Word is out that President-elect Obama will nominate his close adviser, Susan Rice, as ambassador to the UN, and dignify both the institution and Rice by exalting the post to cabinet rank.
This is a trainwreck waiting to happen — the main question being whether, when the train goes off the rails, Rice will be trying to drive the UN engine, or hanging on for dear life to the caboose. Oh — and the other big question being just how much a bigger role for the UN will cost the average American, not only in terms of money tossed down the UN spiderholes, but also in terms of lives endangered, damage to the American economy, freedom curtailed, and support to those who would inflict on the U.S. the kind of carnage we have just witnessed in Bombay.
Multiple reports say that Rice is haunted by the Rwanda genocide, which took place in 1994 while she was handling the Africa portfolio for the Clinton administration National Security Council. In concert with the UN, where Kofi Annan was then head of peacekeeping, the U.S. sat it out. Hundreds of thousands were slaughtered. Since then, Rice has vowed “If I ever faced such a crisis again, I would come down on the side of dramatic action, going down in flames if that was required.”
In keeping with Rice’s horror of a Rwanda replay, it seems one of her first priorities in the Obama administration would be to push for dramatic action on Darfur. It’s not clear how she squares that with her fierce criticism of the Bush administration’s invasion of Iraq — where Saddam Hussein gassed his own subjects and spent years filling mass graves (apparently, some mass murders are more equal than others).
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10 Comments
1. tanstaafl:If, on the other hand, she chooses to defend America, she just might find that instead of going down in flames, she has a chance in many places to rekindle freedom’s torch. Cross your fingers, but don’t hold your breath.
I doubt Susan Rice will defend America. Intimations of her ideology are to the left of Obama’s “socialism”. Stuck in her craw, per linked article, “Bush’s” failure to deal with Darfur, never mind the UN’s failure, Sudan’s failure or anybody else on the planet’s failure to do anything much about carnage anywhere in Africa. Or anywhere else, for that matter.
Every time Susan Rice opened her mouth during Obama’s 2 year long campaign, you’d swear it was babblespeak coming out.
She’ll fit in perfectly with the crowd of dissemblers and America bashers at the UN. (also, I read that Obama plans to restore UN Ambassador post to cabinet rank. Gulp)
A new Dr. Rice to become face of US at UN
Dec 1, 2008 - 7:37 am 2. Winston:Claudia, you ROCK! Thanks for another wonderful(tho accurate & chilling) analysis.
Dec 1, 2008 - 11:20 am 3. The Historian:THE CLOWNS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
As emphasized in this link, humans will never match the power of nature relative to influencing climate on planet earth:
http://greensrealworld.blogspot.com/2008/11/international-climate-clowns.html
Dec 1, 2008 - 12:35 pm 4. Tom:I just learned of you for the first time on Neal Cacuto’s show on FBN. I am so excited to find another person who is fed up with the UN and their draining the wallets hard working Americans to fill their huge bank accounts.
Thanks again!
Dec 1, 2008 - 4:45 pm 5. Lieberman Dem:“In concert with the UN, where Kofi Annan was then head of peacekeeping, the U.S. sat it out. Hundreds of thousands were slaughtered. Since then, Rice has vowed “If I ever faced such a crisis again, I would come down on the side of dramatic action, going down in flames if that was required.”
I think that she learned her lesson. Involvement in Rwanda was necessary and America has a black eye for “playing European” and ignoring the travails of Africa.
“It’s not clear how she squares that with her fierce criticism of the Bush administration’s invasion of Iraq — where Saddam Hussein gassed his own subjects and spent years filling mass graves (apparently, some mass murders are more equal than others).”
That’s what it looks like to me. And if she is willing to “go down in flames if that was required” she and O would REALLY get a taste of the W years, when doing the right thing seems wrong because it seems inconvenient and politically advantageous to avoid it. After all, that was part of Clinton’s “success” – don’t get involved even if it’s right because that would be (gasp) unpopular.
Dec 1, 2008 - 6:19 pm 6. Michael:Susan Rice aside,if there was never a thoughtful articulation and justification for John McCain’s “League of Democracies” as an alternative to the United Nations we now have one in Rosett’s description of the UN. Excellent!!
Dec 1, 2008 - 7:24 pm 7. how to write management report:Claudia, you ROCK! Thanks for another wonderful(tho accurate & chilling) analysis.
Dec 2, 2008 - 1:24 am 8. Commentary » Blog Archive » Flotsam and Jetsam:[...] Russia, and the rest to go along with sanctions on Zimbabwe and effective action on Darfur! (Claudia Rosett thinks the best Rice could do would be to go down in flames [...]
Dec 2, 2008 - 5:30 am 9. Daily Pundit » United In Greed and Corruption:[...] The Rosett Report » Awaiting Susan Rice at the UN Word is out that President-elect Obama will nominate his close adviser, Susan Rice, as ambassador to the UN, and dignify both the institution and Rice by exalting the post to cabinet rank. [...]
Dec 2, 2008 - 7:19 am 10. Steynian 294 « Free Canuckistan!:[...] RWANDA-LADY REDUX: Awaiting Susan Rice at the UN, a trainwreck waiting to happen …. [...]
Dec 7, 2008 - 2:13 pm