By Edward
The irony of President Bush’s willingness to charge boldly ahead, leading the world into an era in which democracy flourishes and tyrants scramble into the shadows, is that if/when we reach that horizon we’re likely to find that the path we chose there has left us isolated, with only gold-diggers for friends. It’s not only the Europeans, or increasingly Britain, I’m taking about here.The US, or rather the Republican leadership, seems hellbent on systematically alienating and/or pissing off every international organization on the planet.
Their total disdain for the UN is legendary, and an alien landing on earth in the past month would need be forgiven for concluding that the gravest threat facing the United States was a terrorist organization named Amnesty International, and even the G8 (you read the right) is being forced to take sides against their Grand Boobah or risk drowning their coastlines.
But the most shameful, if not most shortsighted, on this growing list of increasingly lukewarm "friendships" was instigated on Monday when the GOP leadership codified, in a most transparent bullying effort, its growing annoyance with the International Committee of the Red Cross in a report titled "Are US Interests Disserved by the International Committee of the Red Cross?"
Now, ICRC president Jakob Kellenberger, has responded, maturely,
"The US government and the ICRC have good and trustful relations," said Kellenberger.
"The ICRC is not — and does not feel — above criticism and is open to
constructive dialogue with those who have different opinions. However,
dialogue does not appear to be the primary objective of the authors of
the (report)."The ICRC has a longstanding tradition of confidentiality, but extracts
from its reports criticizing the treatment of prisoners in Iraq and
Guantanamo emerged in the press last year, provoking the ire of US
conservatives.The Senate report claims that the ICRC set out to "inaccurately and
unfairly accuse the US of not adhering to the Geneva Conventions."Details also recently surfaced of a purported angry exchange between
ICRC staff and the US military, in which an aid worker allegedly
compared the American soldiers to the Nazis.Kellenberger dismissed this.
"Contrary to what is stated in the document, the ICRC has never
compared US soldiers to the Nazis and the ICRC has never leaked to the
public or the media any of the confidential reports submitted to the US
authorities," he told reporters.The report alleged that the ICRC was involved in trying to "reinterpret
and expand international law so as to afford terrorists and insurgents
the same rights and privileges as military personnel."Kellenberger said this was misplaced.
"To be neutral doesn’t mean putting all the actors of a conflict on the same level."
However, he said, "you are not taking sides between parties to a
conflict because you may lose access to detainees if one of the parties
feels that you are not neutral."
In comparison with Kellenberger’s measured (and might I note, humbly accountable) response, the GOP charges read like the paranoid rantings of a megalomaniac king battling the first stages of insanity, lashing out at imaginary would-be assassins, and scaring the bejesus out of the rest of the world when they consider the arsenal the raging nutjob has.
Eventually, the GOP will have no more scapegoats. There will be no one left to blame for the mistakes made in this war except the leaders who took us into it. God have pity on us if we need these folks to help us one day.
Eventually, the GOP will have no more scapegoats
only after the last two liberals left are in a cage at the zoo, per Rush.
The GOP these days knows but one mode of discourse: hysteria.
Please don’t take my word for it:
That was John Danforth. This op-ed of his is almost enough to make me forgive him for helping inflict Clarence Thomas on us
When your enemies, proclaimed publicly, are Amnesty International, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the G8, etc., you really have to ask what exactly it is you stand for, you know?
Charles wanted evidence that Bush was arrogant. I thnk the attacks on mainstream organizations like the Red Cross, in response to criticism of our government’s ations, is an indicator of the arrogance of his administration.
I said this about that, three days ago.
“Charles wanted evidence that Bush was arrogant. I thnk the attacks on mainstream organizations like the Red Cross, in response to criticism of our government’s ations, is an indicator of the arrogance of his administration.”
And yet it was the administration (whom I generally find astoundingly despisable) who have so far done the right thing in the Red Cross affair, against the desire of the Senate Republicans’ action in question, Lily. What are you referring to?
Phil,
Not to mention having Pervez Musharaff and Islam Karimov as allies.
“Eventually, the GOP will have no more scapegoats”
This is commendably polite and will be duly noted when reasoned discourse and relative collegiality among the political parties returns.
Today’s GOP does not have scapegoats and they are not scapegoating. Neither do they have opponents. They have enemies. Many more each day; the GOPers charged with keeping the lists of enemies have a very long scroll which they can unroll infinitely to add new names to the rollcall of those who are against their God, their country, and of course The Republican Party, which shall not be differentiated from God and country.
Even though Richard Nixon was very cute and touching as he blubbered at that last press conference, he really did hate the Jews.
“However, he said, “you are not taking sides between parties to a conflict because you may lose access to detainees if one of the parties feels that you are not neutral.”
Which two sides is the ICRC talking about here?
I assumed he meant the US and the “terrorists”…where you going with this?
The cited positions of the administration and the Senate Republicans?
Okay, probably not, but it’s worth noting who the fight is between.
It does seem pretty clear to me that the Republicans won’t run out of scapegoats while non Republicans are still alive. Its not like they havent already been making noises about how liberals/the press have stabbed them in the back in Iraq.