Skip to main content
  • CNSNews.com
  • MRC TV
  • Biz & Media
  • Culture & Media
  • TimesWatch
  • Take Action!

Join Us @:
Facebook
Twitter
Amazon Kindle

Tell the Truth campaign logo
NewsBusters.org logo

February 11, 2012
  • Home
  • Blogs
  • About
  • Forum
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Search
  • Account
  • RSS
Home » Blogs » Warner Todd Huston's blog
  • Barbara Walters, Shameless Hypocrite: Hits Kennedy Mistress for Greed, Tells Her She Should Have Stayed Quiet
  • MRC's Bozell Scolds Media's Reluctance to Cover HHS Birth Control Mandate
  • Chris Matthews Excoriates: Rick Santorum Is a 'Theocrat' and Franklin Graham Is a 'Disgrace'
  • Time's Mark Halperin Concedes: GOP 'Would Be Creamed' by Media for Not Passing a Budget
  • CNN Reporters Call CPAC a ‘Conservative Petri Dish’
  • Chris Matthews Reacts to JFK Mistress: Kennedy a Hero Who 'Still Arouses the Country'
  • Covering Up JFK’s Roguish Behavior for 50 Years Not Long Enough for NBC’s Viewers
  • Bozell: It's 'Hilarious' CNN Suspended Roland Martin for Inoffensive Tweet; Maybe 'Lefty Loons at MSNBC' Can 'Scoop Him Up' Now

More 'Gift Gaffes,' Now From Hillary

By Warner Todd Huston | March 08, 2009 | 01:00

Change font size:  A |  A

On top of the major faux pas in gifting promulgated by the Obamas during the visit of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown comes the story of the ridiculous mistake that Secretary of State Hillary "the linguist" Clinton made with her gift to Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov.

The "gift" was supposed to be a funny one, but it was a misfire because it seems that Clinton couldn't find anyone in the employ of the State Department that had a grasp of the Russian language. The U.S. media has not made too big a deal about this one but the Russian and British media has been playing this one to the hilt. It's being called the "Button Gaffe" and it certainly is making our Sec. of State look stupid to the world.

At their meeting in Geneva last week, Clinton gave Lavrov what was supposed to be a "re-set button" telling the Russian people that we were "re-setting" our relationship. Unfortunately for our expert at foreign relations, the word on the button's casing did not say "re-set" in Russian. It said "overcharged" or "overload." So, if the Russian Minister were to push that button we'd be "overloading" our relations. NOT the message that we wanted to send, was it?

Now, it's all well and good to have some fun with this idiot gaffe by Clinton's State Department. Believe me, I am no fan of Foggy Bottom no matter who sits in the Oval Office. But this incident also shows another aspect of this uncivil administration.

Obama is not moving forward into his bright new future. He is wallowing still in what he thinks are the evil Bush years. Neither he nor anyone else in his administration spare the least bit of effort to forget about the last president. At every opportunity you can find them digging at Bush. This still born "re-set button" idea was just another aspect of that.

What are we supposed to be "re-setting," anyway? What else but the presumed "failed" policies of the Bush administration. But what "failed" Russian policies could Obama and Clinton be talking about? After all, Bush rarely crossed Putin, saying he thought he was a man that he could deal with, that he "looked into his soul." One of the only times Bush crossed Putin was when the Russians invaded the country of Georgia without justification. We stood with the beleaguered Georgians and for god reason. That made Putin mad.

So, what are we saying with this "re-set button"? Are we saying that from now on we will let Russia invade any nearby country that it wants to?

This gaffe is far more than the linguistic stupidity of Clinton's State Dept. It is also shows the failure of the coming Obama foreign policy.

Along with the epic fail that was her “gift” we are also seeing the emergence of the epic fail of her foreign policy efforts.

(Photo credit: news.bbc.co.uk)

Share this
  • Foreign Policy
  • Media Bias Debate
  • Russia
  • Hillary Clinton
  • Warner Todd Huston's blog
  • Login or register to post comments
  • Printer-friendly version
Donate to NewsBusters

Donate to NewsBusters Today!

This form needs Javascript to display, which your browser doesn't support. Sign up here instead

User Shortcuts

Log in

  • My account
  • My buddylist
  • Log in to check messages
  • RSS feed
  • About NB
  • Contact us
  • Jobs
  • Advertise on NB

 

 

 

  • The cynical and self-contradictory Gospel of Obama (Krauthammer)
  • Video: Protesters at CPAC admit they're being paid to protest (Daily Caller)
  • Does the drug 'ella' cause abortions? (Weekly Standard)
  • Does income inequality cause global warming? (Power Line)
  • Jay Carney gets snippy about Super PACs (Verum Serum)
  • Where are the blacks for Roland Martin? (NRO/Media Blog)
  • Turkish Islamists turn church into mosque (Commentary)

RSS FeedAmazon KindleFacebookTwitter

Recent comments

  • Despite the idiocy of Sharpton, not to mention his---
    2 min 6 sec ago
  • Nah. Think I will continue on.
    5 min 14 sec ago
  • Dodd...
    7 min 55 sec ago
  • What he really means....
    10 min 23 sec ago
  • Accept it's not, now is it.
    13 min 20 sec ago
More >

Try a Sweater Vest, Mitt
more cartoons
  • Newt Gingrich's Full Address to CPAC
  • Newt Gingrich: As President I'll Repudiate 40% of Obama's Government on Inauguration Day
  • Ann Coulter's Full Address to CPAC
  • NYTimes Reporters Packing in 'Conservative' Labels at CPAC
  • Full Video of Rick Santorum at CPAC
More >
NewsBusters

Executive Editor
Matthew Sheffield

Editor at Large
Brent Baker

Senior Editors
Tim Graham
Rich Noyes

Managing Editor
Ken Shepherd

Associate Editor
Noel Sheppard

Contributing Editors
Tom Blumer
Geoffrey Dickens
Dan Gainor
David Limbaugh
Lachlan Markay
Mithridate Ombud
Clay Waters
Scott Whitlock

Senior Contributor
Mark Finkelstein

Editorial Associate
Aubrey Vaughan

Contributing Writers
Matthew Balan
Michael M. Bates
Erin R. Brown
Jack Coleman
Kyle Drennen
Douglas Ernst
P. J. Gladnick
Stephen Gutowski
Matt Hadro
D. S. Hube
Kathleen McKinley
Dave Pierre
Amy Ridenour
Julia A. Seymour
Terry Trippany
Rusty Weiss
Brad Wilmouth

Publisher
Brent Bozell

Site Design
Dialog New Media

 

  • Home
  • Blogs
  • About
  • Forum
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Search
  • Account
  • rss
  • CNSNews
  • MRC TV
  • Biz & Media
  • Culture & Media
  • Take Action!
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Amazon Kindle
  • Advertise
  • Jobs

Copyright © 2005-2012 NewsBusters. Terms of Use.