So Popular and So Spineless [looking into world with weaker America]

nytimes.com ^ | July 16, 2008 | THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

[Tolik]

Agreeing with THOMAS FRIEDMAN:

...<excerpt> ...

... But when it comes to pure, rancid moral corruption, no one can top South Africa’s president, Thabo Mbeki, and his stooge at the U.N., Dumisani Kumalo. They have done everything they can to prevent any meaningful U.N. pressure on the Mugabe dictatorship.

As The Times reported, America’s U.N. ambassador, Zalmay Khalilzad, “accused South Africa of protecting the ‘horrible regime in Zimbabwe,’ ” calling this particularly disturbing given that it was precisely international economic sanctions that brought down South Africa’s apartheid government, which had long oppressed that country’s blacks.

So let us now coin the Mbeki Rule: When whites persecute blacks, no amount of U.N. sanctions is too much. And when blacks persecute blacks, any amount of U.N. sanctions is too much.

Which brings me back to America. Perfect we are not, but America still has some moral backbone. There are travesties we will not tolerate. The U.N. vote on Zimbabwe demonstrates that this is not true for these “popular” countries — called Russia or China or South Africa — that have no problem siding with a man who is pulverizing his own people.

So, yes, we’re not so popular in Europe and Asia anymore. I guess they would prefer a world in which America was weaker, where leaders with the values of Vladimir Putin and Thabo Mbeki had a greater say, and where the desperate voices for change in Zimbabwe would, well, just shut up.

[Tolik]

Agreeing with THOMAS FRIEDMAN:

... Perfect we are not, but America still has some moral backbone. There are travesties we will not tolerate. The U.N. vote on Zimbabwe demonstrates that this is not true for these “popular” countries — called Russia or China or South Africa — that have no problem siding with a man who is pulverizing his own people.

So, yes, we’re not so popular in Europe and Asia anymore. I guess they would prefer a world in which America was weaker, where leaders with the values of Vladimir Putin and Thabo Mbeki had a greater say, and where the desperate voices for change in Zimbabwe would, well, just shut up.

Nailed It!

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[WayneS]

“So Popular and So Spineless...”

I thought this was going to be an article about Barack Obama. Or Democrats in general.

[WayneS]

I wish to offer my most sincere apology to EVERYONE who is reading this thread.

I am sorry that I capitalized the word “democrat” in my previous post.

I hope you can forgive me.

[Tolik]

It is, in a way. Obama and Democrats would prefer a more “humble” America, i.e. weaker America. The are “decrying the decline in American popularity around the world under President Bush”. They want to be “popular”. Here is a good analyzes of how to earn the popularity.

[Tolik]

Oh, I see you are back from a re-education camp? LOL

[milwguy]

I haven’t heard much from the Messiah about Zimbabwe, or Sudan for that matter. He wants us to believe if he is elected he can talk to Mugabe and the President of Sudan and things will be fine. Spineless will be the best one word description for Obama.

[WayneS]

He speaks with his “vote” in the Senate.

Something like 70% of the pieces of legislation he has sponsored or co-sponsored in the Senate have had to do with sending U.S. taxpayer dollars to tin-pot dictatorships in Africa.

[iopscusa]

I wll not go to the NYTimes to read this lttle POS Friedman. Did he ever mention Iraq and Afganistan as examples of US Morality...if not it is just more of TM’s grandstanding BS!

[mallardx]

Friedman and Krugman are so consistently wrong due to their lack of economic knowledge and their lack of morals. Neither one of them knows the difference between right and wrong. They are both over-educated, nonintellectual nitwits posing as some of the great thinkers of our time. Nobody with common sense pays attention to these light-in-the-loafer elites, nor would they enjoy sitting down and having a beer with these odd “fellows.”

I think their clothes should be checked to see if they have the same DNA protein stains on them that were on Monica’s blue dress. Seriously. They are not economists - they are Bill Clinton’s concubines.

[Tolik]

I am in uncomfortable position of defending Tom Friedman. It is a good article. There is one sentence there (14 words) where I disagree, in the whole article of 814 words. (Thanks to MS Word for the word count tool).

Make an exception and go read the article. Its short. No, he is not discussing everything, but is very precise in condemning unprincipled behaviour of Russia and China, and he is NOT welcoming the world of weaker America.

[Carley]

Any mention of Russia and China refusing to sign onto the sanctions introduced by the USA?

[Tolik]

YES, Russia and China refused to sign onto the sanctions introduced by the USA (quite limited sanctions, I'd say). Quote form the article:  "The U.S. put forward a simple Security Council resolution, calling for an arms embargo on Zimbabwe, the appointment of a U.N. mediator, plus travel and financial restrictions on the dictator Mugabe and 13 top military and government officials for stealing the Zimbabwe election and essentially mugging an entire country in broad daylight.

...Vitaly Churkin, Russia’s U.N. ambassador, argued that the targeted sanctions that the U.S. and others wanted to impose on Mugabe’s clique exceeded the Security Council’s mandate. “We believe such practices to be illegitimate and dangerous,” he said, describing the resolution as one more obvious “attempt to take the Council beyond its charter prerogatives.” Veto!

Mugabe’s campaign of murder and intimidation didn’t strike Churkin as “illegitimate and dangerous” — only the U.N. resolution to bring a halt to it was “illegitimate and dangerous.” Shameful. "

[iopscusa]

thanks for the tip on TF / NYTimes art. Maybe I should give him the benefit of the doubt...

[AreaMan]

I am in uncomfortable position of defending Tom Friedman. It is a good article.

The "Broken Clock Rule" is clearly in play. Little Tommy stumbles upon something so obvious that even he can't ignore it.

Apartheid was not a good system but the "cure" seems to be worse than the disease.

[Tolik]

ping

[Tolik]

“Maybe I should give him the benefit of the doubt...”

This time, yes, but careful! I had to deconstruct his articles as a volunteer service to my liberal friends oh too many times. Still, I prefer to keep my eyes open - this IS a good article.

[xkaydet65]

He may citicize the Russians and the Chinese, but what does he propose to do about it? Friedman decries the use of force in Iraq and argues against it in Iran. Like the haloed one and his acolytes, Albright, Christopher, and Perry, Friedman is a believer in soft power, using diplomacy and like minded allies to persuade the bad guys. Funny how soft power doesn't have any effect when the bad guys have big and powerful friends who do not pass up the opportunity to humble the US.

I am sure Friedman does not advocate the unilateral use of force in Zimbabwe. I am sure he rejects McCain's plan for a League of Committed democracies. For all the do gooder words in today's column Friedman would be enraged if a Marine MEU suddenly appeared in Zimbabwe or Darfur to put an end to the terror.

[bigfootbob]

Thomas J. Friedman and me on the same page, WTF? Has the world begun to spin out?

Thanks for the ping.

[DFG]

Don’t let it happen again.