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)
