Albright says next president must `restore goodness of American power' (AP)

[Eugene]

Albright says next president must `restore goodness of American power'

The Associated Press - ATLANTA

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said Thursday that through the war
in Iraq the United States has lost its moral authority, and it will be up to the
next president to restore the "goodness of American power."

"I think that Iraq is going to go down in history as the greatest disaster in American
foreign policy," Albright said, with former President Jimmy Carter at her side in one
of a series of "Conversations at the Carter Center."

"We have lost the element of goodness in American power, and we have lost our
moral authority," she said. "The job of the next president will be to restore the
goodness of American power."

Albright, who was part of Carter's national security team in the 1970s, long before
she was the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and secretary of state under
President Bill Clinton, said many Americans believe that they should be loved around
the world.

"We don't have to be loved," she said. "But we shouldn't be feared. We should be
respected."

-snip-

Full article: http://www.accessnorthga.com/news/ap_newfullstory.asp?ID=88008

[babylonsister]

1. Former SOS Albright speaks for me so much! And, she was and is

a damn sight better than the current SOS, who should be taking copious notes despite the fact that it's too late.

[Wilms]

2. Albright talks about Iraqi children.

"We have heard that half a million children have died. I mean, that's more children than died in Hiroshima. And, you know, is the price worth it?". Albright replied: "I think this is a very hard choice, but the price -- we think the price is worth it."<5>

http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=1084

[sandnsea]

4. She apologized very shortly after

And continues to state that was the worst thing she has ever said and that in no way did she mean that.

[Wilms]

5. I thought she had. But this reference reads differently, to me.

"When asked about this remark in 2005 she said "I never should have made it, it was stupid," but she "still supported the concept of tailored sanctions.""

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madeleine_Albright

Seems she feels it was "stupid" to reveal her point of view.

You gotta wonder about anyone saying such a thing in the first place. Or, at least, I do.

[sandnsea]

7. I have her book

She describes it as a moment when the words were coming out of her mouth that she realized the horror of what she was saying, but it was too late to bring them back. It was stupid.

Yes, I believe sanctions are still supported for diplomatic purposes by most world leaders. It doesn't follow that one believes the death of children are 'worth it'. The deaths of children are never worth it. But sometimes the reality is that children are going to die and with the case of Saddam, the hope was less children would die in the long run by taking action in the short run.

[Wilms]

8. I've considered all that.

But couldn't reconcile it.

I support the Iraq War as much as I supported the Persian Gulf War as much as I supported the placeholder Clinton provided the Bushes...which is to say I don't.

And what's this Albright and Carlyle?

[sandnsea]

9. I'm speaking to that one comment

I've seen that used against her time and again. I've given people the exact quote from her, which shows her sincere remorse. Yet the exact same people keep popping it up, over and over. I just don't think it's fair. You want to argue the actual policy, fine. But smearing her with a statement that she has profusely apologized for, that's not legitimate to the debate about our foreign policy. Which I think has sucked for a few decades, by the way.

[Wilms]

10. "which shows her sincere remorse", to you, apparently.

Not to me. I said already it seems to me she is sorry she said it. She is not sorry for a policy that caused it. What's not clear? :shrug:

Let's see Condi say that and have the exact same people keep popping...up, over and over to defend her.

[sandnsea]

12. Right. I'm speaking to the comment

If you want to criticize her on the policy, then use a different quote. That one is not valid.

[PLF]

15. That quote is absolutely valid.

[Wilms]

17. Funny that.

I've never "misspoken" or otherwise made a positive reference to the death of a half a million kids.

You seem to think it's ok since Albright said she was sorry she said what was on her mind and part of the policy she supported. I got that.

Thank you.

:puke:

[sandnsea]

18. You were Secy of State??

You had to attempt to keep the entire world from caving in on itself? I read her statement and horror at herself for making that comment. Anybody who had read the entirety of what she said would know she didn't mean it. It's not fair to take 5 seconds out of her life to smear her with. You want to argue against the sanctions policy, then argue against that on the merits, not through a smear campaign.

[Wilms]

19. "to keep the entire world from caving in on itself"...

Maddy had to kill 1/2 million kids?

And you wonder how freepers support *?

[The Backlash Cometh]

14. Pile on.

What *is* up with the Carlyle thing?

[pennylane100]

3. Sadly, I think this country is all out of goodness.

I am not a spiritual person but I do believe this country has lost its soul.

We allow people to be held without trial, we allow people to be tortured, we deprive people in need so that we can channel money into the pockets of war profiteers, we allow people to die on our streets, homeless and without food, clothing or medical care but cling to some archaic thought that as a Christian nation, we have god on our side. We are so far off course, I do not think we can come back.

[babylonsister]

6. pennylane100, no, no, no! Think! when this abhorrence started happening.

Only since the dim one has been here to wreak havoc. It will get better as soon as he is out of here, one way or the other.
I honestly don't remember people dying in the streets prior to dimson, homeless w/o food and everything else, etc. It's not about Christianity here or religion anywhere (except relating to the lack of understanding OF religion in the ME). It's about how the common person treats each other.

[PLF]

16. Goodness? When and where?

I've never seen anything good come out of Washington.

Some of the people in this country have shown goodness but I've never seen it come out of the beltway.

[rodeodance]

11. actually, I saw that program on cspan. catch it if replays. well worth it.

[The Backlash Cometh]

13. If integrity was important to Albright, she should have come out slugging

during the 9/11 investigations. Instead she helped the Bush Administration deflect criticism by pushing the let's not get into the blame game thingie.