The good news is that President Obama’s administration has decided not to “engage” in the UN’s anti-Semitic, anti-free speech, anti-democratic Durban II conference, scheduled for April 20-24 in Geneva.
A U.S. delegation went to Geneva two weeks ago to check out the preparations for this pow-wow. They consulted with more than 30 delegations, plus the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and “other interested parties” — and this past Friday the State Department put out a press release saying the conference’s “draft outcome document” (at the UN, conference outcomes tend to be a done deal before the conference begins) “has gone from bad to worse,” and as it now stands is “not salvageable.” The U.S. will not engage in any more negotiations over this document, “nor will we participate in a conference based on this text.”
Yes, here’s a chance to applaud Obama for taking a step in the right direction. In the UN arena, such good news is rare enough that I’m tempted to leave it there. For a moment, let’s celebrate! — Obama has declined to dignify Durban II, the UN’s racist conference on “racism,” with a U.S. presence. When he sent that delegation last month to clock in on the preparations, I was convinced the U.S. would decide to attend the mothership conference itself. I’m delighted to have been wrong.
But let’s also beware the danger here of one step forward, two steps back. Anne Bayefksy of www.eyeontheun.org , who has been warning about the poisonous nature of Durban II for almost two years now, has an article at Forbes.com charging the Obama administration with double-dealing on Durban II. Bayefsky notes that while announcing the decision to skip Durban II, the State Department did not declare an outright boycott, or invite others to follow suit. Instead, State tried to defuse the issue by leaving the door ever so slightly ajar. The U.S. might still attend, on the wildly unlikely condition that the conference organizers clean up their act.
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13 Comments
1. Pajamas Media » An Obama Decision We Can Celebrate - For Now:[...] Read the entire piece here. [...]
Mar 2, 2009 - 3:52 am 2. Adam:Barack Hussein Obama is not anti-semetic.
We’ve always been at war with Eastasia.
Mar 2, 2009 - 6:17 am 3. Bilgeman:Well, bully for Obama.
I guess he realized that he wouldn’t get much camera-time for his speechifyin’ there.
But what’s the point of this gesture when the US is still committing 900 million dollars in aid to Gaza?
They don’t get to call us racists to our face, but they still get to cash the check written on our childrens’ account.
BFD!
I’d deep-six the aid money and go to Durban, (which is a pretty nice town), just to soak up some sun and undiplomatically laugh in their faces when they ranted at us.
Mar 2, 2009 - 7:27 am 4. Max:I’m glad to see that Obama made the right decision and pulled the US from this conference. It’s certainly a step in the right direction, and it mimics a decision that was made by the decidedly moderate Colin Powell. I find it interesting that Canada took the lead on withdrawing from this conference. Stephen Harper seems to “get it” on a lot of important issues: free trade, Afghanistan, and the UN among others. After reading The Wall Street Journal’s interview with him last Saturday, I realized that I find myself in the bizarre position of approving of the Canadian Prime Minister and not approving of the American president. I can honestly say I never thought that would happen. I know Obama promised change, but wasn’t it also supposed to be change that I could believe?
Mar 2, 2009 - 9:39 am 5. Delia:3. Bilgeman:
“BFD!”
~
My sentiments exactly.
Sorry, but I have zero faith in this adminstration to do anything right for doing what’s right’s sake. If a move looks right there’s something uglier looming to rape its place. Give overtly with the right hand while stealing covertly with the left hand. -Watch for it.
Mar 2, 2009 - 10:15 am 6. Barnett:Obama withdrew after much pressure and many complaints.Italy, the UK, and one, or two, other European countries were about to pull out, then, the US announced it was going.Obama’s people, probably, and I don’t know this for a fact, figured it had Freeman in the dock, Hillary’s ME trip, and the Gaza funds.This was a pretty easy call in comparison.What it demonstrates is the Rice/Clinton/Power team is incredibly ignorant and arrogant to even think of going to Durban as though they were so powerful they could change anything.This is an abominable team, and they have to be watched
Mar 3, 2009 - 4:24 am 7. eburchelli:every minute.They are ruthless in getting what they want, but they are also dumb and naive, apparently.One cannot help but to wonder where S.Power’s husband is? After all ,Cass Sunstein should understand the situation.
5. Delia
“Sorry, but I have zero faith in this adminstration to do anything right for doing what’s right’s sake. If a move looks right there’s something uglier looming to rape its place. Give overtly with the right hand while stealing covertly with the left hand. -Watch for it.”
ditto
It’s the old sleight-of-hand game being played by Obama and his teammates.
Mar 3, 2009 - 9:56 am 8. bs:A few points.
It may be technically correct to call South Africa a democracy, but to do so gives democracy a bad name. It’s effectively a one-party state. The government is composed of terrorists and crooks who are elected by an electorate that doesn’t care that they are crooks, simply because the vast majority of South Africans are fundamentally immoral. In other words, just another African hell-hole.
Durban II is not being held in Durban, but in Geneva, according to the article.
Durban used to be a nice town. Admittedly, I haven’t been there since the fall of civilization, but the reports (and images) are not pretty.
Mar 3, 2009 - 11:14 pm 9. John Bourne:“It’s effectively a one-party state. The government is composed of terrorists and crooks who are elected by an electorate that doesn’t care that they are crooks”
Union of South Africa? Or the United States of America?
Getting harder to tell the difference nowadays, isn’t it?
Mar 4, 2009 - 5:36 am 10. deguello:WHAT? Did the Ohole finally decide to read an economics texr?
Mar 4, 2009 - 10:59 am 11. Infidel:So, the Obamanator is going to publically eschew a blatantly anti-west conference organized by our enemies but instead give them $900 million to buy more weapons? I wonder what would have happened to FDR if he’d decided to stop talking to the Japanese about spheres of influence in 1939 but then give them 13 billion, five hundred million (in 1939 dollars)?
Mar 4, 2009 - 2:51 pm 12. Bob from Federicksburg:Let’s see, a chief executive sends a delegation to a group known for their disgusting opinions and then, once discovered and criticized, decides to back out. Now he deserves to be praised rather than criticized for sending them there in the first place?
Doesn’t the fact he sent them in the first place reveal his true feelings? It is as though he is testing the waters for further anti-Israel behavior in the future.
That is worth repeating, this is probably a trial for further anti-Israel behavior. We will doubtlessly be treated to the main course later.
Mar 4, 2009 - 8:11 pm 13. Paul -Indiana:There’s a rumor that telepromptors were not allowed.
Mar 9, 2009 - 1:46 pm