Rice: Under Bush, The U.S. Has Embraced The U.N. ‘Maybe’ More Than Any Other Administration
Rice: Under Bush, The U.S. Has Embraced The U.N. ‘Maybe’ More Than Any Other Administration
During a press conference yesterday in New York, a reporter asked Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to “look philosophically” at the state of diplomacy after eight years of the Bush administration and to think of “lessons we can draw out.” Rice then took the opportunity to polish up her boss’s record with the United Nations:
RICE: I think that the United States, under President Bush, has actually used the mechanisms and the councils of the United Nations more than they’ve been used maybe ever, whether it is insisting that Security Council resolutions that have been passed be respected, [or] whether it is seeking to deal with human rights and tyranny cases like Zimbabwe or Burma.
Indeed, the Bush White House has been spending a lot of time lately trying to rewrite the history of the last eight years, mainly due to the fact that President Bush’s failed policies have made him one of the most unpopular outgoing U.S. presidents in modern history.
But Rice has been playing along as well and this latest attempt at legacy building has no basis in reality. The Bush administration’s complete disregard of the U.N.’s will during the run-up to the Iraq war is the obvious example. The administration completely ignored the work of the U.N.’s weapons inspectors (UNMOVIC) at that time and instead attacked Iraq on false WMD pretenses before they could finish the job. Moreover, in 2004, then U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan called the U.S.-led invasion illegal and “not in conformity with the U.N. charter.”
In 2004, the Bush administration also tried (and failed) to remove Mohamed El-Baradei as head of the IAEA — the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog — for being too soft on Iran.
But to top it all off, in 2005, President Bush installed U.N. hater and fervent war hawk John Bolton as U.S. ambassador to the world body. Bush wanted Bolton so badly, he “resorted to the 17-month recess appointment to circumvent” opposition to Bolton in the Senate. Bolton famously said “there is no such thing as the United Nations” and if the U.N. building in New York “lost ten stories, it wouldn’t make a bit of difference.”
Bush even found space to criticize the U.N. in his final address to the general assembly, saying the organization “only pass[es] resolutions decrying terrorist attacks after they occur” instead of doing something to prevent them “in the first place.”
In 2006, Annan’s deputy, Mark Malloch Brown noted that “[i]n recent years the enormously divisive issue of Iraq and the big stick of financial withholding have come to define an unhappy marriage” between the U.S. and the U.N. Indeed, new U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said he looks forward to “a new era of partnership” with Obama.
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56 Responses to “Rice: Under Bush, The U.S. Has Embraced The U.N. ‘Maybe’ More Than Any Other Administration”
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Phuck the U.N. We should boot their worthless a$$ out of our country.
December 17th, 2008 at 1:18 pmMaybe I have been wrong all these years. Is it really the moustache that is fake?
December 17th, 2008 at 1:19 pmWe embraced them like a python embraces his food. Yum! Yum! Buuurrrrp!
December 17th, 2008 at 1:19 pmWatch out Condi! John Bolton is right behind you and he looks none to happy with all this nice talk about the UN!
December 17th, 2008 at 1:22 pmWhat would she know?
December 17th, 2008 at 1:24 pmWhats with the walrus mustache? Is it to hide the stretch marks caused from servicing too many politicians, statesmen, dignitaries, diplomats and military leaders over the years?
December 17th, 2008 at 1:25 pmThere's just no life in those bolton eyes.
December 17th, 2008 at 1:26 pmDark & blank.
When these blatant lies are spoken in front of an audience of journalists, or even in a one-on-one interview with a so-called journalist, why are they never challenged?
December 17th, 2008 at 1:26 pmWhat is to fear now that the liars have only 30 more days to wreak havoc on America while they rewrite their own history - why don't reporters ask the questions?
If Rice or Bush or Cheney or whoever is embarrassed, the comment should be: "So?"
ken melvin Says:
What would she know?
December 17th, 2008 at 1:27 pm`````````````````````````````````````````````
Condi knows piano and Russia...well at least where Russia is on a map and a couple Russian words like Nyet!
Yes, Bush worked closely with the U.N. Right between when he gave everybody universal health care and when he brought a stable and lasting peace to the Middle East.
December 17th, 2008 at 1:27 pmSeriously, I want what these people are smoking.
pathetic
December 17th, 2008 at 1:28 pmYikes. These people take "delusional" to new heights.
December 17th, 2008 at 1:32 pmI guess they figure they've gone 8 years without questioning the Bush adminstration, why start now?
Besides the MSM has just embarked on a campaign of exhaustive investigative journalism to discover whether the former jr. Senator from Illinois has ever spoken to the Governor of Illinois. They will leave no stone unturned in their efforts to get to the bottom of that story.
December 17th, 2008 at 1:34 pmKeith H. Says:
There’s just no life in those bolton eyes.
Dark & blank.
December 17th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Bolton? Hell, look at Condi. Them are some dead eyes...
December 17th, 2008 at 1:35 pmThe key word in Rice's statement that everyone is overlooking is "used". Bush "used" the UN by trying to deceive it into authorizing an illegal invasion of Iraq by sending Colin Powell to lie through his teeth about WMD. Bush then repeatedly "used" UN resolutions to pretend that the illegal occupation of Iraq was legal. In short, Bush "used" the UN as your dog might "use" a fire hydrant.
December 17th, 2008 at 1:36 pmCan't you see, the Bushites are trying to recreate history to build up his miserable legacy.
Why stop there with the Bushites accomplishments Condi? Why not proudly boast how Bush also embraced Bin Laden and almost helped him achieve his goal of bankrupting the USA.
Or how Bush and FEMA accomplished wiping out most of the housing projects for the poor in New Orleans.
Or how Bush embraced outsourcing American jobs so that corporations and shareholders could make maximum profits.
I could go on with the list of Bush accomplishments like record debt, record trade deficit etc, etc, but it would be redundant and a waste of bandwidth.
December 17th, 2008 at 1:39 pmBut, but, but didn't Bolton say that he wanted to blow up and off the top 10 stories of the U.N. building?
¶ AIO
December 17th, 2008 at 1:39 pmZooey Says:
Bolton? Hell, look at Condi. Them are some dead eyes…
December 17th, 2008 at 1:41 pm````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Condi for some reason has always reminded me of a zombie from one of those 50's B-movies.
RICE: I think that the United States, under President Bush, has actually used the mechanisms and the councils of the United Nations more than they’ve been used maybe ever...
I guess "used" is a good word to describe Bush's relations with the UN. However, other appropriate words Rice could have mentioned are bullied, threatened, demeaned, and villified, to name a but a few.
December 17th, 2008 at 1:42 pmTYPO: 'embaced' should be 'embraced'
December 17th, 2008 at 1:43 pmCondi, just go and slurp some corn through a picket fence, Bucky.
R_B
December 17th, 2008 at 1:43 pmZooey Says:
Now that you mention it, I see they do have that in common.
December 17th, 2008 at 1:47 pmIt's, The Administration of the Living Dead. :)
alphainfinityomega Says:
But, but, but didn’t Bolton say that he wanted to blow up and off the top 10 stories of the U.N. building?
I, too, recall all the time the Bush admin, especially Bolton, trashed the U.N.-- and Bolton did say getting rid of the U.N. - except for one floor, wasn't it? - would make things much better. Bush specifically chose Bolton because of his total negativity to the U.N. So Condi, you, Bush, Cheney, Perino, and all the others who are pushing this dishonesty really do think we are all so ignorant that we'll believe your lies. Well, we're not.
December 17th, 2008 at 1:48 pmEmbraced? As in tried to SUFFOCATE and SQUASH while PRETENDING to use them? Perhaps... Republicans don't believe in the UN, just be honest Condi instead of being such a lying P.O.S. fool...
December 17th, 2008 at 1:52 pmAt the War Crimes Trial that the United Nations will file against the Bush Administration Connie will learn what really was going on. Yes Powell openly lied about WMD's. So much corruption and crimes even removel of Bush appointees from the United Nations will be in the legacy.
Connie with wing nut Bolten says it all. Bush wanted to take control of the United Nations and it didn't happen. Now Countries that he lied to and even threaten will be in charge of voting on War Crimes. Notice how no one has heard from Pakistan fromer President Musharff since he left office. Many secrets will come out about what the Bush Administratiion has been doing for 8 years and it isn't going to be pretty.
December 17th, 2008 at 1:52 pmWhat ever they have done in the past is now the opposite of what they claim....
... desperately trying to re-write history...
...to keep the hangsman noose at bay.
December 17th, 2008 at 1:56 pmSpot on, Uncle Fester & Keith H. :-D
December 17th, 2008 at 1:56 pmTalk about being brain-washed. I wonder is she really believes what she is saying.
December 17th, 2008 at 1:58 pmI will be glad when I do not see Bolton's face.....that is one lousy person to have in any job.
Dangerous comes to mind.
Stating the exact opposite of the truth is and always has been the communications strategy of the Bush team. He's a uniter not a divider who's got tax cuts the vast majority of which are slanted toward the bottom end of the income scale. And those are from before he was President.
December 17th, 2008 at 2:00 pm"Maybe ever"? Liar and qualifier...
December 17th, 2008 at 2:01 pmCondi neglects to mention that Diplomacy was another resource 'used' by Bushco.
She should be ashamed of herself & her administration at this point, but the revisionism has begun.
She's been a total failure in diplomacy; you name the country.
I'll guarantee you Hillary won't be starting each sentence with 'ummmm', as if you were making shit up to say each moment you speak. Hillary is a leader by nature; Condi is a one dimensional facade of what a diplomat should be.
Bolton? He was never assigned that position to be diplomatic. His job was to rant, rave, threaten & bully anyone in Cheney's path to World domination. Actually, he did that well.
You can rewrite history, but you can't change facts, Condi
December 17th, 2008 at 2:02 pmAnd the UN Human Rights Commission that wanted to assess conditions at Guantanamo Bay?
No cooperation from Bush. Condi's administration wouldn't grant access to prisoners.
December 17th, 2008 at 2:02 pmshoeless,
I, too, have asked myself why "journalists" are taking Obama to task for abiding the wishes of Fitzgerald, and insinuating that he is involved in the pay-to-play politics, and leaving open questions at the end of every report -- when for 8 years, they didn't ask questions of Bush.
As for Emanual/Obama - it is very much to be expexcted that Obama would care about who takes his open seat and would want to submit names of people he'd like to see in consideration -- somehow, everyone in the news seems to be reporting that that indicates something sinister is afoot.
December 17th, 2008 at 2:03 pmLIARS! They are ALL liars.
Will no one CALL them on this constant barrage of bullshit that spews from the White House and it's lackeys? What are the press so damned afraid of? Loss of access?
Do the republicans really think it's this easy to change history?
December 17th, 2008 at 2:03 pmGeeze Condi, I think you need to seek therapy. You seem to be living in a fantasy world of your own making and it bears no connection to reality.
December 17th, 2008 at 2:11 pmI think the phrase Condo meant was "the US has(d) contempt for the UN":
Tuesday, August 2, 2005
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush plucked his long-stalled nomination of John Bolton for U.N. ambassador out of the hands of the Senate on Monday, naming the controversial nominee to the post through a recess appointment.
Bush said the job at the United Nations was "too important to leave vacant any longer, especially during a war and a vital debate about U.N. reform."
John Bolton resigns as ambassador to U.N.
President accepts resignation;envoy to step down when appointment ends
Mon., Dec. 4, 2006
WASHINGTON - Unable to win Senate confirmation, U.N. Ambassador John Bolton will step down when his temporary appointment expires within weeks, the White House said Monday.
Bolton’s nomination has languished in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for more than a year, blocked by Democrats and several Republicans. Sen. Lincoln Chafee, a moderate Republican who lost in the midterm elections Nov. 7 that swept Democrats to power in both houses of Congress, was adamantly opposed to Bolton.
Critics have questioned Bolton’s brusque style and whether he could be an effective bureaucrat who could force reform at the U.N.
U.N. Ambassador Bolton Won't Stay
Bush Wary of Battle With Democrats
Bolton's departure leaves another hole in Bush's foreign policy team at a time when the U.N. ambassador is heavily involved in diplomacy involving the nuclear activities of Iran and North Korea and the ongoing crisis in Lebanon.
***
Hmm, and strangely, when the NEVER CONFIRMED U.N. ambassador was forced to resign, the "nuk-u-lar" threats from N. Korea and Iran began to simmer down.
NOT a coincidence.
December 17th, 2008 at 2:30 pmThat's why our ambassador stated his mission was to destroy it ?
Embraced in a choke hold maybe ?
December 17th, 2008 at 2:34 pmOMG!!!
I mean, I know I am normally accused of being of Bush/Rice defender, and true I am no fan of the UN, but this????? Utterly delusional! Can she really believe it?
December 17th, 2008 at 3:03 pmthe psychotic delusion and manifest detachment from reality at the highest levels of the bush regime is downright scary.
December 17th, 2008 at 3:07 pmIt is just amazing that she can actually allow these words - lies - to flow from her lips so freely, and with a straight face at that! Good Gaawd! How deluded and more totally dishonest could she possibly be?
December 17th, 2008 at 3:11 pmWhat I find amazing is that these (bleep)s who choose to lie as their first, last, and only recourse are so effing bad at it. It's like watching an administration populated by "Joe Izuzus".
December 17th, 2008 at 3:23 pmThere is a reason Condi is a Republican...she is a pathological liar...like they all are.
December 17th, 2008 at 3:24 pmBut, but, but she plays the piano sooooo well.
¶ AIO
December 17th, 2008 at 3:25 pmCaption: Ebony & Ivory, garage sale edition
December 17th, 2008 at 3:39 pmI didn't think that a group of people could be so Orwellian that the term, "Orwellian," could possibly fail to describe how completely Orwellian they were. These scumbags eat Orwellian for breakfast.
December 17th, 2008 at 3:49 pmWhy is she talking so much now, having been invisible for mot of this year?
December 17th, 2008 at 4:13 pmFinally a job she can do?
In all fairness, this is taken completely out of context.
Later in the interview, she returned to the topic - "Oh, did I say embraced? I meant f**ked. When I said 'used the mechanisms and counsels of' I meant that in sort of a degrading filthy rapist kind of way. It's a common White House euphemism for f**king over an institution of law."
December 17th, 2008 at 4:41 pmWhoop! Whoop! Whoop!
Revisionist History Alert!
Bush Legacy Team at Work!
Whoop! Whoop! Whoop!
"There's no such thing as the United Nations. If the U.N. secretary building in New York lost 10 stories, it wouldn't make a bit of difference." John "Capt. Kangaroo" Bolton - with appologizes to the Keeshan family
Now that's the shrub's idea of embracing the UN?
December 17th, 2008 at 5:11 pmRice is apparently a pretty good pianist. She should stick with something she is good at.
December 17th, 2008 at 6:12 pmDoes Rice just not recognize any form of reality? Or, did space aliens wipe her memory of the last 8 years completely clean? I am amazed that these GOP hacks can say any of this garbage with a straight face.
December 17th, 2008 at 6:31 pmJust a few more lies. I mean just a few more weeks and they are gone. But surely not forgotten.
December 17th, 2008 at 6:47 pmThe WAR CRIMINAL Rice and the WAR CRIMINAL Bolton are pathological liers!
December 17th, 2008 at 9:21 pmRice plays piano...
December 17th, 2008 at 9:24 pmFor the sake of the two million dead iraqui civilians, 4209 dead american soldiers... I would like to have Rice's fingers smashed by a hammer! Bur I'll be have if she get to be held accountable for her WAR CRIMES!
So while the Shrub and company completley ignored the U.N. agreement that said it is crminal to invade a soveriegn nation and not to mention the fact the Shrub appointed John Bolton to the U.N and he helped greatly with our country`s integrity,not.How exactly has this helped our standing in the world.
December 18th, 2008 at 1:38 amThis woman has no dignity. She is a robotic revionist spokes person. This Bush Legacy Revisionist rhetoric that comes at us daily are issues already decided on by a well informed internet age American and world wide public. The efforts are demonstratively pathetic and recognized as such; no one is buying it and it isn't changing any hearts and minds. Those lock step supports relish in this litany of distortions and lies; the rest of the insightful population just rolls their eyes and patiently awaits the exit of the worse president in our history and his inept administration. Rice appears foolish making such claims, espcially since she never earned the mantle of respect by the world community. She is a mouth piece that regurgitates talking points that ring false by the ears of the world. History is recorded, their new spin means nothing.
December 18th, 2008 at 2:12 amOn almost a daily basis Condoleezza proves Napoleon's maxim absolutely true,
December 18th, 2008 at 3:17 am