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Commentary: Were Darfur promises for real?
CNN ^ | updated 9:15 a.m. EDT, Wed September 2, 2009 | Dave Eggers and John Prendergast

Posted on 09/03/2009 6:58:44 PM PDT by Pan_Yan

CNN) -- We have been part of an extraordinary social phenomenon over the past four years surrounding Darfur: the development of a genuine anti-genocide people's movement. It's succeeded in cultivating a number of true champions in the political sphere, led by three former senators: Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and Barack Obama.

Now that Obama, Biden and Clinton are in office, and another fierce anti-genocide advocate, Susan Rice, is in as ambassador to the United Nations, we felt there finally would be a consequence for the perpetrators of the genocide, the regime officials in Khartoum, Sudan.

But rather than the kind of tough actions the these top officials had all advocated in their previous jobs and on the campaign trail, President Obama's Sudan envoy instead began to articulate a friendly, incentives-first message that even Sudan's president, an indicted war criminal, publicly welcomed. Our chins hit the floor in disbelief, because our chins had nowhere else to go.

The administration is preparing to announce the results of its Sudan policy review soon, but the policy direction has already been set, and it is of urgent concern. There is no clear decision for the U.S. to take the lead in revitalizing a peace process for Darfur, or to create real costs for non-implementation of the existing North-South peace deal.

But this isn't just a debate about policy towards one country. President Obama, like President Bush before him, has called Darfur an ongoing genocide. So the policy that will be unveiled soon on Sudan will have global ramifications, because it will be the president's first chance to articulate his policy on responding to genocide.

The rhetoric and promises on genocide of the president and his colleagues over the past few years were exactly right.

(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: darfur; sudan
Excellent read. The authors are starting to realize that Obama, Biden and Clinton are not the same in power as they were on the campaign trail. And Bush wasn't so bad. They haven't stopped drinking the koolaid yet, but they are wondering why the room is spinning.
1 posted on 09/03/2009 6:58:44 PM PDT by Pan_Yan
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To: Pan_Yan
No one here ever believed the Obama regime would be interested in messing with the long-running Sudanese blood-bath.

They simply aren't people of the character necessary to "persuade" anyone about anything.

The Sudanese President knows Obama is about the weakest President we've had, and that there will be no consequences for anything.

2 posted on 09/03/2009 7:04:58 PM PDT by muawiyah
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To: Pan_Yan

Before the election he was going to invade Waziristan.


3 posted on 09/03/2009 7:15:19 PM PDT by marron
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To: muawiyah
No one here ever believed the Obama regime would be interested in messing with the long-running Sudanese blood-bath.

If by here you mean FR you are correct. But I seriously doubt the authors of this article, who are both veteran reporters who have written first hand about Darfur, are Freepers. They, like 52% of the country, are starting to wake up with a really, really big hangover. And socialism isn't nearly as pretty in the daylight as she seemed at the party.

4 posted on 09/03/2009 7:16:30 PM PDT by Pan_Yan (All gray areas are fabrications.)
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To: Pan_Yan
Rule #1: It is OK to commit genocide and ethnic cleansing against Christians if you are a muslim.
5 posted on 09/03/2009 7:16:39 PM PDT by 2banana (My common ground with terrorists - they want to die for islam and we want to kill them)
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To: Pan_Yan

They can’t possibly be that naive.


6 posted on 09/03/2009 7:27:04 PM PDT by muawiyah
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To: 2banana
Rule #1: It is OK to commit genocide and ethnic cleansing against Christians if you are a muslim.

I don't think this really has anything to do with religion. The democrats have always appeased and bribed evil regimes. And yet somehow these veteran foreign war correspondents believed a few campaign promises. They are surprised that the Obama administration isn't taking a hard line against the thugs who committed the brutal acts that they have witnessed and written about for years.

And yet they are still hopeful. It must hurt to live with so many contradictions.

7 posted on 09/03/2009 7:31:49 PM PDT by Pan_Yan (All gray areas are fabrications.)
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To: muawiyah
They can’t possibly be that naive.

I suggest reading the second paragraph again.

8 posted on 09/03/2009 7:34:31 PM PDT by Pan_Yan (All gray areas are fabrications.)
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To: 2banana
Darfur is a case of Moslems killing and enslaving Moslems. The earlier Sudan venture involved Moslems killing and enslaving people in the South who were predominantly Christian.

What's going on in Sudan is "killing" and "enslaving". They use ethnic, economic, social and religious differences as an excuse ~ but that's not the real cause. Sudan is holding out for an older, simpler age when you went out and raided your enemies. You stole their women, ate their cattle, murdered their men and burned everything to the ground.

There's nothing in Sudan that Michelle's going to let Obama take advantage of!

9 posted on 09/03/2009 7:41:43 PM PDT by muawiyah
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To: Pan_Yan
BTW, I took their "second paragraph" as one of those standard items you have to put in to keep your street creds with the thugs you are appealing to.

Kind of like a discussion of the ice increasing in the Arctic over the last year but then reminding everyone "2007 saw the lowest levels of sea ice in summer ever observed" just so you can stay in good sted with the guys who assign grants to study climate.

10 posted on 09/03/2009 7:44:14 PM PDT by muawiyah
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To: Pan_Yan

They ARE the same.Left = Ends Justifies Means = say or do anything to gain power. Then do what you want.


11 posted on 09/03/2009 8:02:55 PM PDT by arthurus ("If you don't believe in shooting abortionists, don't shoot an abortionist." -Ann C.)
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