An elegant followup to Hillary’s public Nigeria musings about the stolen 2000 election. We really have become something of a Banana Republic, haven’t we?
In a not-so-subtle dig at the Bush administration, U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice said Wednesday the United States has paid the price for “stiff-arming the U.N.” and spurning international partners and is now embarked on a new era of global engagement. A key to this new engagement is a dramatic new approach to the United Nations, she said. Setting the stage for President Barack Obama’s first address to the U.N. General Assembly next month, Rice called the 192-nation organization “vital to our efforts to craft a better, safer world” because “so many of America’s security interests come together today at the United Nations.” She never mentioned the Bush administration and its difficult and sometimes antagonistic relationship with the U.N., especially when John Bolton was ambassador. But her speech at New York University’s Center for Global Affairs, released by the U.S. Mission, highlighted the differences in tone and actions under Obama.
There’s a substantive argument to be made here, which is that Rice’s enthusiasm for UN-centered multilateralism has us rubbing shoulders with thugs and dictators but has actually bought us very little influence.
Screw it though. She’s mostly right about Bush stiff-arming the UN. During the last administration we barely had relationships with UN Jew-bashers like Mary Robinson. Now we’re not only giving her Presidential Medals Of Freedom, we’re releasing statements about how awesome we are for doing it:
The New York Times noted today that the “White House said Mr. Obama had no second thoughts” about honoring Mary Robinson with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Indeed, the ceremony bestowing on the former Irish president the nation’s highest civilian award went off without a hitch and nary a discouraging word as Robinson and 15 other recipients received their medals amid a blizzard of presidential praise. Obama lauded Robinson… [who] is a longtime foe of the Jewish state and even today holds the post of honorary president of Oxfam, an NGO that gained publicity last week for firing actress Kirstin Davis of Sex and the City fame from her position as their spokeswoman because she also represents Ahava, whose Dead Sea cosmetics are considered off-limits by Israel-haters.
In fairness to Obama, do you have any idea how many Doha panels, Geneva conferences, and consular cocktail parties Rice and Robinson have mutually attended? It would be churlish for a WH with UN Ambassador Rice not to recognize the contributions that Robinson has made to uniting the world, albeit under the banner of venomous antisemitism. Credit where it’s due.
References:
* Hillary In Nigeria: Don’t Feel Too Bad About Your Corrupt Elections. Our 2000 Election Was Stolen Too. [MR]
* US sees UN as key after Bush era difficulties [AP]
* Obama’s Decision To Join UN Human Rights Council Buys Zero Cooperation On North Korea [MR]
* “No Second Thoughts” on Robinson May Give Obama License for Future Mischief [Tobin / Commentary]
Previously:
* UN Sends Committed Anti-Semite Anti-Zionist To Conduct Unbiased Investigation Of Zionists
* Arab World Too Pathologically Anti-Semitic To Accept Israeli Water Tech And Expertise
* The WH’s Eight-Step Plan For Detonating The US-Israel Relationship
