Steve Clemons reports on another example of atrocious diplomacy by the neo-cons. This time it comes from John Bolton’s replacement as Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, Robert ‘Bob’ Joseph, who was overheard badmouthing the French and Germans on a recent first class United flight…equating them with ‘surrender monkeys’.
Apparently, Joseph said:
“I miss the Soviet Union, because they knew what the rules were, and now we are stuck with these ‘surrender monkeys’ in France and Germany.”
Clemons’s notes:
a diplomat like Bob Joseph shouldn’t be caught dead making a statement along those lines, particularly not in public, not even in United Airlines first class.
If he feels so relaxed sharing such undiplomatic chatter in public, one can only wonder what his criteria are when something truly sensitive, or classified, is running through his mind.
Secretary Rice, respectfully, your Under Secretary needs some “sensitivity training.” If TWN has heard about this, how many others have?
It doesn’t surprise me that Bush has staffed State’s position for Arms Control, a position that is working closely with France and Germany on Iran’s nuclear ambitions, with a man that is prone to making such remarks. When have the Bushies ever put diplomacy before bullying, ridicule, and violence?
our Democratic “leaders” had the spine to say that the “surrender monkeys” in France and Germany have been proven correct in their opposition to the invasion of Iraq.
True friends don’t let friends drive drunk or invade sovereign states for no reason.
well, the freedom fries guy recanted on the war, so I think it is okay to give France a few props.
Speaking of the old Soviet Union – I saw a poll recently that indicated that many young Russians admire Joe Stalin. They long for a return to the day when the Soviets were a world power to be reckoned with.
that’s true, unfortunately.
But om another point, no one ever taught me in school about the part where the Soviets understood the rules. Which rules exactly? The rules on human rights? The rules on international treaties? The rules of religious freedom? The rules against assassination? The rules against invading sovereign nations? What the fuck rules did the Soviets understand that the French and Germans do not?
It must be the rule that states that the rules do not apply to superpowers.
The crudeness of the comment, not to mention its utter stupidity, raises again the question where these people come from. This is frat talk, not government-speak. It tells alot about the quality of the person, independently of his or her particular political beliefs. We get criticized for making analogies to the Nazi’s, but this is exactly the sort of talk that lower-level Nazi functionaries engaged in. They came out of nowhere. These are not people with education or general culture. They are true barbarians.
The Europeans have lived through this thing, and though most of those old enough to understand what they lived through are quite aged and dying, there is enough of that memory around for them to finger what is happening to the United States.
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by Simon Walters – Mail on Sunday
A White House leak revealing astonishing details of how Tony Blair and George Bush lied about the Iraq war is set to cause a worldwide political storm. A new book exposes how the two men connived to dupe the United Nations and blows the lid off Mr Blair’s claim that he was a restraining influence on Mr Bush.
He offered his total support for the war at a secret White House summit as Mr Bush displayed his contempt for the UN, made a series of wild threats against Saddam Hussein and showed a devastating ignorance about the catastrophic aftermath of the war.
Based on access to information at the highest level, the book by leading British human rights lawyer Philippe Sands QC, Professor of Law at London University, demonstrates how the two men decided to go to war regardless of whether they obtained UN backing.
The book also makes serious allegations concerning the conduct of Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer and Attorney General Lord Goldsmith over Goldsmith’s legal advice on the war.
And it alleges the British Government boasted that disgraced newspaper tycoon Conrad Black was being used by Mr Bush’s allies in America as a channel for pro-war propaganda in the UK via his Daily Telegraph newspaper.
The leaks are contained in a new version of Sands’ book Lawless World, first published last year, when it emerged that Lord Goldsmith had told Mr Blair the war could be unlawful – before a lastminute U-turn.
The new edition, to be published by Penguin, is likely to cause a fierce new controversy on both sides of the Atlantic. It follows recent charges against two British men under the Official Secrets Act after a transcript of another conversation between Mr Bush and Blair, in which the President raised the possibility of bombing the Al Jazeera Arab TV station, was leaked by a Whitehall official.
The description of the January 31 meeting echoes the recent memoirs of Britain’s former ambassador to Washington, Sir Christopher Meyer. Meyer, who was excluded from the private session between Blair and Bush, claimed the summit marked the culmination of the Prime Minister’s failure to use his influence to hold back Mr Bush.
It’s past midnight in the Netherlands, this info would be interesting for writing a diary …
“But I will not let myself be reduced to silence.”
▼ ▼ ▼ MY DIARY
Oui, you can testify that I identified the Telegraph as the conduit for the bad intel from the Iraq Planning Group and the INC back into the American press, usually via William Safire.
John Bolton must have been holding diplomacy workshops last month for the war monkeys.
One can only hope that such remarks will further encourage the Europeans to find a resolution independent of US pressures.
The Indians sent our man packing & said they wouldn’t support sanctions on Iran after he opened his big mouth and made explicit the bribery our nuclear co-operation offer really was.
Pity they haven’t yet dispatched someone over at State to insult the British.