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RedditThe other shoe is dropping. Now that Hillary is feathering her nest at State, it seems likely that a flock of Democratic hawks -- or are they vultures? -- will be settling in, too. First among firsts is, yes, Richard Holbrooke.
Earlier it was conventional wisdom that Holbrook had been exiled from Obamaland, but his close ties to Hillary make it a sure bet that he'll be back. The Post reports today that Holbooke will get the ultrasensitive portfolio for South Asia including Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India:
President -elect Barack Obama is seriously considering giving former ambassador Richard Holbrooke a key role in handling diplomacy in south Asia, a move that would put one of America's most prominent international troubleshooters in the middle of trying to resolve the thorny and interrelated problems surrounding India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, according to several sources familiar with the transition.The appointment would represent early recognition by Obama that the region poses perhaps the biggest foreign policy challenge for his incoming administration.
The report adds: "The move would also represent another example of Obama's willingness to look beyond his circle of supporters to fill key posts." But it doesn't represent that at all. It means, instead, that Obama is giving members of his War Cabinet -- as the Wall Street Journal called it -- free rein to pick their friends, and not Obama's friends, for their staff.
Bloomberg throws a few drops of cold water on the Holbrooke story:
Obama's chief spokeswoman for national security, Brooke Anderson, tamped down the report, saying, "We have no plans for an envoy, as there is one president at a time and we intend to respect that."
But that doesn't mean that it isn't true.
Holbrooke's egregious hawkishness is on display for all to see, but here's my favorite, a recent manifestation, from a Times piece on the alleged dangers of a resurgent Russia:
It's not only cold warriors like Mr. Cheney who have characterized Russia as a rogue state. Richard Holbrooke and Ronald Asmus, former officials in the Clinton administration, compared Russia's assault on Georgia with Hitler's march on Czechoslovakia, airily justified by the alleged need to protect ethnic Germans. For the first time in almost 30 years -- at least since the invasion of Afghanistan -- Russia has come to be seen as a threat to world order.
Yeah, another one of those he's-another-Hitler comparisons.
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Robert Dreyfuss
A chronicle of America's adventures in foreign policy and national security.
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"But that doesn't mean that it isn't true."
Doesn't mean the sky has fallen, either.
Posted by crabwalk at 12/03/2008 @ 10:50am
Wow, you mean Richard Holbrooke doesn't like Putin's Russia?
What a reactionary!
Robert V. Daniels | October 20, 2008 issue
... From Gorbachev to Putin. ... Putin merely pushed the devolution to its logical conclusion of "electoral monarchy" and "bureaucratic capitalism.". ... Putin's Choice Katrina vanden Heuvel | July 24, 2000 issue
... Putin's Choice. ... The Gref team is boasting that its "liberal" program has been accepted by Putin, a claim the Western media have taken at face value. ... Who Is Putin? Katrina vanden Heuvel | April 17, 2000 issue
... Who Is Putin? By Katrina vanden Heuvel. ... Indeed, Vladimir Putin flatly refused to reveal his domestic policies prior to the election. ... Putin's War Matt Bivens | posted September 25, 2003 (web exclusive)
... Putin's War. By Matt Bivens. September 25, 2003. ... democratic reform in Russia. » More. Putin's War. Russia. Matt Bivens: There's been ... Putin's War Katrina vanden Heuvel | September 27, 2004 issue
... Putin's War. By Katrina vanden Heuvel. ... These latest acts expose the bankruptcy of President Vladimir Putin's war policy toward Chechnya. ... Babushkas vs. Putin Katrina vanden Heuvel | February 7, 2005 issue
... Putin. ... In December, fiery nationalist Alexander Prokhanov characterized the situation as "pre-revolutionary," and he has called for Putin's removal. ... President Putin? The Editors | January 24, 2000 issue
... President Putin? ... In short, Yeltsin's legacy to his anointed successor, acting President Vladimir Putin, is an embittered, polarized, impoverished nation. ... Putin's Foes Fall Flat at Summit Anna G. Arutunyan | posted July 19, 2006 (web exclusive)
(All from "The Nation" Archives....more available)
Posted by Mask at 12/03/2008 @ 11:41am
How fitting - Clinton and Holbrooke who shared Bosnian sniper fire are together again.
"Spheres of Influence"..........haven't we declared a few of our own? Guess US imperialism should not be viewed as a threat to anyone. "Hitler Analogies"...........great for fanning the fires of fear and fervor - a strategy used by Hitler.
Remember Charles Schumer's willingness to do a "Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact" with Putin giving Putin the Caspian in exchange for cooperation for US hardline on Iran (used as another Hitler analogy by neocons and neocon-lite realists)?
What hogwash from Holbrooke. Georgia was a done deal - too bad we had to step on so many toes. Thats what happens though when the tail wags the dog.
Posted by OneVote at 12/03/2008 @ 12:25pm
Let's face it; Russia is once again a communist nation. There is no freedom of the press since journalists who dare criticize the government are routinely murdered and their TV stations and newspapers are shut down. Russia is a threat to world security and denying it merely emboldens them. To acknowledge that doesn't change the fact that many of Obama's appointments are disastrous; Hilary Clinton as Secretary of State? When her biggest foreign policy vote as Senator was to approve the war in Iraq?
Posted by mrpoizun at 12/03/2008 @ 12:42pm
How fitting - Clinton and Holbrooke who shared Bosnian sniper fire are together again.
Posted by OneVote at 12/03/2008 @ 12:25pm
That's what happens when you're in a fox hole too long.... ;-)
Posted by ACook at 12/03/2008 @ 12:47pm
That's what happens when you're in a fox hole too long.... ;-)
Posted by ACook at 12/03/2008 @ 12:47pm | warn this person
The ties that bind. Heartwarming.
Posted by OneVote at 12/03/2008 @ 1:02pm
Dear "MrPoizun,"
It would be more accurate to say that Russia is once again effectively a one-party state. It is no more "communist" than China is, or than Mexico was in the days of Salinas and the PRI.
There are a lot of one-party states. Our own country nearly became one in the years from 2000 to 2006. It's not a happy development, but it's not the end of the world, either.
Posted by JakobFabian at 12/03/2008 @ 1:13pm
Still, you have to give him credit for citing the Nazi invasion of 1939 rather than the Soviet Bloc invasion thirty years which the politicians and the press wouldn't shut up about. Its just a much better analogy... Nationalistic, expansionist, and unilateral. More, pre-war fascism than post-war communism.
Posted by inthered at 12/03/2008 @ 1:19pm
Holbrooke: Anti-Russia, Pro-Israel,anti-Muslim,bomb Iran kind of a guy.
Another shouter /shooter in the John Bolten, Dennis Ross, Doug Feith, kill the commies, kill the Arabs tradition. Enough!
We have enough on our plate. What with India, Pakistan,Kashmir,Afghanistan and Iraq we're tapped out already.
Everyone loves oil, the money that comes from it, the cars that run on it...is there no way we can use this dwindling resource without killing each other over it.
Memo to Holbrooke, if you get the job: Can you try talking to your middle eastern adversaries instead of bombing them?
Posted by hkaplan at 12/03/2008 @ 1:34pm
Holbrooke: Anti-Russia, Pro-Israel,anti-Muslim,bomb Iran kind of a guy.
Another shouter /shooter in the John Bolten, Dennis Ross, Doug Feith, kill the commies, kill the Arabs tradition. Enough!
We have enough on our plate. What with India, Pakistan,Kashmir,Afghanistan and Iraq we're tapped out already.
Everyone loves oil, the money that comes from it, the cars that run on it...is there no way we can use this dwindling resource without killing each other over it.
Memo to Holbrooke, if you get the job: Can you try talking to your middle eastern adversaries instead of bombing them?
Posted by hkaplan at 12/03/2008 @ 1:35pm
Obama is re-creating the Clinton government. Therefore, I expect to see Holbrooke and Madelyn Albright soon. All the Democrats who helped Bush into the invasion of Iraq are being welcomed into the Obama administration. Requirements for the Obama foreign policy team is a hawkish Cold-war attitude and total allegiance to the Israeli lobby. To prove his unlimited loyalty to Israel, Obama will be saber-rattling toward Iran any day now. But my question is: where is the change he was always talking about?
Posted by philbq at 12/03/2008 @ 1:43pm
Posted by hkaplan at 12/03/2008 @ 1:34pm
hka, please explain why you are "pro-Russia"?
Posted by Mask at 12/03/2008 @ 1:46pm
Senator Clinton is co-chair of the Indian caucus in the Senate. I don't think she has the objectivity needed for conflict resolution between India and Pakistan. We do not need a repeat of the ham handed accusations of the Bush Administration. A Democratic version of the "Axis of Evil" approach to diplomacy will cause more problems then they will solve. I played a minor role in the "Cold War" and was stationed in Europe from the Hungarian uprising through the rise of the Berlin Wall. I worked in communications close to the East German border, and radio traffic from Soviet tanks could be picked up on your car radio. The Soviet Union is gone, but Russia is it's heir. NATO was an anti- Soviet alliance Moving NATO near Russia is an implied threat. Russia poses no real threat to U.S. interests, and it is stupid to play these games with them. These people from the Clinton Administration are incompetent amateurs and haven't got a clue about handling any crisis. They run off at the mouth before they know any facts.
Posted by P. J. Casey at 12/03/2008 @ 1:48pm
P.J. Casey, thanks for the comment on Hillary and India caucus. I didn't know that. India has a powerful lobby here, which is fine, but I have a feeling it's working closely with the Israel lobby. More than a third of Israel's military exports go to India, and they've made common cause in many ways against Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
Posted by dreyfuss at 12/03/2008 @ 4:25pm
>Let's face it; Russia is once again a communist nation.
IF that is so, well, hallelujah!
Posted by chinpoko at 12/03/2008 @ 4:38pm
I played a minor role in the "Cold War" and was stationed in Europe from the Hungarian uprising through the rise of the Berlin Wall.
so did Elvis. did you meet him?
Posted by emile duBois at 12/04/2008 @ 10:43am
Canadian leader shuts Parliament to keep power
hey Froz, wassup with that?
Posted by emile duBois at 12/04/2008 @ 1:11pm