Aristide: Better off Alive

NY Daily News ^ | 3/3/04 | NY Daily News Editorial

[NYC Republican]

The people fuming that President Bush engineered the overthrow of Haiti's Jean-Bertrand Aristide are pretty much the same people who cheerfully would have charged Dubya with imperialistic meddling had he sent in the Marines a week ago. The White House should pay little attention to them, or indeed to Aristide himself, kvetching away in his safe haven.

Let's assume for the sake of argument that Aristide did in fact get hustled aboard a plane at the point of American guns. He should only thank his lucky stars. Else he would be chuck roast today. There was, flatly, no salvaging the man's untenable presidency.

Aristide saw to that himself, brushing off every diplomatic initiative for political settlements and insisting upon running his country into the ground his way. All his Caribbean neighbors were fed up to here with him. Haiti is measurably better off with him gone.

So the ever-malevolent United States turned its back on democracy, did it? Still another issue du jour for the Bush-bashers, though it does overlook the fact that it was France that spearheaded the demand for Aristide's resignation. Even the UN isn't interested in calls for a full-scale probe into the circumstances of his departure.

What's important is that in Port-au-Prince this day, the airport is secured, the streets are stabilizing, the chimeres are melting away, an interim presidency is in place and UN programs are in development. Whatever the Bush administration did or did not do, the result is, for the moment at least, unlamentable.

[NYC Republican]

Surprisingly, the Daily News, usually a lib rag, supports Bush on this. The only other area it's shown strong support is Iraq... They hit the nail on the head, especially re: the Bush-haters.

[NYC Republican]

.

[lilylangtree]

If I recall correctly, after Aristide was run out of the country after the first democratic elections in the early 90s when Duvalier, another ruinous despot, got run out of Haiti. US helped Aristide back in. After he was in, Aristide thumbed his nose at the US and wanted nothing to do with us. He preferred Castro's company instead. Now the liberal leftists want this dictator back in and Haitians want Aristide out. The people should rule. Frankly, Aristide should have been shoved out the plane at 40,000 feet without parachute.

[kevkrom]

Our Marines get the guy out of the country safely, and he immediately begins whining about being a victim and that he was kidnapped. Just goes to show that no good deed goes unpunished. We should have left him there to face the music, except that by giving him an escape, many people probably are alive that would have died in an assualt on Port-au-Prince.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Dear Jean-Bertrand,

Shut your pie hole or you go back to Haiti without a bodyguard.

Regards,
George

[dfwgator]

Dear Jean-Bertrand,

Consider yourself lucky.

Regards,

Nicolae Ceausescu

[capitan_refugio]

If the guy is serious (as compared to having his pride wounded), let's offer to send him back.

[kevkrom]

let's offer to send him back

And while we're at it, make the return a public appearance at a specified date and time so that his adoring public can muster up the approriate welcoming ceremony.

[McGavin999]

You'd have to be a real animal NOT to support it. Those poor people in that country have suffered for years. I'm sick of people who prop up people like Aristide and I'd be real interested in finding out WHY they support him.

Why is it they think the people of Haiti deserve to be treated like animals, deprived of basic freedom, kept in unimaginable poverty? Why do they think that's OK?

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

I said on this forum a week ago that regardless of what Bush did he would be critized. The results to date, no flood of refugees into the US, no large American commitment in Haiti, no widespread slaughter, are about as good as could possibly be achieved.

[princess leah]

Hey, he could have easily been sharing a bunk with Saddam if Bush had really interceded!

[JLAGRAYFOX]

Folks, notice how quickly the "Haiti" story has gone off the radar screen. The Black Congressional Caucus and the Democrat Party have put their tail between their legs and have run off! The mainstream media, as usual, does not take note!

[capitan_refugio]

"... the appropriate welcoming ceremony."

Old tires and gasoline???

[kevkrom]

Old tires and gasoline???

I think we should be respectful of any and all local customs, in order to avoid charges of insensitivity.