In a virtuoso display of the sleaze that has marked his tenure as UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan used his farewell speech today at the Truman library to blast the Bush administration, this performance accompanied by a Washington Post Op-ed this morning that boils down to — guess what? — blasting the Bush administration. At Captain’s Quarter’s Ed Morrissey writes, “Come on, WaPo — level with us. Claudia Rosett wrote this as a spoof, right?”
If only it were that benign. One has to wonder if there is more going on here than simply Annan’s trademark mix of hypocrisy and moral vertigo. Annan has been hinting at plans after he leaves office at the end of this month to launch his own foundation (this was the justification with which he tried to pocket $500,000 in personal prize money earlier this year, from the ruler of Dubai). Annan’s farewell slam of Bush amounts to an open invitation to any number of Annan’s favorite left-wing tycoons, such as George Soros and Ted Turner, to donate whopping sums of money to the post-UN ventures of the self-styled “chief diplomat of the world,” as Annan has described his job. Were there swift justice in the world, Annan would now stop his meddling in U.S. politics and retire to Ghana to nurse a nose grown longer than Pinnochio’s. Instead, brace yourself, we are witnessing the birth of Annan, elder statesman, the next Jimmy Carter of the international set.
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7 Comments
jo:I didnt expect a fair and balanced review of Kofi Annn,s speech on this website (its like asking the Iranian president for his analysis of the holocaust
But I do hope its your hatred of Annan rather than the actual contents of his speech that led you to right your piece today.
If not, what aspect specifically did you disagree with? The need for human rights? The need for rule of law? etc. e.tc
Dec 11, 2006 - 9:23 pm Jeff Pine:The in-fighting among the Repugnacans - I mean the Republicans - proves the old adage that there is no honor among thieves. They’re scrambling to shift blame and cover their asses, not because they feel shame, but simply because they want to maintain power. Nothing else matters to them but to hold on to power. They have no real values. They’ll lie, conceal, manipulate, intimidate, do whatever they can even if illegal or unethical to maintain power. The only reason they’ve been able to get so far is because most of the people that voted for Bush are total morons.
Thank God for Democrats
Dec 11, 2006 - 10:49 pm ransom ellis:Claudia :: Once again, you have shined the light on the embarrassing facts that Annan wishes to keep covered. The quesion remains, “How many million victims of genocide does it take to make Anna blush?” This guy has no sense of decency.
Thank God for Claudia!
Dec 12, 2006 - 1:04 pm Brian:Ransom Ellis writes:
I think it’s crystal clear that there’s nothing in his past that will make him blush. Which is not to suggest he is perfect, but rather to finger his egocentricty, hypocricy and callousness.
In a word, Mr. Annon is beyond shameless.
The real question is this: what would it take for his apologists to blush?
Brian
Dec 12, 2006 - 10:44 pm spynverzyon:They never blush in shame - only in adoration and arousal. Allow them but to touch his garment’s hem, and they will blush and giggle like schoolgirls.
Dec 13, 2006 - 11:45 am doubled:No, Jeff Pine , you are wrong. A moron is anyone who believes there is a politician of any party who is not willing to conceal, manipulate, intimidate their way to power.
Dec 13, 2006 - 12:47 pm Alex Reed:It was an interesting experiment, Kofi’s excursion into the great American hinterland to begin his farewell tour at the Truman Library. An odd sort of anti-Churchill doing an out-of-town tryout of his evolving fundraising speech. How would his reality distortion field version of world events go over in Kan-sàs? Would it prove to have legs in the “heartland” that his flunky, Mark Malloch Brown, so often likes to bash?
Dec 14, 2006 - 8:50 amLet’s go to the videotape…… While Kofi’s move didn’t lack chutzpah, his performance lacked poise. He seemed flustered and, frankly, rather ill-prepared, stumbling over a text he sometimes seemed to be discovering along with us. His coughing fits were probably due to the cigar smoke wafting over from the yenna veld where Churchill was surely puffing like a chimney and knocking back his favorite cognac in exasperation while listening. Maybe this act works a treat in George Soros’ drawing room, but Kofi was clearly uncomfortable and in trouble outside the bubble. Variety says: Hicks Nix Kofi Trix. Time to ankle out of town.
As for content………the man needs a serious brain flush, so far has he strayed from the real world. It appears, more and more, that the passport to the 38th floor must be a doctor’s note certifying permanent residency in an alternate reality.
Perhaps Kofi just needs to start drinking the new Kofi Cocktail, a reality-based drink, as served up this morning with customary panache over at the Wall Street Journal:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116606942100749905.html?mod=opinion_main_review_and_outlooks