Posted on 03/28/2008 2:49:08 AM PDT by Flavius
America couldn't get good publicity if we brought John Lennon and George Harrison back from the dead and footed the bill for a free Beatles reunion concert around the world.
“..... Why is her word good for anything these days?”
because she adamantly opposes the idea that the US is the only “super” power in the world. She has said it and written so.
She supports the EU being made (with US help) into an equal and the rebuilding of Russian power to offset the US.
She also helped cut the deal to give North Korea fissle material to make a nuclear weapon.
My thought exactly ... that’s why they are “ex” Secretaries of State.
Hiss was a traitor, but he wasn’t in the State Department when Joseph McCarthy made his allegations—he had been found guilty in his perjury trial the month before. From the Wikipedia article it appears that he was never employed by the State Department and had left government service several years earlier.
Colin Powell = P.O.S. in my eyes.
Actually, I didn’t remember it. I do appreciate you bringing me back to reality on the subject though. Do these folks even think of the ramifications of their suggestion? It sure doesn’t seem like it.
The detainees will be brought to a mainland prison where folks can stand outside and parade up in down on their behalf, advocating they be released on humanitarian grounds.
Baker and the rest of these clowns probably think they should get due process so that methods and contacts can be revealed in court too.
Evidently not. Color me out of it when it comes to this clown.
Evidently I’m not doing my due diligence when it comes to Baker. Ouch...
Well, it does sound like I’ve been off in la la land when it comes to Baker.
She probably is, but my favorite is her pronouncement that Bill Clinton could never have had a relationship with a 21 year old White House intern.
Anyone who has a cause and seeks to further that cause with her support is a first class idiot.
Of courrrrrrrrse it would. (+Sarc) Mmm Hmmm, So now that we've opened it, used it, let's just close it down because we're never going to find another Al-Qaeda Representative, Ever, are we. What type of thinking is this?
It ISN"T as if all the countries of the world are going to FORGET that we had a Prison in Guantanamo Bay. It isn't as if it hasn't done ALOT of good, prevented multiple future crimes against America and Travelling Americans in general, because it has. Anyone who thinks otherwise can choose to keep their blinders on about the threat to our country. Just don't come to my house for food and safety when the next Holocaust occurs, O.K.? Learn to defend yourself and don't think the gov't is going to do it for you. Well, you can think that, but you're 100% dead if you believe you can rely on someone else to save your life. (oops, Rant Off)
Sorry, I made a presumption I really should not have. ISG was also dubbed by the press and popularly and informally known as a "Baker Commission on Iraq". Thankfully, it was DOA.
While his long-time business ties to Saudis don't necessarily bother me (I have friends - many of them Israelis or American Jews - who have done business simultaneously in Israel and several Arab countries), Baker has been particularly and virulently anti-Israel, which ostensibly affected George H.W. Bush administration policies (or lack of such) and coolness and/or indifference toward Israel and - as it was explained to me by people I trust and without agenda - that was one of the big reasons that during that period that large part of American Jewish community (which was drawn to Reagan's fighting for freedom of people behind Iron Curtain and calling "Evil Empire" what it was) drifted apart from the Republicans.
George W. Bush has made very little use of Baker (beyond initial help during Florida recount), Scowcroft and that Bush-41 policy group in his administration and often went against their "informal", "back channel" or leaked through the press advice, even occasionally publicly repudiating them. Both Cheney and Rumsfeld are not fans of Baker / Scowcroft politics or policies. While current SecDef Bob Gates (of Baker group) has been brought in after 2006, it was mainly to be a deft political liaison to hostile new regime on Capitol Hill - he does not seem to affect or is active in policy or strategy much, his role is mainly executive one and he accepted this short-term stint as "resume enhancement".
Do these folks even think of the ramifications of their suggestion?
Well, it doesn't matter to them what ramifications are to US and her people, it's only important what it will mean to them. And in that respect, they can't lose - all 3 presidential candidates expressed desire and willingness to shut down Gitmo - to "improve image", as sorry as that reason is - so they are simply ahead of the curve and are laying the ground to claim future credit for what seems to be a fait accompli.
Thanks for the background. I appreciate the notes on Baker et al. I do keep my nose to the grindstone pretty well, but there are some issues that slip by. I do remember Baker involved in some commission, the likes of what you mention here, but I didn’t remember the gist of it now.
Like you, I don’t have a problem with doing business with the Saudi per se. I do have a problem with it if it affect policy toward Israel, as in negativly.
I do agree that Guantanamo does seem to be headed toward closure. It will likely cause problems too.
You take care.
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