Albright made an appearance at the high school I attended just prior to the election this year. The school was promoting the event as some sort of cultural/ethnic diversity affair. The focus was supposed to be her immigration and the obstacles she overcame to become Secretary of State. When I wrote to express my displeasure the school replied that she would not be campaigning for Kerry but instead her discussion would be about topics covered in her book and that her appearance had no eceonomic impact to the school's Annual Fund. So I borrowed her book from a liberal I know and fired the following e-mail to the school and every person related to the school I could find.
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Sorry for the delay in my reply.
You stated:
"Madeleine Albright is coming, not to promote the Democratic ticket, but to have an academic discussion on the topic of her book, Madame Secretary, as it relates to the role of women and immigrants in our society."
Over the course of the last four days I borrowed and read Ms Albright's book and this topic constitutes barely ten percent of the overall page count. This is not surprising because if the book were solely about Ms Albright,
Czechoslovakian immigrant, it would not be a particularly engaging read. My Grandmother was an immigrant from Czechoslovakia just a Ms Albright was. If (School Name) contention is sound, had my Grandmother written a book she would be a suitable speaker for the purposes of the Diversity Forum. Obviously not, because the real draw, and indeed the advertising hook (School Name) has promoted, is
"Former Secretary of State Madeline Albright."
Even Ms Albright's contention that she fled the "twin scourges of Nazism and Communism" are inaccurate. She did indeed flee Nazism in 1938 but Communism was a post WWII phenomenon. She tries to present herself as a poor child
with only the clothes on her back. My heart bleeds for this daughter of a diplomat whom certainly had far more advantage than 99.9% of the other immigrants to the US shipped here as steerage.
The bulk of Ms Albright's book is about "assertive multilateralism" which is a phrase she coined to describe her doctrine of protection of human rights by the international community. Ms Albright spends considerable time in her book defending humanitarian interventionism which does not bode well for her in light of the Clinton Administration's failures in Bosnia, Rwanda and most
importantly Somalia.
This brings me back to the main reason for my objection to honoring Ms Albright. Somalia was the first direct conflict between the US and Al Qadea and Osama bin Laden in 1993. Under Ms Albright's tenure United Nations Secretary the US ran from that fight which emboldened bin Laden and other terrorists. Al Qadea learned that the US had no stomach for losses and would run. This action more than any other has lead to the problems we now see internationally. Ms Albright, with her experience as United Nations Secretary, was instrumental in establishing the Oil for Food program in Iraq. A program we now know was a venue for Sadam
Hussein to disseminate billions of dollars in bribes and allowed France, Germany, Russia and other countries to subvert the embargo process for their own gain.
In her book Ms Albright fell into the trap of countless other former cabinet members before her in using their gravitas to spin their policies into a better light for revisionist historians. How is it that a Secretary of
State embroiled in as much controversy as she was during her tenure managed to come out so squeaky clean in her book? Furthermore on this past Thursday night (10/7/04) I watched Ms Albright on the Charlie Rose Show as she
derided the intelligence information cited for reasons to go to war in Iraq. Intelligence, the bulk of which was gathered during her tenure. Intelligence that Ms Albright and former President Bill Clinton were in full agreement with in 1998 and 2000 as they sought reasons for continued
ineffective air-strikes outside the no-fly zone in Iraq. Ms Albright's own doctrines of assertive mutlilateralism and humanitarian interventionism should be reasons enough to have invaded Iraq. Reasons enough to oust a brutal dictator. That Ms Albright is so quick to abandon her own doctrines and indeed her own morality for political gain is why I have a problem with Ms Albright.
It is not right to facilitate Ms Albright's monocular vision of the past and present to youth that are poorly equipped to discern the truth through the spin. Again, ninety percent of Ms Albright's book is not about her immigration. Ms Albright was an immigrant of privilege, the daughter of a diplomat. If (School Name) needs someone to talk about immigration from Czechoslovakia. If (School Name) needs someone to talk about the real trials and tribulations of a female immigrant, one left with nothing to raise five children after her husband died of emphysema from work in a coal mine, then I suggest my Mother to tell the story of my late Grandmother. That is the real story of America.
(School Name) is about forming the leadership of tomorrow. In this case job poorly done. (School Name) is getting exactly what it paid for.
Great letter.