CNN to Condi: Bother You That Bush Policies Made U.S. 'Loathed Around the World'?

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By Tim Graham (Bio | Archive)
December 19, 2008 - 14:16 ET
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Secretary of State Condi Rice gave an "exit interview" to CNN correspondent Zain Verjee that aired on Wednesday night’s Anderson Cooper 360, and Verjee asserted the Iraqi shoe-tossing incident was deeply representative: "It was really a symbol in so many ways ih the Arab world of utter contempt for President Bush...Does it bother you that with all the diplomacy that you’ve done, President Bush’s policies, the policies that you’ve carried out that the U.S. is so loathed around the world?"

Verjee also insisted: "Your critics say that really what happened was, was the North Koreans were just playing you like a violin." On 9/11 she asked: "The worst breach of national security in the history of the United States came under your watch....Did you ever consider resigning?" And: "One of the issues raised by some of your critics, they say that as National Security Advisor you were really steamrolled by Vice President Cheney, by former Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, and didn’t present a broad enough view to the President. Do you think you did?"

This might be a little stunning for AC360, on which Cooper asked Barack Obama about Reverend Wright last March in a tone so soft it made Cooper look dumb: "Do you think what Reverend Wright said was unpatriotic or un-American?" Cooper didn’t quote critics, but only warned "in a general election, patriotism is going to be used by whoever it is who you are facing."

Verjee wrapped up the interview by asking if Rice voted for Obama (she avoided an answer) and "Was Sarah Palin a bad choice?" (Rice praised her as historic for women.) Near the start, Verjee quickly arrived on the shoe-tossing question:

VERJEE: Staying in Iraq, the shoe-throwing incident, it was really a symbol in so many ways in the Arab world of utter contempt for President Bush.

RICE: And it was one journalist among several who were sitting there respectfully, and I hope it isn’t allowed over time to obscure the fact that this was the President of the United States standing in Baghdad next to the democratically elected Shia Prime Minister of a multi-confessional Iraq that has just signed agreements of friendship and cooperation with the United States for the long term.

VERJEE: But the man may have been one journalist, but he was viewed throughout much of the Arab world as a real hero.

RICE: Oh, I –

VERJEE: My question is –

RICE: I have heard so many people –

VERJEE: My question to you is: Does it bother you that with all the diplomacy that you’ve done, President Bush’s policies, the policies that you’ve carried out that the U.S. is so loathed around the world?

RICE: Zain, the United States is not loathed. The policies of the United States are sometimes not liked. People don’t like that we’ve had to say hard things and do hard things about terrorism. People don’t like that we’ve spoken fiercely for the right of Israel to defend itself at the same time that we’ve advocated for a Palestinian state. But I have to go back. So many people in and around when that incident happened told me how embarrassed they were by the fact that that had happened. But the crux –

VERJEE: But didn’t it upset you? Didn’t it?

RICE: No, no, only that the focus of those who are supposed to be reporting for history didn’t focus on the historical moment, which is that this was the President of the United States in Baghdad, for goodness’ sakes, with a freely elected prime minister in a show of friendship. It didn’t get reported that the Iraqi band spent apparently several – all night trying to learn our national anthem and did it really rather well.

To most journalists, the idea of reporting a State Department publicity-handout story like the Iraqis learning their "Oh Say Can You Sees" probably sounds insulting. But change the administrations, and watch if CNN doesn’t provide Obama handout stories.

Rice has a point: the shoe-throwing is at bottom a publicity stunt, and not a poll or a realistic measure of progress in Iraq. It’s a nice publicity hook for media people who don’t want to acknowledge progress, but only embarrassment in Iraq. Verjee also lobbed these hardballs:

-- "What about North Korea? At every step in this deal, the North Koreans have made promises, they’ve broken them, they’ve made demands, you’ve made concessions, you’ve moved your red lines. Your critics say that really what happened was, was the North Koreans were just playing you like a violin."

-- "What about the Middle East? You really put in a lot of effort. And made progress when it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But do you ever think to yourself, gosh, you know, I really wish that we started this kind of engagement a long time ago at the beginning of the Bush Administration, not toward the end? Do you ever think about that?"

-- "One of the issues raised by some of your critics, they say that as National Security Advisor you were really steamrolled by Vice President Cheney, by former Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, and didn’t present a broad enough view to the President. Do you think you did?" Rice replied: "Certainly, the principals had their say, and as National Security Advisor I faithfully presented to the President what his principals were thinking – all of them."

—Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center.


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Where do these charaters ...

December 19, 2008 - 14:38 ET by SentryDan

Where do these charaters come up with this crap? Don't they know that the Arab world has been attacking United States interests ever since we put our support behind Israel? Or is it just their slanted opinion?

Verjee and his fellow liberals want to see the Fairness Doctrine returned so that the conservative voice is supressed. That was the only news/opinion that will be presented is the liberal, slanted version.

"We the People" need to be very, very, very alert; for if we are not our rights will be trampled. 

Remember folks, Freedom isn't Free. It was bought with the blood and sacrifice of the men and women who are serving and who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.

For those who fought for it, Freedom has a flavor that the protected will never know

   I don't understand. 

December 19, 2008 - 14:48 ET by MidAmerica

   I don't understand.  The media darling, Bill Clinton, was President for eight years.   How is it that there were any problems for Bush to even deal with?  Didn't Clinton solve them all?  Will we even need a President after obama when he evidently will solve all our issues once and for all?

Obama solving our problems.

December 19, 2008 - 18:12 ET by Dan The Man 2

Obama solving our problems.

Nuke em til they glow then shoot em in the dark.

Who is this no name hack

December 19, 2008 - 14:47 ET by Utherpend

Who is this no name hack who thinks he has the right to talk down to a person who is vastly superior to him in education levels alone.  When is someone going to get a little tired of the BS these clones at CNN keep spewing out and call them on thier hypocrisy? For once Rice needs to look at the person interviewing her and ask, "Are you that stupid or are you just reading a teleprompter with these type of questions?" 

 

"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquillity of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feed you"

What no highlights?

December 19, 2008 - 15:03 ET by NorthCoaster

I expect, knowing the Media, that most if not all, interviews of the exiting administration officers will be negative and full of stupid questions designed to denigrate President Bush and the officers. I will expect a few especially Fox interviewers, to ask questions of a positive and negative nature ending with a question such as, "What is your most memorable experience/greatest accomplishment etc.". Let the officer interviewed, explain on their own, without setting them up to knock them down. Who knows, maybe someone thinks it was great to finally put Saddam away.

Lame Stream Media AH's

December 19, 2008 - 15:17 ET by Scrapiron

The fact that 95% of the Iraqi people voted for and support their freedom makes such AH's out of the Lame Stream Media they will do anything to convince people they aren't the AH's they really are. Every time the Lame Stream Media idiots pull a stunt like this more of them join the ranks of the unemployed. I've done my part, cancelled all the papers/mag's and never watch the Lame Stream Outlets. Get all of my news from the web and read the ads on the web sites, otherwise I'd never know about products for sale.

Just as I used to talk up American vehicles I now talk them down and recommend foreign named/controlled, non-union manufacturer's. 

How long will it be before major advertisers realize they're paying millions for ads no one is watching?

Old, Retired and glad of it.

Notice he was pushing hard for the "pull quote"

December 19, 2008 - 15:26 ET by Jnoble

"But didn't it upset you? Didn't it? Better say yes, dammit!"

He wasn't really listening to what she had to say, he just wanted her to verbally agree to his premise so they could immediatly run a "RICE UPSET AT BUSH POLICIES" story

 Like Rush always says, when someone is being interviewed, the story about them was already written in advance. The MSM just needs to provide some choice quotes to fill it out to their liking.

US Loathed around..it changed?

December 19, 2008 - 15:32 ET by Gary Hall

Let me just offer a little contrast - context doesn't seem important here, seeing as Verjee, wasn't playing within any boundaries.

The last Sec. of State, Madeline Albright - other than being on record with the fact that N. Korea was pulling a fast one on the US before Bush became President, didn't seem to get the same grilling inspite of her rash off color abrasive comments:

In May of 1996, 60 Minutes aired an interview with Madeline Albright, who at the time was Clinton"s UN Ambassador. Correspondent Leslie Stahl said to Albright, "We have heard that a half million children have died. I mean, that's more children than died in Hiroshima. And- and. you know. is the price worth it?

Ambassador ALBRIGHT: I think this is a very hard choice, but the price [the sanctions]--we think the price is worth it.

And what did we get from that US policy, besides a 1/2 million dead children .. a free Iraq? President Bush did his best to put an end to all that worthless policy of sanctions, which the world no longer accepted nor wanted. While the cost was high, 

Other classic comments from Albright :

''A few dozen hecklers'' will not deter the United States from its mission in Iraq, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said today."

[..]

But let me make the following point; which is that the United States is the only superpower. We have responsibilities as such. We stand tall and therefore we can see further. And we are very concerned about this threat to all our societies, due to weapons of mass destruction. And if we have to go it alone, we will go it alone... But ultimately, Ted, we are the United States, and we are the indispensable power."

[..]

"What's the point of having this superb military you're always talking about if we can't use it?" Sec. Madeline AlbrightAnd on President Bush. Perhaps if our national media would report on what world leaders and humanitarian leaders had to say sometimes, Verjee wouldn't be playing to such an uninformed audience:   I just don't seem to remember Sec. Rice speaking in such cold terms. 

And of course, President Bush has a lot of fans in the world. Here's what the 1st freely elected woman President  in Africa had to say just 2 months ago..

President Ellen Sirleaf Johnson, of Liberia:

"Under the leadership of President Bush [..] .. What a legacy, Mr. President..." "..America's commitment to democracy and development and to supporting low-income countries around the world has been a signature of foreign policy achievement for President Bush, Secretary Rice, the bipartisan support of the U.S. Congress, and the American people. .."

Or, as Humanitarian, Sir Bob Geldof said at the White House back in October:

".. a great adventure.. what America was born to do.. the sense that this is America at it's best.."

Something the Hollywood - humanitarian loving press would never allow the public to see on the news - and something they'd never miss if the this would have been about a Democrat.

(;~> gary

Does it bother you that

December 19, 2008 - 17:52 ET by BD

Does it bother you that with all the diplomacy that you’ve done, President Bush’s policies, the policies that you’ve carried out that the U.S. is so loathed around the world?"

Such blather.  This "Loathing" is only applicable to those who would see and be seen sipping small cups of coffee on the left bank of Seine in Paris. 

These people who hold this view assume that the world is uniform in nature and everyone holds the same views that a professor at Berkeley or the Sorbonne in their ivory towers would.  THe reality on the street is far different.

 IN fact, the portion of the world that is the Middle east is sooo vastly culturally different than that supposed point of view.  In fact, the Middle East is well known to those of us who have been there as a place where naked strength and the use of power, such as that shown by the US post 9/11 is prized.  It is part of the tribal nature of the middle-east where the strong man rules and diplo simply gains time that causes this.

For anyone who has never been there, you must understand that HE who OVERREACTS is considered the model leader.  For further reference I direct you to google the term "Hama Rules" which deals with the Assad family overwhelming destruction of the city of Hama that had transgressed Assad rule, sums it up nicely.  Arabs tend to nod in appreciation when this incident is brought up.  THey do not hold "Peacekeeping Missions" in a similar favorable light.

Most other places in the world are similar, and in fact I can only think of a handful of places where the efficient use of naked strength is NOT appreciated by the culture.  San Francisco being the likely model for this....

ever been out of the country?

December 19, 2008 - 21:05 ET by criticalthinking

hate to burst your pretty little bubble...but the US is hated from the banks of France to the ghettos of Mexico.  Not saying its fair...its not.  but billions of poor people who cant find France on the map loath the US....if you want a head start, interview the families of the millions of innocents who lost their lives in Iraq

Critical thinking....

December 20, 2008 - 09:00 ET by BD

Have I ever been out of the country?  Why most assuredly.  In the course of my 23 year career in the US Army as an officer I have spent much of it living on three seperate continents including Europe, Asia, and North America.  What have I learned from those years living abroad?  THe US is hardly hated.  In fact, we are widely admired specifically for what we do in cases like Iraq.

I find PJ O'Rourkes analysis to be totally correct.  To most of the world, the US is a beautiful 18 year old girl, and they are dorky 13 year old boys who wish to be noticed.  They will do anything for the 18 year old to notice them.  The world behaves in this manner.

Oh, I have had people tell me that they hold us in absolute contempt in one breath, then also tell me that as soon as they can get a visa they will attend grad school in Nebraska.  I have also heard from a coworker of an Anti US functionary who has participated in many demonstrations abroad who hopes to work at a US airport news kiosk as a cashier if he can only get the visa.

The people of Mexico loath us for our actions?  Heee-heee....  Not so much.  The people of Mexico flock north to get jobs here and most say that they LOVE this country because of our values demonstrated in actions such as Iraqi Freedom.  Oh, that coupled with the fact that GRAFT is not the first thing on the menu when they arrive.  In fact, our use of the Military in Iraq is respected greatly compared to the Mexican use of theirs to shake down travellers headed north to cross the border illegally.

Regarding the people of France? Well, they can hardly be counted on right?  After all, they barely even tried to defend themselves during WWII.  So their motives are suspect from the jump.

Regarding the "Millions" who lost their lives in Iraq.  US produced casualaties did not extend into the "Millions" as you claim.  In fact, the agencies attempting to catlogue such casualties are having a hard time getting the number of casualties in Iraq from war related causes towards the hundred thousand mark last time I was looking.  Of that number, the vast majority are from terrorist bombing rather than our actions which by ALL ACCOUNTS are well restrained.

And by the way, I have been to Iraq, twice.  And I have talked with Iraqi, who HARDLY loath us.  In fact, I was greeted as a liberator the first time I was there, and as a valued comrade the second.  How about you?

millions of innocents who

December 21, 2008 - 01:33 ET by Dan The Man 2

millions of innocents who lost their lives in Iraq

Seems like the death toll is rising all the time, get a few math skills will ya.  Iraq has about 28 million total right now.  Some have left and there have been deaths and births.  Now you saying millions meaning plural have died then we extrapolate say 5 million and if we look "critically" at that that means 1/6 of the Iraq population have lost their lives in Iraq.  That is inconceivable.

Bottom line is your moniker does not describe you at all except in a liberal fantasy. 

Nuke em til they glow then shoot em in the dark.

delete double post

December 20, 2008 - 04:19 ET by Carl Kolchak

delete double post

"The worst breach of

December 20, 2008 - 04:16 ET by Carl Kolchak

"The worst breach of national security in the history of the United States came under your watch"

Worse than Pearl Harbor, or the fact that the White House was burned down during the War of 1812, or that Washington D.C. was burned during the War of 1812.  I believe that the fact that it started raining that night prevented more burning for D.C.

Also, keep in mind many people in Eastern Europe don't have a good feeling about FDR at the Yalta Conference either.  I don't agree with them, but they feel that FDR sold them out to Stalin as a result of the Yalta Conference.  Some poeple killed themselves as a result of Tito's forced repatriation and Stalin's forced repatriation. 

 

To all European countries who loathe the US

December 20, 2008 - 04:35 ET by Carl Kolchak

To all the the European countries who loathe the United States.

Please feel free to repay all monies owed to the United States as a result of the money given to you from the Marshal Plan.

I believe only Finland is exempt from this request to repay the money.

 

CNN I loathe you for your

December 20, 2008 - 04:50 ET by Carl Kolchak

CNN I loathe you for your Operation Tailwind report.

In my opinion CNN did one of the worst cases of journalism in the history of the world with their garbage reporting on Operation Tailwind.  I belive someone sued them.  You badmouthed Vietnam Veterans and made them out to be horrible rotten poeople and you didn't seem to have your facts strait.  Vietnam Veterans are great people unlike how Arnett and CNN seem to portray them.  I loathe CNN for their garbage reporting on Operation Tailwind.

 

http://www.cnn.com/US/9807/0

December 20, 2008 - 04:55 ET by Carl Kolchak

http://www.cnn.com/US/9807/02/tailwind.johnson/

 

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-671685.html

 

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_/ai_50229134\

 

 

What's all this? We should be deeply disappointed...

December 20, 2008 - 17:32 ET by Thalpy

What's all this? We should be deeply disappointed if much of the world didn't loathe us. Look at the European Union. Look at Arabia. Look at so many other countries. Granted, we have made countless mistakes, but anyone who admires what Europe has become is delusional. Arabia doesn't win any prizes either.