As Though Iraq Never Happened The short memory of Condoleezza Rice

[xchrom]

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/03/as-though-iraq-never-happened/284344/

?n2a5v6

I don't really understand how any editorial by Condoleezza Rice on conflict in Ukraine can fail to directly address the failures of the Iraq War. But here is Rice arguing for American godhead:

The notion that the United States could step back, lower its voice about democracy and human rights and let others lead assumed that the space we abandoned would be filled by democratic allies, friendly states and the amorphous “norms of the international community.” Instead, we have seen the vacuum being filled by extremists such as al-Qaeda reborn in Iraq and Syria; by dictators like Bashar al-Assad, who, with the support of Iran and Russia, murders his own people; by nationalist rhetoric and actions by Beijing that have prompted nationalist responses from our ally Japan; and by the likes of Vladimir Putin, who understands that hard power still matters.

These global developments have not happened in response to a muscular U.S. foreign policy: Countries are not trying to “balance” American power. They have come due to signals that we are exhausted and disinterested. The events in Ukraine should be a wake-up call to those on both sides of the aisle who believe that the United States should eschew the responsibilities of leadership. If it is not heeded, dictators and extremists across the globe will be emboldened. And we will pay a price as our interests and our values are trampled in their wake.

Condoleezza Rice was an important member of an administration that launched a war on false pretense and willingly embraced torture. This was done in the name of the American people. It takes a particular historical blindness to claim that such actions should have no effect on all our crowing over "democracy and human rights."

[JHB]

1. No one could have foreseen such self-serving amnesia

I mean, what was she supposed to do? Shake the trees for some memories?

[Capt. Obvious]

2. Well played

[madaboutharry]

3. Ms. Mushroom Cloud.

She is as complicit as the rest of the Bush crowd.

[Scuba]

4. Someone here referred to her as "Kindasleezy Rice". Such name-calling is childish. Don't repeat it.

[Javaman]

5. condi, I have never ever had an original idea, rice

needs to be in prision.

any word she utters is just more lies.

[Fumesucker]

6. It's hard to be humble when you have a supertanker named after you