a country, that against Cuba.
I would hardly have been surprised if semen-swilling homophobic chicken hawks like you would have raked Clinton over the coals had he not taken any action against Saddam but yet here you have the gall (I would have said balls but we all know your balls are in Ann Coulters trophy case) to place the blame on Saddam’s actions on Clinton himself.
Well fuck you here are some facts. Clinton had a much higher approval rating upon leaving office than the retard currently in office and nothing you say can erase the fact that you neokooks are fully responsible for the shape this country is in. The days of neokooks spreading this crap in the media unchallenged are numbered as a Democratic majority in congress will signal the reinstatement of the fairness doctrine and the fact that these very same media outlets, who have business before congress, will start kowtowing to us instead of Republicans.
If I was a neocon I’d be scared of the Republican party’s fate when an Obama presidency starts airing all of monkey boy’s dirty laundry and the extent of his criminality.
He can try, and he probably will, but monkey boy cannot pardon himself and I hope to see the day when I can see him in an orange jumpsuit.
Overall, I would reluctantly choose a callous remark issued from Clinton’s Frankenstein over Bush’s Dracula presidency draining the life’s blood out of our constitution and bill of rights.
rabidmccain at 12:57PM on Jun 29th 2008
37. Dave!?
Dave!?
Dave’s not here man!
Surely you jest about Michelle not being smeared by the right wing noise machine.
It was little more than a couple of weeks ago that Douche D’louza all but portrayed her as an Angela Davis/Lady Macbeth hybrid.
Obama has said that spouses should be off limits and this was a response to the attacks on Michelle.
in response the neocon noise machine has said nothing doing she’s fair play.
So until they say otherwise, to hell with Cindy McCain who herself felt the need to pile on Michelle who has yet to return the favor and is probably too smart to do so.
rabidmccain at 1:14PM on Jun 29th 2008
38. Rabid - If Barrack wants his wife to be "off limits" than he should tell her to stop making speeches. It's that simple. Excuse me, but these people are not royalty. And Barrack doesn't get to stifle our freedom of speech and our ability to "question authority".
He's probably about to become our President. I don't think it's unreasonable to ask him (and his wife, if she's going to enter the political arena) a few questions first. And other than a few AOL subscribers, who reads Dinesh? He's hardly a spokesman for the RNC.
You folks don't need any excuses to viciously attack McCain, Bush or any other Republican. It's what you do. Your idealogical brethren are neo-Stalinists and political street fighters who don't seem to care what happens to the country as long as your guy wins. And you've changed the definition of patriotism from love of one's country to hatred for one's President. Shame.
Dave at 1:37PM on Jun 29th 2008
39. I am pretty sure it is possible to like your country and dislike the president at the same time. This may seem obvious to some people, but not everybody voted for him.
a born atheist at 2:01PM on Jun 29th 2008
40. Dinesh,
Thanks for pointing out this valuable and powerful tidbit, which immediately defuses any reasonable influence that monsters like her have.
I know I will use this info, 500,000 deaths, this info would shut down any conservative supporter of today who had said this. On the other hand, to the wicked who ignore millions of dead American babies in the name of sexual freedom and convenience, those wicked won't be bothered one wit, and will probably praise this statement. You might even have a few of those wicked show up on your blog comments. As the Bible says, they will have their part in the eternal fire reserved for Satan and his followers.
Rev 3:16 at 2:16PM on Jun 29th 2008
41. Dave you just described the rubublican party, with the anything goes to win mentality. Also, yes D'ouche D'souza is a mouthpiece of the RNC, any denial of this is just a lie.
Dennis at 2:22PM on Jun 29th 2008
42. Rev
The bible is a chronicle of how God fucked up many times: mankind, Noah, Moses, Satan, Jesus. All you need is the proper religious mind set and God is prescient, omnipotent and omnipresent. So why are you fucked up Rev?
Jones at 2:25PM on Jun 29th 2008
43. Get the picture? Why hasn't someone out there thought of this already?
Actually, they did, silly.
http://www.amazon.com/Mad-War-Bush/dp/1401215289/ref=wl_it_dp?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1L7Q84MTAUD4B&colid=1VV9M5FU54LVT
T.Brough at 2:33PM on Jun 29th 2008
44. Dave says:
"Excuse me, but these people are not royalty. And Barrack doesn't get to stifle our freedom of speech and our ability to 'question authority'."
I’m glad you wrote this because it gives me the opportunity to 1, ask you a question and 2 point out a typical conservative mind set.
1. Then why the fuck are you whining about us attacking Cindy McCain?
2. You guys are all suddenly big on civil rights when it suits you which is why you can criticize Clinton and Carter all you want but when we attack “The Lil’ Pres that couldn’t”, you scream TRAITOR!!! AMERICA BASHER!!! BOO HISS!!! .
“Your ideological brethren are neo-Stalinists and political street fighters who don't seem to care what happens to the country as long as your guy wins.”
Shit, talk about the teapot calling the kettle black (the typical Karl Rovian tactic of smearing your enemies with your own flaws).
The last seven and a half years are a picture perfect example of you neocons adopting that very same attitude. Also, you conservative assholes need to make up your minds, we are either street fighters or passive pushover pussies to the point where we will open this country up to terrorists attacks. It hurts when you conservative pigs slap somebody continually and they suddenly tire of it and turn around and knock some teeth out don’t it?
I also love the whole neo-Stalinist propaganda bullshit that you morons always seem to pluck out of your putrid assholes which only proves yet again that conservatives just don’t do nuance.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:
We here on the left don’t consider it a sin to be rich, the overwhelming majority of us want to be rich or enjoy being rich. We just don’t like the fact that so many of our fellow Americans are living in abject poverty through no fault of their own, protestations from the right wing that they are immoral or otherwise flawed notwithstanding.
Warren Buffet has endorsed Obama. Warren Buffet; Hardly a commie.
I kept it as simple as possible for you I hope you appreciate that.
rabidmccain at 2:46PM on Jun 29th 2008
45. The charge that we killed "500,000 Iraqi children" is a complete crock, bearing no relationship to reality. The number is bogus, an extrapolation of an already highly suspect estimate provided by "reseacrhers" in the British medical journal, The Lancet, several years ago. The statistic should be laughed out of polite company.
Carl F. Horowitz at 4:10PM on Jun 29th 2008