Bill Clinton bows to Islamist Turkey
We've known for ten years that Bill Clinton was a turkey. Let's go to the videotape.| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Moment of Zen - Clinton and the Turkey | ||||
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Clinton was in Turkey last week, and a Turkish reader of Barry Rubin's furnishes this disturbing account of Clinton sucking up to the Islamist regime.
Clinton discusses a variety of issues openly but when he comes to Turkey itself the whole content is one of flattering the current regime. He thinks of it as a moderate Islamic-oriented government which proves that you can combine Islamic politics and democracy. I, and many Turks, think of it as an Islamist wolf in moderate sheep’s clothing that is continually narrowing the margin of freedom in Turkey and taking anti-American stances (for example, by supporting Iran and Syria).It goes downhill from there.
But there is no hint that Bill understands any of this. Naturally, if he were to criticize some regime policies, the government wouldn’t like it. The regime, and those who support it, would say that Clinton is an arrogant American bully who wants to tell Turkey what to do.
Yet if he praises the regime--without even a hint of balance, much less criticism--he is still telling Turkey what to do, though unfortunately it is to do things quite dangerous for U.S. interests and regional stability. Moreover, the opposition—which includes a wide spectrum of political views--has good reason to conclude that Clinton and America is against them and pro-regime. This demoralizes them, especially after the lavish favor President Barack Obama has shown to the regime, honoring it with his visit and praising it as a great model in his own speech given in Istanbul.
At the same time, even among those who have voted for the AK, many are nervous about its intentions and wonder whether the regime is as its critics warn. (I've even met members of the party's parliamentary delegation who would like to see U.S. policy be more critical. The approach taken by Clinton and many other in the West helps convince them that it is safe to back the current government. Of course, seeing that U.S. policy supports the regime also makes the army forget any thoughts of pressuring or even overthrowing it some time if things get out of hand.
Yet as far as Bill is concerned, Turkey under the AK party regime is a big success. In the last ten years, he says, Turkey’s role in the world has grown and many of its domestic problems have been solved. He praises the AK’s leaders for moving from the historic secularist state to a society which respects freedom of religious expression.
Read the whole thing.
P.S. Yes, I know it's an old Jon Stewart video, but every Google hit with Clinton and Turkey either showed that video or a picture of Clinton with the Turkey. Where's Monica Lewinsky when we need her?
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:19 AM
1 Comments:
He did not have sex with that turkey.
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