A Coward In Charge

In a way, I’m surprised by this, but in a way, I’m not.

If our former hostages say Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was one of those criminals, then I believe them.

The problem is that we really can’t do anything about it. What we should do is go to the U.N. and try to get some satisfaction; namely, an investigation into Ahmadinejad’s background to find out if he really was one of them. If it turns out that he was, then he should make reparations of one sort or another to the hostages he victimized.

You’re reading this (hopefully) and probably thinking, “I’ll just bet he tries to blame Bush for this somehow”.

Yep.

Because we wasted so much good will after 9/11 on Bushco’s illegal war (as well as that truly idiotic “axis of evil” reference in that State of the Union speech a few years ago), we don’t have the credibility in the eyes of other member nations in the U.N. that we once did to get moving with what I suggested above (and yes, we DO NEED THE U.N., in case any right wing knuckle draggers out there are reading this). Trying to get that whack job John Bolton named U.N. ambassador (who probably will get in as a “recess” appointment, unfortunately) doesn’t help the cause either.

As a result of our poisoned relations with so much of the rest of the world, nationalist sentiments are taking over. That explains the election result in Iran (and Rummy can have as big a hissy fit as he wants to over it, but it won’t change a thing). Of course, God forbid that we would actually reach out to Iranian moderates like Khatami. By our strident rhetoric, we put people like him on the defense immediately and cut off any chance we may have of reform.

Do you want an example of the right way to reach out to leaders who are trying to get democracies started in their countries? Read “The Unfinished Presidency” by Douglas Brinkley about Jimmy Carter, especially the chapter about Daniel Ortega and Nicaragua. When was the last time you heard about turmoil in that country, by the way?

(Here's an update...and why exactly should we take the word of thugs and criminals?)