Wednesday, May 03, 2006

I Heart Madeleine Albright

I like her.

Not only because I liked the way she handled herself in the interview (i.e. very direct, good eye contact) but also two statements:

1. She not only openly expresses her concern about our country's place in the international arena, but also has the guts to tell our President to his face.

2. She says, "There is a special place in hell for women who do not help each other."

12 comments:

Eve said...

my teacher used to call her "la bete noire" (the dark beast) :)

Zanzounito said...

is that a compliment or a put down?

BeeJ said...

Madeleine, Margaret Thatcher, and Condi are great and rare examples of how sexual frustration is transformed into positive energy.

Zanzounito said...

that's reaaaal funny beej, realll funny :)

BeeJ said...

is that a compliment or a put down?

J. said...

I remember an interview with her on CNN years ago. The question weas "do you think the embargo on Irak is worth the 400,000 dead Iraqi children?". Her answer was 'Yes, I do'. Great woman indeed. God bless her.

Eve said...

oh he hated her so! funny thing is time passed and she's kind of the "big boss" in the place where I work now.

Zanzounito said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Zanzounito said...

beej-it was a compliment, I laughed hard, really I did!

jij-she did? I need to look into that..thanks for bringing it up, I may have to retract my statement

FZ said...

i love the sexual frustration comment

albright made the statement on 60 minutes in 1996:

lesley stahl: we have heard that a half million children have died. I mean, that's more children than died in hiroshima. And, you know, is the price worth it?

albright: I think this is a very hard choice, but the price--we think the price is worth it.

the bbc documentary was made in 2000 by john pilger and is called 'paying the price, killing the children of iraq.' it is really a fantastic video on the effects of sanctions as a public health/human rights disaster.

pilger interviews james rubin, assistant secretary of state, who comments on allbright's comments about the price being 'worth it'

Pilger: Why have you misrepresented the UNICEF Report?

Rubin: Our analysis is based on a wide variety of sources not simply the UNICEF Report…

Pilger: The chief United Nations official in Iraq, Hans von Sponeck, has appealed to the United States and Britain to let supplies through. He said: “Don’t fight the battle against Saddam Hussein on the backs of the civilian population.”

Rubin: Mr von Sponeck is commenting on subjects beyond his competence…We have to weigh our profound sorrow at the tragic suffering of the people of Iraq against the national security challenge that Saddam Hussein would pose to the world if he weren’t checked by the sanctions regime and the containment policy.

Pilger: Is the choice you describe summed up by Madeleine Allbright’s comment that the ‘price’ of half a million dead children was ‘worth it’.

Rubin: That quote has been seriously taken out of context.

Pilger: (Passes over transcript of interview given by Allbright)

Rubin: Well, we don’t accept the figure of half a million.

Pilger: It’s from the World Health Organisation and backed by UNICEF.

Pilger: Who is paying the price?

Rubin: We’re trying to minimize the price for the people of Iraq…What you have to understand is that there is a real world and an ideal world.

ah, idealism! :)

Zanzounito said...

fz-

You beat me to it!

I was 'bout to post the same dialogue.

Also, I wonder how politicians would react if the their family was the one who had to send their children to war..or better yet to experience war

Zanzounito said...

fz-

You beat me to it!

I was 'bout to post the same dialogue.

Also, I wonder how politicians would react if the their family was the one who had to send their children to war..or better yet to experience war